Page 12 of Triple Protection

No...NO.

My stomach drops to my feet, and I take a ragged breath in, willing my heart rate to slow. I hesitate, my hands shaking above the keyboard. I have to. I kick on my VPN and bring up the browser I use for the dark web. Searching the phrase I've been given; I see the results.

Someone had created an AI generated, Virtual Reality porno where anyone could virtually have sex with an Angela deep fake look-alike. I watch the beginning of it, though, slightly confused. It's not just a porno. It's a house.

The scene opens and deep-fake Angela is standing in the kitchen in a beautiful sundress.Youwalk up toher, andshegivesyoua hug and asks howyourday was.Shetakes a bag fromyoubefore pouringyoua drink, chatting casually as if whatyou'resaying is the most fascinating thingshe'sever heard.Sheputs a casserole in the oven before kneeling beforeyouand pulling outyourdick and suckingyouoff.

I stand, pushing the laptop away from me as if I could physically push my horror away. I'm shaking, full of anxious, sick energy. Angela comes in then from the pool and shoots me a quizzical look. I have no idea what my face looks like, but I am nauseous and off-kilter. I walk over to her, needing to do something, anything.

"I'm going to hug you right now. Not because you need it, but because I do." I say, before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. She is stiff at first and I worry I've crossed a line, but she softens into me, rests her head against my chest and wraps her arms around my waist.

"Everything okay?" She whispers.

I hesitate. I don't know if she knows about the deepfake. I don't know if telling her would cause more harm than good. I decide to avoid the conversation for now and discuss it with the boys.

"I'm going through your deleted comments and DMs and..." I pause, choosing my words carefully. "I'm going to go for a walk and... decompress a little."

"Can I come with you?" She asks sweetly.

"Of course."

I wait while she changes into athletic gear while I secure my back harness and weapon under a suit coat.

The evening sun is still out and everything is cast in a warm glow. We hit the sidewalk and I follow her on a loop she isfamiliar with. We talk casually, trying to keep the topics light, while I scan the area nonchalantly.

We talk about our families. I tell her all about my parents, and growing up the only boy and the baby with two older sisters. Angela teases me about being spoiled and she isn't wrong. My mother is exceptionally kind and warm. Even when my boyish pranks and antics would frazzle her, she never had an unkind word to say about them. And like all siblings, my sisters and I equally loved and hated each other. I would put worms in the lunch boxes and scare them every chance I got, but they loved making pillow forts and playing with my hair just as much.

Angela shares about her overbearing father, how her mother left when she was just a kid, and her overachieving brother a sister. She sounds sad, and her voice is small. The strong woman from this morning has been replaced by someone I don't recognize. Her shoulders curl in on herself as if to make herself smaller.

"That's why I started doing all this." She says, looking at me with an emotion in her eye I don't recognize.

"My brother and sister were always in the spotlight. My brother was his High School's quarterback. He went pro for a few years before an injury sidelined him. Now he's one of the nation's top sports agents. My sister is a high-powered lawyer in NYC. My dad was an admiral in the Navy and then there was little ole me. Average student, not athletic, shy. I kinda grew up in my family's shadow. So I got on social media and made friends online. Online, I wasn't Mike or Claire's little sister, or the Admiral's daughter. I was Angela." She gives me a one-shouldered shrug.

"It was nice to be recognized for beingme. I started sharing what I was reading, what movies I liked, the clothes I bought - just a little dumb shit you might share with a friend. And people started following me. People started commenting on my postsand asking questions, and it snowballed into what it is now. But it started with a little Angela, alone in her bedroom, desperate for a connection to the outside world."

I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her against my side. I try to ignore just how perfectly she fits there. "Well, I'm glad you did. I kinda like this Angela, and if little Angela hadn't reached out to strangers on the internet, I wouldn't have ever met grown-up Angela. And grown-up Angela's pretty awesome." I shoot her a lopsided smile, one that had a 99% success rate at bagging chicks, and she blushes. She blushes, but she also smiles, and I am grateful I can put that smile on her face. I hug her to me one last time before releasing her.

We continue to walk and talk as the sun sets. As she became more comfortable, she loops her arm in mine and I feel like a superhero. It's a simple gesture, but one that conveys her comfort with me and I feel like I'd won a marathon.

A comfortable silence descends before she speaks up. "I never expected it to get this bad." Her voice is laced with pain and vulnerability, and my earlier feeling of being a hero fades.

I pause a moment, thinking of how to best reassure her. "I've done a bit of research on stalkers before we even took your case. I wanted to know what we were up against. There are seven different types of stalkers, but they generally fall into one of two categories: ones that wants to hurt you, and intimacy seeking stalkers. Your stalker had the opportunity to hurt you, but he didn't. Which makes me think he's more of an intimacy seeking kind. He's in love with you. While his advances are unwelcomed, I don't think he'll hurt you. He likely believes you two were meant to be together in some crazy fantasy of his. The only time I would really worry is if he can't have you, he may become violent in an effort to not let anyone else have you."

A shudder runs through her body and she pulls me closer. I stop and turn towards her. "Regardless, we're not going to letanything happen to you. We're going to find the sonofabitch and make sure he never gets within 100 feet of you ever again." I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and pull her in for another hug. Her soft body melts against mine and her hands wrap around my waist. The smell of her shampoo or lotion or body wash, a sexy jasmine, lavender kind, mixed with the chlorine from the pool, hits my nose and I close my eyes, resting my cheek against the top of her head.

I remind myself that we are here now, that she is safe. The idea that the world almost lost this beautiful, kind, thoughtful woman made my stomach clench painfully. I let out a deep sigh before releasing her and letting her see the promise on my face. She sniffs and nods before we walk back into the house.

Chapter ten

Alex

Alex

"You've got to get it together, man." I scold Brick.

"What?" He snaps back.

"You're following her around like a love-struck puppy. I get that you've had a thing for her for forever, but figure it out. It's not a good look to be lusting after a client."