Christmas Data Breach

by K. D. Richards

  Detective Kamal laid her pen across her notepad. “The security cameras in the lab were destroyed. Before the fire,” the detective said, emphasizing the last sentence. “I only have your word that there was a man. And no one on our police force fits the description of the police officer you claim offered you a ride home last night.”

  Anger stiffened Mya’s spine. “I’m not claiming anything. A man dressed in a police uniform said he’d been sent to take me home.”

  “And you just got in the car with him?”

  “He was a police officer! Or at least I thought he was. And you’d said you were sending someone to take me home. There was no reason not to believe him.”

  Detective Kamal’s eyes narrowed. “There’s no need to yell, Miss Rochon. I’m just trying to make sure I’m clear on what you say happened.”

  Mya wanted to yell at the detective again. It wasn’t what she said happened. It was what actually happened.

  A knock from the other side of the door broke the charged silence in the interview room. Detective Kamal excused herself and stepped out of the room.

  Mya took several deep breaths and gathered her emotions. She’d been giving her “statement” for the past two hours. They weren’t covering any new ground, and she was tired and hungry. Detective Kamal had made sure to emphasize that she was here voluntarily and could leave whenever she wanted. Well, she wanted to leave now, and she planned to make that clear to the detective the moment she returned.

  She needn’t have worried.

  Detective Kamal returned to the interview room a minute later, a scowl twisting her lips. “Thank you for your time, Miss Rochon. I have all I need from you at the moment.”

  Mya stood, her prior determination to put the detective in her place swept away by Kamal’s sudden change in attitude.

  Gideon waited in the hallway. The sight of him calmed her nerves while setting off a whole new set of emotions. She’d have to think about what that meant later. A man she’d never met strode down the corridor toward them.

  “Mya, this is Brandon West. He’s an attorney.”

  Brandon extended his hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  May shook his hand. “I’m guessing I should thank you for getting Detective Kamal to back off.”

  “Don’t thank me. You shouldn’t have talked to Detective Kamal without me,” Brandon said. “I assure you it’s only temporary if Kamal doesn’t come up with a suspect she likes better than you. But don’t worry. West Investigations has me on retainer and I’m told you are now my most important client.”

  Mya felt herself deflate. “I had nothing to do with anything that’s happened.”

  Gideon’s eyes darkened, and his jaw tightened. He stepped in closer to her, the warmth from his body a much-needed comfort in the dank police hallway.

  Brandon held both his hands out in front of him in a surrender motion. “I believe you. Gideon says there’s no way you’re involved. That’s more than enough for me.”

  Detective Kamal exited the interview room then, her notebook tucked under her arm. She shot a glare at the group before turning and striding away down the hall.

  Gideon’s word may have been enough for Brandon, but there was no doubt in Mya’s mind that it wasn’t enough to convince Detective Kamal.

  Not by a long shot.

  Chapter Six

  James West Jr. stood as Gideon held the door to the conference room open for Mya to enter first. James looked uncomfortable in an expensively tailored suit that made it perfectly clear how he’d earned the nickname Tank. Six-five and as wide as a compact car, James was definitely a gentle giant. James, who’d only recently left the military, was at loose ends, trying to figure out his next move and working for his family’s private investigation firm.

  “Mya, this is James West, co-owner of West Investigations and one of my bosses.”

  James offered his hand. “I don’t know about that. Gideon knows more about how this place ticks than I do. I just try not to embarrass myself too much.”

  Gideon rolled out a chair for Mya at the long oak conference table and waited until she’d settled before he took the seat next to her.

  James settled his large frame back in his seat on the other side of the table.

  “I’ve briefed James,” Gideon started, “but it would be helpful to both of us if you took us through everything again, starting with what happened at the lab last night.”

  Mya took a deep breath and plunged in, explaining staying after Brian and Rebecca had gone home, taking a coffee break and coming back to find a strange man in the lobby talking about having set a fire in the lab.

  Her hands shook as she described running away from the faux cop through the woods and continued to shake during the description of finding Rebecca dead and the server housing her research gone.

  Although he’d heard the story previously, had lived the last portion of it, anger fired through Gideon’s blood listening to Mya tell it again. What if she hadn’t gotten away? What if he hadn’t been home when she’d needed him? What if she’d gone home and had been there when whoever had killed Rebecca arrived?

  He knew what-ifs were pointless. They needed to stay in the here and now to find the person behind this, but, at the moment, fear and anger controlled his thoughts. An involuntary growl rumbled in Gideon’s chest.

  Mya turned curious eyes his way.

  James’s expression never changed, but Gideon caught the slight shake of his head. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

  Mya had fought back, saved herself, and anybody who wanted to get to her now would have to contend with him and all the resources of West Investigations.

  Gideon forced himself to listen as impassively as he could as Mya carried on explaining how they’d found the body of Rebecca Conway, the lab’s receptionist, in her basement and the server missing.

  James shook his head. “A server in a basement.”

  “I’ll fix it after we’re sure she’s safe,” Gideon said.

  Mya’s cheeks pinked. Her back straightened, sending the oversize sweatshirt he’d lent sliding off one shoulder revealing smooth tawny skin. “It worked just fine for Irwin.”

  “Irwin Ross? The prior director of TriGen, right?” James scratched notes on the pad in front of him.

  “Yes.” Mya nodded.

  “I did a little digging into your work after Gideon called. Most people agree Irwin Ross is a genius who advanced the treatment of cancer during his thirty-plus years with TriGen but never quite reached the goal of finding a cure.”

  “Irwin is brilliant. He taught me everything I know.”

  James’s eyebrows arched up. “My sources say you’re even smarter than Ross. The rumor is you’ve figured out how to turn his research into a workable cure.”

  “She is, and she did,” Gideon answered, pride threaded through his words.

  “Not a cure,” Mya interjected quickly. “A treatment that looks very promising, but it wouldn’t cure cancer.” She cocked her head and viewed James with a narrow gaze. “How did you know about the treatment? That’s confidential information. We haven’t publicly reported it yet.”

  “Then someone who works with you has been talking because it was one of the first things that came up when I started asking about you and TriGen,” James said.

  A wave of apprehension swept through Gideon. He didn’t like where this appeared to be heading. Not after finding a dead TriGen employee in Mya’s house.

  “The first parts of the formula are on the missing server.”

  “The first parts?” James said.

  “Yes. The treatment has three parts. Irwin worked out the first two parts before he retired. A few weeks ago, I finally figured out the last piece.”

  James tapped his pen against his cheek. “So, whoever has your server has most of the treatment but not all.” />
  “The first parts are useless without the final piece,” Mya said. “It’s what makes the other two parts work.”

  “Given how aggressive Mya’s pursuers have been thus far, it’s not likely they’ll give up,” Gideon said.

  James nodded. “I agree. Our first course of business should be ensuring Mya’s safety.” He tapped a few keys on the laptop, then spun it one hundred eighty degrees. “We have a couple of available safe houses open right now.”

  Gideon reached for the computer, the urge to lock Mya away somewhere safe nearly overwhelming.

  Mya grabbed his wrist and looked from James to Gideon. “Hang on. I can’t go into hiding. I have a lab to rebuild. I need to meet with the head of the foundation that supports TriGen. And I have a handful of private investors who will be wondering what’s going on—”

  Gideon felt his shoulders tense. Mya didn’t seem to understand the danger she was facing. “Mya.”

  She shifted in her chair to look at him head on. “Gideon.”

  He remembered that tone. It was the one that meant she was gearing up for an argument.

  Well, so was he.

  “Your safety has to come first. You can do whatever you need to from the safe house.” His response held a healthy dose of impatience.

  “You have a safe house that comes fully equipped with a cancer research lab?” Mya asked, her words heavy with sarcasm. “I heard you guys were the best, but that would be something.”

  James snickered, and Gideon shot a glare across the table.

  “Look, this isn’t up for discussion,” Mya said, sitting back in her chair. “I’m the client, right? So, I decide.”

  She might have been the only person who’d ever bested him in an argument, largely because she was one of the only people, outside of his fellow marines, he’d ever cared enough to argue with. But this was one argument she was not going to win.

  “You’re not a client,” Gideon growled. “And I’m not taking money from you.”

  She stood, sending her chair rolling backward. “Then we’re done here. I’ll find another security firm to help me.”

  She turned toward the door.

  Gideon reached out and took her hand before she took a step. “Let me keep you safe.”

  Their gazes caught and held for a long moment before she gently pulled her hand from his.

  “It’s not going to work, Gideon. There’s just too...much between us now.”

  Her words were as painful as a fist to the kidneys. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “We’ll do it your way.”

  Her eyes narrowed. He couldn’t blame her for being suspicious. He wasn’t one to give up easily, but there was no way he’d chance leaving her welfare to another firm. West Security was the best, and no one would care more about keeping her safe than him.

  “For now, and as long as it doesn’t compromise your safety, we’ll do it your way.”

  Mya studied him for another long moment, then extended her hand. They shook on it as the door to the conference room opened.

  Tessa Stenning, one of the other private investigators, poked her head around the door. “Sorry to interrupt, but I bought some of my own clothes for Miss Rochon to borrow. I thought she might feel better in something more comfortable.”

  “Thanks, Tessa.” Gideon watched Mya follow Tessa from the room before turning back to James.

  “I don’t know where I got the idea you working with your ex-wife could be a problem,” James deadpanned.

  Gideon sat without answering.

  “I’m going to ask you again, are you sure you’re going to be able to handle providing security for your ex-wife?”

  “I’m a professional.”

  James smirked. “Yeah, that little exchange looked very professional.”

  Gideon glowered at his friend.

  “Look, you may be the Ice Man—”

  Gideon’s glower deepened. He hated the nickname, and his coworkers knew better than to use it to his face.

  James continued, “But you are human, and you obviously still care about your ex. That’s going to affect how you do your job.”

  “I’m not handing over this case.”

  James sighed. “I’ve got to be in the office covering for Ryan while he’s out with the new baby, but I’ll do what I can from here. If you need backup, call. If I can’t do it, I’ll send someone else.” He pinned Gideon with a weighty stare. “I mean it. The first sign of trouble, call. No matter what you say, your objectivity is shot here. I know taking you off would be pointless. I’m not even sure Mya would let me despite her earlier bravado, but I won’t let it get her, or you, killed.”

  Gideon clamped down hard on his back teeth to keep what he wanted to say from spilling out. He knew James was only looking out for him, but it still rankled. “Mya will be staying at my place.”

  James barked out a laugh. “She might just wish she’d agreed to the safe house.”

  She might just, Gideon thought. Because whether it was at a safe house or his house, he wasn’t going to let Mya out of his sight.

  * * *

  MYA STEPPED OUT of the stall and examined herself in the bathroom mirror. Not bad. Definitely better than Gideon’s sweats, although she hadn’t minded the woodsy smell of aftershave that clung to his sweatshirt.

  It reminded her of all the mornings they’d spent getting ready for the day in the tiny bathroom of their apartment—she hunched down so she could see herself in the lower half of the mirror as she applied mascara while he shaved using the top half. They’d dreamed of one day having the luxury of a bathroom with his and hers sinks, but truthfully, she’d loved the intimacy of their tiny little home.

  Tess gave her an appraising look. “I wasn’t sure they’d fit but it looks like they do.”

  “They’ll more than do. Thank you.”

  Tessa waved away the thanks. “No problem. I bought a few other things—a couple other tops, another pair of pants, and a jacket—just in case you aren’t able to get into your place for a few days. And I brought my makeup bag.” She held up a black vinyl case. “Not that you aren’t stunningly gorgeous without it, but I know I don’t feel myself without at least a little lip gloss and mascara.”

  Mya shot the other woman a grateful smile. “Thanks. I spend all day in a lab, so I don’t really have to wear makeup to work, but I just love the way it makes me feel so I do it, anyway.”

  “So, you and Gideon were married?” Although they were the only two women in the restroom, Tessa continued to address Mya through the mirror.

  “It was a long time ago.”

  Mya smiled, her mind going back to her eighteen-year-old self and the whirlwind that led her and Gideon to the altar. “We were so young. Just out of high school.” She fastened the button at the top of the blouse Tessa had lent her. “I’m a scientist. I make careful, well-thought-out decisions based on data.” Mya laughed. “The data’s not great on marrying right out of high school but...”

  She could still hear her mother’s voice warning her and Gideon against marrying so young. As much as Francine loved them both, she hadn’t wanted them to make the same mistakes she had. But Mya had known, in her heart and in her soul, that Gideon was the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with.

  She should have stuck to the data. Data didn’t lie.

  “Getting married at eighteen is still the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done.” And it was still the decision that had felt the most right in her whole life.

  Tessa’s fawn complexion was quite a bit fairer than Mya’s brown skin so covering the scrape on her face would have to wait, but Mya dug through the makeup bag until she found a deep red lip gloss that would work for her.

  “Still, it’s hard to imagine Gideon married,” Tessa said. “No offense.”

  “No offense taken.” Mya chuckled. “
Gideon isn’t the easiest person, especially when you live with him. But you won’t find anyone more loyal or thoughtful or caring.”

  “So, there’s still something between you two then.” Tessa wiggled her eyebrows.

  Mya felt heat rise in her cheeks. The conversation had gotten off on a bit of a tangent. “No, I just meant—”

  “What happened between you two?”

  She considered telling the pretty PI to mind her own business, but there was something endearing about Tessa’s brashness.

  “We were really just too young.” Mya swallowed hard. She hadn’t intended to mimic the words Gideon had used when he’d told her their marriage was over. Not intentionally, anyway. But she’d replayed that moment over in her head a million times in the twelve years since their divorce. They’d slipped out and she could tell they’d hit their mark.

  “Hmm.” Tessa studied her. “Based on the look on your face, I’d say you weren’t the one who ended the marriage. I can’t see Gideon straying, so what happened?”

  What had happened? She’d come home one day during her last semester of university and just before he was scheduled to deploy, and he’d announced that he loved her but didn’t want to be married anymore.

  And she’d frozen. All the words she might have used to talk him out of leaving fled from her brain. He’d already packed a bag and by the time her brain thawed, he’d been pulling out of the parking lot of their apartment.

  “He didn’t want to be married anymore.”

  She swiped mascara over her eyelids and hoped Tessa would chalk the glassiness in her eyes up to the makeup.

  Tessa laid a hand on Mya’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. Feel free to tell me to butt out.”

  Mya forced a smile. “No, it’s okay, really. It was a long time ago.” Had she said that already? She felt like a broken record.

  And there was an upside to Tessa’s nosiness. “Do you know if Gideon is seeing anyone, you know, a lady friend or whatever?”

  A lady friend or whatever! She may as well have asked Tessa to pass Gideon a note. Do you like Mya? Check yes or no.