Christmas Data Breach

by K. D. Richards

  “Why?” Shock, disappointment and fear wrestled inside her for dominance.

  Irwin sighed heavily. “Why? You know I’ve asked that question so many times in my life. Why did my son have to get glioblastoma? Why did he have to die? Why did I allow myself to be pushed out before I succeeded? Why? Why? Why? You know what I’ve learned? The whys get you nowhere. I may not have been smart enough to come up with the treatment, but I am smart enough to steal it from you.”

  “So, it’s all about money. That’s it?”

  “It didn’t start out that way.” Irwin sounded almost sad. “I sacrificed my entire life, my family, for this treatment. But then the board members of the laboratory I built from the ground up decided just like that—” he snapped his fingers “—that I was too old to cross the finish line.”

  Irwin’s face twisted into a scowl. “So, I decided to take what was rightfully mine.”

  Mya scooted farther away from her former mentor. “I thought you only cared about people. I thought you wanted to make a difference and save lives.”

  “Only? No. But lives will be saved. Differences made. I’m sorry you won’t be around to see it. I’ll give you some credit, of course. You were almost there. Terrible that your young life was snatched from you before you could finish your work. But of course, isn’t the world just so lucky that your old mentor is still firing on all cylinders.” Irwin’s smile was chilling. “I’ll just step in and come up with the last part of the formula which you have so kindly delivered to me.”

  “No one will believe that,” Mya spat, tears threatening. She beat them back. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of her tears, even if they were tears of rage.

  Irwin’s usually kind eyes narrowed, darkened. “They will. Like you said, it’s all about money. And there’s too much money to be made with this treatment for people to ask too many questions.” He shook his head as if she were a small child, just learning how cruel the world was. “Anyway, everyone who can prove my story isn’t true will be long dead by the time I make my miraculous discovery. Come on.”

  Irwin motioned with the gun in his hand for her to come out of the room. He stepped back into the hall, his eyes never leaving hers, to allow her past. Irwin limped behind her.

  Mya turned to face him in the living room. “Why did you kill Rebecca and Brian?”

  “Rebecca?” Confusion clouded Irwin’s face for a moment before clearing. “Oh, the receptionist.” He shrugged. “We would have had to deal with her at some point. I sent Adam to get your server. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  So, Rebecca hadn’t been working for Irwin, and it still wasn’t clear why she had been in her house.

  “Adam. He was the man dressed as a cop who tried to kidnap me after the fire at the lab and the shooter at the park. That’s why it felt like I knew him. I recognized him from the photos you used to keep in your office.”

  Irwin ignored her and instead walked to the window and peeked through the slats of the blinds.

  “So now what? You’re going to kill me in your living room? Gideon will be back any minute.”

  Irwin scowled. “Yes, I didn’t anticipate you dragging your ex-husband into this. Unfortunate, but he’ll have to be dealt with too. I guess all my little deceptions are going to come out now.” Irwin motioned for her to sit.

  She sank down onto the edge of the couch without taking her eyes off the gun in Irwin’s hands.

  “I have a landline in my bedroom. Only a fool would completely forgo technology in this day and age.” Irwin shot her a pointed look. “But it suited my purposes to be believed such a fool. While you were in the bathroom, I called Adam, my younger son. To be honest, I was a little surprised you hadn’t put things together faster.” Irwin shook his head, a look of disgust twisting his face. “Adam has always been a disappointment, even as a hired thug. No matter, I’ve found I’m pretty quick on my feet. He will only have to follow my instructions this time.”

  The rumble of a car making its way toward the cabin came from outside.

  Mya prayed it was Gideon but knew it could just as easily be Adam. Even if it was Gideon, he’d have no idea what he was walking into.

  She didn’t dare take her eyes off Irwin long enough to turn to look out the window behind the couch, but Irwin took several steps forward, leaning to the side to glance out the window.

  It was now or never. If it was Gideon on his way up the driveway, she had to warn him. And if it was Adam, her best chance of escape was to make it into the dense woods surrounding the cabin before Adam or Irwin had a chance to react.

  Mya leaned back and kicked out, her foot connecting with Irwin’s injured leg.

  He let out a howl, dropping the gun and falling onto his side.

  Mya wasted no time springing from the couch and lunging for the laptop, still open on the kitchen table. She grabbed it at a run and sprinted for the cabin door.

  She hit the front porch just as a shot thundered. Shards of wood splintered from the door behind her, but she didn’t stop.

  Gray clouds hung overhead, bringing with them snow that was heavier and colder than the light flakes that had followed her and Gideon up the mountain earlier.

  A pickup truck rounded the last curve of the driveway, coming into view.

  Adam.

  Mya willed her legs to move faster and closed the short distance between the cabin and the woods without looking back. She plunged into the trees, praying she could put a good distance between herself and Adam. There was no doubt in her mind Irwin would send his son after her. He’d come too far to let her get away.

  The snow had left the forest floor slick and muddy. Mya zig-zagged through the trees, attempting to avoid the densest part of the foliage while staying to the areas that provided cover. She’d never been the outdoorsy type, and yet this was the third time in less than a week she’d run through the woods.

  Running for her life.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Gideon pulled the car to the side of the road right before the curve in the street gave way to the cabin. As much as he wanted to get into Irwin’s cabin, driving up to the driveway would make him a sitting duck for whoever was inside.

  Adrenaline spiked in his body and he fought the urge to bolt toward the cabin. He stepped out of the car and into the quickly rising snow. He made his way to the house, keeping to the tree line of the property.

  A rust-covered pickup truck sat in the driveway, validating his decision to approach the cabin with stealth.

  He’d taken stock of the cabin when he and Mya arrived earlier. The only way in was through the front door, a safety hazard, but an effective ambush position. His best bet was to use the element of surprise. If he was lucky, Irwin and Adam weren’t yet aware that he was on to them.

  Gideon studied the front windows of the cabin for a minute more, hoping to see some activity inside that would give him an idea of Irwin and Adam’s positions.

  The interior of the cabin was eerily still.

  He climbed the steps of the porch, careful to stay out of the line of sight of the windows and that his footsteps fell silently against the wood planks.

  At the door, he waited, listening for movement or sound from inside. There was nothing but silence.

  Gideon inhaled deeply, training and instinct sharpening his senses for what was to come. A swift, well-placed kick sent the door crashing in. He stepped inside, his gun outstretched in front of him, sweeping from left to right as he catalogued the empty living area and vacant kitchen.

  Seconds ticked by and no one appeared, solidifying his fear that whatever plan Irwin had for Mya he’d already put in motion.

  Gideon approached the hallway slowly, clearing the bathroom and one bedroom before making his way to the farthest room in the cabin, the room he presumed was Irwin’s bedroom. He reached for the doorknob but before he touch
ed it the door was jerked open.

  He had a second to take in Irwin’s previously genial features now contorted with rage and desperation before the older man lunged at him. An innate aversion to shooting a septuagenarian cost him precious seconds.

  Irwin slammed into him as he pulled the trigger, sending his shot wide, and knocking his gun from his hand.

  They hit the hallway floor in arm’s reach of the gun but with Irwin on top. The older man was surprisingly strong, landing a punch that exploded behind Gideon’s eye.

  Gideon grabbed Irwin’s wrist, twisting until he cried out, most of the fight having gone out of him quickly.

  Grabbing his gun, Gideon got to his feet, jerking Irwin along with him. He frog-walked the man into the living room and pushed him onto the couch.

  “Where’s Mya?”

  A devious smile slid over Irwin’s face, but he said nothing.

  If Mya was in the cabin, she would have made herself known by now. He glanced through the window at the blanket of snow now falling. She was out there, he knew it in his gut, and she wasn’t alone.

  “Where’s Adam?” Gideon asked.

  The smile on Irwin’s face slipped. So, he hadn’t anticipated they’d figure out who his accomplice was. Not that that mattered at the moment. The only thing that mattered right now was finding Mya and making sure she was safe. But he couldn’t leave Irwin unguarded. There was no way he’d give the man the opportunity to get away after all he’d done.

  Gideon holstered his gun then stalked across the room. He watched surprise flash across Irwin’s face in the seconds before his fist connected with Irwin’s jaw.

  The punch sent a jolt up his arm but was effective in knocking the older man out. He secured Irwin using a length of rope from the front porch before racing from the cabin.

  The snow was falling fast but the faint outlines of two sets of footprints could still be seen heading into the trees behind the cabin.

  Gideon took off at a run in the same direction. Mya was tough, a fighter. She’d be okay. She had to be.

  He didn’t know if he could live with the alternative.

  * * *

  MYA HAD HOPED her nonlinear path would make it difficult for Adam to follow, but it was also making it difficult for her to know how far she’d run or if she was running in circles. The last thing she wanted was to be heading back toward the cabin.

  Branches slapped her face, and snow soaked through her sweater and jeans. She slogged through the trees, her feet sinking into the muddied snow, the laptop growing heavier and heavier with each step. She just needed to find a neighboring cabin or a road where she could hitch a ride to the base of the mountain. Somewhere with a phone that she could use to call Gideon.

  She stopped to catch her breath, pressing her back against an oak tree. Her teeth chattered. If she stayed out here for much longer, she’d run the very real risk of getting hypothermia, but there was no way to know how close or far she was from another cabin. And going back to Irwin’s was out of the question. As long as she had the laptop, she had a chance. She wouldn’t let Irwin have it.

  She started forward again just as a voice broke through the trees.

  “Girlie, you better get yourself back here!” She couldn’t see him, but Adam couldn’t be too far away if she could hear him.

  Her own footsteps and branches snapping under them were the only sounds that broke the silence. She didn’t hear anyone chasing her, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

  Without warning, the trees gave way to a clearing. The space wasn’t large, about twenty feet wide, but it ended in a cliff, leaving her nowhere to run except back the way she’d come.

  She looked over the edge into a large lake, small waves rippling the water’s surface. She gauged the drop—fifteen, maybe twenty feet. Not bad, but she didn’t know how deep the lake was, and she wasn’t the strongest swimmer in the world. And the water was bound to be frigidly cold.

  Branches cracked behind her. She was out of time.

  Mya turned back toward the trees as Adam Ross stepped into the clearing. She could see it now, the resemblance between the man in front of her and the young man she’d met years earlier. She could even see the resemblance between him and Irwin, the calculation and deviousness in both their eyes.

  Adam pointed a gun at her. Not the one Irwin had. This one was silver and much bigger. “Give me the laptop.”

  Mya listened for the sounds of the cavalry coming, hoping that somehow Gideon had realized she was in danger. But the only sound she heard was the pounding of her heart, which seemed to block out everything else. It was futile. Gideon had no idea she was in trouble, and by the time he did, she’d most likely be dead.

  At least she’d told him she loved him. They wouldn’t get the future she’d hoped for, but he’d know how she felt. How she’d always felt about him.

  “No.” Mya took two steps backward, each one bringing her closer to the cliff’s edge.

  Her thoughts raced.

  He held the gun higher. “I will shoot you.”

  She wouldn’t give him the laptop, but there was nothing stopping him from just shooting her and taking it.

  Unless.

  Mya glanced behind her, inching backward until she reached the edge of the cliff. She held the laptop out over the side. “If you do, this will go over the side of the cliff with me, and everything you and Irwin have done will be for nothing.”

  “You wouldn’t,” Adam snarled, the smile on his face grotesque. “That’s millions of dollars you’ve got there in your hands.”

  “There is no way in hell I’m letting you or your father get their hands on this treatment.”

  “Put the gun down, Adam.”

  Mya nearly cried at the sound of Gideon’s voice. He stepped out from the shelter of the trees, five feet from where Adam stood.

  Adam’s gun didn’t waver. He spoke without taking his eyes off Mya. “You won’t shoot me. Not before I shoot her.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it if I were you,” Gideon growled.

  Adam’s lips twisted in a creepy semblance of a smile and Mya knew he was too far gone.

  “I think I’ll take that bet,” Adam said.

  Mya took one more step backward, her feet finding nothing but air as a gunshot echoed through the trees.

  For a moment, she felt as if she was floating. She turned her gaze on Gideon, their eyes meeting and in an instant conveying all the words and emotions they hadn’t found the strength to share with each other.

  Then he was gone.

  Air rushed at her, slapping her hair against her face.

  A moment later water closed over her head and there was nothing but darkness.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Gideon discharged his gun at the same time as Adam, his bullets hitting their mark. Two bullets slammed into Adam’s chest.

  Gideon was running for the cliff’s edge before Adam’s body hit the ground. There was no need to stop and check for a pulse. Adam’s sightless eyes stared up at the falling snow. Tucking his gun in his waistband, Gideon jumped over the side of the cliff.

  Water crashed over his head and tugged him toward its murky depths. He kicked as hard as he could, propelling his body upward.

  When his head broke the surface of the water moments later, he found Mya treading water several feet away.

  He swam over and pulled her against his chest, recalling that she didn’t like the water and was only a fair swimmer. They made it to the banks of the bank of the lake. “Are you okay?” He ran his hands over her arms, her back. Every place he could reach while keeping them afloat, reassuring himself that she was in one piece.

  She clung to him. “I’m fine. What about you? Adam?”

  “Adam is dead. And I’m going to need to recover from the heart attack you gave me when you went over the side of that cliff
.”

  She pulled back so she could look into his eyes. “It was the only way. He was going to pull that trigger no matter what.”

  “But your research. Everything you worked so hard for was on that laptop.”

  Mya smiled, and his racing heart slowed, finally willing to accept that she was unharmed. “It’s all good. Just remind me that I need to do some ironing when we get back to your place.”

  He had no idea what she meant, but as long as she kept smiling at him like that, he was a happy man.

  * * *

  MYA SPENT THE weeks following Irwin’s arrest answering countless questions about the events that took place at Irwin’s cabin from the sheriff in West Virginia as well as Detective Kamal. She’d also had to spend some time reassuring TriGen’s jittery investors, a task that was made easier once she showed them that the treatment worked. Luckily, the police had quickly returned her server and she’d retrieved the flash drive from Gideon’s ironing board. She finally had all the pieces of her research. And Gideon and the techs at West had helped her securely store it so it wouldn’t be lost again.

  The investors had insisted on a media tour to rehabilitate TriGen’s image. The story had gone national, taking on a dramatic movie-like quality. And although Mya didn’t relish the attention, she agreed with the board it was best if they controlled the narrative. The onslaught of positive press had allayed nearly all of the board’s and investors’ concerns about her leadership. And it seemed their apprehension over the deaths of two TriGen employees ended at the point where profits became a reality.

  It left a sour taste in her mouth, but at least they’d agreed to pay out a bonus to Rebecca’s and Brian’s estates. Whatever they might have done, they’d both contributed to the success of the treatment and had paid a hefty price for their mistakes.

  Adam hadn’t survived being shot on the mountain. Whether it was the loss of his second son or the loss of any hope of taking credit for finding a treatment for the disease that had taken the first son, Irwin had elected to cooperate with the police. He’d explained that he’d convinced Brian to keep him updated on the treatment’s progress.