Techno Crazed (Hacked Investigations) Read online

  “Miss? Where’s your badge?” the security guard asked again. His gaze dropped back to her chest.

  “I must’ve left it at my desk.” She sighed and started to turn away. Maybe if he thought that, she’d be able to get away from this situation and let Ian take care of what he needed to do before they met up again.

  “Wait,” the guard said sharply. “I need to call this in. I’ll need to escort you to your office, then you can pick up your badge and return to work.”

  She looked at him and cocked her head to the side, trying to balance looking helpless and attractive. “Why is that?” She glanced at his ID badge. “Mr. Jeffers?” She drew out his name a little seductively.

  Redness caressed his cheeks. “Well, it’s a security protocol, miss. Hold on just a minute please.” He pulled out his walkie-talkie.

  * * *

  Ian opened the door and noticed the guard reaching for his walkie-talkie. He quickly turned and threw a set of wires, similar to what he had done with Bernard, locking the guard’s hands in place. The guard opened his mouth to voice his alarm, but that was quickly stopped by a sharp kick to his solar plexus, driving out his breath and sending him to the ground.

  Ian slammed the clipboard over the guard’s head, knocking him out. Together, they dragged the guard into the closest room.

  “Let’s go before that guy wakes up,” Ian said, grabbing Hannah by the hand and tugging her in the direction of the stairs.

  “Did you get them?” she asked, jogging with him toward the stairwell.

  “Yes.”

  “Where are they?”

  He grimaced. “I uploaded them into a chip in my skull.” He heard a gasp and looked at her to see her eyes wide. “Yeah. That’s one of the gifts of being me. Now let’s get out of here.”

  They ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. Opening the door to the stairwell, Ian slowed his pace to a stroll. The guards were just returning to their stations at the front of the building. In that case, maybe they wouldn’t be hassled.

  “So, what are you doing after work?” he asked, shoving open the door.

  “Work?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I don’t know. Going home to read, I guess. I like books.”

  “Maybe go get a cup of coffee with me?”

  “I… Sure. That’d be lovely.”

  They made it beyond the guards, who stood there looking a little bored and frustrated. “Damn, I wonder what happened with that door back there, Fred.”

  “Hell if I know. Maybe it was a glitch. How can anyone expect these computers to function perfectly? Geez,” the other one said.

  Ian and Hannah reached the sidewalk, and he took a deep breath, relieved to be out of there. Now they needed to get the information to the senator so he could speak out against MAX Home Security before more fire rained down on their heads.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The trip to Leon’s took them a while, but no alarms had sounded. Ian kept watch on his location over the server and checked the cameras for possible intrusion of MAX Home Security. So far, it seemed they were safe.

  They rang the doorbell and waited for Leon to let them in. He was already dressed up in pink scrubs and white tennis shoes. “Yes? What now?” Leon asked as he opened the door. “Oh, it’s you guys. I’m sorry, but I can’t talk right now. I have to get to work.”

  “Actually, about that. Want to see MAX Home Security burn today?” Hannah smirked. “If you do, take us to Senator Kendall. We’ve got to see him.”

  Leon pulled them inside and closed the door. “I have to go pack my lunch. Just wait in the living room for a second, and we’ll go to the hospital in my car, okay?”

  They stood there in the living room, waiting for his return. Ian glanced over at Hannah and squeezed her hand. “Things are going to get better.”

  She smiled. “I know, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m glad that we’re together.”

  They waited a few more minutes as Leon cursed and rummaged around in the kitchen. When he came back, he held a paper bag in his hand, and they made their way to his garage. The concrete floor was completely clean and bare. In fact, the only things occupying the garage were the car and a few shelves on the walls. No tools or any other clutter were present.

  Hannah peeked into her bag and zipped it up, obviously verifying that they had what they needed for their visit with Senator Kendall.

  The drive to the hospital was mostly uneventful. Leon parked in a quiet section of the hospital’s garage that was reserved for personnel only. The wide parking spaces here were much bigger than the ones designated for patients and guests parking.

  There was no one else in sight, and they got out of the car and into a nearby elevator, which lead them directly to the second floor, beyond normal security checks or cameras.

  In the elevator, Leon glanced at them quickly. “Just be quiet and follow me. We need to get you some coats that I have in my locker, but other than that, you two need to sit back and relax. I have an idea how to deal with the guards.” He grinned.

  Ian raised an eyebrow and looked nervously at the elevator doors.

  Slowly, the elevator rose to the second floor, and the doors opened. The typical smell of cleaning products filled the hospital. The sterile brown and white colors around them were mixed with blue or green arrows helping the patients to reach specific destinations, like the restrooms.

  Leon walked to one of the doors on the left and opened it with his keys. Inside, lockers lined the walls with various names printed on them. Walking in front of one bearing his name, he pulled the handle and revealed a small, crowded space from which he pulled two lab coats for them.

  “Here. It’s not the best, but it is enough to make it seem like you belong here. Just try to act casual and wait here. If anyone comes in, say you’re waiting on me. Now, I’ll go work my magic on those guards.” Leon winked. “A muscle relaxant and a laxative should do it. Wouldn’t want to give symptoms much more easily noticeable, such as hallucinations.”

  Ian watched Leon as he headed into the hallway toward a door with two guards in front reading newspapers. One of them was drinking coffee, and Leon bumped the cup on his way to open the door.

  “What the hell, nursey?” the guard said, jumping to his feet. He used the newspaper to dab at the coffee that drenched his clothes.

  “Sorry! Maybe you should take those wet pants off.” Leon gave the guard’s crotch a pointed stare.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He tossed the newspaper aside and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Do I look like I’m kidding?” Leon chuckled and shrugged. “I’ll go get you a fresh cup of coffee. Just wait here.”

  Leon walked toward the break room they had passed on their way from the elevator. He returned to the guards a few minutes later. “Here you go. Let’s put that accident behind us, shall we?”

  Hannah brushed against Ian’s back, and he looked over his shoulder at her before returning to gaze to the senator’s door. The guard seemed much happier seeing Leon bringing him the coffee, but still cussed for another minute before letting him into the senator’s room.

  Ten minutes went by as the guard slowly sipped his coffee. He cursed suddenly and hobbled toward a door with a restroom sign on it. The restrooms were further down, opposite their hideout.

  Ian withdrew from sight until the guard had entered the toilet with a slam of the door.

  At first, he thought they’d lost their chance, but slurred speech and loud sounds of bodily waste exploded through the hallway. Moments later, he heard an audible bang like someone falling off the john. The second guard yelled something, and when he didn’t get a response, he hopped out of his chair and went to check on his friend.

  Leon opened the door to the senator’s room and waved for them to hurry on in.

  They darted into the room before Leon closed the door again. Finally. They’d finally made it.

  * * *

  After bringing the senator up to date and giving
him the evidence they’d found, Hannah hit record on the digital video recorder they’d bought and gave the thumbs up. Ian stood beside her.

  “As many of you know,” Senator Kendall said, “I was attacked and beaten recently. Those who did this were not the Ian Bradley and Hannah Franklin. The criminals who assaulted me worked for the people I’ve been speaking out against the past few years with my deceased colleagues Senators McGee and Daniels—MAX Home Security. There is now evidence that proves that MAX is behind the deaths of my friends and fellow senators. That evidence is right here.” He held up a small disk. “My thanks to Mr. Bradley and Ms. Franklin. They are not criminals. They are trustworthy citizens. I do fear for my life, so I want it to be known that if anything happens to me, MAX Home Security is behind it.”

  Hannah waited for a moment to make sure the senator was done talking before hitting the stop button. The recording would go a long way to helping her and Ian get out of the mess with the police. She had no doubt that the senator would’ve probably stayed quiet if it meant his life was in danger, but with the plan that they’d come up with, MAX Home Security would be stupid to come after him now.

  She handed the video recorder to Ian.

  He pulled out the memory chip and put it in his hand. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths. His face went blank, almost like a void state. A few moments passed before he opened his eyes again.

  He glanced her way and smiled. “It’s sent.” He opened his hand and placed the memory chip back into the video recorder. He looked at the senator and held out his hand. “Thank you, sir.”

  The senator shook his hand and nodded. “It’s the least I can do, son. I’ve been after that company for a long time, but with the way they run their operations, it’s been a struggle. They hadn’t given us anything to hit them with. Even after the death of my two colleagues, I wasn’t able to pin them with the crimes. Who would’ve believed me, anyway? Ah, well.”

  The door opened, and Leon peeked his head inside. “Sorry to disrupt the party, but…” He lowered his voice. “The drugs are beginning to wear off. You two should really leave. Come on.” His gaze lingered behind them on the senator. “Glad you’re feeling better, hot stuff.” He winked.

  The senator cleared his throat a few times, and his face reddened.

  Hannah grabbed Ian’s hand and went to the door to follow Leon. He was right. They needed to get out of there before the tape drew big crowds to the senator’s hospital room.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Hannah sat next to Ian on his bedroll and watched the computer on the ground in front of them. It played the video she had recorded of the senator’s speech. Thank goodness.

  The news switched to a reporter standing next to the spokesman for the police department. “Sir, what do you have to say about this?”

  “We’ll look into the evidence that the senator has.”

  “What about the two suspects the senator had cleared of assaulting him?”

  “If Senator Kendall says they didn’t assault him, then we will no longer look into them as suspects. They’re free to continue life.” The reporter looked like she was going to ask another question, but he shook his head. “No, no more questions at this time. We’ll hold a press conference when we know more.”

  The news program cut back to the studio. “Although we haven’t yet heard how this new evidence will help the ongoing investigation against the security company…”

  Bernard jumped in front of the computer. “I. Want. To. Go. Back. Home. Now!”

  Hannah cocked an eyebrow at Ian and shrugged a shoulder. “It’s up to you, honey.”

  Ian grinned. “Sure, I miss hot running water.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Life might not be easy for a while. People might still think we’re fugitives.”

  “True, but at least we’re together. Besides, I think we did really well with this. What do you think, partner?” His hand stroked down her hip, sending tingles along her spine.

  Hannah raised an eyebrow and caressed his cheek. “What?”

  He leaned in close for a kiss, only to be interrupted by a loud yell from the gnome. “Stop it with all of the lovey dovey crap! Let’s get out of this DUMP!”

  Ian hopped up and chased a squealing Bernard out of the maintenance area before slamming the door closed. He tilted his head forward and traced his hand over the metallic surface in some kind of pattern.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  After another moment, Ian straightened and turned to her, a wicked grin on his face.

  “What did you DO to the door? Oh no, you didn’t just WARD it!” Bernard’s small fists pounded against it on the other side in a constant rhythm.

  “Now, where were we?” He walked across the room toward her and tossed off his shirt. “I remember now.”

  Hannah rose up on her knees and ran her hands over the warm expanse of his chest, soaking up the delicious heat of his skin. She pressed her lips to his and wrapped her arms around his neck again.

  His hands slid beneath her shirt and caressed her breasts through the thin lacey bra as he kissed her ever more passionately. He pulled back and lifted the shirt from her, then laid her down on the bedroll. Hunger burned in Ian’s eyes.

  Wetness built between her legs, and she raised her hips to shimmy her pants down, needing the constricting material away from her skin. The only thing she wanted right now was his touch and the press of his cock inside her.

  Ian’s gaze bore down on her and then his fingers were working his belt and shoving aside his jeans. “You’re so beautiful, Hannah.”

  She smirked and sat up, shedding her bra. “Thanks. You’re not bad yourself.”

  He grinned and cupped her breasts, squeezing them lightly before trailing his hands down her torso and stripping away her panties. Ian grabbed a small square of plastic from his jeans pocket, ripped it open and then slid the condom onto his hard shaft.

  Hannah pushed Ian back into a sitting position, and he raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

  She straddled his hips and ground against him, bringing a gasp from his throat. “Yes,” she breathed, hovering her lips above his.

  His strong hands cupped her buttocks, massaging her flesh as she worked herself onto his cock slowly. He lay back on the bedroll, staring up at her with desire hot enough to melt ice.

  Leaning over him with her hands planted on either side of his head, she ran her tongue over his lips and then inside to explore his mouth as she met his thrusts with her own. He groaned into her mouth, and her lips curved into a smile.

  After all they’d been through, she needed this release with him. She increased the pace and ate from his mouth as fire burned between them, dragging her closer to climax with each stroke of him inside her.

  Ian’s hand moved up to caress the back of her neck, holding her lips against his as she moaned. He thrust faster, guiding her down on him with his other hand until she could only hold on.

  Her body clenched and her knees gave way as orgasm ripped through her. She screamed her release into his mouth as he held onto her, his fingertips digging into her hips slightly as he slowed his pace and leaned his head back, panting softly.

  She rested her cheek against his chest, savoring the feel of his skin.

  Ian stiffened beneath her and jerked his head toward the door.

  Hannah looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “Bernard has been unweaving my ward. We need to get dressed.”

  “No wonder he quieted down.”

  “I heard that,” Bernard yelled.

  They cleaned up and dressed before the gnome burst through the door, staring at them with disappointment shining in his eyes.

  “Party’s over, little man.” Ian picked up his backpack and nudged the gnome’s pointy red hat. “Let’s go home.”

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Thank you for reading Techno Crazed! Changeling Press previously published this book in June 2011. There are four books in the se
ries that follow Ian and Hannah and will be re-released as the rights revert to me.

  This story was my first attempt at writing cyberpunk romance, which was something so different for me. I loved the humor between Ian and Bernard, the gnome. These characters were a pleasure to write, and I enjoyed coming back each time to find out what happened next.

  I hope you’ve enjoyed this novella. If you did, please consider leaving a review at the retailer’s website or even on Goodreads. Also, if you’re interested learning more about my books, sign up for my newsletter and connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Sarah Mäkelä loves her fiction dark, magical, and passionate. She is a paranormal romance author, but she's written all over the romance spectrum with cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy...even a sweet contemporary romance!

  A life-long paranormal fan, she still sleeps with a night light. In her spare time, she reads sexy books, watches scary movies (and Ghost Adventures), and plays computer games with her husband. When she gets the chance, she loves traveling the world too.

  OTHER BOOKS BY SARAH MÄKELÄ

  Cry Wolf Series (New Adult Paranormal Romance)

  The Witch Who Cried Wolf (Cry Wolf #1)

  Cold Moon Rising (Cry Wolf #1.5)

  The Wolf Who Played With Fire (Cry Wolf #2)

  Hacked Investigations Series (New Adult Paranormal Romance)

  Techno Crazed (Hacked Investigations #1)

  The Amazon Chronicles Series (Paranormal Romance)

  The Amazon Chronicles Collection