Chapter 3 - The Hacker
I held my hand gently over Chloe's mouth to prevent her from making a single sound.
The police officer walked past our row of dryers with heavy, deliberate steps.
His radio crackled with static as he communicated with the other men hunting us.
"Check the back exit, I will sweep the front," the officer commanded over the radio.
I waited until he turned his back before I grabbed my bag and carried Chloe toward the emergency exit.
I pushed the metal bar open and we tumbled out into a narrow service alley.
We ran continuously until my lungs burned and my legs felt like heavy lead.
We finally reached a cheap roadside motel and I used the last of my cash to rent a room.
I locked the flimsy wooden door and pushed a heavy dresser against it for extra security.
I needed help from someone who operated outside of the normal legal system.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Liam, a brilliant cyber-security expert who owed Harrison a massive favor.
Liam answered groggily, complaining about the late hour.
"Liam, I need you to decrypt a hidden file on a USB drive right now," I demanded urgently.
He instantly recognized the panic in my voice and agreed to help remotely.
I connected my laptop to the motel's unsecured Wi-Fi and granted Liam remote access.
"This encryption is military grade, Sarah," Liam muttered through the phone speaker.
"Just break it, our lives depend on it," I pleaded as I watched lines of code scroll across my screen.
Ten minutes later, Liam successfully bypassed the final firewall.
A new document popped up on my screen featuring Victoria's real identity.
"Rachel Collins is an international fugitive wanted for corporate espionage and murder," Liam read aloud in shock.
She had assumed the identity of Victoria Sterling after the real heiress died in a mysterious boating accident.
"This woman is a monster, Sarah," Liam warned me.
"I will send you the location of a safe house right now," he added helpfully.
My phone vibrated with a text message containing the address.
I thanked him profusely and promised to repay him someday.
As I reached to close the laptop, I noticed a tiny notification bubble on the remote access window.
Liam had left his personal messaging application open on my desktop by mistake.
I clicked on the chat window and felt a sickening wave of betrayal wash over me.
May you like
Liam had just sent a message to a number registered to Victoria Sterling.
The text message simply read: "I have their exact location, send the team to the motel."
