by Janie Crouch
Sophia laughed at Shelby’s coffee enthusiasm. “I’m the same way about coffee.” She poured Shelby a cup, offered cream and sugar and went back to the kitchen counter and began making sandwiches.
“You should have seen the Branson siblings in here scheming away on the best plan to get you inside Omega with minimal detection. Megan and Evan were here, too.”
“Evan is my sister Juliet’s fiancé. They both are active agents like Cameron and Sawyer.”
“You’ve got a pretty kick-ass family there, Branson,” Shelby told Dylan after taking another blessed sip of her coffee.
“Well, the eldest sibling obviously got the biggest slice of the awesome, but the others do all right.” Dylan winked at her.
Shelby completely ignored the little flip her heart did at Dylan’s playful expression. Didn’t pay it even one little iota of attention. Because that would be way too dangerous.
“I’m sorry I missed Megan.” Shelby would have loved to see her friend right now.
Sophia turned from the sandwiches. “If I’m not mistaken, I think Megan is going to start having some ‘pregnancy’ issues and take a half day off work. She should be here not too long from now.”
That sounded great. Because although Shelby liked Sophia, she needed a little time not around someone new. Not taking the mental energy to make sure she was being friendly and socially appropriate.
Megan didn’t care at all if Shelby was socially appropriate. And actually, Dylan didn’t seem to care too much about Shelby’s quirky habits either. Neither of them were like her mother who seemed constantly flabbergasted by most of the words that came out of Shelby’s mouth.
It wasn’t as if she wandered around yelling profanity or racial slurs, Shelby just wasn’t good at chitchatting and the social niceties that were so important to her mother and her mother’s friends. Shelby just got straight to the point. And as far as Shelby could tell, her mother and friends never got to a point. Ever.
Sophia brought the sandwiches over and they all sat down at the kitchen table.
“So, did you all come up with a plan to get me in?” Shelby asked, then took a bite of her sandwich. Her eyes closed as she savored the bite. This had to be the best sandwich ever.
“Yeah, a good one.” Dylan told her. “It’s pretty complicated. They’re building one ID for you to get you past front-desk security. Then a separate one to get you into the computer system. It won’t fool the mole forever, but it should buy you and Megan a few hours to do whatever your wonder-twin powers can do.”
Shelby stuffed another bite in her mouth. “Okay,” she said, then cringed. Never ever talk with your mouth full. Not even one small word. Shelby had gotten plenty of smacks for that as a child.
But Dylan and Sophia didn’t seem to notice. “We’ll have to bring you in during the middle of the night when the least number of employees are around. Whoever the mole is knows we’re alive, but doesn’t know where we are,” Dylan told her. “We’ll use that to our advantage.” He took a bite of his own sandwich.
“Do you really have all the numbers inside your head?” Sophia asked.
Shelby shrugged and nodded. She didn’t like to make any sort of big deal about how she could remember numbers because it wasn’t as if she did anything special. She just saw them and it was as though her brain took a picture. It didn’t take any effort on Shelby’s part, so she didn’t like to take too much credit for it.
“Yes, she does have all those numbers inside her head. Plus every other number she’s ever seen in her entire life.” The words came from the hallway. Megan.
Shelby rushed over to embrace her quite pregnant friend. “Oh, my gosh, look at you, Megan. You’re going to be a mom!”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I feel like a beached whale. And I’m still mad at you for not coming to my wedding.”
Megan turned her cheek up as Dylan came by, kissed it and helped her take off her coat. Then she hugged Sophia.
Shelby was glad to see her friend had found the big extended family she’d always said she wanted back at MIT. But Shelby did feel bad for missing her friend’s wedding almost a year ago.
“I’m sorry, Megan. You know me and crowds of people. Plus, I was under a huge deadline then.” The excuse sounded thin even to Shelby’s own ears.
But Megan was not one to hold a grudge. “Well, you’re here now and that’s what matters.”
Megan linked arms with Shelby and brought her back to the table. Sophia slid a sandwich in front of Megan, and Megan gave her a huge smile. “How’d you know?”
“Whether it’s a boy or a girl, that kid already has the Branson appetite. You need all the food you can get.”
Megan didn’t disagree, just started eating. “Interesting little rule came into play at Omega today,” Megan said in between bites.
“Oh, yeah, what’s that?” Dylan asked.
“All persons entering the building must be checked for any electronic devices that could store significant data. No electronic drives of any kind are allowed through the front doors. Only items one hundred percent vetted and approved by a temporary cyberdivision task force will be allowed on the premises. Effective immediately.”
“Have they ever done anything like that at Omega before?” Shelby asked.
“Nope.” Megan wiped her mouth with a napkin. “And I don’t know why they started today. It’s pretty odd. Plus, I’m not on the cyberdivision task force, what’s that all about?” Megan’s irritation was plain.
“That is kind of weird. Do you think it has anything to do with us and the mole?” Dylan stood and walked his and Shelby’s empty plates over to the sink.
Shelby jumped in while Megan was still chewing. “Did you tell anybody that I have the countdown codes in my head, Megan?”
“No, I don’t think I explained your numeric photographic memory to anyone but Sawyer. It was just easier to tell the higher-ups that you had obtained the codes in a game. Why?”
“If I’m not mistaken, whoever is trying to kill me thinks the codes are on a drive. They have no idea they’re in my head.”
Dylan came back to stand beside Shelby. He put a hand on her shoulder. “That’s right. When the guy attacked Shelby, he was asking her where the codes were. He thought they were on a drive, not inside Shelby’s head.”
Megan lowered her sandwich slowly back to her plate. “That explains so much. Whoever put out the directive for halting all hard drives and hardware from coming into the building is trying to keep us from bringing in the codes Shelby has.”
“Do we know who sent out the directive, Megan?” Dylan asked.
“No, it was collaborative. Whoever the mole is did a good job convincing everyone at Dennis Burgamy’s level and above that this was a necessary safety protocol, at least for the time being.” Megan brought her sandwich halfway up to her mouth. “To be honest, as someone who works in tech, I can tell you it’s not a terrible idea. We get all sorts of viruses and problems from corrupted drives and hardware that are brought in.”
“But the timing is pretty suspicious,” Dylan stated.
“Knowing that they think Shelby’s data is on a drive, I would say the two can’t be coincidences. There’s just no way of knowing exactly where the directive came from without asking a lot of people a lot of questions.”
Megan finished off her sandwich. “The good thing is, we don’t have to get a drive inside the building. The mole is on high alert for technology. We’ve got something much better.”
Megan reached across the table and grabbed Shelby’s hand. “We’ve got Shelby.”
Chapter Eighteen
What happened when you put five highly trained and industrious spies and a computer genius together and told them to figure out a way to sneak someone into the inner computer labs of a highly guarded top-secret facility?
It was ten o’clock in the evening and they were sitting around Cameron and Sophia’s living room after having had dinner together. The entire Branson clan—Dylan, Cameron, Juliet and Sawyer—were present, laughing, joking and figuring out a way to save the world.
Just like old times.
The plan was elaborate. Dylan’s sister had created two separate false IDs and itineraries for Shelby. First, she would be Dr. Shelia Wonder, an American scientist who had been working in Australia, back to consult with Megan on some cyberterrorism research. Juliet knew the Omega computer and calendar system backward and forward from her time as an analyst. She’d already made it look as though Dr. Sheila Wonder had been scheduled to arrive tonight for months. Juliet’s changes to the system wouldn’t stand up to close scrutiny, but they would at least get Shelby through the door and past the guards.
“Seriously, Jules, Dr. Wonder from Australia? So that would be Dr. Wonder from Down Under?” Cameron teased his sister as his wife leaned up against him on the couch. He leaned over and kissed the top of Sophia’s head.
“Hey, I wanted to make it something easy for Shelby to remember.” Juliet winked at Shelby. “You’ve got enough to worry about. Plus, coming in from Australia gives Shelby a legitimate reason to be getting in and working in the middle of the night.”
“Wonder from Down Under. I shouldn’t have any problem remembering that,” Shelby said.
“Dylan will be going in as your assistant. That might be a little more tricky since he used to work at Omega, but the guards on night shift shouldn’t know him. You both just need to look exhausted and a little bit lost when you talk to the guards at the door. Megan will do most of the talking. Everybody loves her.”
“That’s true.” Megan beamed.
Sawyer lifted his head from where it lay in her lap near her belly so he could kiss her. “She’s got that sexy-librarian thing going on.”
“It’s now just pregnant librarian.” Megan rolled her eyes.
“You’re damn sexy to me.” Sawyer kissed her again.
Dylan saw Shelby smile. “Exhausted and lost won’t be difficult for me.”
“Once you’re inside, you’ll take on an entirely different ID. One that doesn’t have anything to do with Megan. Whoever the mole is knows you’re friends with Megan and might be looking for the two of you to go into the main lab together.”
Dylan had to give it to his sister, she was a master planner. And she was just getting started.
“According to all electronic records, Dr. Wonder and Dr. Fuller—”
“Ahem, Dr. Fuller-Branson,” Sawyer interjected.
“Pardon me,” Juliet continued. “Dr. Wonder and Dr. Fuller-Branson, plus the assistant Dylan, will seem to be in the cybercrime unit, working on identity theft, a section completely removed from the main computer terminals.”
“Your other ID will be a local police detective. No one of particular computer savvy or intelligence. You’ll be going into the computer lab with Cameron. If anybody notices an electronic trace of that, it may seem a little odd, but won’t draw attention like you and Megan coming into the lab together would.”
“Megan will also be entering the room under a different ID, so you two can do whatever configurations you need to do,” Juliet’s fiancé, Evan, continued as Juliet linked her hand with his.
“It’s all basically a bait and switch,” Evan continued. “We’re hoping the mole doesn’t even know you’re in the area and will focus his attention on trying to keep all electronic drives out of the building.”
“But if the mole does think you’re in the building, we’re hoping they’ll follow the Dr. Wonder path to cybercrimes. That will buy us more time,” Juliet said.
Shelby looked over at Dylan, clutching at her arms, brows furrowed.
This was a lot for her, Dylan realized. Not just the plan—which, heaven knew, was complex enough to give anyone hives—but the being around all the people the way she had been all evening. Shelby didn’t have any brothers and sisters, no real family except her mom. She wasn’t used to the general craziness that came along with big families.
Dylan needed to get Shelby out of here. She needed protection right now just as much as she had against the attacker last night. His family was a different kind of threat. An unintentional and friendly one, but still a threat. At least to Shelby’s mind right now.
Dylan moved closer to where Shelby sat propped against the couch. He didn’t put his arm around her, but he did touch the back of her hand with his fingers. “Everyone else will be running interference as soon as Dennis Burgamy, their boss, arrives in the morning. If I had to guess, I’d finger him as the mole.”
Dylan stood up and turned to his family. “All right, playtime’s over.” He reached down his hand and helped Shelby stand up. “Shelby needs some quiet away from you maniacs for a few hours. A chance to rest and focus on her role as Dr. Wonder from Down Under.”
Dylan looked over at Shelby hoping she’d at least crack a smile at the corny joke, but if anything, her features were even tighter than before.
She’d stared down a poisonous copperhead snake yesterday and hadn’t looked as frightened as she did now. He could tell his siblings and their significant others were all concerned for Shelby, but Dylan knew them voicing their concerns, or attempting to get Shelby to talk, would do more damage than good.
“We’ll see you all at the scheduled rendezvous time in a few hours.”
Dylan slipped an arm around Shelby’s waist and led her all the way down the hall and into the bedroom where they’d slept last night. He deposited Shelby on the bed then turned to lock the door behind them.
Dylan sat down beside her on the bed, took her small hands that were closed into tight fists and rubbed them gently in his to get them to loosen.
“I don’t think I can do this, Dylan.” Her voice was barely a sound, even in the quiet room.
Dylan didn’t know exactly what she meant by this. Pretend to be someone else? Break into a building? Figure out what the code was counting down to?
She turned away to look out the window. “I have an overstuffed chair in my condo, I’ve had it for years. It’s old, and not very attractive, and my mother hates it with a passion. I jokingly call it my time-out chair. I go there whenever talking and people and life are too much for me. I just sit there and listen to the traffic outside, and that somehow reassures me that everything is going to be all right.” Her voice got even softer. “I wish I had my chair here now.”
Dylan wished she did, too. Anything that would help her feel less overwhelmed. He touched her hand again. “Let’s try to break down what’s making you feel uncomfortable, okay?”
Shelby nodded the tiniest bit.
“Anything with the codes and the computer stuff?” Dylan didn’t know exactly what she and Megan would be doing.
“No, that part I’m most secure about. I’m never wrong about numbers.”
Dylan smiled slightly. He didn’t doubt that.
“Is it pretending to be Dr. Wonder?”
Shelby shook her head. “No, I’m not going to win any awards for my acting, but I think I’ll be okay.”
“Then what?” he asked as gently as he could.
“I don’t know if I can be around all the people, Dylan. Okay? It’s been years since I’ve been in a building the size of Omega, full of people.” Shelby’s outburst took Dylan a little by surprise. And she wasn’t finished. “I’m a very successful game developer, Dylan. I’m a millionaire because I’m good at what I do.”
Dylan had figured out Shelby was a millionaire the first time she’d mentioned the game series she’d developed. “I know that, sweetheart.”
“So I hire people, assistants, to do the stu
ff I don’t like to do. That includes going anywhere there are a lot of people who would need to interact with me.” She paused, then finally continued. “I can’t hire anybody to do this for me.”
“Shelby—”
“Dylan, I could barely be around your family, who are all very kind and nice and, holy cow, so darn in love with their respective others, for even a couple hours. How am I going to be able to be around an entire building full of people?”
She was shouting now, but Dylan didn’t stop her. She stood up and turned to face him. Tears were streaming down her face.
“I can’t do it.” She brought her hands up to her face and began to cry in earnest. Dylan put both his hands on her hips from where he sat, but she took a step backward, shaking off his touch.
Dylan stood up and looked down at the tiny redhead so upset at the thought of having to talk to people. Dylan had to admit that he could not help smiling a tiny bit at the situation, but Shelby was obviously authentically upset and Dylan did not take her concerns lightly. He went and stood right in front of Shelby, gently running his hands up and down her arms.
“Shelby, you got run off the road, nearly run over by a car and were in a plane crash and you totally kept it together as if you’d done that every day of your life.”
Shelby stopped crying a little, but didn’t move her hands from her face. “But—”
“You got me out of a burning plane, saved us both from a poisonous snake, walked fifteen miles through the wilderness in the rain and then survived a pretty vicious attack. And kept focused and strong through all of it.”
Shelby shrugged her shoulders, but at least she took her hands down from her face. Dylan reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a box of tissues and barely restrained a chuckle when she gave the loudest, most unladylike blow he’d ever heard.
Dylan couldn’t help it. He reached over and pulled Shelby up against his chest.
“I know you don’t like people. It’s okay not to like people.” Dylan put his finger under Shelby’s chin and tilted her head up to look at him. “And you know most of the people in the Omega building are not going to want to talk to you.”
