He tried to get her attention but she avoided his eyes. Okay, then. If she was going to be this way, maybe it was time to call in a lawyer or end this whole thing.
“You’ve repeatedly asked the same question.” He locked gazes with Sulyard. “Ty’s answered them the same way each time, so we’re done here.” Quinn stood. “Grab your jacket, Ty. We’re going home.”
“About that.” Sulyard came to his feet, too. He was three inches or so shorter than Quinn and less muscular, but Quinn knew he’d be a worthy adversary in a fight.
“Ty won’t be going home,” Sulyard said, then fired a pointed look at Nina. “Wrap this up, then meet us in the war room.” He let his gaze sweep around the table, pinning each person with a hard stare before he spun and exited the room.
“Ty has two options.” Nina rose, her voice softer now, but she still wasn’t the woman Quinn knew. “We can take him into custody where he’ll likely spend the night in jail, or you can agree to a night at a hotel supervised by an agent.” She glanced at Quinn, then at his mom. “You are both welcome to join him, of course.”
“But why can’t he come home?” his mom asked.
“As Special Agent Sulyard mentioned, our team will be searching your home for evidence. Though you’re legally entitled to be there, I can tell you that sitting through it would be uncomfortable. Besides, putting Ty and the two of you in a neutral environment protects all of you from allegations that could be lodged against you for destroying evidence.”
“I see.” His mom crossed her arms. She’d always liked Nina, but she was acting like she’d changed her mind. Not likely. It was just anger speaking. After all, if she hadn’t changed her opinion of Nina after their break-up, this wouldn’t do it.
“We’ll go to the hotel, then,” she said.
Ty nodded. “I totally agree. But why can’t you stay with us instead of another agent?”
“My actions are restricted in this investigation because of my personal involvement with your family.” She didn’t smile. Didn’t give Ty the comforting reassurance he needed, just clenched her hands and took a breath before going on. “Y’all wait here. I’ll find the agent who’ll be accompanying you, so you can get going.”
She hurried from the room as if fleeing from his family and cutting all ties with them. For a moment, Quinn sat stunned. He didn’t know what to make of this Nina. She sounded like a robot, not a friend. Not the woman who’d made his blood run hot. He couldn’t just sit there and accept her treatment. He needed to know what was going on.
“Stay here,” he said to his family, then jogged down the hall after her. “Wait up, Nina.”
She slowed, but didn’t turn to face him.
He rushed around and stood in front of her. She had no choice but to stop. He waited to speak until she looked at him. “What was with that? All of a sudden, you’re acting like we have the plague. I know you’re not thrilled to be around me, but you haven’t acted this way before with Ty or my mom.”
She glanced around, then moved closer. “That was a test. One I passed or Sulyard wouldn’t have left me alone with Ty for a second. If I show even a hint of affection for Ty or your family, Sulyard will jerk me off this investigation. And trust me, you still want me on the case to look out for Ty’s best interests.”
“You’re making it sound like the hotel thing is temporary, and he’ll still be arrested.”
“It’s possible.”
“So what happens next?”
“Sulyard is calling DHS. We wait to hear back from them.”
Quinn wasn’t surprised they were contacting the Department of Homeland Security.
“As I mentioned,” she continued, “they’re in charge of the database, and we need them to confirm the intrusion.”
“Why? Ty’s admitted to doing it.”
“Yes, But there’s something we didn’t consider before. He could be making up the hack to get attention.”
“You’re kidding, right? Hamid’s name was on the No-Fly List. That wasn’t made up.”
“But that doesn’t mean Ty did it.”
“I suppose,” he said. “Do you think Ty is lying?”
She shook her head. “I can’t imagine Ty risking your wrath for a little attention. Not to mention your father’s.”
What? Him? “Trust me, I get what you mean about my father, but I don’t have that kind of relationship with Ty. He doesn’t have to worry about my reaction.”
She snorted loudly, then covered her mouth for a moment. “You were sitting at the table in the coffee shop, right? When he compared you to your dad?”
“That was an isolated incident.”
“I don’t think so.” She made strong eye contact. “When I think back over our time together, Ty was always a bit wary of you. I mean, he loves you—that I can see. And even behind his smart-aleck comments about your success, he respects you. I don’t see that he has the same feelings for your dad. But otherwise . . .” She shrugged. “Ty really does see you and your dad as the same kind of man.”
Was she right? Had Quinn actually managed to alienate his little brother?
He had barked at the kid a lot this last year, hoping tough love would straighten him out. Unfortunately, that hadn’t worked so well. Now here they were. Quinn rubbed his forehead, kneading muscles that threatened a headache.
“Don’t look so down.” Nina glanced around before giving his other hand a quick squeeze. “The kid loves you. Remember that he’s your brother, not a recruit or one of your teammates. Just lighten up a bit in the way you treat him, and you can change this.”
The discipline and control he’d learned as a SEAL was so ingrained, it was part of who he was. Like breathing. But he didn’t want to be his father. Demanding. Domineering. A real jerk who always got his way, no matter what. Quinn had to try harder not to treat Ty that way. He hoped he could accomplish it, even with all the turmoil surrounding them.
“Will you come find me when the hack is confirmed?” he asked, bringing them back to the real topic. “That way, I’ll have a heads up on what’s happening next.”
“I don’t know if I can do that. My job is already on the line.” She stared at him.
He could tell she planned to shoot him down, so he rushed on. “If I ever meant anything to you, Nina, you’ll promise to keep me informed.”
She stepped back as if he’d slapped her. Maybe he had. At least verbally.
“That’s a low blow, bringing up our past,” she whispered, and even with her hushed tone, he heard how much he’d hurt her
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said softly, then firmed his voice. “But you should know, I’ll do whatever I need to do to help Ty. And I mean whatever I need to do.”
NINA ENTERED THE war room where Sulyard had hastily assembled a large team. He stood at the head of the long table, his brow furrowed with displeasure. He’d removed his suit jacket and rolled the cuffs of his sleeves to his elbows. Nina took it as a sign that they would be working late tonight. Sulyard was talking with agents Ivey and Clarke who also wore dark suits, white shirts and navy ties, looking like Sulyard clones. Both were fit and well-groomed, Ivey blond and Clarke dark-haired, but both wore bored expressions. She’d always thought counterintelligence would be very interesting, but now that she thought about it, anytime she ran into the pair, they seemed blasé.
Becca and Kait sat to Sulyard’s right, their heads together as they whispered. Becca blond, Kait brunette, both were dressed in plain suits that were rumpled after a long day. Nina pulled out the chair next to Kait and sat. Analyst Jae Starling was seated on Nina’s other side. Kait gave Nina a clipped nod of acknowledgement, but under the table she squeezed Nina’s hand. Kait was the affirmer of the group, always praising and keeping team morale high.
“This is gonna be one heck of a case,” Jae Starling whispere
d
Nina faced the analyst who sat next to her teammates Aaron Durham and Pete Lloyd. Though only in her mid-twenties, Jae was one of the top analysts in the FBI, able to do things that were almost superhuman, and they all cut her slack, which included her dress and appearance. Green-tipped fingernails, skinny jeans, and a lime-green T-shirt didn’t usually have a place at the Bureau, but Jae got away with it, as well as a liberal amount of sarcasm.
“We’ll need everything you’ve got on this one,” Nina said to Jae.
“Then keep the coffee coming.” Jae laughed as she lifted her Mario mug with Self-Rescuing Princess printed in neon blue letters.
On the other side of the table, lead evidence tech Henry Greco sat next to fellow agents Gary Ivey and Erick Clarke who usually worked foreign counterintelligence, a division of the FBI she had little to do with. Nina did interact a lot with Henry in his lab or at crime scenes where he wore protective attire, but today he had on a button-down shirt with a coordinating tie and black pants. His glasses were sliding down his nose, and his gaze was open and eager as usual.
“Now that Brandt has arrived, we can get started.” Sulyard’s irritation at her tardiness was evident in his tone. “I’m assuming both of our hackers are tucked in with their agents at the hotel.”
“Yes, sir,” Nina replied pleasantly.
“Then let’s proceed.” He grabbed a dry-erase marker. “Due to the seriousness of this alleged incident, I’ll be taking lead on this investigation. Special Agent in Charge Finley will be providing oversight.”
Nina’s apprehension skyrocketed. Sulyard never took lead, and Finley never got involved in routine details, which meant it would be even harder to keep Quinn in the loop, as she’d ended up promising. With Sulyard all but shutting down her involvement on the investigation, she’d have to count on status meetings and her teammates to keep her updated.
“Alleged incident?” Jae asked. She scowled at Sulyard. “What kid confesses to something like this if he didn’t do it?”
“One seeking attention,” Sulyard replied. “That said, after talking to him, I have no reason to believe he’s lying. We’ll proceed as if the breach occurred until DHS tells us otherwise.”
Jae rolled her eyes, drawing Nina’s attention to lashes coated in black mascara and eyes ringed with even deeper black eyeliner. “We don’t need the bozos over at DHS charging in here on their white horses and taking over this investigation. We can handle it.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
“It’s really premature to worry about that, Jae,” Sulyard responded. “But if the breach is confirmed, you should prepare yourself for a joint investigation, which will include not only DHS, but PPB as well.”
“Oh, goodie.” She shook her head in disgust, her ebony-dyed little pigtails swinging. “I don’t mind Portland police, but DHS?”
Sulyard ignored her comment and turned to the whiteboard where he jotted down Tyler Stone and Hamid Ahmadi’s names. “We have two separate investigations. Though they intersect with one another, I want two independent investigations.” He tapped Ty’s name. “We’ll investigate the Stone kid for the hacking charge. The Ahmadi boy for computer theft, keeping in mind that both, or neither, of these boys might be involved in a terrorist plot.”
Hearing the word “terrorist” mentioned in conjunction with Ty’s name made Nina’s stomach ache.
“Isn’t it stretching a bit to call this an act of terrorism?” Jae asked. “I mean, the kid just hacked into a database to get back at the dweeb who stole his chick. It didn’t involve any violence for the purpose of intimidation, coercion, or even ransom.”
“Thanks for quoting the definition for us, Jae.” Sulyard’s sarcasm was legendary, and he’d apparently started getting tired of Jae’s questions. “We don’t know enough yet to classify it as such. That’s why I said these boys might be involved in a terrorist plot.”
Jae opened her mouth to speak, but Sulyard held up a hand. She crossed her arms and slunk down in her seat. When she didn’t get her way, she was known to pout a bit. With her pigtails, she simply looked like a spoiled little girl playing dress-up.
“Let me get into this, Jae,” Sulyard said. “I promise to answer all of your questions at the end. I want you to take point on performing a deep background investigation into Hamid and his family. We’re looking for the obvious information like family finances, criminal records, etc., but I also want you to search for ties to any known terrorist organizations.”
“You think the kid is more involved in this than he’s saying?” Jae asked before Nina could ask the same thing.
Sulyard shrugged. “On the surface, he seems to be a typical teen who wanted to get back at his buddy like you said, but his attempt backfired on him. But again, we only have the kid’s word to go on. We don’t have any proof he put the computer in the box. He could have sold it to a terrorist organization for all we know.”
“Then there’ll be a money trail. If it exists, you know I’ll find it.” Jae smirked.
“That you will.” Sulyard faced Pete who was extremely shy. His chubby face with a bad case of acne and extra fifty pounds added to his insecurities. “Pete, you have Tyler Stone. Same information.”
“Got it,” Pete said, likely the most they’d hear from the guy during the meeting.
Sulyard jotted down the assignments on the whiteboard and added the name Bryce Young to the list.
“Let me guess.” Aaron’s tone was as confident as Jae’s. Long and lean with a pointy nose, he sat up straighter, towering over most people in the room. “You have no proof Hamid was ever in possession of the computer, and this Bryce kid might still have it, so I’m checking into his background.”
“Again, I don’t think these kids are yanking our chains, but let’s do our due diligence on all of them.” Sulyard let his narrowed gaze travel around the analysts. “I expect a report on all three on my desk by sunup.”
The wonder trio glanced at each other and shared a roll of the eyes. If it bothered Sulyard, he chose to ignore it. “See me after the meeting if you think you’ll need additional manpower to get this done by morning.”
“Oh, you know we’ll be asking for help,” Jae said, appointing herself their spokesperson, as she often did. Her attitude reminded Nina of Becca, who, in a similar situation, would take the lead, too.
Sulyard faced Becca. “Lange, I want details on the theft from Bryce’s car. Reach out to the family when we adjourn. We have no probable cause to sit on this kid, but convince them it’s in the kid’s best interest to allow us to supervise him at a hotel. If they agree, I’ll find an agent for the detail.”
“I could help out with that,” Nina offered, and earned a glare in response. Sulyard may have benched her, but she’d keep trying to get into the game.
“Isn’t that an extreme measure, sir?” Agent Ivey flexed the muscles in his wide jaw, adding to his macho look that garnered him many dates and labeled him as the office player.
“Under normal circumstances, I’d say yes and the resources aren’t warranted. But there’s nothing normal about this. Not only do we want to prevent the circumstances from escalating, but when this hits the media, we do not want to be accused of not taking the situation seriously enough.”
“Gotcha.”
Sulyard returned his attention to Becca. “Find out if a police report has been filed for the break-in. If not, I want to know why, and I want to know about it immediately. If so, get a copy of the report and question the detective in charge and review any evidence they’ve collected.”
Nina saw Kait’s fingers curl into a fist. After Kait’s engagement to Detective Sam Murdock last month, Sulyard was purposely keeping Kait from interacting with the Portland Police Bureau. Nina understood that Kait working with the PPB could be seen as a conflict of interest, but honestly, with Kait’s integrity, she wouldn�
��t compromise anything. Plus, her connection to the bureau through Sam would help her succeed in getting information on the break-in far faster than Becca could.
ERT Greco pushed up his glasses and focused on Becca. “Since the police likely thought this was a simple B&E, I doubt the criminalist went beyond fingerprinting. If they even did that. It might be a good idea to request that our team be allowed to process Bryce’s car or, at the very least, request PPB to process it again.”
“Good thinking, Greco. And that brings me to our next point.” Sulyard inked PHYSICAL EVIDENCE on the board. “Knowing it would be too dangerous to send an evidence team to the cache site tonight, Brandt had the foresight to bring the cache container back with her.” He faced Greco. “Take the prints you took from Tyler and Hamid tonight and compare them to anything you lift from the box. Brandt also took photos of footprints for your review. Let me know A.S.A.P. if either is a viable lead. We have a Multnomah County deputy securing the trailhead. Make sure your team is at the site before sunup to collect any other evidence.”
“We’ll be there,” Greco said in the somber tone he used at crime scenes.
Nina knew he would be there early and he’d come prepared.
“Okay, let’s see.” Sulyard clamped a hand on the back of his neck, stared at the board for a moment, and then jotted down WARRANTS. “At this point, I’m not planning to request a warrant for Bryce’s house, but of course we’ll need one for the car. I’ll take care of that, as well as warrants for both Tyler and Hamid’s houses.”
He set down the marker and looked at Becca. “Once the warrant comes in, I want you to supervise the computer seizure at the Ahmadi house so we know everything is done by the book. You’ll also be in charge of analysis.” He turned to Kait. “Same goes for you for electronic devices recovered at the Stone house.”
Web of Shadows Page 12
