A Sultry Love Song

by Kianna Alexander

  Yolanda ran over, ducking behind the teller desk. With a quick yank, she disconnected the power strips, which immediately powered off the teller’s machines. Thankfully, the awful beeping ceased.

  Roosevelt came out of his office, and was met by Marco as he approached the teller desk.

  Marco asked, “What’s going on out here?” He waved the staff over, and soon they were all standing in a tight circle near the desk.

  Nancy, who looked wholly nervous, replied, “I’m not sure, but something’s wrong with the computer system.”

  “Yeah. It kicked us all off our terminals,” another teller added.

  “My computer went down, too!” This came from the loan officer, who’d stuck her head out of her office door to make the announcement. It occurred to Joi that this was the first good look she’d gotten at her, since she rarely came out of her office.

  Marco turned his eyes to Joi. “Has anyone tried to use the ATMs outside?”

  Joi shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “I’ll go.” Jackie strode out the front door.

  For a few minutes, everyone milled about, waiting for Jackie to return with news.

  When she did, the news was not good. “The ATMs are down, too. Nothing but a blank blue screen on both of them.”

  Roosevelt cursed. “Sorry, but a blue screen is never a good sign for a computer.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he directed his next statement at Marco. “I think we’ve got some kind of electronic security breach going on.”

  This time, Marco cursed. “We’ve gone dark, so we need to get the customers out of here. Without the computer system, we can’t service any of their accounts.”

  Joi dispatched Yolanda and Jackie to escort the few remaining customers outside, and Marco sent his tellers and loan officer home for the day. Some of the customers were not pleased with being sent away from the bank without having their requests fulfilled, and they made their displeasure known. Marco reacted with practiced patience, promising the frustrated patrons restitution for their inconvenience. Once the group was reduced to just the remaining bank staff, Marco strode over to lock the doors.

  Before he could turn the latch, Chloe came running up. Marco opened the door and let her in, then locked it as he’d intended.

  Chloe ran up to Joi, and said breathlessly, “I got here as fast as I could. I had a ten o’clock class.”

  Joi placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here. How much experience do you have with Karen’s cybersecurity software?” She knew that her partner used a proprietary software that encrypted and protected their customer’s data. Karen had built the program herself, from the ground up, and all the businesses that Citadel serviced used it. That made Joi wonder if any of her other clients were experiencing problems, but she knew she had to deal with what was in front of her before she could investigate.

  Chloe’s expression turned sheepish. “Not much. She’d just started training me on it before she took that fall, and we’d only gotten up to module seven.”

  Joi felt her brow crease. “How many modules are there?”

  “Twenty.” Chloe answered the question in a soft voice, as if she hoped that would make it easier to hear.

  It didn’t. Joi pressed her open palm to her face. “Holy crap. I have to get Karen on the phone.” She strode to the corridor, phone in hand, dialing her partner’s number as she walked.

  “Hello?” Gabe’s voice came on the line.

  “Hey, Gabe. Let me speak to Karen.”

  “I can’t. She just had a dose of the meds they prescribed her for pain, and she’s already passed out.”

  Joi pressed her fingers to her temple. “How long will she be out?”

  Gabe’s voice held uncertainty. “Three, maybe four hours, at least. When she took them yesterday afternoon, she was out from dinnertime until sunrise.”

  There was nothing else she could say, so she asked, “Can you have her call me when she wakes up?”

  “Sure thing. The moment she’s coherent, she’ll call.”

  “Thanks, Gabe.” Disconnecting the call, Joi stuck the phone back into the pocket of her blazer.

  How in the hell am I going to fix this mess?

  * * *

  Marco watched Joi through the glass wall bordering the office corridor. He could see her pacing back and forth as she made her call. Nothing about her facial expressions made him think she was getting good results from it. Turning back to Roosevelt, he met his branch manager’s gaze. “Roosevelt, hang a sign on the door that says we’re closed until further notice. Make sure to include our apologies for the inconvenience.”

  Roosevelt nodded, his expression grim. “How long do you think we’ll be shut down?”

  Having no answer to that, he shrugged. “Who knows? But this looks like a serious security breach, and I don’t want to endanger the funds of any new depositors.” Beyond that, he knew that having customers in the bank would only complicate things as he and his staff tried to sort through this mess. They would undoubtedly have questions, and right now, no one at Royal had any answers for them.

  “Got it.” The branch manager drifted away toward his office.

  Marco spoke to Yolanda, the guard Joi had assigned to the front door. “Can you still access the security footage, even though the computer system is down?”

  Yolanda produced a seven-inch tablet from the inside of her Citadel Security logo jacket. “Yes, sir. The security feed is automatically backed up to the cloud, and fully accessible from our Citadel tablets. What do you need me to do?”

  “Take a look at the footage from last week, and see if you notice anything suspicious. Maybe someone came in with a flash drive, or a memory card, or someone who lingered by the ATM or made contact with any of the teller terminals. Then let me know what you find.”

  “I’m on it.” Yolanda went to the lobby waiting area and sat down with the tablet on her lap.

  He glanced at Joi again, who was now conversing in hushed tones with the tech assistant. Not knowing what solution they might come up with, or how long it would take, Marco tore his eyes away and trudged to his office. Thankfully, he also had a tablet, equipped with data service from his cell phone company. Powering on the tablet, he took a seat at his desk and put in a video call to Sal. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew it was necessary to get the corporate office involved. After all, he had no way of knowing how far the security breach might extend. Was it just affecting the branch in Charlotte, or had it affected other branches worldwide?

  When Sal’s face came on the screen, wearing an easy smile, Marco hated to be the one to ruin his friend and boss’s good mood.

  “Hello, Marco. To what do I owe the pleasure, my friend?”

  Marco sighed. “It’s not good, Sal. I think we have a security breach.”

  Sal’s expression immediately changed, his brow furrowing. “What? I’ve heard only good things about your security contractor from the branch manager.”

  “And I agree with Roosevelt’s assessment. All our physical funds and safe deposit items are secure. The breach is electronic, and it’s shut down our entire computer network.”

  “When did this happen?”

  “Today, just under an hour ago. All the teller terminals and automated teller machines shut down. I had to close the branch.”

  “And your security contractor? What actions have they taken?”

  “Ms. Lewis and her technologist are working on the problem as we speak, but it may take some time.” He chose not to regale Sal with the details of Joi’s partner being out on medical leave, or of the hapless but determined young assistant who now stood between the Charlotte branch and possible financial ruin.

  By now Sal wore a deep frown. “This is terrible. Have you been in contact with any of th
e other branches?” Royal had branches in Manhattan, Los Angeles, Paris and London.

  He shook his head. “No, Sal. I came straight to you.”

  Sal scratched at his bearded chin. “I suppose the first course of action is to put out a call to the other branches, to make sure there’s been no ill effect to their systems. The team here can get that done in the next hour or so.”

  “What actions would you like us to take at the Charlotte branch?”

  “Didn’t you tell me that the cybersecurity software Citadel uses is proprietary?”

  “It is. It’s the creation of Citadel’s head technologist.”

  Sal remained silent for a few moments, his expression becoming reflective. “Honestly, Marco, I think the best course of action is for you and Ms. Lewis, along with her technologist, to come here to Limón. Bring them to headquarters, and let them collaborate with our techs to solve the problem.”

  “Do you want to do that even if the breach is isolated to our branch?”

  “Yes. The Charlotte branch serves a very lucrative market for us, and I don’t want to risk having it collapse because of this. So I’ll need you and the security team on the first plane to Limón.”

  “Understood. I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

  “Good.” Some of the tension seemed to drain away from Sal’s face. “Text me the details of your flight, and I’ll have a car pick you up from the airport.”

  “Thanks.” Marco disconnected the video call, and placed the tablet flat on his desk. Swiveling his chair until he faced the frosted window behind the desk, he groaned. He hadn’t explained the whole situation to Sal, and he felt somewhat guilty about it. Now he’d have to explain Karen’s absence when he and Joi showed up with an assistant instead of Citadel’s lead tech expert.

  If nothing else, though, this impromptu trip to Limón to solve the breach would provide him an opportunity to escape the abnormally frigid North Carolina winter in favor of the balmy climate of his hometown. He hadn’t visited home in nearly two years, and he knew his parents would be thrilled to see him. His mother would lecture him about the long stretches between his trips, but since she did that over the phone at every opportunity, he’d become accustomed to it. The real killer was her constant demand that he settle down and gift her with grandchildren.

  There was also the matter of the Herreras’ party. He’d already committed to it, and would now be arriving in town even sooner than he’d anticipated. In a way, Sal’s edict gave him an opportunity he never thought he’d have: to take Joi as his date for the Herrera affair. The complexities of that idea were many. Most important, he had no idea how Ernesto and his parents would react to seeing the woman who’d abandoned Ernesto at the altar as Marco’s date.

  Thinking about the challenges the next several days would present was starting to give him a headache. So rather than dwell on them any longer, he used the tablet to access the website of his favorite airline, and initiated a search for flights that could get him to Limón within the next seventy-two hours.

  Due to the lead technologist’s injury, he’d have to take the assistant along. The branch would have to remain closed while the problem was resolved, but customers could still use ATMs to deposit and withdraw their money, without a fee.

  He just hoped Joi’s passport was in order, because they had a flight to catch.

  Chapter 13

  As Joi walked up the Jetway into Juan Santamaría International Airport, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so glad to be on solid ground. She hated flying, and only did it when ground transportation was unavailable or impractical. Still, per her mother’s advice, she kept her passport updated, just in case. She took long steps as she entered the airport, both to stretch her legs and to make a beeline for the nearest ladies’ room.

  Marco was only a few steps behind her, tugging his own bags along. His long legs allowed him to easily keep pace with her.

  She glanced back, and saw that his attention was on the screen of his smartphone. They’d just come across the first restroom, so rather than lecture him about the dangers of texting and walking, she said, “I’ll be right back. Can you keep an eye on my bags?”

  “Sure.” He barely looked up from his screen, but leaned against the outer wall near the restrooms.

  Shaking her head, she ducked into the ladies’ room.

  Once she’d taken care of her needs, she washed up and took a look at her reflection in the long mirror over the sinks. Her face held evidence of the exhaustion she bore from the long flight. She didn’t know which had been worse, being up in the air so long or having Marco be so quiet the entire time. He’d barely said three words to her during the flight. She knew he must be stressed out about the security breach, but she couldn’t understand why he’d been treating her so coldly. After everything they’d shared, his outward attitude stung.

  When she returned to where she’d left him, he was still there scrolling through his phone.

  Joi was about to inquire about Chloe’s whereabouts, but before she could form the sentence, the young assistant came running up, gripping her oversize hot-pink duffel.

  “Sheesh, I should have done what y’all did and just brought a carry-on,” Chloe gushed. “The crowd around the baggage carousel is outrageous.”

  Joi smiled. “I’m glad you’re here. I thought I was going to have to go looking for you. How was your flight?”

  Chloe grinned. “This was my first international flight, and my first time in business class. So no complaints.”

  “Good to hear.” Joi turned her attention to Marco. “When and where are we supposed to meet the driver that’s picking us up?” He’d told her that Royal was supplying a chauffeured car to get them from the airport to bank headquarters in the city.

  Marco didn’t respond, still busy tapping away on his smartphone screen.

  Joi tapped him on the shoulder, resisting the urge to jab him a bit harder than was necessary.

  After a few pokes, he looked up. His eyes were vacant as he said, “What?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I asked you when and where we’re supposed to meet the driver.”

  He pointed. “Right outside that door, in about ten minutes.”

  “How long a drive is it?”

  He shrugged. “A little over two hours.” Then he returned his attention to his phone.

  She knew from her conversation with him the day before that they could have changed planes here to fly into Limón, but they’d both agreed that the less time they spent in the airport, the better. He’d brought her into his office to discuss his boss’s request that they report to bank headquarters, and despite the seriousness of the situation, he’d at least shown her a hint of a smile. She closed her eyes, remembering the way he’d eased her close to him, buried his hands in her hair and kissed her until she’d felt weak in the knees.

  Watching him now, she noted how much his mood seemed to have soured since then. How long is he going to keep doing this? She had no interest in contemplating whatever funk he was in any longer, because she and Chloe were there to do a job. So she turned away from him, focusing her attention on the glass door, searching for any sign of their driver.

  After a few moments of scanning, she saw a man in a dark uniform and driving cap enter the door, holding a sign bearing the name Alvarez. She jabbed Marco to get his attention, then started moving toward the driver, pulling along her small wheeled suitcase. As soon as they got loaded into the black SUV parked in the pickup lane, they climbed into the vehicle. Chloe took the passenger seat, while Marco and Joi settled into the backseat.

  A sliver of black leather separated their thighs, and even though they weren’t touching, it was easy for Joi to feel the heat rolling off his body. He glanced her way briefly, wearing the same frown she’d seen when they’d left Charlotte, then turned to look out
of his window. With a sigh and a shake of her head, Joi did the same.

  The vibrating of her phone against her hip drew her attention away from the passing scenery of San Jose. Pulling the phone from her pocket, she saw her mother’s number flashing on the screen. “Hello?”

  “Joi? Where are you, baby?”

  She smiled. At least now she wouldn’t have to endure a silent ride all the way to Limón. “Hey, Mama. I’m in San Jose, and we’re on the way to Limón.”

  “Sounds like you’re riding in a car.”

  “We are. It will take us a couple of hours but it’s less hassle than having to change planes and go through another airport.”

  “You were supposed to call me as soon as you touched down, Miss Lady.”

  She chuckled, deciding not to tell her mother that Marco’s foul mood had distracted her from keeping that promise. “Sorry about that. If it’s any consolation, I’ve been on the ground for less than an hour.”

  Emma Green Lewis was known for many things; taking excuses wasn’t one of them. “I’ll let you slide this time, if you bring me back something nice. You know I’ve never been to Costa Rica.”

  “I’ll bring you something back, don’t worry.”

  “All right. Your daddy says hi, and bring him something, too.”

  Joi laughed. “I will. Love you, Mama. I’ll check in with you in a day or two.”

  “Love you, too, baby. Oh, and Joi?”

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Your sister told me about what’s going on between you and the man you work for.”

  Tension crackled through Joi’s body, making her go stiff in the seat. Leave it to Joanne to go blabbing her business to their mother, as if the situation wasn’t complicated enough. Placing her fingertips to her temple, she sighed. “Oh, did she?”

  “Yes, she did, and watch your tone, Miss Lady.”

  “Sorry.” She fought to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Without turning her head, she let her eyes dart to her right briefly, toward Marco. Having her mother lecture her about their relationship while he sat right next to her made her feel as awkward as a sinner in church.