Read Online A Father's Sacrifice by Mallory Kane - Free Book Online Page B

he’d seen earlier on the local news. The woman who had thrown herself over the child to protect him was his Natasha. He had no doubt. He knew that pale hair, the long shapely body, the efficiency of movement. She hadn’t changed, except that she looked stronger, more substantial, than she had eight years ago when she was a teenage runaway looking for a job.
    “Did you see the news?” his caller asked. “That was her—”
    “I told you to shut up. Concentrate on your job. And let me know everything that happens.”

    “I’ll do my best.”
    “No. You’ll do exactly as I tell you! What the hell do you think I have you in there for?”
    He tossed his cell phone down onto the bed and paced. The truck was on its way, its fanatical driver prepared to ram it into Dylan Stryker’s front gate going a hundred miles an hour.
    That was one point in favor of working with a bunch of zealots who were willing, even eager, to die for their cause. They were so malleable—they actually longed for a leader, someone who could convince them to sacrifice their lives for their beliefs.
    And he was the man for the job. He shook his head in wry disbelief. There was nothing he could think of that was worth dying for.
    Killing, however. That was another matter entirely. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill to obtain Dr. Stryker’s interface.
    He’d worked patiently to gain back the headway he’d lost three years ago with the botched kidnapping of Stryker’s wife. He’d lurked in Stryker’s computer for months, reading every e-mail, watching Stryker’s buying habits. His suspicion was true. Stryker’s son had survived. And Stryker was working harder than ever to perfect his technique for the surgical implant of the interface.
    So he’d put his plan into motion, recruiting people, studying Stryker, patiently waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate his defenses.
    Now the government had unwittingly sent in his nemesis to stop him. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Although Natasha presented a challenge, she hadn’t been as good as he was back then, and she wasn’t now.
    Still, he was glad he’d had the foresight to put together a backup plan. Backups were essential. Any good hacker knew that. His plan depended on leverage, and he’d soon have access to the best leverage of all—Stryker’s son.
    He couldn’t get to the boy inside the estate. Penetrating that fortress would mean taking an unnecessary risk. He had to wait until Stryker decided to move the kid. He was surprised the neurosurgeon hadn’t already done that. Obviously, Stryker needed more motivation.
    Tom stretched out on his unmade bed. With the help of his contact on the inside, he’d supply that motivation.
    Stryker would soon be exactly where he wanted him. The surgeon had always been weak when it came to family. He’d give up the interface in a heartbeat to save his little boy.
    Then he could sell it to the highest bidder. Hell, to all the bidders. It was freeware. He chuckled at his joke. Even if it was encrypted, it was no problem. He could break the encryption in no time.
    After all, he was still the best.
     
    N ATASHA COULDN’T SLEEP . She’d finished installing the new equipment on her computer. Then she’d searched Dylan’s encrypted program files. To her relief, she’d found no trace of the hacker there.
    By ten o’clock, she’d been nodding and yawning, so she’d set a simple but effective 128-bit encryption that would work with the existing security to protect the system until morning, then dragged herself upstairs to bed.

    Mintz had let her know that there was a news story on a couple of the local channels—renewing speculation about Dylan’s son. They had video, Mintz told her, showing two figures.
    She turned over and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to find a cool place on the pillow, but the sheets scraped her raw arm, reminding her of the gentleness of Dylan’s touch.
    She’d felt stripped bare in front of him. Her body had thrummed