Chapter One
Atlas
I work my shift at The Wicked Wench, a popular old-timey tavern located in the heart of Asheville. I keep one eye on the clock, feeling the butterflies in my stomach do somersaults.
On Friday afternoons, my dad will show up for a meal here. But he won’t be alone. He’ll bring his best friend, Eric Holt.
Eric looks like a sexy Greek god and I just happen to know he’s an excellent kisser.
As if I’ve conjured the two of them up, the bell above the door rings. I suck in a breath as Eric walks in. The sleeves of his white dress shirt are rolled up, revealing muscular forearms and a Semper Fi tattoo.
Despite the fact that he is my dad’s best friend, I didn’t meet him until the day he officially retired from the Marines. I can still remember being sixteen and standing on the back deck, watching him arrive for the homecoming party. I knew right then that I was in love with Eric.
The problem is that Eric has never given me the time of day. Unless you count that one kiss in Mexico after my nineteenth birthday when he was slightly tipsy.
Nothing happened other than a steamy make out session that still makes my panties damp whenever I think about it.
Dad and Eric settle at a booth in my section and I grab two beers. They’ll sit here for an hour, talking and laughing. Then they’ll both tip me a couple of fifties and leave.
Eric is scowling when I approach the table and I remember my little trick today. I wish I’d been in the room to see it happen. But that would be too much of a tip-off that I’m the one that keeps hacking him.
“I thought you got rid of this woman,” Dad says to Eric.
My stomach flips at the thought of Eric with another woman. As far as I can tell, he’s never been with anyone for longer than a night. “Got rid of who?”
“Miss Karma,” Eric spits out the words, fire dancing in his deep brown gaze.
I fumble with the beers, knocking one over. It’s not open yet so it doesn’t spill. Miss Karma is the nickname I go by whenever I create trouble for Eric. I’ve never done anything malicious to the head of computer security.
“Is she up to her old tricks?” I ask as I set the beer upright. I realized after Mexico that the only way to get Eric to see me in a new light was to pretend to be someone else. So, I started learning everything I could about hacking, my way of getting his attention.
“She added a macro to my PowerPoint. When I clicked on the slides in front of the team, it started playing a porno.” He shakes his head. “I’ll be lucky not to get my ass fired.”
“Unless your boss is a close friend,” I point out. When Eric retired from the military, Dad hired him to work for his company, Alpha Defense Industries, as the leader of his cyber security division.
“You have to find this woman. She could cause big trouble for the company. If word gets out that someone’s penetrated your system…” Dad trails off.
“The usual?” I ask the two of them. I’m not exactly sure what Eric will do once he discovers the real identity of Miss Karma. He’s attracted to her if the flirty messages we exchange when I’m in his computer are any sign. Will they stop once he knows who I am?
“Extra cheese and bacon on my fries today,” Dad says, sounding weary. For a second, I feel bad that I’ve made him worry.
I click my tongue against my teeth. “The doctor told you to cut back on the fried, greasy foods.”
He focuses on Eric. “This is why you don’t have a daughter. She’s either worrying you, or you’re worrying her.”
Eric chuckles at that and takes a swig of his beer. I watch his throat work, remembering the regret on his face in Mexico as he realized what he was doing and who he was doing it with.
A blush works its way up my neck as I think about how hungry and demanding his kisses were. The way he backed me up against the wall and put his arms up, caging me in. His possessive growls as he cupped my ass and grinded his hardness against me.
“I’ll get this off. To the kitchen spinner, I mean,” I say before I turn and flee. In the kitchen, I take a deep breath and remind myself that I’ve been careful.
Every time I’ve hacked Eric’s devices, I’ve done small things. Like messing up his presentations or redirecting all of his bookmarks to princess-themed websites for kids.
Once the food is done, I bring it to the table. I’m just in time to hear Eric say, “I don’t think it’s corporate espionage. It’s personal.”
“Based on what?” Daddy grimaces at the side salad I added to his order. “Why did you bring me lawn clippings?”
“It’s a side salad, and the dressing is fat-free.” Neither are likely to win points with Dad. But I’m worried about his health. He works too much, barely sleeps, and lives on caffeine.
I set my turkey club sandwich on the table and take the chair across from dad. It also happens to be next to Eric and I accidentally bump his muscular thigh with my thick one as I settle.
He scoots away from me so subtly that I doubt my dad even notices. He’s been like that ever since Mexico two years ago. I try to ignore the flicker of hurt.
“Why do you think the hacking is personal?” My dad asks Eric.
I take a bite of my sandwich and try to pretend that I’m bored by the conversation.
“Everything she’s done up until this point has been about humiliating me. If she were truly interested in targeting the company, she would have done it by now.”
“Could be an ex-girlfriend. A woman you’ve wronged in the past,” I offer.
Eric looks like he swallowed something sour. “There are no ex-girlfriends.”
Dad takes a bite of the salad and chews slowly. “It could be a bored kid looking to show off their skills. Maybe someone that wants to impress you.”
I shake my head. “If it’s personal, it’s someone with a vendetta against you.”
“Everyone loves me,” Eric quickly counters.
My dad chuckles before trying to mask it with a cough when Eric glares at him. “Point is, you need to find Karma and put an end to this, and you…” He points his fork at me. “Need to stop worrying about your old man and find yourself a boyfriend to take you out on Friday nights.”
“I have a date on Saturday night,” I answer.
Beside me, I feel Eric’s body stiffen and I don’t understand his reaction. What do you care? You said you were drunk and just acting like any horny man would.
Dad scowls. “Accompanying me to the company masquerade isn’t a suitable date for someone your age.” He glances at Eric. “Who do you know that’s close to her age and available on short notice?”
“Dad! I don’t want you setting me up with random guys.” Shit, could this conversation get any more embarrassing?
“I’ll find a guy in my own time,” I add reluctantly. I’ve never dated because I always measure every guy that shows interest against Eric. None of them can even come close.
“When? All you do lately is work and study. You haven’t been out partying since that time in Mexico. It was Spring Break last year, wasn’t it?”
“Two years ago,” Eric quickly corrects.
“I’ll know him when I find him. Just like you did with mom,” I tell Dad. It’s the one thing he won’t argue with me over.
Mom died when I was in high school. Sometimes, I think Dad is still expecting her to walk through the front door.
I made her a promise right before she died that I would make Dad happy and keep him healthy. He definitely wouldn’t be happy if he knew I was Miss Karma. Or that I have feelings for Eric.
“A girl your age shouldn’t be alone,” Dad says firmly.
“Yeah, you should take dating advice from a couple of old bachelors,” Eric mutters in a sarcastic tone.
Dad frowns at the use of the word bachelor. There are moments when he still looks surprised that mom is gone, and this is one of them.
To distract him, I say, “Did I tell you that I got an A on that paper I was so worried about?”
From there, I keep the conversation going by chatting about stupid, silly stuff—anything to keep my dad’s mind from going to the past.
When lunch is over, Eric leaves to give me and my dad a few minutes alone.
My father gets to his feet. “Sometimes, you remind me so much of her. You’re my ray of sunshine.”
He pulls money from his wallet. “I’m serious about today’s discussion. I want you to find a nice boy your age and think about creating a future with him.”
I want to tell him that I’ve already found a man I want. But he’s not my age or nice. No, if anything Eric Holt is very, very dangerous to my heart.