Stolen Identity Read online

  “I just hate that I can’t fix this.” She looked up at him. “I hate that I can’t put a stop to what he’s doing. Hate thinking that at some point, I left a password laying around, or a bank statement, or trusted the wrong person.”

  “Whoa. Sometimes, no matter how careful we are, someone still manages to take advantage of us. That’s part of the consequences of the fallen world we live in. But it doesn’t make it your fault.”

  Danielle shivered. He needed to get her home where she could get warm, but he realized she also needed some time to work through the emotions she was experiencing. Just as he needed to get a handle on the feelings churning through him. Feelings he’d vowed to leave in the past.

  He pulled off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. “You’re not alone, Danielle. You’ve got a strong support network at church, your mother, Lauryn. And I promise to do everything I can to help you through this.”

  He gathered her into his arms and felt her shallow breathing against his neck. She was shaking, as much from fear as from the cold. After a minute she began to relax against his shoulder. It would be so easy to fall for her again. If only the circumstances were different, and he didn’t still carry with him the scars from her walking out on him all those years ago.

  “I just don’t know how to do this.” She pulled back and wiped away tears from her cheek. “He knows everything about me. He can hack into my accounts, steal my money…whatever he wants. And if he can get to me, he can get to Lauryn. I’m scared, Jason. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life.”

  She sat down on a long piece of driftwood and stared out across the ocean. There might not be anything he could say to fix things, but at least he could be here for her.

  “What else do you feel?”

  “Mad that that someone couldn’t care less that what he is doing could ruin my life all for the sake of greed. Is making a fortune really worth ruining someone’s life—or for that matter is what he wants worth someone losing their life? I just don’t understand.”

  “No, it’s not worth it.”

  “He made his point, Jason. He can get to me, and I don’t even know who he is. How can I stop someone I can’t see?”

  She looked up at him, her expression more one of sadness than fear now. “When Quinton died, my mother once told me that difficult things take a long time, and impossible things a little longer. I didn’t think I’d ever get over losing him. I’d suddenly become a single mom and sole owner of the business we’d started together. For me the future seemed impossible. And like today, I couldn’t see the end of the tunnel. Just a dark maze with no map to get to the other side.”

  “Which is why we have to figure this out. You always were the practical one, good at finding solutions.”

  “When all of the pieces are there. When I don’t feel as if I’m running for my life to stop things from getting worse.” Danielle picked up a fistful of sand, then let the granules drain through her fingers. “But I have no idea where to look. No idea what he thinks I have or even how to find the information he wants. And in twenty-four hours, if I don’t give him what he wants…I don’t know what to do. The only thing I do know is that I can’t let him win.”

  “Then we go over things again and again until we figure out the missing pieces.” Jason rested his elbows against his thighs, watching the power of the waves crash against the rocks sprinkled along the shoreline. God was still in control—bigger than this situation. Even when circumstances made it seem that God was far away. “Garrett said something to this creep to make him think you—or possibly I—have what our hacker wants.”

  “So we’ve clearly been linked together. Did Garrett know about our past?”

  They were both grasping for answers without any real direction, but it was better than doing nothing. “He knew I’d been engaged once, and that things didn’t work out. Beyond that, I don’t think the subject ever came up.”

  And he’d moved on. For the most part. Somehow, even after all these years had passed, he still found it hard to trust women. Or maybe it was simply his fears of not wanting to have his heart broken again.

  Danielle drew in a deep breath and nodded. Color had returned to her cheeks. Partly because of the wind, but also because she’d decided that their nemesis wasn’t going to win. This was the girl he remembered. Determined. Resolute.

  Their hacker had chosen the wrong person to scam.

  “Okay.” She drew her knees up against her chest, watching the movement of the ocean and the dark clouds drifting silently across the horizon. “If what we are assuming is correct, there are at least two people working together.”

  “The woman Garrett told his mother about—the one who showed up at the car dealership and bank—and the man who called you.”

  Danielle nodded, her gaze intent and focused. “They’re smart, computer-savvy and highly manipulative. They know how to stay under the radar and even vanish, since we can guess that it took Garrett a while to find them.”

  “They use different methods, identity theft and romance scams,” Jason continued. “Nothing has shown up so far on Garrett’s laptop, in his apartment or in his phone records so far.”

  “Which might mean that any communication he had with her was done on a separate email account or computer.”

  Giving them one more thing to look for.

  Jason noticed the fatigue in her eyes. Like him, she probably hadn’t slept well since all of this started and they’d missed lunch. Despite all that had transpired between them in the past, he still wanted to take care of her. “I’ll tell you what. Philip has agreed to drive in later this evening so we can brainstorm some more in person, but in the meantime, we’re both tired and need nourishment. The problem will still be here in an hour or two, and we’ll both feel better if we eat. I’ll even offer to fix dinner for you and Lauryn.”

  “Wait a minute.” For the first time all day, she smiled. “You’re actually offering to fix dinner? Your taste buds might have changed, but I remember you lived on ramen noodles and Cap’n Crunch in college, and there was definitely no cooking involved in that.”

  “As you said earlier, people change. Man cannot live on instant soup and cereal his entire life, so I learned to cook.”

  “You learned to cook?” Her laugh took him by surprise. “Somehow I find that hard to believe.”

  “Wait a minute.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “I think I should feel insulted.”

  “Actually, I’m pretty impressed.”

  “Then I’m definitely going to have to prove you right. How does lasagna and garlic bread sound?”

  “You’re talking homemade, with lots of garlic and cheese?”

  “What else would I be talking about?” he drawled.

  Jason took her hands and helped her up, expecting her to pull back once she was on her feet again. Instead, she looked up at him, her eyes wide, tinged with resolution…and longing?

  No. Exploring one’s feelings in the middle of a crisis wasn’t a good idea. Anything she thought she might be feeling for him right now was colored by everything that was happening around them. She felt vulnerable and lost, and he had swept in to save the day.

  He let go of her hands, wishing he could simply erase the feelings of rejection that still lingered. He focused instead on the wind that had picked up and the dark clouds moving in fast. They were going to get caught in the rain if they stayed out here much longer.

  It had rained the day she left him. He remembered that moment like it was yesterday. Two weeks before their wedding, she’d met him at their favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch. She was out of breath when she ducked in, her hair and clothes damp from the rain despite the umbrella she carried. He’d expected to talk about their honeymoon plans. Money had been tight, but with his father’s help, he’d bought a honeymoon package to the Caribbean. Five nights with the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with.

  Instead, she’d told him that she was sorry, but she couldn’t go
through with the wedding. There had been no real explanation. Just a straightforward apology.

  He hadn’t even seen the breakup coming.

  Looking back, there had been signs. She’d seemed distant, but he thought she was busy with wedding plans. In the end, he’d been left to shoulder comments made by people he’d once thought of as friends as to what he’d done wrong.

  He’d always hoped for an opportunity to ask her why, but that chance had never come. Until now.

  But even now wasn’t the right time.

  He took a step back, wondering how he’d let his thoughts stray so far from their current situation.

  She caught his gaze, the remnants of a smile still lingering on her lips. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For making me laugh again. And simply for being here for me today.”

  Jason swallowed hard. Part of him almost wished circumstances hadn’t brought them together. They’d both changed, but not enough to have completely extinguished the spark that used to be there between them. That unexplainable, unquantifiable equation when a man and woman knew they were meant for each other. At least that is what he’d believed. He’d thought they had been the perfect couple. Maybe that was why he’d never found anyone who could take the place of his first love.

  They started back toward the car as the first raindrops fell. It shouldn’t feel so natural to be this close to the woman who’d broken his heart. He shouldn’t want to be this close to her, but somehow her presence helped to take the sting off the situation they were facing. Going through it together had put them back on the same team.

  He stopped by the car and opened up the door for her, ignoring the desire to kiss her along with his tremulous feelings of needing to keep his distance. Only God knew what the future held, but for today, for right now, he couldn’t help but be happy to have her back in his life again.

  When all of this was over and all the pieces put back together maybe he’d finally understand what had happened that day. Maybe they could even discover a way to create something new between them. Until then, though, he needed to focus on what had brought them together in the first place. A deadly hacker who would stoop to anything—including murder—to get what he wanted.

  NINE

  “This is fantastic.” Danielle took another bite of the tangy lasagna, thoroughly impressed with Jason’s culinary skills. It had been a long time since a man had managed to impress her. Not only were most of the single men she knew clueless about cooking, they were too busy—or uninterested—to give Lauryn much notice.

  Jason was clearly different on both accounts.

  Besides agreeing to fix dinner, he’d also insisted she take as much time alone as she needed for a soak in the tub. When she’d finally joined them, he was in the middle of helping Lauryn tear lettuce for the salad.

  Seeing the two of them laughing together was a scene that both thrilled and terrified her at the same time. She’d managed to get to a point in her life where she wasn’t scared of living anymore. In a way, Quinton’s death had taught her that. She’d learned firsthand that a life could be taken at the blink of an eye and change everything. Which was one reason why she was determined that she had to move on. But that decision in itself didn’t always mean that the process was easy, and with all that had happened over the past few days, life’s uncertainties, if anything, seemed stronger.

  She broke off a piece of garlic bread and dipped it into the sauce, choosing for now to focus on the positive. She nudged Lauryn with her elbow. “I have to say the two of you outdid yourselves. This is fantastic.”

  “Thanks.” Jason smiled, looking as pleased with himself as Lauryn did. “It’s an old family recipe.”

  The statement made her laugh. Since when had Jason started collecting family recipes? “I’m sorry. I didn’t remember your having a domestic bone in you.”

  He shot her a grin. “I could have said it was a standby I use to impress beautiful women and their daughters, but I thought my answer was safer.”

  She held up her fork. “So this is a common occurrence? Impressing women—and their daughters—with your talents in the kitchen?”

  “Not at all.” He winked at Lauryn. “This is the first time, actually.”

  Danielle struggled to repress the relief over the fact that impressing women with his culinary skills wasn’t a normal part of his bachelor regimen. “Then I have a second question. Where did you learn to relate so well with kids?”

  “My sister has a seven-year-old and a five-year-old which means I admit to playing Candy Land and spending Friday nights on the Wii.”

  “Hmm… What do you think about that, Lauryn?”

  “I think he should make dinner for us every night!”

  Danielle laughed. “Well, I don’t know about every night. He might get tired of cooking for us after a while.” Danielle felt the heat of a blush crossing her cheeks. “Lauryn is referring to my cooking. I’m sure you remember my cooking abilities, or shall I say, lack of them.”

  He popped a crouton into his mouth. “I don’t ever remember criticizing your cooking.”

  “Good answer, but I’m sure you thought about it.” Danielle smiled, liking the fact that he hadn’t brought up her infamous charred chicken, or the time she caught a kitchen towel on fire. She gave up on romantic dinners for two that didn’t include takeout early on in their relationship. “Let’s just say that while I have made progress in the kitchen—not as much as you apparently—there are a few things that haven’t changed all that much. We get by on a lot of ready-made meals and my mother’s occasional donation to the cause.”

  She watched him take another serving of lasagna and savored the moment. In some ways, tonight was an opportunity to get to know him for the first time. Something she was finding she liked. Too much. He leaned across the table to help Lauryn get another slice of bread, not seeming to mind the smear of sauce on her sleeve or her buttery fingers. Which made Danielle have to try even harder to not stare at the dimple on his left cheek and how blue his eyes were.

  She might not be ready to venture into what had happened between them, but Jason wasn’t the same man. And she couldn’t help but notice the subtle differences. He seemed more focused, more determined, and if it were possible, even more handsome than he’d been back in college. He hadn’t lost that mischievous sparkle in his eye when he smiled, but without that, he wouldn’t be Jason. Somehow he’d managed to balance his crazy fun side with a dose of reality.

  And he’d been right about something else, as well. Spending a couple of hours away from the events of the past few days had given her a much-needed break from reality. Something she’d desperately needed after today. It felt good to laugh and forget—even for just a little while—what they were up against.

  Somehow Jason had become the knight in shining armor she definitely wasn’t looking for.

  Danielle cleared her throat and turned back to Lauryn. “If you’re finished, why don’t you get your pj’s on and brush your teeth, then I’ll read to you before bed.”

  Lauryn nodded, then jumped down from the table, carrying her empty dish to the sink before running off down the hallway toward her room.

  “She’s adorable. Takes after her mother, you know.”

  Danielle picked up the empty plates, avoiding his gaze…and the fact that it seemed so natural to have him here. She started rinsing the plates before putting them into the dishwasher, wishing suddenly that they weren’t alone. And that she didn’t feel the intimacy of the moment.

  “Being a single mom isn’t easy, but you were right in what you said earlier. My mom’s always there for me, and we are a part of a small church with members that have gone out of their way to help. Their support has made things doable.” Lauryn had helped fill the empty spaces in her heart after Quinton died. “Thankfully, she’s easygoing most of the time. She loves spending time with her grandmother, and coming with me to work….”

  She was rambling, but it had been a long time
since a man had tied up her heartstrings.

  “Danielle? You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine. I was just…” Thinking of how I like the way you make me feel, and realizing how I want to both explore this possibility and run away at the same time.

  She looked up at him and met his eyes, wondering how she’d managed to find herself in this position.

  Lauryn arrived back in the kitchen dressed in her favorite pink Dora the Explorer pajamas and the bunny ears Danielle had bought for her on eBay. She was carrying a worn copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that they were reading together.

  Danielle drew her in for a bear hug, avoiding the fluffy ears to kiss her on her forehead. “Did you brush your teeth?”

  Lauryn nodded, then set the book down on the counter beside of Jason. “Wanna read me a chapter tonight?”

  “Hmm…I think I could handle that.” Jason looked up at Danielle. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not. I’ll finish up in here.”

  Danielle watched as Jason tucked the book under his arm, and walked hand in hand with Lauryn into the living room. Then he sat down on the recliner with her and started reading. The little girl laughed at something Jason said, and Danielle moved to the doorway of the living room to watch him read the story.

  She’d lost count of how many times her mother had tried to push her into dating. The last time had been the offer of a blind date with the son of a friend of a friend. But the timing had never seemed right. It was too soon, too uncomfortable and, with Lauryn, too complicated.

  Danielle turned away from the image. Seeing her daughter snuggled against Jason’s arm reminded her of what Lauryn had lost when she lost Quinton. All things she longed to give her daughter. But while she would never remarry simply to give Lauryn a father, her daughter wasn’t the only one whose heart felt a void.

  She went back to cleaning up until Jason came back into the kitchen.