HAYDEN (Dragon Security Book 5) by Glenna Sinclair Page B

operations—everyone sort of assumed against terror—for several years before giving it up and coming home to marry Megan. They were high school sweethearts, head over heels for each other since she was fifteen. Before that, they grew up together because his mother was the housekeeper at the Bradford home, but she was so much more than that. Megan’s parents both worked, he at Bradford Telecommunications, the family business, and she at her many, many charities. Mrs. Murphy made sure the three Bradford children got to school every day, oversaw their homework. She even tucked them in at night. And Luke was right there beside them. As was I, most of the time. We were closer than any family could ever be.
    But then Luke disappeared the morning of his wedding to Megan. And then his name started appearing in Emily’s notes.
    What did Luke have to do with Peter’s death?
    Luke would never hurt Peter. They were best friends. When Peter started investigating the sale of some of Bradford Telecommunications’ software without proper licensing, he went to Luke for help. Then Luke disappeared. Three months later, Peter was dead.
    It was eight months before Megan began to think Peter’s death was more than an accident. And since then we’ve been learning things in trickles. But what we were learning made it seem like Luke was involved somehow. I couldn’t imagine his involvement was less than honorable. But it was hard to see that within the context of what little we knew.
    Luke and Dante. Both loved Megan. Both were involved in this thing somehow.
    I had to find out how.
    I put on my glasses and studied the computer screen. I worked for several hours, so engrossed in what was happening on the screen that I didn’t hear Hayden come down the stairs.
    “What are you doing?”
    I sat back and smiled up at him.
    “Hey. Did I wake you?”
    “Your absence woke me.”
    He lifted me up and took my place in the chair, pulling me down into his lap. He stared at the computer screens, but then he frowned, shaking his head.
    “I have no idea what any of that is.”
    “I’m trying to clean up the mess that virus made of Emily’s notes.”
    “Having any luck?”
    “Not really.”
    He kissed my neck lightly. “Megan has me checking out the names on that list you gave her. I’m not having much luck, either.”
    “It’s all a dead end. I really think that the best way to figure all this out will be to clean up Emily’s files and see what she knew.”
    Hayden nodded against my shoulder. “We need to find something and the sooner the better.”
    “Why?”
    “Because all of this is driving Megan crazy. Peter brought something down on his own head that put Amber in danger, and then it touched Dominic and Amy with Emily’s death. It’s going to come back, it’s going to touch someone else we care about, and we’re going to be totally unprepared if we don’t figure out what this is.”
    I nodded. “It scares me. A part of me wants to finish this and get this information for Megan. The other part, though, is scared that if I get this information for her, she’ll be in too deep and someone will come after her like they did Peter and Emily.”
    “I know. But I think we need to end this.” He touched my face gently. “And you know that I won’t let anything bad happen to Megan.”
    “Promise me that no matter what happens, you will be there for her.”
    Hayden sobered, his eyes moving slowly over me. “Of course.”
    “You’ll take care of her. You won’t let her go off with Dante or anyone else.”
    “Sam—”
    “Promise me.”
    “I promise.” He ran his thumb slowly over my chin. “You’re starting to scare me a little.”
    I pulled away, turning my attention back to the computer. “I just…all of this talk of terrorists and murder and…it freaks me out a little. I’m just a computer nerd.”
    “You’re more than that.”
    I shook my head. “I joined the Marines and they taught me how to hack all kinds of