Hacking Mr. CEO (Billionaire Heists #3) - Anna Hackett Page 0,3

no more. There was only him now, and he’d never get married.

“Your drink, sir.”

He lifted his chin at the server, and accepted his drink.

Mav had long-ago learned that trusting a woman was a fool’s game. They wanted all kinds of things, but mostly they wanted money.

He glanced at his friends and their women. He’d had his doubts about Monroe and Aspen at first—but it hadn’t taken him long to like them. And what they brought to his friends.

The couples were in love. Mav sipped his scotch again, grudgingly admitting that they were the exception that proved the rule.

Love was for idiots.

He had Hannah to thank for that lesson.

His final year of college, he’d met a smart, pretty, girl-next-door. She’d been blonde, blue-eyed, tall and slim. She’d fallen for him, and he’d fallen for her. In truth, she’d fallen for his first billion dollars.

He’d just sold his first invention—a new computer chip. Money had been about to come pouring in, and there’d been articles about him.

He’d never suspected Hannah wasn’t the real deal. That pretty face, the earnest smile, the good sex. Fuck, he’d bought her flowers. He tossed back the rest of his drink.

Ancient fucking history.

He should be thanking Hannah. She’d taught him a valuable lesson.

“Mav.” The dark-haired Zane appeared and slapped Mav’s back. Monroe leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“Hey,” Mav said.

“The great man emerges from his Batcave,” a female voice drawled.

He shot Aspen a scowl, and the private investigator just smiled. Liam kept an arm around her and reached out to shake Mav’s hand.

They were both healing up well after being trapped in a burning warehouse. Liam and Aspen had been embroiled in some trouble recently.

“Hey, any luck stopping those hacks on Rivera Tech?” Liam asked.

Last week, the system at Rivera Tech had been hammered by a string of hacking attempts. It lasted for a few days, and kept Mav and his team busy. Then it had stopped.

The hackers had either given up, or they’d hired someone better.

“They stopped. I’ve been busy increasing system security since then,” Mav said. “How are things with you?”

“Well, Aspen’s sisters text me at least twice a day, giddy about having her apartment to themselves,” Liam said.

Aspen snagged a glass of champagne from a server. “Hey, I have a multi-million-dollar penthouse to call home now. I’m not complaining. I do miss Mrs. Kerber, though. My old neighbor. I’ve asked Juno and Briar to help her if her bird, Skittles, escapes again.”

And there it was. Aspen was good, down to her bones.

“And,” Liam said. “My personal PI managed to track down the girls in the photographs with my father.” The man’s lip curled.

Mav’s fingers tightened on his glass. Liam hated his father. The elder Kensington was an asshole with a predilection for underage, teenage girls. That, mixed in with some white-collar criminals and a blackmail attempt, was how Aspen and Liam had met.

Aspen leaned into her man. “One of the girls has agreed to press charges.”

Liam’s smile was grim. “My father will finally pay for his crimes.”

Mav lifted his glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

“Well, my billionaire boyfriend is driving me nuts,” Monroe declared, in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

Zane rolled his eyes.

Mav raised a brow. “He can be pretty annoying at times.”

Now Zane shot Mav a narrow look.

“He wants to invest in Lady Locksmith and help me expand the stores,” Monroe said.

Aspen swiveled. “And that’s a bad thing?”

Liam nodded. “Sounds like a good investment, to me.”

Monroe, daughter of a career thief, ran a locksmith shop, specializing in providing female locksmiths to the women of New York. She was also a pro at cracking a safe, which was how she’d met Zane—when she’d cracked his.

“I know, but it’s mine.” Monroe’s nose wrinkled. “He owns the rest of New York.”

Zane tugged her close. “I just want you happy.”

She cupped his cheek. “I am happy.”

Mav had to look away. The song changed.

“Oh, I love this one,” Monroe said. “Come on. We’re dancing.”

Liam groaned. “Chandler here has two left feet.”

His woman elbowed him. “You were warned.”

“But for the chance to hold you in my arms, darling, it’s worth the pain.”

The couples headed off and Mav felt… It sure as hell wasn’t envy. Relief. Yeah, he was too smart to get tangled up with that.

“Maverick Rivera,” a voice drawled.

He turned and hid a grimace. Oh, no.

Mrs. Randolph, one of New York’s most prominent socialites, bore down on him.

“I want to introduce you to my lovely daughter.” The woman tilted her coiffed head.

Mav saw the tall, slim blonde