Breaking the Barriers for You Read online

  Breaking the barriers for you

  By

  Brooke Baker

  Copyright © 2020 by Brooke Baker - All rights reserved.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of content

  Table of content

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

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  Chapter 1

  Ethan

  I sat on the bench, watching our team take the puck up the ice. Dylan, Hunter, and I waited for the line change. If we won this game, we could win the cup. If we didn't win, we'd be going to game seven. Never a good idea. Always too much pressure in game seven.

  I took a drink of water. The line change was signaled, and the three of us were out of our box like bullets, joining the play. Hunter was on the opposite team's winger and got the puck away from him. He passed it up to Dylan, and I skated hard to catch up to him and get into position in front of the net.

  Dylan shot it to me, and I caught the pass, aiming for the five-hole, but the goalie snapped his legs together, and the puck bounced off.

  Hunter caught the rebound and shot again, but once more, the goalie made the save. Their goaltender was on fire tonight. If we didn't score, he was on his way to having a shutout. We hadn't managed to get any goals at all so far, and the clock was ticking down. The third period was nearly over. We had to score.

  The other team's Captain got the puck and took it up the ice. All nine of us skated as hard as we could, keeping up to him. Dylan intercepted a pass that was meant for the other team's left-wing. He shot it to me, and I passed it on to Hunter, who was farther up the ice.

  We got it back into their end with twenty seconds left. Dylan took a shot, and the goalie unbelievably blocked it again. Hunter caught it, and I got around my guy, managing to get open. Hunter passed it to me, and I shot, the goalie saved it.

  Again.

  With that, the buzzer sounded, and the opposing team's fans roared with approval.

  We had lost.

  *****

  I leaned back against the couch in my apartment, putting my arm around the woman sitting next to me. She was telling me something, but frankly, I wasn't listening.

  We had lost tonight, and I felt it like a big black hole in my chest. I needed to fill that hole with something, and sexual pleasure with this woman was the only thing I could think of.

  Don’t worry. I planned on making sure she had a very good time as well. I take good care of my partners. They don’t leave without at least two orgasms, minimum.

  If I can’t have anything real with a woman, at least I can fulfill my physical needs — and hers. And yes, I wish I could have something real. But it’s just not in the cards for me.

  And it all comes down to the fact that everyone leaves.

  Everyone.

  Leaves me.

  Eventually, they all go.

  My father left when I was eight. My mother went into rehab two years later. She never came back — except for the occasional painful visit that always made me feel more empty and lonely after she left.

  My grandfather, who raised me after my parents tapped out, well, he died when I was twenty-three. He didn't want to leave me, but he did anyway.

  Kat. She had left too.

  Hell, she hadn’t even stuck around for our three-month anniversary.

  They all leave in the end.

  So why even bother getting close?

  I kissed the woman’s slim neck. She was one of those thin women that probably hadn’t touched a carb since she was five. She looked amazing in the slinky silver dress that she was wearing. Still, I couldn’t help but wish that there was a little more meat on her bones.

  I dropped my eyes to her chest and noticed that she wasn’t even wearing a bra. And if she wasn’t an incredibly sexy woman, I might have mistaken her chest for a man’s.

  But you couldn’t have it both ways. These sorts of tall, slim women didn’t have breasts. Or let’s say that they seldom have any breasts worth mentioning. And I’ve been with enough women to know. It was just the way their body type was constructed.

  For a moment, I wished I’d picked up someone with bigger breasts.

  I mean, don’t get me wrong. I was going to enjoy this.

  A lot.

  She pulled on my shirt, dragging me closer and kissing me. I kissed her back, glad we were finally getting down to business. I slid my hands down her body and cupped her butt. Or I cupped the spot where she ought to have a nice round ass but only seemed to have more bones.

  Damn it.

  Why had I picked up a skinny chick?

  I was attracted to her. That was why. She was beautiful.

  And then it happened.

  It always happened, but I was hoping it wouldn't this time.

  I compared her to Kat.

  I did it, unfortunately, with all the women, but it was always worse with the skinny ones.

  Kat had curves. Curves to die for. A round, firm ass, hourglass figure, and breasts that were the perfect handful. I'm sure she had bones, but I never felt them. She wasn't heavy; she was curvy, well-padded, an armful — and I had loved it.

  I pushed the skinny woman down onto the couch at the same time as I pushed Kat out of my mind. This woman was beautiful, and we were going to enjoy each other tonight. And I wouldn't have thoughts of Kat ruining it.

  Of course, that was impossible

  , because Kat had completely ruined me for other women.

  No other woman ever measured up.

  Not physically.

  Not intellectually.

  Not in any way.

  And I was pretty sure no woman ever would.

  Kat

  I walked out of the meeting, still feeling a niggling doubt about whether I belonged here. Everyone that worked at this company was brilliant and honest and kind; it seemed.

  Not exactly my crowd.

  Well, I was brilliant. But hacking isn’t really considered honest.

  I still wasn’t sure how I even got this job.

  My resume was true, but I had left out the part that my work had been done mostly for criminals, and I had acquired all those skills that were listed doing criminal acts for those criminals.

  And yes, I had done it for a good reason. My mother had needed that operation, and now she was fine. And I would do it all over again to save her life.

  But the police hadn’t seen it that way.

  Luckily, I had recently given key evidence on a crime boss, and the feds had wiped my slate clean. I had come very close to going to jail for decades, and I was ready to change my life.

  This job was the first step in making better choices.

  I couldn’t do anything to jeopardize it.

  I stepped into my office and began to pack up to go home when the phone rang.

  I glanced at it to see who it was.

  Ethan.

  Why the hell was he calling me?

  I considered not answering and letting it go to voice mail. But if he was calling, then he probably needed help. And no matter how broken up we were, I wouldn’t turn him down if he needed me.<
br />
  “Hello?”

  “Evans?”

  “Hey.”

  “How are you?”

  “I’m just peachy, Ethan. What do you want?”

  “Why do you assume I want something?”

  “Just tell me.”

  He huffed out his breath.

  "I have a tiny favor to ask you," he said.

  “What is it?” I said, not liking the tone of his voice.

  “Dylan fell in love with this girl…”

  “Dylan, the center on your team? That Dylan?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure he doesn’t just want to get in her pants? He was a confirmed bachelor last time I saw him. And a complete player.”

  "Yeah, well, he's already been in her pants, and he wants back in. Like forever. He's so sappy about her; I can hardly stand it. Her name is Madison Davies. Can you find out where she lives?"

  I didn’t answer right away.

  "Ethan, you know the feds cut me a deal, right? I can't do anything to jeopardize that. I have a new job. I'm a white hat now."

  "I know," he said, and I wondered how he knew that. Was he keeping tabs on me? It kind of annoyed me and at the same time gave me a vain hope. I put that little hope in a box and squashed it flat with a sled hammer.

  Ethan was silent on the other end of the line.

  I wondered how he was going to both ask me for help and keep me at arm’s length. That would be quite the feat.

  It’s why we broke up.

  He pushes away everyone he might get close to. He can’t help it. It broke my heart. But I get it. He has issues, so I don’t hold it against him.

  Much.

  And we’re still friends.

  I’d still do almost anything for him.

  But this is a big ask.

  The feds never said so, but they're watching me. They'll know if I take even the least little step out of line, and they'll probably jump at the chance to throw me in prison.

  But I didn’t want to say no to him, either, which he must have figured out about the same time I did.

  “It’s okay, Evans. I shouldn’t have asked you. We’ll figure something out, okay? Don’t worry about it. I hope your new job is going well.”

  "How do you know that I have a new job?" I said, suspicious.

  "Well, you're not hacking for criminals anymore, so I assumed you would have a legit job. Don't you?"

  “I do,” I said, not convinced. “You spying on me, Wright?”

  “Me?” He sounded so innocent. “Spy on someone whose job it is to digitally spy on other people? I would have to be an idiot to do that.”

  I noticed that he neither confirmed nor denied that he had spied on me. Damn, the hope popped up again, and I squashed it once more.

  “Don’t think that I didn’t notice that you didn’t answer the question.”

  He sighed.

  “I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, Kat.”

  And that twisted my heartstrings just a little.

  “And don’t even think about doing that hack for me, Evans. I don’t want you to jeopardize your new life. You’re on a good path. And I wish you all the best, okay?”

  “Thanks, Ethan,” I said, feeling a little choked up. “I appreciate your understanding.”

  “No problem. You take care.”

  “You too. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I tapped the screen of my phone to end the call.

  Then I stared at my laptop.

  I couldn’t do that hack for him.

  I couldn’t jeopardize my future.

  But I thought about what a small favor it was. And the fact that he had actually called me. Dylan must be head over heels for this woman. Ethan had a big heart, and he would have wanted to help his friend out.

  And he’d called me.

  Me.

  It was such a small thing.

  And I wanted to do it for him.

  I could cover my tracks.

  I would make sure the feds didn't know about this teeny tiny hack that was for a good cause. That was supposed to be my thing now, anyway, wasn't it? Using my skills for good?

  Well, this qualified.

  I was sure of it.

  Chapter 2

  Kat

  I paced back and forth in my apartment, scared out of my mind, and at my wit's end.

  How had I let this happen?

  What was I going to do now?

  Thirty seconds ago, I had discovered that the feds weren't the only ones watching me. Someone had tried to hack my rig. Of course, they had been unsuccessful, and they covered their tracks.

  But…

  I'd know Keye anywhere. He was a hacker that I had worked closely with, and he couldn't hide from me. He was good. But I was better.

  I didn't know why he was trying to hack my computer, but I knew who he was probably working for. He was on the payroll of my old client — Jarvis Maloney. I had done a bunch of jobs for him, and I had thought he was safely behind bars. I thought that because I had put him there, by providing evidence of his criminal dealings. And yes, that's how I got my deal.

  It seemed that he was a little mad about that.

  And apparently, he was still running things from jail. Yay.

  But the news just gets better.

  Likely Keye has been tipped off when I'd done the hack for Ethan. It was the only thing I had done that wasn't entirely legal in the entire time since I got my deal. He had to have been watching for me.

  And now he’d fucking found me.

  Knowing Jarvis, he had already greenlit me. I was a dead woman walking. What the fuck was I going to do?

  I started to panic. Then I remembered something Ethan always said to me about playing hockey. Because he's a winger, it's part of his job to set up the other forwards to score. He has about three times as many assists as goals because that's what he does.

  And he'd told me:

  “Kat, you have to look at the big picture, take in the whole scene, and then put the puck where the guy’s going to be. That’s how you set up a goal. And that’s how you win games.”

  I took a deep breath. I needed to look at the big picture. I just had to think it through. Jarvis had probably found out I had given the feds the evidence, and he was pissed.

  Likely he had assigned Keye to watch for me. He hadn’t been able to find me because I was trying to stay on the straight and narrow.

  Then when I did the hack for Ethan, I had shown myself. Keye had tried to hack me. But he hadn’t been able to. Still, if I could figure out what he was trying to do, then maybe I could figure out what his goal was.

  I sat down on my couch and began working.

  Five minutes later, I sat back, feeling sick to my stomach.

  In layman’s terms, Keye had been trying to get evidence that I was hacking again. If he had succeeded, I would be going to prison, never to see the light of day again.

  Feeling shaky, I tried to think.

  So, if Keye got evidence that I had been hacking, then Jarvis would likely turn that information over to the feds, and I would go to jail for a very long time. My life was possibly in danger as well because Jarvis might have sent an assassin to kill me.

  I tried to stay calm. What should I do?

  I needed to hide somewhere off the grid and figure something out.

  I couldn't go to the police or the feds because Keye would be monitoring that too. And if I had been greenlit, then they would be able to find out where I was. I had to stay off digital as much as possible. Get completely off the grid if I could. It was the only way to stay safe until I could figure out a plan.

  I tried to think of who I could call, but I didn't trust any of my old contacts. And my family, well, I didn't want to put them in danger.

  I needed a plan that Jarvis wouldn’t expect in the least.

  Then it came to me.

  He could help me.

  I didn’t want it to be him.

  But he was the only one
I could possibly ask to help me with this. I grabbed my keys and headed for my car.

  There was only one place he would be on a Friday night.

  *****

  I pulled up my hood as I entered the bar. The Jaded Glass was hopping tonight, and I surveyed the crowd looking for him. There. With Dylan and some other people. I had never actually met Ethan's good friends because the short time we had dated, they'd been drafted to some different league or something like that for the summer. But I'd seen pictures of them all on social media.

  Ethan was sitting at the table with a woman who looked anorexic or bulimic. Sheesh. Purge much?

  I steeled myself. It didn't matter who Ethan was fucking. I needed to talk to him. Convince him to help me. I needed him to get me somewhere safe so that I could figure out my next move.

  “Wright? Can I talk to you?” I said, arriving at the table.

  “Right now, Evans? Can’t you see I’m busy,” Ethan said.

  I glanced at his chick and lifted an eyebrow.

  “I’m sure you are. But this is important,” I let a bit of my fear show through for a moment. “It’ll just take five minutes.”

  Ethan frowned, his brown eyes concerned, and slid out of the booth. He looked too damn good, and I cursed myself for noticing it. He was wearing a tight navy T-shirt that showed every single muscle. And his brown hair was on the long side, making me want to run my fingers through it. Damn the man.

  I made my way back to the door and outside. We walked down the street to where I had parked my car and got inside.

  “Evans, what the hell is going on?” He studied me. “Why the theatrics? What’s so important you needed to interrupt my Friday night?”

  “Remember the guy that I put in jail?”

  “Yes. The feds gave you a deal in return for everything you had on him.”

  I nodded once.

  “Well, apparently he’s been looking for me and the hacker who works for him, Keye, just found me.”

  “Don’t tell me…” He put his hand to his forehead. “It was when you did the hack to find Maddie?”

  I didn’t answer, only dropped my eyes.