“What money?” Wylie asked. “Why does he think you have some of his money?”
“He knows I helped bring down his team. He also knows I’m the one who sabotaged his accounts. He told me he watched the money drain from each of them and that only I could have taken it,” she admitted. “He can’t find it now. He’s scoured the backend of every financial institution he hit and the offshore holdings – nothing.”
“That’s because I returned all of it and hid it from him within each institution. The money is all there. He just can’t see it.” Liam felt an inkling of guilt. Felicity was taking the fall for what he had done. “Good to know the walls I put up are still intact after all this time.”
When all was said and done, Liam had returned the money that had been stolen, at least that which they had. Wells had already been living high on the hog and spent plenty. Once the money was back where it belonged, Liam worked with the IT departments of each victim and helped them build a better fail safe so it couldn’t happen again.
“Yeah well, you did too good of a job because he thinks I have it and need to return it, or…” Felicity paused, nearly choking on her words.
“Or what, City?” Though calm, there was a hint of something in Dace’s tone – anger, maybe fury. It was as if he already knew the answer.
A small sob escaped Felicity. She pushed her chair away from the large table and took to her feet. With her back turned to the men in the room, she wiped away the tears she could no longer withhold. She straightened her shoulders and took a cleansing breath before she turned to face them. “Or he starts hurting the people I love.”
“He’s not going to get to any of us, City.” Sympathy wasn’t something Dace handed out, but her words had confirmed what they all had suspected. She had been trying to protect their family, hence the secrets and odd behavior. “We can…”
“He has pictures of Reagan,” Felicity shouted. There wasn’t a single thing Dace or the others could say to her to make her feel better or even safe. “He even has pictures of her at school, running the track. He has pictures of all of you, even Colleen and Magnus.”
“Son of a bitch.” Wylie was on his feet now, fists clenched and pacing.
Luke tossed his hands in the air as if they were making this harder than it had to be, and he had a simple solution. “So, he’s here then. Easy, we just…”
“No,” Liam said. “Just because he has pictures here doesn’t mean he’s here.” Liam dragged his hands through his hair, already running through scenarios on how to beat this guy at his own game in his head. “You’ve been doing this long enough to know that nothing is as it seems when it comes to tech. We can do anything we want, remotely. Even collect intel…pictures.”
“Even the cars?” Luke questioned. “I mean, we’ve done some weird shit over the years, tapping into stuff…but never cars.”
“Think about it. He had that drone on us today. We don’t know the range on that yet. The military sends drones across oceans to spy on other continents. He could be in Japan right now for all we know, anything is possible,” Liam began, trying to convey just how different this case was going to be for them, “He chased us with cars that probably didn’t belong to him and watched us through city cams like we’ve done many times. Technology allows him to be absolutely everywhere we are – inside, outside, you name it. Almost anything can be hacked remotely with Bluetooth.”
“Everything has Bluetooth now,” Wylie added.
Liam nodded, “Exactly, even the smaller stuff. Your home thermostat, refrigerators, an alarm clock.”
Dace snorted, “What’s he going to do, sweat us to death by turning up the heat and making sure our ice-maker is turned off?”
Felicity stepped forward, using her hands and body language to get through to the guys this wasn’t a joke. “This is a different kind of battle boys. He was in that market yesterday – the lights, sound system, registers, doors. Don’t underestimate him or what he can tamper with. Today it was cars. What makes something like…airplanes off limits?” she questioned, trying to get them to wrap their minds around the gravity of it all.
“Jesus, I thought this shit was only in movies,” Luke replied. “I can’t even add a number to my contacts on my phone.”
The room went quiet while each of them reconciled what this meant. They weren’t going to be the elite team they were used to being, going in, balls to the walls, all muscle and mayhem. This would be Liam’s battle, and they would be there to support him while he did the heavy lifting. Otherwise, they’d be shooting blindly at targets.
“Anything with Bluetooth?” Dace asked sheepishly.
“Yes, pretty much,” Liam answered with a drawl, waiting for a punchline. “Why do you ask, or do we even want to know?”
The mood was heavy, which tended to make Dace uncomfortable. This was too close to home and far out of their typical reach. A little recon and a few raids, even a shootout worked, but this felt like a situation they couldn’t really control – not a feeling he was familiar with. “So, they say those sexy toys have Bluetooth now. We could hack one?” he laughed, his brothers snickering along with him.
“Sexy toys?” Liam was confused. He’d been out of the bedroom game for a while, but technology was technology, and he knew about just about everything. Or so he thought. “I don’t know what you’re talking…”
“Yes!” Felicity interrupted, sparing Liam the crucifixion of his brothers’ ongoing shenanigans. “Yes. You can, uh, hack those too, Dace.”
Liam’s expression fell short. He had no idea what his brothers were laughing at. The bigger question was how did Felicity know what they were referring to and seem to know what she was talking about? “I still don’t know what you mean. Sexy toys and Bluetooth?”
Felicity’s head fell back as she palmed her forehead in frustration while the rest of the O’Reillys had a laugh at Liam’s expense.
“Vibrator, Liam,” she said pointedly. “Vibrators have Bluetooth now.”
“Why the hell would someone need Bluetooth on that, and why would anyone want to hack it? Is that one even possible?” Liam regretted his question the minute he let it out into the universe. His brothers had each fallen forward on the table, lost in fits of laughter and obscene gestures while Felicity’s light complexion blushed.
“It’s totally possible – can be done. Look it up, okay?” Felicity was used to being around the guys and their foul mouths, but this was an entirely new level of awkward.
“If all of this is possible, why haven’t we been doing any of it?” Wylie asked, “Not the vibrator stuff,” he quickly corrected, “but the rest of it. If we can manipulate a mark or enemy through all of those means, why don’t we?”
“Until now. We haven’t had to,” Liam admitted. “You have to understand that although it seems like technology could make our jobs easier, it doesn’t always work that way. Once we resort to those methods, we expose all of the vulnerabilities to people who would love to exploit them.”
“Start a trend,” Dace clarified.
“Yes. People are always watching. If we get in places we shouldn’t, we literally open the door for others.” Liam understood why this was appealing to his brothers. It would cut their work in half in some cases, but that didn’t make it the right solution. “I’m good at this shit. Felicity is good at it too. But it’s always changing, and we don’t want to be in a position where we are always looking over our shoulders, hoping we didn’t let the wrong people in somewhere or worse – someone smarter than us comes along, and we don’t even see them. Sometimes, technology is more dangerous than half the shit we do with weapons and explosives.”
Felicity smiled at Liam, though vaguely. His under the radar compliment meant a lot to her. He trusted her and her work, and that was the one thing she worried about losing most – his trust and respect.
“How do we catch him?” Luke asked.
“Whoa, first things first. He has eyes on Reagan. We need to get her out of here. Dec and the
guys will be back soon. Let’s send her to McKenzie Ridge with them.” There was a certain panic in Wylie’s voice. The threat on Reagan had him spooked. “Or Deception Pass – even better. Neither place is high tech. This guy would have a hell of a time getting to her without coming out of hiding.”
“NO!” Liam interrupted with a startling tone. “She’s safer here, and he would follow us there. Remember, this is a cyber battle. If he doesn’t have tech to mess with there, neither do we. We can’t panic. That’s what a guy like him will thrive on. We need to be smart, get ahead of him.”
“How do we even know it’s him?” Dace was concerned that they were missing something. Committing to a hidden enemy wasn’t smart; they would lose before the war even began if they put too many eggs in the wrong basket. “All of the communications have been cryptic messages and a voice altered phone call or two.”
“I know it’s him, Dace. Every bit of it has his name on it, even the voice altered call.” Felicity was confident because Wells was the only bad part of her past. “This is his work. I’m sure of it.”
“Again, what do we do? How do we find him?” Luke didn’t care if it was Wells or not, he was ready for solutions. “How do we catch him?”
Liam paused, looking at each one of them staring back at him. He was the point man this time. There was only one problem, “I-I don’t know yet.”
Liam left the room.
CHAPTER 9
Liam was pissed. He’d spent the entire night in his home office, upgrading the system Reagan’s school used before moving to the lair when the task grew to an all-nighter. He was a hacker, he didn’t need permission. Sure, there were security cameras everywhere, inside and out, that made it appear safe, but it wasn’t. What was the point of those camera’s if anyone could find their way into their computer system and check anything from student grades to teacher personnel files, not to mention where everyone lived?
His night was spent breaking in and upgrading the school’s system, building firewalls, and blocking sensitive files so only those who should have access could. From there, he looked at anyone who had remote access from home. It didn’t take long to get into any of those computers – more negligence. Just like the school, he installed additional security, protecting each of them from outside trouble.
Since they weren’t savvy enough to recognize their cyber weakness, they wouldn’t recognize the improved security either. Nobody would know he had been there, in their personnel spaces. Actually, there was one exception – one guy would know someone was in his computer when the police showed up at his door the next day. Liam found things on the teacher’s computer that no one should have, especially someone with access to children. Sick fucker.
While tracking remote logins, he found a long list of ghost IP addresses that showed someone who wasn’t supposed to be there – had been. Wells – or whoever was thought to be Wells. If anyone needed confirmation that the schools secure system was grossly flawed or that someone dangerous had been lurking, there it was. An untraceable cyber stalker.
Nobody would be able to tamper with the school after the upgrade he’d just given them. Brother’s Keeper Security’s fleet of vehicles was safe too. Modern day vehicles housed a highly intelligent system with endless capabilities like driverless mobility. It wasn’t the type of programing he was used to, but he appreciated a challenge and found a way to build a sophisticated, bulletproof wall around the technology. Everyone was safe on his watch.
Reagan would now be safe at school, and the O’Reillys could move around the city safely…for now. As the hours ticked by and exhaustion threatened, his mind wandered to places he feared. Losing his wife nearly destroyed him. Reagan was all he had left. Losing her or anyone on his short list of people who were closest to him would claim him for good. This was exactly why he didn’t have room in his heart for anyone else. The more people you let in, the greater the odds it could break. That was a pain he couldn’t face again.
“I may have found a clue,” Felicity said, pulling Liam from his thoughts. She walked into his home office with a laptop in hand and hopeful look on her face. “I have a couple IP addresses bouncing off multiple towers.”
Liam shook his head. “I saw those too. They were all over Reagan’s school system. Who else would hack a school over and over again?”
“Right, but did you notice the location patterns?” she questioned, earning a look of surprise from Liam.
“I…didn’t,” he replied, looking at the rolling list on her screen after she set it in front of him.
“What do you see?” she asked. “Just tell me when you see it.”
“Uh, I see the same couple of addresses going through.” When she didn’t reply, he knew he hadn’t found it. “A few randoms off the same towers…”
Felicity pulled up a chair and plopped down next to him, leaning in close enough for him to enjoy the light floral scent that was entirely her. She pulled up another screen so there were two side by side, and she began to type, her fingers moving so fast it looked as if she wasn’t even hitting the keys.
“Now look. Do you see it?” Frustration danced in her words. “Look at the tower locations.”
“They’re moving.” Liam sat straighter and looked closer at the pattern dancing on the screen in front of him. “It’s forming a pattern. He’s not using a private server. Those are real; he’s on the move.”
“Bingo!” she said, leaning into him. “He’s getting closer. He’s on his way here.”
“We needed a break. He made a mistake, and we need him to keep doing that.” Liam turned to her, so close he had a sudden urge to take her mouth. But he didn’t. “Nice work. That’s…great. We, uh, need to keep…”
“Keep watching, keep tracking,” she replied, her voice breathy. “We’ll find him, Liam.”
“I know we will. Remember, this could be part of the ruse. He could be in Bangladesh and making it look like he’s two states away and heading our way,” Liam reminded, unable to pull away from her hooded ocean blue eyes. “Or in our backyard and make it look like he’s in Europe, or something.”
“I know. I…know, but my gut says he’s coming here. He wants his money. He wants – me.” A crack in her voice and an ounce of fear fell off her final few words.
An odd silence stood between them, so much so that she could hear Liam swallow before he finally broke the trance they were each locked in. “He doesn’t get either, Felicity. Not the money and not you.”
Her breath caught when the meaning and sentiment behind his words settled in, leaving her with a soft smile. Her voice fell to a whisper. “This is the side of you everyone misses, Liam.”
Like a flip of a switch, he turned off whatever it was he was revealing in that moment. Liam’s expression hardened, and his eyes tightened as they went cold, and his body stiffened. “I’m the same person I’ve always been.”
“What? Run when things get tough? Pretend you don’t feel…anything?” Felicity wasn’t giving up. One day he would break; he had to.
“I feel… I feel plenty,” he defended, a coolness in his voice that said she’d hit a nerve. He gripped her shoulders and spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t run. I fight for what I love because – because I can’t lose anyone else. You hear me? Anyone.”
Releasing her quickly, he spun his chair away and held his head in his hands as his elbows rested on the desk in front of him. A deep sigh of frustration, and maybe a little sadness, escaped him. He was reeling, and Felicity could see it. He wanted to feel. He wanted to tell her what he felt. She could see it. They needed it. They all needed him to finally break through.
“Felicity, I-I…”
“Yes?” she asked, not letting him off the hook easily.
“I-I can’t do this right now.” Liam went back to pecking away at his keyboard, the moment lost. “Tell me when you find something.”
Before disappointment could settle in for either of them, several of the wall screens began to flash information, and an alarm
sounded until all of them were flashing different error codes and images.
“Holy shit!” Liam said with excitement, his hands dancing over his keyboard. “There he is.”
Luke walked in with Dace and said, “We’re back from school. Rage had a bitchin’ day, and no bad guys.”
“What is it,” Dace asked, looking at Liam’s screaming screens. “What happened?”
Liam turned around and panicked. “Where the hell is Reagan?”
“Calm your tits, mini-me,” Luke said to his twin brother, “She’s across the street at Sweet Hooligans picking out a treat with Wylie. She’s safe, man.”
Relieved, Liam took a moment to compose himself before turning back to his computer. “Wells – or someone we think is Wells. Got eyes on him, not just his location.”
“What the hell?” Luke and Dace pulled up chairs behind their brother and Felicity who was typing away alongside Liam. They made a great team that way. “How do you see him? How do you know it’s him?”
“Because he’s on camera, buying shit with our credit cards,” Liam answered.
“You watch our accounts?” Luke wasn’t pleased with the idea that even his brother could see his comings and goings of the financial type.
“Hey, Rage is home. Ma’s with her, teaching her to sew or knit,” Wylie said as he came in, enjoying a fresh cruller donut. “I think I know what we’re all getting from Rage for the next several holidays.” He laughed, until he took in his brothers’ expressions. “Oooh, what did I miss?”
“Liam hacks our accounts and stalks our money,” Dace said, grabbing the bag of donuts from Wylie’s hand.
“No. I protect them, make it hard for anyone to do this,” Liam defended. “We’re always targets, even in this way. What’s the first thing an enemy will do? Disable you. How? By all means. Money is all means. You’re welcome, asshole.”
“Fine. So, where is he?” Luke questioned.
“Well,” Liam began, scanning his screen, pointing out what he was looking at, “it looks like these three purchases were online. A sex shop for Dace – clever. Luke ordered…a gun maybe? Can you buy that online?”
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