Page 81 of Stolen By the Billionaire
“Oh, back then.” Savoie looked back over the pool deck and black, empty air above the restless waters of Lake Michigan. “You didn’t seem the type for indiscreet photos. But why do you care about this woman, Sarah? Mary Varvara Bell made a threat. You made a counter threat. Collateral damage happens all the time. It’s the nature of the job.”
Blaze voiced the sickness swimming in his gut. “I made a mistake. Mary Varvara Bell now sees Sarah as a point of weakness. She put out a hit on Sarah as soon as I threatened her.”
Savoie shrugged. “So?”
That callous dismissal wasn’t enough of an answer for Blaze.
His phone pinged in the pocket of his pajama pants, and he pulled it out and read the notice on the screen.
Magnus was beside him. “What’s that?”
Blaze turned the screen so he could see. “My credit card was canceled.”
“Did you cancel it?”
“No.”
His phone chimed again. Another one of his credit cards was maxed out with an exorbitant charge on it. “Holy shit, I think someone bought a house with my Amex.”
“It’s another attack,” Magnus said. “Someone’s in your accounts. Go see the hacker downstairs.”
Blaze ripped off a quick text to his old friend Twist, who’d said that the banks he used were impregnable, telling him about the cards and asking for advice or anything he could do. Then he raced down the stairs and ran for his office. “Naz—uh—hey friend, someone is hacking me.”
The Rogue Security hacker was hunched over the keyboard with multiple screens open. “Your security system is compromised. That’s why your alarm and defense systems didn’t reinitiate when the generator kicked in.”
“It’s not just my security system. They’re in my financials. My credit cards are being canceled or maxed out.”
Naz gestured to the wide, curved computer screen. “Shut them off from your accounts.”
Which left him without money. Blaze’s whole life had taught him that money couldn’t make you happy, but it sure solved problems.
Twist texted him back while he clicked through websites, freezing cards and accounts. I’m on it. Something’s going on. Micah got an alert, too, and we’re locking his financials down.
Damn it. Mary Varvara Bell was hitting all four of them who’d taken money from Logan’s grandfather.
Who was also—Blaze glanced at the ceiling—Sarah’s grandfather, though they would’ve been estranged due to her father running away to be a farmer in Iowa.
Naz rolled himself backward in the office chair. “Why are these people attacking you?”
Blaze began hopping through his bank accounts, deactivating cards and tapping in fraud alerts. “It’s the White Russian Syndicate. I was hitting back at them and accidentally dragged the woman into the middle of it. I explained it all to Magnus.”
“Yes, the White Russians have always been known for their hacking, but something changed about six months ago. The level of their cyberattacks and reach increased substantially.”
“And they’re the ones who’re after me,” Blaze said.
Naz stood and rolled the office chair back to the desk. “Yes, you have a problem. I’ll text Magnus that you’ll be down here for a few minutes.”
Blaze sat and continued working his way through his bank websites. “Hey, uh, Sarah doesn’t need to know about the problem with the credit cards. Tell Magnus to keep it to himself.”
Naz chuckled. “Don’t worry. Magnus keeps everything to himself.”
Blaze shut down his few remaining credit cards and froze his other accounts, placing fraud alerts on the ones that had been maxed out.
This felt like a coordinated attack: first, the physical breach and hack of his security system, and now the cyberattack on his finances.
Hell, it felt like an all-front war.
Sweat misted on Blaze’s back and turned cold as he considered his dwindling options for escape.
