Love & Redemption Read Online Free Page A

hacker, and she’d taken the position as Nick’s tech manager. If she pooled resources with the FBI’s anti-terrorist task force again, the trail to find Paul Billings and the other rouge agents must be running cold.
    “I still don’t like your methods. I won’t be forced into this,” she warned.
    “Fair enough. I’m sorry for tricking you.” Nick’s voice was soft and he did sound sorry. “I figured if nothing happened, you’d just have a nice vacation. In the meantime, I could focus on Carlie this week without worrying about Paul.”
    Which was what he should do. Carlie needed him.
    Shelley rolled her eyes. “You fight dirty, don’t you?”
    He chuckled. “I learned from Carlie.”
    She sighed. “It doesn’t matter now, I suppose. It’s over and done with. The important thing is that I have a complication.” She glanced again at Gavin, who had settled back onto the bed, apparently reassured when she calmed down. “A thief spoiled Paul’s plans for those diamonds, but now he’s in trouble. We need to help him.”
    She quickly explained about Gavin and what he witnessed, and then told Nick about Stephen and Terrance searching for him at the opera house. “I don’t know what the odds are of him picking my opera box to hide in out of all the boxes there, but he’s lucky he found me,” she concluded.
    “I’d say we’re pretty lucky, too.” Nick sighed. “I’m happy he has the diamonds, but it won’t take Paul long to discover what he has are fakes.”
    Though Shelley had tried to avoid thinking about the reason Paul wanted the diamonds, fear threaded down her spine. “Do you think Paul’s trying to make those terrorist bracelets he accused Carlie of having?”
    “Pretty safe bet,” Nick said. “We’ve been watching for this kind of sale all along. When Paul told me about the bracelets, he had some pretty specific ideas about how they would work and what would happen with them.”
    Shelley drummed her free hand on the desktop. “And since Carlie didn’t have anything like that, you figure it must be something he already had in the works?”
    “Exactly.”
    “Do you think they’re going to try another assassination attempt on President Sharp?”
    “Maybe,” Nick said. “I’m more worried about the things Paul said the microchips in the bracelet could do. He talked about them hacking into computer programs anywhere and downloading information. Specifically, secret files at government facilities. This is a huge threat to national security. I’m sure our country’s enemies would pay very well for that kind of information, and apparently Paul is all about making money.”
    “I don’t even want to think about that.” Shelley shuddered. “Thank God Gavin stole the diamonds. Are they special quality or something?”
    “In order to have the microchips inside the bracelets react correctly, Jenessa says the diamonds would have to be very clear and high quality. I think it’s safe to say Paul will find another supply eventually, but this will slow him down.”
    Shelley looked at Gavin. “You just went from petty criminal to hero, my friend.”
    Gavin’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not just a criminal.”
    Shrugging, Shelley knew they had bigger problems than that. “What should we do, Nick? You have to take care of Carlie tomorrow, but what about the diamonds in the meantime?”
    “What?” Gavin jumped off the bed and walked toward her, shaking his head. “ We aren’t doing anything with the diamonds. I’m waiting for my buyer to call so I can sell them and get out of town.”
    “Tell him that isn’t happening,” Nick said gruffly.
    “Tell him yourself,” she snapped. This wasn’t what her week was supposed to be like. Nick got her in the middle of a mess without even asking whether she was willing to help. He could deal with this and figure out how to convince the thief not to sell the diamonds.
    She thrust the phone at Gavin.
    He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk to