Hide in Plain Sight

By Kahla Kiker

HER BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS TRUSTING THE MAN THAT KILLED HER PARENTS.
HIS BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS EVER DOUBTING HER TRUE GENIUS.
On the surface, everything in her life is normal. Tess has a loving husband, a beautiful family, and more happiness than most people hope to have in a lifetime.

But there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Extraordinarily gifted from a young age, her career in the CIA is fulfilling and keeps Tess on her toes. However, working in the intelligence community also makes her a target, but not like anyone could have ever guessed.

Tess carries an entire lifetime’s worth of secrets, things no one knows, not even her devoted husband. While appearances make it seem like her life is on track, her past is quickly catching up with her.

How long can a life built on lies and intrigues sustain itself? How long will Tess be able to protect her loved ones from the past that killed her parents and almost killed her? And when the truth comes out, will she be able to hold on to those she holds most dear?

Coming face to face with the man that she thought jailed away forever, Tess will have to tap into all the strength she can muster to save her children and the beautiful life she has constructed.

ALL THAT’S HIDDEN WILL COME TO SURFACE.

ALL THAT’S NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN WILL RETURN IN FORCEFUL VENGEANCE.

“This book has sex, lies and videotapes; what more could you want? How about the most shocking ending of all time! BRAVO!”

• Language: English
• Publisher: KKiker
• Release date: Oct 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311884909

Kahla Kiker

Kahla Kiker writes to elicit usage of imagination and feelings experienced by all mankind worldwide. She writes for the adventurer, the romantic, and the secret curiosity hidden in all of us. No genre left behind...As Kahla Kiker, she is the author of the highly talked about romance novel Midnight. She is known for her suspense novel HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT and the self-help inspirational short fiction collection YOUR LIFE IS CALLING. Under the pen name K., she has published three collections of erotic short fiction, the Book of Fantasies Trilogy (WHITE, RED, and BLACK), and a contributor of her story Broomswick Island to the dark erotica anthology CORRUPTED DESIRES, which topped Amazon US's and Amazon UK's digital Bestseller List in October 2014.Kahla Kiker lives in Midland, TX where outside of work and writing, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her husband shooting competitive sporting clays and cheering on her three very active children.

Book preview

Hide in Plain Sight

KAHLA KIKER

Copyright © 2014 Kahla Kiker

Distributed by Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.

Copy Editor: Elizabeth M. Johnson

Book Cover Art: Christian Bentulan

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

ISBN-10: 0692298924

ISBN-13: 978-0692298923 K World Ventures

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

Table of Contents

Dedication

More Books By Kahla Kiker

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

About The Author

DEDICATION

To the OLD me - the 'me' who doubted my abilities, the 'me' who hesitated to pursue my dreams and the 'me' who was afraid of what other people thought, yet somehow found the courage to succeed anyway.

MORE BOOKS BY KAHLA KIKER

(PEN NAME: K)

Your Life is Calling

Book of Fantasies Trilogy

Book of Fantasies White (Book I)

Book of Fantasies Red (Book II)

Book of Fantasies BLACK (Book III)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would not have been possible without the support and patience of my family - you are my life. Thank you to all those that have shown their unconditional support for my success. I would like to take this opportunity to express gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful completion of this book - Elizabeth and Candace once again, you are my angels. May all of your dreams comes true too.

CHAPTER 1

The monitors flickered as the power went out and backup generators engaged, and I crouched in the dark, hidden room, unable to look away from the frightening display. Screaming, blood, curses. It all rang in my ears, echoed in my head, and the visual tattooed itself in my mind, never to be forgotten.

Fear overwhelmed me, and I ran. Down a hidden flight of stairs, through a secret tunnel, and out into the silent night. I ran until my legs gave out, and I found a hiding place, somewhere that they would never find me. I was cold, so cold, and I kept seeing death, over and over. The sounds were drowned out by one statement, the voice of my father.

Hide in plain sight.

I was alone. As terrifying as that was for a child, it was preferable to the nightmare I'd run from.

Hysterical giggles jerked me to the present, physically and mentally, and I shook myself as I watched my four-year-old twins wipe flour on each other's noses. I shook my head with a smile. This had started out as a project to make family dinner and turned into a disaster, Hannah and Logan covered in flour, sugar, and who knew what else.

The countertops didn't look any better than my children, but I didn't care. I could clean it up in no time and it was worth the laughter and fun they were having. Of course, when they turned their attacks on me, putting flour on my cheeks, I squealed and tickled both of them, all of us giggling, the dinner forgotten. I'd already put a casserole in the oven, so we'd eat just fine.

Corbin walked in, coming up behind me and taking a firm handful of my rear as he kissed my neck, instantly blowing the flour from his mouth and making the children laugh at the cloud of white it created. I smiled at him as he grabbed Hannah with a growl and lifted her over his head, flying her all around the kitchen like an airplane till she screamed with delight. He set her on her feet and turned to Logan, winking at him and giving him the 'secret' handshake.

Elated to have such a happy, loving family, I watched them and felt my chest swell with pride. A person like me couldn't possibly ask for anything more. I marveled at how far I'd come from the child that I once was. Okay, kids, go wash up and set the table, please. They took off running toward the stairs and up to the bathroom.

Corbin followed, calling, I think they're going to need a little help with that. I appreciated his assistance. Even I couldn't do everything, and I still had to turn this back into a kitchen before it was declared a national disaster zone. I checked the timer - the casserole had another fifteen minutes, which was just about perfect to get the major part of the mess cleaned up before the rest of the herd came back downstairs with rumbling stomachs. I wasn't going to worry about dishes since there would be a pile after we ate anyway.

The twins reappeared with clean faces and bright smiles, racing to see who could grab the silverware first. Hey, hey, hey, slow down! I don't want anyone stabbing themselves in the eye! Corbin called as he took plates down from the cabinet and carried them through the archway.

We won't! they chorused from the dining room. I heard the clinking and quiet disagreements as they worked together, and I shook my head.

Twins. I guess it was a blessing, but sometimes, they tested my sanity. I supposed it wouldn't be all that much different with just one, or if we'd had them at separate times. With our careers, Corbin and I had agreed we weren't having any more children now. Two had always been our limit.

We ate at the table, the usual quiet camaraderie of a family as my children, who always seemed hungry, stuffed their faces and Corbin and I teased them about their stomachs growing faster than the rest of their bodies. When everyone was done, the twins cleared the table, dumping dishes in a huge pile in the sink, and I took them upstairs for a real bath while Corbin rolled up his sleeves and took over the cleanup. I really was a lucky woman. How many men settled down right after college and didn't scoff at doing housework? I made a mental note to call his mother and thank her. He'd been raised right.

I sat in the chair between my kids' beds, reading them a story as they both leaned in to look at the pictures when Corbin came into the doorway, leaning on the frame as he watched and listened. He didn't interrupt, and I finished the story and closed the book as Hannah and Logan started to yawn. It was the same thing every night; by the time the story ended, the kids could barely keep their eyes open. I wondered if all children were so predictable and easy to put to bed.

Corbin stepped into the room and kissed the twins goodnight as I returned the book to the shelf and I followed behind him to do the same. I turned off the light and closed the door, leaving it cracked so I could hear if one of them had a bad dream, following my husband down the hallway to our own bedroom. I was more than ready to change clothes, my shirt was soaked from bathing the kids and stuck to me. It was a hazard of the job, and I wouldn't have given up being a mother for anything in the world.

All the doors are locked, and I set the alarm, he told me as he pushed open the door to our master suite, and I nodded tiredly in acknowledgement, stepping past him to reach into the dresser. I didn't get far. Corbin grabbed me roughly from behind and nearly tore my shirt in his haste to get it over my head.

Dinner was fabulous, he muttered against my skin, his teeth nipping at the nape of my neck. Now, it's time for dessert.

I was instantly heated and ready to go. In most aspects of our life, Corbin diverted all decisions and authority to me. After all, he worked more hours than I did and that meant I knew more about running the household and raising our children. I had a Type A personality and he was probably one of the few men who seemed to appreciate my desire - or, in some cases, my need - to be in control. When it came to the bedroom though, his dominance reared its head and I liked it that way. Sex was the one place where I didn't hold dominion. By the time we got to the bedroom every night, I was ready to hand over the reins.

Tonight was no exception. As the heat and moisture gathered between my thighs, Corbin moved me forward forcefully, quickly, and pushed me down on the bed, face first. Had our bed not been so raised, my knees would have been on the floor, but I was short and the bed was tall, so I was almost upright from the waist down. I lay there in anticipation as I heard him open his zipper and after he threw my skirt up and pulled my panties down to expose my ass, he rubbed himself over me, lubricating himself with my moisture.

I moaned and he leaned forward, grabbing my hair, which I'd pulled back before bathing the twins, and pulling it hard as he drove into me. I came hard with that first thrust. He loved me hard and fast, my body quivering through the entire episode with the pleasure that just borders pain without crossing the line. When he exploded inside me, he growled with his release. My legs quivered and I was thankful for his weight on me, keeping me from sliding to the floor in my compromised state.

As he began to relax, so did I. He leaned over, kissing my back with extreme tenderness. I recognized it as a sign of his appreciation and basked in the sensation.

That was amazing, he croaked, running fingers up and down my spine to raise goosebumps on my flesh.

I smiled without opening my heavy eyelids, caught up in the afterglow. Hmm, it certainly was. My words were slurred, half drunken with satisfaction.

Come shower with me.

I started to say no. I had things I needed to do and I was already bordering on slipping into a peaceful slumber, but I knew my husband. It may have sounded like a request, but it was a demand. I forced myself off the bed, shedding the skirt along the way. I stepped in after him, the spray bringing me back to life as it massaged my muscles. I had assumed he wanted another round of sex, but I was wrong as he lathered his hands and washed me from head to toe. It felt nice, soothing, and when he lovingly washed and conditioned my hair I sighed in complete contentment.

I kissed him and thanked him and left him to his own scrubbing while I dried off with one of our plush towels. Just as I wrapped my hair in a smaller towel and stepped into the bedroom, I heard a familiar pinging sound.

Damn, I cursed under my breath as I hurried toward the drawer of the nightstand on my side of the bed. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Corbin wasn't right behind me as I quickly checked the message. I held my breath, trying not to get my hopes up too high, but I couldn't help thinking that, just maybe, this was the one.

A shiver ran down my spine, the excitement crawling through me as I quickly placed the phone back in the drawer. I couldn't wait to check out the lead. It looked like this was exactly what I'd been waiting for and the old familiar itch settled itself in my gut, making it hard for me to be still and patient. In the meantime, I put on a straight face and forced a few yawns. I'd been exhausted half an hour ago, but now, I knew I wouldn't sleep until I knew more.

I snuggled up to my husband, his front to my back in the typical way we fell asleep, until I felt his breathing grow even and shallow, then I rolled away onto my back, staring at the ceiling and waiting. Corbin was a pretty heavy sleeper. I'd discovered this early on in our relationship which made my covert operations a lot easier for all of us, but I never took any chances, having all the right precautions in place to keep my extracurricular activities under the radar.

At precisely 1:04 a.m., the monitor on my nightstand sounded, a quiet but obvious whimper from one of the children. I quietly crawled out of the bed, tiptoeing down the hall toward the twins' room. I stopped to check on the two of them, both just as deep in the throes of sleep as their father, and I headed straight for their closet.

I had counted my blessings that Corbin never questioned why I was so dead set on this house when we'd moved to Richmond, nor had he made any bones about a few renovations I requested that delayed our move by a couple of weeks. I'd asked for new granite countertops and a couple of other miscellaneous upgrades, on paper, and I'd added a bit of a structural change that wasn't on the record books.

I don't think I could have explained it if I'd tried. As I pulled a lever behind the faux wall at the back of the twins' closet, opening the panic room, I understood my request perfectly. That's what mattered. Always be prepared, my late father had taught me. It was one of many lessons I applied in my life on a daily basis.

These high-tech monitors gave me comfort, whereas the alarm was just a precaution that couldn't be ignored, but didn't help my peace of mind. It was too easy to cut the wires to a generic, everyday alarm system, but my state-of-the-art security system hidden in these walls couldn't be destroyed unless someone found this room. It was all wireless, and the power lines went straight into the ground, through the internal walls, and nothing could be accessed without entering the hidden space or tearing down the inside of the house.

I'd come in here for a specific reason and I would be fast about that business, but first I checked the bank account, as well as the GPS tracking system that told me where Corbin had been all day. It wasn't that I expected my husband to do something untoward or shady. He was open and honest with me and I didn't doubt his loyalty, but my late father had also repeated another covenant - Never completely trust anyone.

I lived by Randall Carpenter's code.

He'd stopped for coffee on the way to work and paid $4.27 for whatever he'd ordered. Other than that, he'd been nowhere else except his office today. I smiled, glad that my husband was as predictable as anyone could be. As a software engineer for the CIA, most people would expect no less, but I knew better. Even the good guys turned bad once in a while. There was always a driving force to bring out the evil in people. I had seen the proof with my own eyes.

The thought made me shiver, my parents' screams of protest as they died echoing through my head for the second time that day.

I turned to another computer, this one reporting on the people I was tracking so closely. I hadn't seen anything come through in months, which concerned me because a crime ring like theirs wouldn't lie low for so long. That meant there had been something going on to which I wasn't attuned, but tonight, my phone had alerted me to action.

I checked the camera that showed my room. Corbin was still sleeping soundly, rolled onto his stomach and likely snoring with his mouth open. It gave me time to trace the ping and connect to the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, and Interpol. I may have been on the payroll of the CIA, but I would send the information to any and all agencies that could make something happen. I wanted the people I was tracking locked in a bunker with no windows and no doors for the rest of their lives...or dead.

I traced the hit back to an IP address in Manhattan and then tracked the activity to an illegal scam site. It was the calling card I'd been looking for. My targets ran online gaming websites, inviting people to invest their money and try their luck. Gambling was illegal in several states, but the sites always originated in states or countries where there were no laws against it. For the most part, it all looked like legitimate business, and there was nothing the Feds or anyone else could do to stop it, just like we couldn't break into someone's basement on suspicion of an illegal poker game.

The games were rigged though and a lot of people lost everything they invested with no opportunity to get it back. The odds were stacked against players, far beyond the house favor that you found in Las Vegas or Reno, and the money the sites took was funding other illegal operations. I'd seen anywhere from a few dollars to thousands come into the accounts. Now, I worked my magic until I pieced the trail together, leading back to the bank where the money was deposited. There were a number of projects supported or started by the family in charge of this whole scam, projects such as assassinations, arms dealing, and even a minor drug trade.

This time, it looked like a withdrawal had been made from a bank in Queens that was connected via a long line of hidden strings to an account in the Cayman Islands, which was held by Peter Drovden, a well-known associate of this mafia-like circle. That meant a pickup was going to be made, and it was entirely possible Drovden would have crawled out from under the rock where he'd been hiding out in Volgograd, Russia to make the pickup himself. I certainly hoped so; he was in the inner circle, one of the founding members, and I'd been able to track his movements for years. It was maddening, knowing exactly where a criminal was and being powerless to bring him to justice.

I checked the monitor and made sure Corbin still hadn't twitched, and I compiled the information into an encoded file and sent it along the secure connection to the government agencies. They had the proof they needed, including transaction information, IP addresses, locations, and the date. From there, they would be able to arrest one or more of the members of the Cybercrime ring. It was the first real victory for me, with decades of work involved. I silently cheered. It looked like I might finally get the ball rolling and see justice served after all.

Once the confirmation of receipt came through, I shut everything down, save for the security system, closed the room, and headed back to bed. I lay down beside Corbin and looked at the back of his head, amazed that he loved me as much as I loved him. I hadn't exactly been given prime examples of how to attract a man, and I certainly hadn't counted on finding someone who could look past all my quirks and my need for control. Our romance had been anything but storybook, and to be completely honest, I'd started it with deception. But today, there were no lies between us, only classified information we couldn't share.

We'd met senior year at MIT and I was floored to meet someone as attractive he was with a level of intelligence that actually challenged my own in some ways. I'd tested off the charts long ago and I'd learned to hide it, remaining the ghost and hiding in plain sight, but with Corbin, I knew I could be myself, so I'd hacked into the school database, tracing all the information on him I could get my hands on and making sure his background came up completely. He was an only child, a bit spoiled, having been handed new cars and plenty of allowance money. He'd had a trust fund as well, but he was also a genius and had received the same scholarship to MIT that I had.

A week later, the random partners assigned for a class project in the 400-level information technology class we shared paired the two of us together, and it seemed that being flirtatious and staring into Corbin's translucent green eyes until he smiled shyly and blushed a bit did the trick. He asked me out and after a short time I discovered the domineering side of him which wasn't present in his daily life. It gave us the perfect exchange, since I was always one to be in control and needed the relief at times.

He proposed two months before college graduation and we were married the following September. It seemed we were both intent on landing jobs at the CIA. Given my history, I really didn't fit the profile for anything else, and they'd had their eyes on me for nearly ten years already. I was determined to follow the path that had been laid out for me by the people who had been my first influences.

As far as Corbin was concerned, I suggested