Ms. Starr’s Most Inconvenient Change of Heart (A Raven's Run Romantic Mystery Book 1)

by Dorothy St. James

  Jason’s eyes were wide, wild looking. The man must have gone over the edge hours ago. His hair stood up at odd angles. The wrinkles in his suit jacket, the same suit jacket he’d been wearing when he’d chased them to the roof of his office building, gave the impression that he’d slept fitfully in his clothes. Or hadn’t slept at all.

  Logan nudged Sam again, creating a bigger gap between them. If he could, he’d nudge her all the way out of the room. And far, far away from Jason Billings who looked as if he was one fruit loop away from snapping.

  Logan knew only too well how a deficiency of sleep only made a man that much more unpredictable and dangerous.

  “You’ve got to call it off,” Jason said. Madness seemed to make his eyes shine extra bright.

  “Call what off?” Logan asked, doing everything in his power to sound calm, rational. If he didn’t set the tone and fast, the situation could quickly go south.

  Farther south.

  Jason shook his gun at them. “Don’t play games with me. You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

  Logan held up his hands. “Whoa, man. I’m just trying to find out how I can help you. You have the power here. So there’s no need to get upset. What do you want me to call off?”

  “The virus. The virus.”

  “The virus that is about to go wild on nearly every computer, tablet, and phone in the world? Yeah, it’s bad news.”

  “Did you think we wouldn’t find it?”

  Wait a minute. That didn’t sound right. Logan and Rafe were the ones who’d discovered the virus. Well, Logan had discovered it and had shown it to Rafe.

  “Why would I worry if you found it? You were the one who put it there,” Logan pointed out.

  “No. No! You’re trying to confuse me.”

  Jason waved his gun around with his finger firmly pressed against the trigger. His hand gripping the deadly weapon shook. A dangerous combination.

  “No one is trying to confuse you,” Logan said, holding his hands up a little higher. He waved them a bit to make sure Jason kept his focus on him and away from Sam. “Just calm down and tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to disable it.”

  “The virus?”

  Jason nodded.

  Logan didn’t know what to say to that. He’d been working his ass off with no success trying to get back into Global Tech’s system so he could disable it.

  “You mean you can’t stop the virus?” Sam demanded of Jason, obviously no longer able to keep silent.

  “Why would I be standing here, dripping wet, if I could stop the damn thing? I’m locked out along with every single computer genius I have on the payroll. No one can get to the part of the system where your boyfriend and his partner planted the virus.”

  “That’s not right.” She gripped the sheet to her chest as she sat up. Logan had tried like the devil to keep her down, to make her as unnoticeable as possible. Sitting up and antagonizing the man was the last thing Logan wanted her to do. “Why do you think Logan broke into your computer network the other day? The virus was already there, so why would he risk his neck and come back?” Her belligerent tone was going to get them killed. But she plowed on without stopping to breathe. “To destroy the virus, that’s why. But you tried to kill us. We had to jump off the top of that freaking building to escape, remember?”

  “What she means to say is—” Logan said at the same time, desperate to bring a calm tone back into the conversation.

  But it wasn’t to be.

  Jason had lost what was left of his sanity and fired the gun.

  Chapter 25

  Logan thanked his lucky stars that he’d nudged Sam as far away from him as humanly possible. The bullet slammed into the bed’s headboard a several inches to the left of Logan’s head. Splintered wood flew out from the impact site, stinging his neck.

  The bastard could have hit Sam with that bullet. The bullet would have hit Sam in the middle of the forehead if Logan hadn’t kept moving her farther and farther away from him. The thought of how close Sam had been to death got Logan’s blood pumping a mile a minute. It thumped, thumped, thumped in the veins in his neck.

  With a roar filled with pure rage he launched out of the bed. The flying leap would have made a linebacker reaching for the goal line jealous. Global Tech’s insane CEO didn’t know what hit him. The gun went off again as Logan and Jason both hit the ground. Sam screamed.

  A look of shock widened Jason’s eyes as he landed on his backside with Logan on top of him. Despite being knocked down, Jason didn’t give up the fight. He seemed determined to keep hold of his weapon, even if it meant losing the hand gripping it. Logan had to twist and rip at Jason’s fingers that only kept tightening like a vise. He heard a bone crack before finally prying the gun from Jason’s control.

  “Sam, you okay?” Logan rasped, praying he hadn’t just made a deadly mistake. He had no idea the direction that stray bullet had taken. He’d never forgive himself if it’d hit Sam.

  “Uh...uh...I-I’m— Dang it, Logan. Next time give me a little warning. Even the healthiest of hearts isn’t designed to take these kinds of jolts.”

  She was okay.

  For now.

  With Jason disarmed and disabled, Logan stayed in his position holding him down and pressed the gun to his chest as insurance. He held his breath and waited, fully expecting to be overrun with Jason’s personal army of killers.

  No one came.

  In the silence that followed, all the fight fled from Jason. He stayed on the floor, panting. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and from his nose.

  “What-what are you waiting for?” the defeated man groaned. His eyes remained fixed on the gun Logan had snatched from him. “Go ahead. Pull the trigger. Kill me.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “You’ve already killed my company by planting that damned ticking time bomb inside my system. You might as well finish the job and put me out of my misery.”

  Again, none of this made sense. Where was Jason’s killer army? Why would Jason come alone? And why would he try to convince Logan and Sam that he had nothing to do with planting the virus?

  Logan lowered the gun. But just because he wasn’t going to shoot Jason didn’t mean he wasn’t about to take any stupid chances. Using zip ties from his mission bag, he secured Jason’s hands and ankles.

  The man looked like a trussed pig lying on the floor like that. Not so powerful now, eh?

  Still, doubt nagged at Logan.

  He glanced over at Sam. She’d pulled on her gray sweats and was sitting on the bed cross-legged watching them with her head cocked at a slight angle.

  “As Sam has already told you, I’ve been working to get that virus out of your system. The havoc such a virus could cause would be devastating to this country. Hell, to the world.”

  Jason sniffed.

  “What? What do you want to say to me?” Logan demanded, losing his patience. If not for that nagging feeling in the back of his mind he’d just call the cops and be done with it.

  “You missed your calling. You’re a good actor. Why are you keeping up the act? For your girlfriend?” Jason sniffed again. “Still can’t believe she fell for you. I mean, look at her. And look at you.”

  “And yet, she was in my bed.” Logan wanted to kick himself after crowing like some fluffed up cock. Pride, and perhaps a touch of his possessive nature, had him laying claim where really none existed. Heat singed his cheeks.

  “Any woman would be lucky to have Logan,” Sam said with a flash of anger that cooled his embarrassed cheeks. “Give him a little clothing makeover, and he’d be perfect.”

  “Lucky bastard,” Jason muttered. His gaze had turned and was all over Sam.

  Logan would have punched the guy if he hadn’t been tied up, for leering at her like that. Unfortunately, he made it a rule to never hit a man who couldn’t hit back.

  “Forget my love life. Let’s talk about the virus.” Logan moved so he’d put his body bet
ween Sam and Jason. “Let’s say you didn’t write the code and insert it onto your system. How do you know someone else in your company didn’t do it? Perhaps you have a disgruntled programmer on staff.”

  “No.” Again, the arrogant bastard continued to believe that Logan and Rafe were responsible for creating the computer virus.

  “Look.” Logan bent down and put his face a few inches from Jason’s. “You’re going to have to get it through that thick head of yours that I didn’t have anything to do with that virus. Neither did Rafe.”

  “Bullshit. Ah, that’s it. That’s how you got her. She’s helping you...and more. For the money.”

  Logan took several deep, cleansing breaths before saying tightly. “I. Didn’t. Have. Anything. To. Do. With. Your. Damned. Virus.”

  Jason was able to move enough to lift his shoulders in a lazy shrug. “If it wasn’t you, then it was your partner.”

  “Rafe.” Now he knew Jason was crazy. “You had him killed.”

  “Killed?” Jason snorted, which made him resemble a trussed-up pig all the more. “I tried to get him arrested for breaking into my company and tampering with the programs, but the police let him go. The officers I talked to acted as if they worked for Hart Security instead of the city. And now your partner has disappeared. That’s where my security team is now, searching for him.”

  “He didn’t put a virus in your system,” Logan said, his teeth grinding with frustration.

  “Whoever planted the computer virus accessed my system using Hart Security credentials.” Jason wiggled on the floor as if struggling to sit up. “I hire Hart Security to beef up my security. You and your partner had complete access to every part of my business for two solid weeks. And as soon as you left, my top programmer finds the virus sitting there, smack dab in the middle of a sector Hart Security had set up when you started your security assessment. Untouchable. And counting down to explode like a bomb. If you’re not responsible for the virus, then who else am I to suspect but your partner?”

  “No, not Rafe.” Logan shook his head, even as doubts started to fill it.

  If he was still alive, why hadn’t Rafe contacted him?

  “Of course, not Rafe,” Sam said as she jumped off the bed to come to his partner’s defense. It was sweet, really. Logan doubted Rafe, who’d shown nothing but distrust toward Sam, would have done the same. “Why would either one of them want to put a virus in your system when it’s their job to keep things like that from happening?”

  “Money. Greed.” Jason continued to struggle to sit up.

  “Greed?” Sam scoffed at that. “Logan wouldn’t steal. He’s an honorable man, a man who doesn’t need to steal to get what he wants. A man who doesn’t need riches to be happy. Look at this place. It’s not anything more than a pile of rotted boards that barely keeps the rain out, but this is where his heart lives. This is what makes him happy. Not money. You could trust him with your last dollar even if he didn’t have two pennies of his own to rub together. That’s the kind of man he is.”

  “Really, Sam, you believe that?” Logan asked.

  “Of course I do. I know you.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she said it. It sounded like she’d suddenly realized something for the first time. Something important. “I know you,” she repeated softly as if saying it to herself.

  Logan didn’t have time to wonder about what Sam was thinking. He had a puzzle to solve and a virus to stop before he could delve deeper into Sam’s feelings for him and his feelings toward her.

  “Look. Even if I wanted money, the virus wouldn’t get money for me. It’s designed to crash the Internet,” Logan said. “How would shutting down the world’s networks create a payout for me? Chaos, yes. Panic, yes. Maybe even start a war or two. But it doesn’t send money to anyone’s bank account.”

  “No?” Despite being on the floor and powerless, Jason sounded confident and in charge. “Although we can’t change the code, we can read it. The virus will—ironically—use our virus protection systems to completely disable security on individual computers and phones. Yes, it’ll also knock out all major networks for several seconds before backup protections kick in. But that’s not where the gold is. It’s in the electronic wallets of the individual computers. The last line of code is the clue. It’ll pick those wallets and empty every account it can find and send the money to an anonymous offshore account.”

  Logan, so caught up in the havoc the virus was going to cause to national security, had completely overlooked how the virus might affect individuals. His fingers itched to get back on the computer and check out what Jason had told them.

  “If the money is going to a bank account, why not track it and find out who’s on the other end?” Sam asked.

  “It’s a number. There’s no name attached,” Logan explained. “The money goes there and then gets shuttled to another number and to another number and another. The process to send the money through several hundred dummy accounts takes seconds and is fast enough to outrun anyone trying to follow it.”

  “Global Tech provides firewalls and virus protection to nearly all of the electronic devices in the country and half of the devices worldwide,” Jason added. “We’re talking about the opportunity to transfer billions of dollars out of individual accounts without having to break through network security and the blame gets pointed at Global Tech, not you.”

  “Billions?” Sam whispered.

  “Clearly, someone at Hart Security is set up to receive that bounty. If not you, then it must be your partner.”

  “But he’s dead,” Logan said.

  “Is he?” Jason asked with an air of disbelief.

  He must be dead.

  Wasn’t he?

  Rafe? Why haven’t you contacted me?

  Where are you and what the hell are you doing?

  Chapter 26

  That slick executive had gotten into Logan’s head. Nothing I could say or do would settle him. Not even my super calming blend of chamomile and mint tea had worked.

  After tapping furiously at his computer, he’d sworn up a blue streak, marched back into the bedroom, and started to cut the zip ties that had been keeping Jason from doing anything dangerous.

  “Are you crazy?” I rushed over and grabbed Logan’s wrist. “Are you sure you should do that? He tried to shoot you.”

  Logan shook his wrist dislodging my hold as easily as waving away a gnat. “He missed.”

  “Just barely. Have you looked at your neck? You’ve got half the bed buried under your skin.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. It was red and slightly puckered from the slivers he hadn’t taken the time to remove. “It’s fine.”

  With a smooth slice, he cut the ties that bound Jason’s wrists and then moved to the man’s ankles.

  “This is a mistake. He’s dangerous. Don’t forget how he’d ordered his men to shoot at us, forcing us to jump off the roof of that ridiculously tall building.”

  “I’m not giving him back his gun.” And with that he cut through the zip tie to free Jason’s legs.

  “I’m glad you finally see reason.” Jason sat up and then started to rub his wrists.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Logan grumbled. “One wrong move and I’m tying you up again and calling the cops. If you step out of line or even look at Sam crossly, I will press charges for breaking into my cabin and shooting at us.”

  “But you do believe me,” Jason said. It wasn’t a question. He knew he’d won—the arrogant jerk.

  Logan’s shoulders slumped as he remained crouched beside Jason. “How’s your hand? Is it broken?”

  Jason flexed his fingers and groaned.

  “I’ve got a med kit in my bag.” Logan moved toward the slate gray backpack.

  “I’m not letting you touch me,” Jason growled before Logan could unzip the bag.

  “Well, it’s your hand. Let me know if you change your mind and think it needs attention.” He frowned. “And even though I believe what you’re saying, I can’t believe Rafe plan
ted the virus.”

  “But you did the research, right? You used the access codes I gave you, so you could get into the network and see that the virus came from your organization. From your partner.”

  “From Hart Security,” Logan admitted. “But not my partner. Perhaps if we work together, we can figure out how to disable it.”

  Jason shook his head. “Without a kill switch, I don’t see how we can do it. Our virus protection programs updated a few hours ago, which means the virus has already embedded itself on the individual systems worldwide. Although it’s not activated yet, the only way to stop it from going live now is to find a kill switch, if there is one. And we’ll have to push the kill switch onto those systems. We need to get to your partner.”

  Logan’s shoulders dropped even further. I hated seeing him look so defeated.

  I ached to help him, to relieve some of the pain he was feeling, but I didn’t know what to do.

  Logan rose to his feet. Without a word, he left the bedroom. I followed. We stood silently side-by-side in the living room at the windows that overlooked the lake. The water looked like a black void in the pre-morning landscape.

  It was so silent out there after the storm. Not even a cricket chirped.

  Jason stayed in the other room, which made me anxious to know what the weasel was up to. The head of Global Tech reminded me of my fiancé...er...ex-fiancé. Ambitious. Ruthless. And, apparently, not to be trusted during a crisis.

  Why had I agreed to marry someone like that?

  Because he’d offered security for my mother, that’s why.

  And now I didn’t have him or anything to offer my mother. She was going to be so disappointed.

  I sighed.

  Even though Logan’s troubles must have been weighing much heavier on him than my worries about a wedding that wasn’t to be, he put his arm over my shoulders and pulled me snug against his side.

  “You survived the heart transplant.” His voice was low, gentle. “You can survive this.”

  I looked up at him. His gaze was still locked on the darkened depths of the lake and the gray sky beyond.