Free Triple Threat by H. L. Wegley

you,” he whispered back.
    Not willing to admit that he was a big a distraction, Katie opened her netbook and checked the Wi-Fi connections. She pinged the hotel’s router, and used the information to launch the appropriate exploit. Within sixty seconds she was on the router and checking its Wi-Fi connections. She didn’t see the IP address of the target laptop. Maybe the router had reassigned that IP address. Or, perhaps the person wasn’t online at the moment.
    Please. Don’t let him leave. I need him to be here.
    She looked up at Josh, and then leaned her head on his neck. “He’s not online at the moment,” she whispered, trying to keep a smile on her face.
    “So what are we going to do?”
    A flicker on the screen caught her attention. Some device was connecting. The IP address matched, but did the machine? She checked the machine’s operating system. It was him…or her. Probably him.
    “He’s on, Josh. I’m going to monitor his signal strength to locate him. We need to walk the halls on each floor until we find him.”
    “Lead the way, honey pie.” He grinned.
    She slapped his knee in mock annoyance. It was a corny term of endearment. Something one might hear from a country bumpkin. But hearing it from Josh, it seemed rather—she needed to get focused or things could go very badly for them and their mission.
    They started down the hallway that opened into the lobby. She cradled the open netbook against her stomach hoping that it did not draw attention. “I think he’s above us somewhere. The signal is a little weak down here.”
    Josh took her free hand and led her to the elevator. “We’ll try the second floor.”
    The elevator door popped open when he pushed the button. They boarded and the small elevator jerked and groaned for a few seconds, and then shuddered to a stop, bonging its arrival at the second floor.
    They stepped out and Katie pulled Josh to a stop. “Wait here for a second.” She turned her back to him, then walked to Josh’s other side and repeated her maneuver. “Let’s go. She stepped off to their left. “He’s down this way.”
    Josh moved alongside Katie and hooked his arm around her waist.
    It would’ve been a warm, cozy feeling if the hair on the back of her neck wasn’t screaming danger.
    They passed three rooms, and she slowed, swiveling to her left, then her right, trying to find the signal source. “Room 207, Josh. It looks like a large suite. And our man is in there right now.” She glanced up at him.
    His face was drawn and his brown eyes grew more intense than she had ever seen them.
    “We’ll stop and sit on the seat by the window at the end of the hall. I’ll work from there while you watch the door to the room.”
    When they sat down, something changed on her screen. The signal from the laptop had disappeared. “He either closed the laptop or turned it off. Let’s see if he’s leaving.”
    A man and a woman exited the room.
    “That’s a surprise,” she whispered to Josh.
    Both people had dark hair and dark complexions. They walked away from Josh and her, toward the stairwell.
    “What now, Kate?”
    “Let’s hope they’re gone for a while. You watch for them, I’m going inside.”
    “No. You can’t.” His whisper was fierce, like an animal growling.
    “Lighten up. We’re on our honeymoon.”
    “This isn’t a joking matter. You’re not going to break into the room, Kate. If we’re arrested, it would blow our cover. Besides, they would put two and two together soon enough. If the police here turned us loose, those two would kill us.”
    “You’re right. Besides breaking in would be a crime. But maybe…”
    Katie sat down in the seat at the end of the hallway again. She pulled out her netbook while Josh watched for the couple in case they returned.
    She sent several pings to the computer and then tried some additional signals. “We’re in luck. It wasn’t hibernating. I can wake it up. Keep watch while I break through his