Probe Read online

  Hacking was fun on TV and in the movies; outside of cinema it was hard core and often deadly serious with scary and very dire real-world consequences.

  This was what Adam saw when he looked across at Alana, reclined and eagerly waiting to be taken by his wife again. The ladies would have to wait, as he had been promised this time now to be with their new friend to interrogate her at length. Then he had a late-night date with his wife, which he might agree to forgo until tomorrow if they behaved themselves. This assumed that Alana sufficiently answered all of his over-the-top and intrusive questions.

  They lit up and relaxed. The girls continued to flirt with each other from the couches they occupied.

  “Just so you ladies know, I am actually physically present in the room. Hello?”

  “Yes, Adam, we know,” said a less than gentle Misti. “Why don’t you get on with whatever you think is so important, so we can all carry on with the important business at hand.”

  “Which is?”

  “Which is exploring intrapersonal relationships and developing new friendships. I know you’re familiar with the concepts. Generally, anyway.”

  Her tone was dismissive and snarky.

  Adam said, “Don’t be that way, Misti. That was both uncalled for and unkind. I can leave you two to your fun and check in at another hotel if that nasty tone doesn’t disappear.”

  Both girls snapped back to the present rather than the recent past and what they both knew would be the near future.

  Misti spoke up. “I’m sorry sweetie. You’re right, you’ve been sweet and that was unkind. Preoccupied, and not myself, I guess. Please forgive me.”

  “Distracted?” Adam asked but it was more of an assertion than a question.

  Misti replied, not taking her eyes off Alana, “I’ll behave, I promise. But with the two of you here with me and all this delicious lust floating around the room, a girl can get totally distracted, for sure. I don’t know when to start or stop. You see my dilemma?”

  Adam said, “I see you dissembling just like my father. At least you learned your craft well from the master. Smooth and not a single milligram of truth in anything you just said.”

  Misti and Alana both stopped staring, and both turned their attention to Adam. Then Misti said, “What does that mean, mister?”

  “It means that you two would much rather be naked and messing up the big bed right now rather than sitting here waiting for me to interrogate Alana about anything as trivial as her work. You have each undressed the other a dozen times since dinner and I suspect that in your perverse and lascivious little minds, you can imagine being somewhere, anywhere, just not in this living room.”

  Misti was uncharacteristically stunned and Alana was looking around the room, like a child busted by her parents for masturbating in the bathroom. Neither was chastened by the observation although they did both admit to his point.

  “I’m sorry,” said Alana. “Adam is right. We’re being rude and a little mean. You have been a dear and a good sport all day. I promised you something and I should be true to my word. Forgive us?”

  Adam said, “When you put it that way, Alana, of course. But I’m not sure Misti is really part of your ‘us’, are you dear?”

  “Nope. You’re right about everything but I’m still not feeling apologetic about it. Not even close.”

  Adam first said, “This isn’t your finest moment, Misti and we’ll see how you react when the tables are turned. Perhaps I’ll move on to London and you two can do whatever you please. Alana and I can discuss what was promised before I leave.”

  “If that’s how you feel, then go ahead,” said Misti. Her tone was cold and remorseless.

  “No!” said Alana. “That is not OK.”

  Adam thought briefly about Misti’s challenge, and contemplated leaving for London the next day.

  Adam said, “For the immediate future, you girls go and do … well, whatever you want to do. But Misti, there is a two-hour time limit. After that, Alana comes out alone and we get to talk. If you don’t, I’ll have my answer. You, Misti, I don’t need to see for the rest of the evening.”

  Alana was suddenly uncomfortable with the dialogue between her two friends. It didn’t seem like fun any longer, and she was wishing she was back home or in her Waikiki condo.

  Misti said nothing, willing to push her husband then, or at any time.

  Adam said, “And you, Misti, just remember what just happened here for future reference. You’ll come to regret your attitude and tone tonight.”

  With that, he got up, grabbed a light jacket he probably didn’t need, and went for a walk on the beach. He wasn’t sure he would return.

  Misti absorbed the comment without reflection, knowing that his words had significance whenever Adam displayed pique. However, gripped as she was by the immediacy of other exigencies, she resolved to moderate her tone and retract her caustic tongue and manner. Though married and devoted to Adam, she realized that her past lifetime without him had developed defenses and a toxic anger toward men that she didn’t feel for him. But even when her worst came out, Adam rarely took notice. Tonight, he did.

  Misti was still adjusting to life with Adam and knew this was a part of the deal they had fashioned for themselves. They allowed for the grinding of rough edges, but the bruising of hearts wasn’t the province of either of them. She resolved that she would do better.

  Adam, for his part, thought he was being strict; laying down the law. Alana was just beginning to see the very dim out edges of the Misti and Adam dynamic and she was fascinated with what she thought she saw. Both were funny and witty, and she already believed that neither would ever be intentionally cruel or disparaging to the other. It was, however, still a contest of wills among equals and that was truly where the tension lay. Adam would get his way, she surmised, but only when Misti let him. And Misti would let him whenever she could.

  Misti loved Adam; but they were both strong willed with type A personalities. Each could be caustic with a cruel edge that came from brutal honesty and bluntness.

  Alana wanted more of each. Much more. She hoped that everything she saw, or thought she saw, was real. If it was, she would like to see where this trail led.

  Alana knew exactly where she was going with Misti. But with Adam? She had no clue.

  “That was cruel and uncalled for,” is all Alana said to Misti. “I won’t be the cause of a rift between you two, so if it happens again, I’m leaving. Adam has been sweet and tolerant. You are being a bully and selfish. Perhaps I don’t know you at all.”

  Chapter 6

  At five minutes to deadline, Alana popped out of the big bedroom, looking showered and refreshed. She was still dressed as before with her hair was a little less wild. She smiled at Adam affectionately but glided smoothly past him to the small refrigerator near Adam’s work area and pulled a chilled bottle of sparkling water from within. She grabbed an apple and a banana from a bowl on a table in the living room that looked more decorative than functional, then sat next to Adam. Adam, who was watching Alana flit from spot to spot, was surprised when Alana chose her new perch beside him. He wasn’t uncomfortable, just not expecting her company to be so close.

  Adam smiled at Alana, then said, “No sweets, I see. The desserts do look yummy; nothing to tempt you?”

  He looked closely at Alana, thinking his first instinct about her natural beauty had been dead wrong. She was even more beautiful than he had noticed, her complexion pale and white, lightly spotted with cute freckles, her skin smooth and otherwise flawless. She was breathtaking in an understated way, a beautiful woman made lovelier because she was sincerely unaware of her own great beauty.

  Adam thought she would make someone happy; she seemed kind and innocent, a woman who would or at least should be desired by any man. A “keeper” as his father would say; a hidden gem to any other guy. He wondered momentarily about her backstory, though he suspected he would come to know it soon enough.

>   But he had learned in the short span of a few hours that as innocent as Alana might appear, something quite different and remarkable was concealed just below the surface. He suspected molten passion, previously restrained and perhaps bottled up too frequently and too well. Misti would be the key to releasing her inhibitions and his evidence was clear and convincing.

  “Sweets will kill you as fast as booze and processed anything. I stick to water and the fruit of the earth that God gave us. Organic if possible. You?”

  “Same as you, just a couple of small exceptions for chocolate and ice cream. Old habits, hard to break.”

  “Misti may be right about you, Adam. Sometimes you are like a girl. But I mean that in a good way. You seem sweet and sensitive, with a deep and abiding old-fashioned concern and care for women - and their safety. I think you go out of your way to be considerate; your mom must have been a great influence on you. And, mister, I also have with deeper understanding and appreciation for the rest of you that is all male. You really are beautiful and in unusual ways. Misti said she thought that a lot of women might like a small bite of an Adam energy bar.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe in my dreams but hardly ever in my actual life. It just never worked out that way.”

  “Maybe you just needed to get out of Dodge a little more often. Hiding your assets away in Barrows Bay hardly gave other ladies a fair chance. Something you should’ve considered.”

  Alana was edging closer, but Adam didn’t think this was Alana at work. Although Misti was absent he was certain she was putting Alana up to something.

  Alana bit down on her apple sensually, then moved in closer again.

  She rested her chin on his shoulder, then said in a soft and playful voice, “Misti tells me you have an interesting mind trick. She said if I was very sweet, and asked you very nicely, you might share it with me. I’m dying to know what it is.”

  “Did she now?”

  “She did. And she gave me a whole lot of important Adam information I needed to know. You understand, right? Need to know.”

  “No, but I’m sure I will eventually. And don’t let Misti the temptress whisper too many little conspiracies in your ear. She can be a very bad influence. An exceedingly bad influence.”

  Adam stopped and spoke louder in the direction of the bedroom door. “A very bad influence, if you must know.”

  Silence.

  Adam shouted, “You can come out now, Misti St. James. Since you delight in causing exactly this kind of mischief, I see no reason to ban you from the show. Come on, out you come.”

  Misti was still not in sight, only her voice coming from behind the closed door.

  “My tyrant husband banned me from the living room. I’m afraid he’ll punish me severely if I break his stupid rules. He’s very strict that way, you know. Corporal punishment is not out of the question.”

  “So, I hear. But you have my permission, young lady. Out you come.”

  “You promise no retribution?”

  “None.”

  “Won’t go hard on me?”

  “Didn’t say that. Show yourself, woman.”

  Misti sprang out from behind the door and quickly ran over to her mate, throwing her arms around him and kissing him madly.

  “You know you’re a pushover, don’t you? You’re almost too easy.”

  “I thought I was a girl and practically your wife? When did that change?”

  “Just now. And I love you madly, don’t I Alana? I even said so. Didn’t I?”

  “She did. And she shared secrets too. You are a naughty boy, aren’t you? And a good boy too, all at the same time. You’ll be very fun to unravel. You won’t mind, will you? I’ll be very sweet.”

  “I won’t if you won’t. But the boss is right there, and I almost always follow her orders.”

  Misti giggled like a schoolgirl, aware that she was going to give Alana a little surprise she wasn’t expecting.

  “You have permission to go aboard my husband for a special Hawaiian event. Husband do your thing. Heavy dose of erotic Adam, please. I like my new friend.”

  Adam said, “All right Alana, up you go. On my lap, facing forward. Close your eyes; head back. Clear your mind. Relax. Breathe. Concentrate and breathe. Good.”

  “You gonna play with my tits?” Alana suddenly asked.

  “No! Don’t even think that. I’m a married man,” Adam protested, not jesting.

  “And Misti’s a married woman. Didn’t stop her. Not that I ever would, mind you. Stop her that is.”

  She giggled along with Misti, their mood organically altered and relaxed. Both were feeling warm and sensuous and Adam was being a team player. And a gentleman. He hadn’t forgotten his pique at his wife for her surly attitude, but he had a short memory for her transgressions.

  “I’m going to put my fingers ever so gently on your temples, just like this. Feel that?”

  “Yes.”

  “OK then, ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “We begin.” It took a few seconds, then Alana began to shift on Adam’s lap, squirming ever so slightly. Her arms moved down to her side, almost involuntarily, then up to touch his hands and rub his fingers gently, as if in aid of the experience.

  Alana said, very quietly, “Oh that feels … so nice and … warm. It’s like … I don’t know but it feels so, so very good. Like…”

  Adam said, “Go ahead and think of what it felt like to completely let go and give into Misti and I’ll do the same. Think of it building up and you letting go completely to immerse yourself and that moment of utter release and exultation. Releasing all that energy and passion. Go ahead, you can let go. Feel it building and you want to explode.”

  Alana was now almost unconscious as she felt herself building her passion to a deep long and amazing orgasm. She screamed as she reached her peak, her pinnacle, then slowly came down, her body spasming involuntarily and reflexively as it had with Misti. It was long and deep, and it scared her more than a little.

  Her orgasm had been intense and beautiful, but it wasn’t the only thing she experienced. Neither was it the only thing Adam experienced. An intrusion had interrupted their ecstasy. An unwanted intrusion; an ugly intrusion.

  At the end, something else had penetrated both of their minds; crept in like a thief to the psyches of both Adam and Alana. Something unwanted and dark.

  It didn’t come from Adam; it came from Alana.

  Alana fell back into Misti’s arms and Misti held her. Alana began to cry, gently at first. Then she began to sob as she felt her mind and her emotions spin out of control, unable to stop the flood of images and sensations that had just gripped her mind, her being and her body.

  Misti understood none of what had just happened. Adam looked confused and disoriented. He abruptly got up and immediately started walking for the master bedroom, shaking his head as if to dispel cobwebs.

  He did not look right. His face revealed him to be deeply disturbed. Misti began to sense panic.

  As he reached the door, he turned, ghostly white and said, “I need to be alone. I think you should sleep with Alana tonight; she needs you close. Hold her. Console her. Don’t say a word. Let her speak when she’s ready. Don’t rush this. Something just happened, and I don’t understand what. I need to go back inside and find out what it was. This may take make some time. I’ll be out when I’m done. No interruptions, please.”

  “Sweetie? Are you all right? What just happened?”

  “I can’t talk. I’m not all right; neither is Alana, but we will be and soon I hope. Good night.”

  He closed the door, then opened it quickly.

  “She should be in bed. Now would be a good time. And leave her be. She’s going to need some time to rest.” The door closed.

  Misti was frightened. Adam, above anyone else on the planet, had a mind that could not be easily disturbed. Adam was a physical specimen, to be sure. But his mind, that disciplined phenomena, was unlike anyt
hing Misti had ever known. His strength lay there, and it was a fortress of hardened steel and titanium. Unbreakable in the face of any obstacle or force.

  If Adam had been punched, and punched hard, then Misti was terrified. For Adam, and for Alana.

  Misti guided Alana to her bedroom, then undressed her and put her under the covers. She climbed in beside her and wrapped her arms around her troubled friend. They slept fitfully and intermittently until morning.

  Alana cried out in muted terror, then fell into a dreamlike trance, only to awaken and begin the cycle again. Misti spoke to her in hushed tones and held her close and reassuringly. She promised Alana that she was there for her and wouldn’t leave her side. Alana cried, terrified and held her friend but couldn’t speak a word. Her terror was profound; it was real, and it was present. And, it would not relinquish its hold on her mind.

  Sometime later, hours later, Alana finally fell from consciousness and into a deep and restless sleep.

  To Misti, it seemed that Alana had finally been able to disconnect from some terrible nightmare and could only now begin her calming. She was emotionally exhausted, as if some massive emotional and traumatic event was finally spent and there was nothing left of Alana to consume. Like a once deadly fever, it had run its course.

  Utterly drained, Alana was only now completely free from her union with Adam’s mind. It had begun as expected: beautiful and exquisite then becoming intensely satisfying and serene. Then, as the tranquility of that union ended, something came raging forth, unwanted and unwelcome. It was hideous and grotesque.

  But it wasn’t Adam that Alana sensed as the terror. It had not been Adam that Alana experienced; it was something else. It was someone else.

  Something only Alana knew. Something ugly and misshapen, something monstrous and distorted; something living within her.

  Chapter 7

  Adam arose late the next day, well past ten o’clock. He was un-showered, unkempt and looked the worse part of the aftermath of a bad hangover from a five-day bender. The joy and wonder that otherwise dominated his beautiful and handsome face was absent; his eyes shown with a deep red spidery wash, his visage puffy and streaked.