then slid into a chair at the table with her friends. She pushed a glass across the table to each of them and downed a good portion of her own. “I was a bartender in college,” she said finally. “Got big tips for pulling the caps off beer bottles with my teeth. Took me two years of working at the FBI to pay for all the dental work I needed.”
“You know that’s not what we mean,” Maryse said.
Raissa shrugged. “I might also do a little security work for corporations.”
“What kind of security work?” Sabine asked.
“Companies hire me to test their system’s security.”
Sabine’s eyes widened. “Companies pay you to hack their computer network? How do they even know how to find you?”
“Word of mouth on the Internet. Word goes out that a company is looking for me. I contact them on a secure computer with a new e-mail address, so I can remain anonymous. I get the particulars, hack their system, and point out where the weaknesses are.”
Maryse leaned forward. “That is too cool, but how do you get paid if you have to remain anonymous?”
“Wire transfer to an offshore account.”
Maryse stared. “You’re kidding.”
“I never joke about money.”
“Just how much money are we talking about?” Sabine asked. “I mean, if I’m not being entirely too nosy.”
Raissa smiled. “Anywhere from ten to fifty grand a job. Don’t worry—I pay taxes on all of it. God knows, I don’t need any more trouble with the government.”
“So what happens if they don’t pay?” Sabine asked, clearly fascinated with the entire thing.
Raissa laughed.
“Oh,” Sabine said, her face clearing with understanding. “I guess if you just hacked their system, that wouldn’t be a good idea, right? Talk about guaranteed payment.”
“Holy crap.” Maryse sighed. “Nine years, Raissa. In nine years of knowing us, you never once thought you could trust us with all this?”
“Hell, yeah. Jesus, all of this had nothing to do with trust. I didn’t want to get people involved—especially with something that might put them in danger. Why do you think I keep my security testing anonymous? Even corporations can be convinced to provide information if the right person is asking. Surely, the two of you can understand that.” Raissa frowned, knowing she was hitting below the belt a little. Well, a lot.
Maryse and Sabine had both recently gone through their own life-threatening crises and had tried in the beginning to get through it without involving anyone they cared about. In the end, it had taken everyone to make things right, but both still carried the guilt of how badly things could have turned out.
Maryse lowered her eyes to the table, and Sabine’s face flashed with a look of guilt, then sympathy. “When you put it like that…” Sabine said.
“Bitch,” Maryse said, and gave Raissa a small smile.
Sabine swatted at Maryse. “That’s not polite. My God, you are never going to learn manners, are you?”
Maryse put on an innocent look. “Hey, for all I know, that could be her real name.”
Sabine frowned and looked at Raissa. “Did Beau know who you really were?”
Oh shit. Raissa’s mind raced for a way out of this one. Beau, ex–FBI agent and Sabine’s new husband, had finally remembered seeing Raissa talking with an FBI assistant director in Washington, D.C. Despite the plastic surgery she had to change her appearance, he’d still recognized her, but promised to keep her secret. Apparently, he was a man of his word, but that might not score him many points with the woman he’d just married.
“Raissa?” Sabine prompted.
“Uh-oh,” Maryse said, and scooted her chair away from Sabine’s.
“Well,” Raissa began, “he didn’t remember me at all…at first.”
Sabine narrowed her eyes at Raissa. “But then he did?”
“Yeah. That night at the hospital with Mildred, something made him remember, but I made him promise not to tell.”
Maryse laughed at Sabine’s frown. “Kind of a
“You know that’s not what we mean,” Maryse said.
Raissa shrugged. “I might also do a little security work for corporations.”
“What kind of security work?” Sabine asked.
“Companies hire me to test their system’s security.”
Sabine’s eyes widened. “Companies pay you to hack their computer network? How do they even know how to find you?”
“Word of mouth on the Internet. Word goes out that a company is looking for me. I contact them on a secure computer with a new e-mail address, so I can remain anonymous. I get the particulars, hack their system, and point out where the weaknesses are.”
Maryse leaned forward. “That is too cool, but how do you get paid if you have to remain anonymous?”
“Wire transfer to an offshore account.”
Maryse stared. “You’re kidding.”
“I never joke about money.”
“Just how much money are we talking about?” Sabine asked. “I mean, if I’m not being entirely too nosy.”
Raissa smiled. “Anywhere from ten to fifty grand a job. Don’t worry—I pay taxes on all of it. God knows, I don’t need any more trouble with the government.”
“So what happens if they don’t pay?” Sabine asked, clearly fascinated with the entire thing.
Raissa laughed.
“Oh,” Sabine said, her face clearing with understanding. “I guess if you just hacked their system, that wouldn’t be a good idea, right? Talk about guaranteed payment.”
“Holy crap.” Maryse sighed. “Nine years, Raissa. In nine years of knowing us, you never once thought you could trust us with all this?”
“Hell, yeah. Jesus, all of this had nothing to do with trust. I didn’t want to get people involved—especially with something that might put them in danger. Why do you think I keep my security testing anonymous? Even corporations can be convinced to provide information if the right person is asking. Surely, the two of you can understand that.” Raissa frowned, knowing she was hitting below the belt a little. Well, a lot.
Maryse and Sabine had both recently gone through their own life-threatening crises and had tried in the beginning to get through it without involving anyone they cared about. In the end, it had taken everyone to make things right, but both still carried the guilt of how badly things could have turned out.
Maryse lowered her eyes to the table, and Sabine’s face flashed with a look of guilt, then sympathy. “When you put it like that…” Sabine said.
“Bitch,” Maryse said, and gave Raissa a small smile.
Sabine swatted at Maryse. “That’s not polite. My God, you are never going to learn manners, are you?”
Maryse put on an innocent look. “Hey, for all I know, that could be her real name.”
Sabine frowned and looked at Raissa. “Did Beau know who you really were?”
Oh shit. Raissa’s mind raced for a way out of this one. Beau, ex–FBI agent and Sabine’s new husband, had finally remembered seeing Raissa talking with an FBI assistant director in Washington, D.C. Despite the plastic surgery she had to change her appearance, he’d still recognized her, but promised to keep her secret. Apparently, he was a man of his word, but that might not score him many points with the woman he’d just married.
“Raissa?” Sabine prompted.
“Uh-oh,” Maryse said, and scooted her chair away from Sabine’s.
“Well,” Raissa began, “he didn’t remember me at all…at first.”
Sabine narrowed her eyes at Raissa. “But then he did?”
“Yeah. That night at the hospital with Mildred, something made him remember, but I made him promise not to tell.”
Maryse laughed at Sabine’s frown. “Kind of a
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