Page 5 of Digital Desire

The Learjet 35 they had borrowed from Eidolon only had the capacity to fly two thousand miles, so they would have to fly from the UK to Sierra Leone and then refuel and fly to Recife in the North West of Brazil before starting the final leg to Colombia.

Opening his laptop, he glanced at Drew who had pulled his beanie over his eyes and was now sleeping. That boy was either sleeping or eating, but he had quickly become one of Will’s best friends. The time they had spent together as he helped Drew refine his abilities for coding and hacking had forged a friendship that Will now considered one of his closest. The fact that Drew hadn’t asked any questions before following him and helping him out, even knowing the danger and the possible outcomes, cemented that bond.

That was another thing about Drew that most people didn’t get. He was smart, more than smart, he was a fucking genius, but he hid it. Hiding behind the muscle and the banter as he fought his inner demons, placed there by a fucked-up father.

Will checked the downloads and was pleased to see they had finished installing. He could now position the satellites where he needed them. He also checked in and saw that Jack had received notification of Liam accessing the armoury. He wondered how long it would take before Liam had Jack on his ass once they landed.

He would not ask Liam to lie for him though, he and Jack had their issues, but he would not drag Liam any further into the shit than he already was. As it was, he would probably have to put his hand in his pocket for another Learjet.

Opening a new window, he started to follow the crumbs that Dogberry had given him and soon found a source who was willing to provide him with information on a woman matching Aubrey’s description. Will arranged the meet, and then knowing he couldn’t do anything else, closed the lid and his eyes.

He wasn’t sure when she had gone from being a job to being his. But in between the flirting and the fun dates to throw her off the scent of the Fortis mission he had fallen for her. The love she had for her family, the dedication to her job, her values, her twinkling eyes, her mischief when she thought nobody was looking.

He didn’t know how he would convince her to give what they had a go, because he knew she felt it too. But he had to try, he had never felt this way about a woman before. He’d had plenty of women in his bed, more than he could count and none that he remembered but Aubrey had never let him in her bed and she had made more of an impression than all the pussy in the world.

Nate had teased that it was because she was playing hard to get and maybe there was a certain element of that, but it was way more than that. He had a feeling that Aubrey had the ability to destroy him and that terrified him, but like the adrenalin junkie he was, it gave him a thrill too, and wasn’t that just fucked up.

He needed some sleep, but when he did sleep it was to dream about Aubrey, her skin against his as she laughed and teased him about his ink obsession. Even in his dream, he saw the minute she had withdrawn from him. It was like a shield had come down and she had blocked him out, cutting him from her life with a coldness that did not reflect the warm, sensual, brave woman he had come to know. The woman who was so far under his skin, he still felt her touch even now.

* * *

“So now what?” Drew asked looking at Liam and Will with a sarcastic grin. They had arrived in Colombia after a long assed journey that nearly had them all arrested in Sierra Leone. Thanks to a very quick hack into the security at the airfield Will had learned the guard had a gambling habit. Having greased his palm with some cash, he had let them through.

“Now, my friend, we find us a place to stay. I for one am Kerry Packer,” Liam said as he slung his bag into the boot of the SUV they had hired and got in the back.

“What the fuck does that even mean?” asked Drew as he slid in the driver’s side and started the engine.

Liam shook his head in disgust. “You, my friend, need to brush up on your Cockney rhyming slang. It means knackered, Kerry Packer, get it?”

Will smirked and shook his head. “Nobody fucking gets it except you.” He laughed as Liam shook his head again.

“Animals, you’re all fucking animals,” he said as he folded his arms and closed his eyes.

“Where to, boss man?” Drew asked as he looked at Will expectantly.

Will shrugged and opened his phone.

“Please tell me you have at least figured out a place for us to stay?” said Drew with glare now.

“I’ll sort it now, don’t be a dick,” Will replied with a grin at his friend’s glare. Using his phone, he hacked into the best hotel he could find and booked them a two-room suite under the same aliases as the passports they were using.

“There, all sorted. We’re booked into the Hotel Cali Superb in Cali.”

“And where the fuck is that?” Drew asked as he put the address into the GPS.

“Two hours from Buenaventura, which is where the last sighting of Aubrey was,” he replied.

“Okay, makes sense, gives us some cover in the crowd.”

“Exactly, and that’s where my contact wants to meet us.”

Drew threw him a look. “Could be a trap,” he stated.

“It could, but until we get there, we won’t know now will we.” Will laughed at the look on Drew’s face.

“No wonder they keep you locked away in the cave, you’re nuts,” Drew said with a grin.

Will laughed again. If it wasn’t for the woman he cared about being in danger then he would be enjoying this little excursion.