Much as she’d like to pretend otherwise, the sentiment had been mutual for so long. She’d put it down to a rivalry, the way he’d commandeered her thoughts that first meeting. Using the excuse of wanting to stay on her toes where Austin was concerned, she hadn’t seen her infatuation for what it was. Now that those glimpses beneath his surface were no longer fleeting, but…extended and powerful? The truth wouldn’t stay buried anymore. She’d fallen for Austin despite his past, his arrogance, his seeming lack of remorse. And getting to know him as more than an admittedly manipulative con man had only solidified her feelings.
But Polly had always been a realistic person. That personality trait was what had drawn her to computers in the first place. Once programmed, they didn’t deviate. You could depend on the outcomes they provided, and if they froze or encountered a glitch, there was a tried-and-true method of fixing them. If she and Austin tried…holding…what if they didn’t compute? Was there a method of fixing her when he walked away, his sights set on the next mark? The next…woman? Truth was, they didn’t work together on paper. They were already a failed line of code. The time they’d spent together over the last few days didn’t change the very important fact that he was a con. She was supposed to loathe him.
Somewhere along the line, though, she’d stopped. And looking at the man across from her, the father who’d been conned by Austin’s ex-partner, she felt like the ultimate traitor.
“So eerily quiet over there.” Drake gave her that familiar smile, the one where she could see the overbite he claimed made him accessibly handsome. “Makes me think this visit is more than some whimsical road trip.”
Polly smirked at his sarcasm. They both knew she did nothing in the name of whimsy. But she appreciated his humor all the same. He’d even maintained it throughout her prison time and tangles with the law, when he should have been questioning his lot in life. After being swindled and left alone by his partner, he’d still managed to remain positive over having adopted a dud daughter. “I owed you a visit. It’s been—”
“Three years.” He lifted a white eyebrow. “But who’s counting?”
“You, obviously.” Polly sucked in a slow breath, wishing she could just sit there and enjoy her father’s company and the familiar surroundings of Roanoke. There was too much on her mind that needed resolving, however, and so little time existed in which to accomplish it. “Dad, did you ever…was there anyone before Kevin who wasn’t as good for you?”
“Women, you mean?”
She laughed. “Sure. Make me spell it out.”
“I’m just funnin’ you.” His eyes twinkled in the midmorning sunlight. “But I’m also not going to accept some roundabout bullshit when we’ve always dealt straight with each other.” He chuckled. “Dealt straight. Did you hear me?”
The pressure on Polly’s shoulders was easing with each passing second, but something else replaced it. Regret? Yes. More than usual. Why? “You’re right. That was some roundabout bullshit.” She smoothed the napkin already resting on her lap. “The man who took your money—”
“You mean, the man you’re after. The man you won’t stop going after, no matter how many times I tell you the past must remain in the past.” He lifted an eyebrow. “That man?”
“Yes. Reitman.” After she’d been sentenced for hacking into the government server, Drake had implored Polly to use her talent for something positive. All it had taken was an extended silence, and the man who knew her so well had deduced her next move. That it would include hunting down Reitman. He also knew Polly well enough not to expend any more energy talking her into ending her crusade, which only increased her love for him tenfold. Made it even more imperative that Reitman pay for what he’d done. The life and livelihood he’d stolen.
Polly’s eyes were drawn across the street to the park, where a priest was surrounded by a dozen elderly women who were giving him very little space. Oddly enough, the sight lifted her mood.
“I’ve met a man in Chicago. A man who…he made his living stealing money. The way Reitman did.” She couldn’t tell him they’d stolen together. Saying it out loud was still too hard and somehow pushed her relationship with Austin over the line from probably doomed to definitely doomed.
Drake coughed into his first. “Any time you want to try to stop shocking me into an early grave would be ideal.”
“I’m sorry.” The waiter dropped off their coffees, but neither of them made a move to touch the steaming mugs. “With Reitman, did you ever feel like a veil dropped and you could see the real him?”