Cyber Illusions: Sensory Ops, Book 6

by Nikki Duncan

  “We can’t do this now.” Nudging him away, she shook her head. “Mom will be back soon with the kids.”

  “I guess I’ll give you a rain check.”

  “It hasn’t rained in a very long time. You could be waiting a while.”

  “I’m a patient man.”

  She wasn’t so sure she believed him. On the surface he seemed calm, patient and understanding, but she’d seen the other side of his character. The darker side that had him doubting her and picking fights instead of listening.

  Only time would tell if he was a man to be completely trusted, and only then could she consider being with him if that was what he really wanted.

  Tyler had been gone a week and it had been just over that since she convinced him someone else was the thief. The lead agents looking into the thefts had visited Kimber with a search warrant.

  Kimber had been off her game during their next rehearsal and when asked why, she’d unloaded about the Feds accusing her of stealing the art to pay for her father’s care. She’d never stolen so much as a toothpick. She’d let them search her house, telling them they’d find nothing, which was exactly what they’d found. A week later, she was still trying to figure out how they’d come to suspect her and every day she said she felt like she was being followed.

  Kimber’s distraction was hurting the show.

  A new problem arose, though.

  Several of the bookings Taryn was negotiating suddenly changed their plans just before the contract signing. After a few phone calls she realized word had gotten out that she’d been suspected of the thefts. Until the FBI found who was doing it and her name was entirely clear, clients wouldn’t risk connecting their names to hers.

  Taryn was careful with her money, but salaries still had to be paid and props updated. She needed bookings to have an income. Gripping her neck with both hands and squeezing as hard as she could at the tension building, she stared at the ceiling.

  Other than telling her they still hadn’t found anything, Tyler had stopped talking about the case with her. He’d said he wanted to focus on getting to know her and the kids without that always hanging over their heads.

  The trouble was, the suspicion had become a black raincloud over her head. There was no umbrella big enough to protect her reputation from the fallout.

  “T, are you home?”

  “In the kitchen, Mom,” she called.

  Normally relaxed and serene, her mother bustled into the room with energy flowing off her and bouncing in her blue eyes. Even her hair, always pulled into a perfect bun, was falling loose around her shoulders. “I’ve been looking at these art thefts, talking to some of my contacts.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Your reputation is taking some hits, and so is our community.”

  “And?” The only time Taryn had seen Mom so excited was when a new project inspired her. Mostly retired, it wasn’t something she saw as often. “What do you have up your sleeve?”

  “An illusion. A big one.”

  Instantly curious, and interested, Taryn settled in to listen as Mom outlined her thoughts.

  “We plan a gala. Call in some musicians, reach out to some of the larger private collectors and book you for the opening act.” Too energized to sit, Mom paced the kitchen floor, talking with her hands. “Tyler’s people can set up the security, but the art would be your volunteer.”

  “What?”

  “Instead of pulling someone from the audience to levitate them, you use a sculpture. That box you have where you stick swords in, you do it with art instead of Martina.”

  “How’s this going to catch the thief?”

  “I’ve been looking at the list of things stolen. We’ll make sure there’s one special piece that would fit in perfectly with the collection of stolen pieces. The thief wouldn’t be able to resist it and the Feds will be there to catch them.”

  “This feels like entrapment. And they haven’t ruled everyone on my team out as the thief. How can I set up this kind of act without letting them in on what’s happening?”

  Her mom shrugged. “Tell them. Just don’t tell them the audience is going to be full of Feds. We can create a catalog of all the pieces that will be on display and open it to the public, limited seating, to make sure the thief has every opportunity to see the pieces.”

  “I can’t tell them. The FBI still hasn’t ruled everyone on the crew out, and if one of them is guilty, the gala would be the last place they’d try to hit.” Taryn played it out in her mind. If one of her team was the thief, they’d have easy access to swap a fake for the real piece of art of their choice while she served as a distraction. Allowing the Feds complete access to her props would clear them if it was an outsider. It was risky, but it could work if it was planned right.

  “What are you doing this weekend, Mom?”

  “Why?”

  “The kids have a few days off school. You up for a trip to Miami?”

  “Sure. I can set up a few meetings while we’re there.”

  “Great,” Taryn said with a spreading grin. Some things just fell into place, and despite the logistics that would need to be worked out, Taryn already saw the show from start to finish. “I’ll call Tyler.”

  “The kids will be excited to see him again.”

  “It’s awesome and scary at the same time how much they want to be with him.”

  “Do they have company in those thoughts?” Mom asked with a wink.

  “What?” Taryn had been very careful not to talk too much about Tyler, and never to talk about him on a personal level that didn’t include the kids. She’d tried to be as careful in her thoughts, but those took on a life of their own at the most random times.

  “What?” her mom echoed, refusing to give her an easy out.

  “Mom. It’s not like that with us.”

  “You’re going to sit there and tell me you don’t think he’s attractive? That he doesn’t get your blood boiling?”

  “Of course he makes my blood boil. He thought I was a thief and wanted to take my kids from me.”

  “Not what I mean, dear. He was doing his job and he’s their father. Neither has anything to do with the way you two look at each other or the way the air buzzes when you’re in the same room.”

  “You got all that from the meeting in my office and Sidney’s recital?”

  “A mother knows. A daughter resists.”

  Her mom kissed her cheek and waved her fingers. “You go call Tyler. I’m going to start setting things up on the art end. Will Miami in four weeks be enough time for you to prepare?”

  “Make it five and the kids will be out of school. They can go with us.”

  “Let’s go steal us a gala.”

  Taryn laughed at Mom quoting her favorite TV show. “This is nothing like Leverage.”

  “Maybe not, but we can borrow a page from their book.”

  “As long as that page isn’t me becoming a wanted person.”

  Chapter Ten

  Taryn’s mom, Liz, had been busy for three weeks with her art contacts and the White Collar guys setting up the art that would be displayed at the gala. Taryn had given them a brief rundown of the acts she would be doing so Tyler’s team and the White Collar guys could work on the security plans.

  The setup was unorthodox. As the FBI, they didn’t make a habit of working with civilians, but it had been done before with tremendous results. Tyler had never hoped more desperately for success, for extra assurance of a suspect’s innocence. For Taryn not to be hurt in an emotional crossfire.

  Things were coming together for the gala, including the RSVP list, but what Tyler wanted most was eluding him. He wanted to talk to Taryn, but her calls were kid focused and brief, due, she said, to exhaustion from putting a new show together in a month.

  As the day neared for them to arrive in Miami, for a planning session to make sure everyone was on the same page, Tyler’s excitement grew. And he found himself looking as forward to seeing Taryn as the kids. He was so eager to see the
m that he was waiting in the lobby when they drove up. The kids were in the backseat of the rented convertible, standing and waving madly with one hand while gripping the headrest before them with the other hand. Tyler smiled, his heart lightening with joy, as he headed outside.

  Damn. They were making a sap out of him.

  “You look ready to play,” he said as he approached the car.

  “We’re going shopping,” Sidney announced with tremendous cheer.

  Ryder didn’t share her glee, as shown by his bland, straight-faced, “Yippee.”

  Tyler chuckled and opened Taryn’s door. “Maybe, if it’s okay with everyone—” he looked at Taryn, “—Ryder would like to stay here and see my setup?”

  “Could I?” Ryder perked up, more excited than Tyler had ever seen him. “Please, Taryn?”

  “As long as you do whatever Tyler says.”

  “Promise.” Before he’d finished his agreement he was jumping over the edge of the car instead of using the door Taryn had just exited.

  “Looks like it’s just you and me, Sidney,” Liz wiggled her thin eyebrows playfully.

  “Can we do a real girl day then?”

  “Sure,” Liz agreed.

  “If you’re interested,” Tyler offered, “my sister-in-law owns a salon downtown. I could call her and have her hook you up. Of course, if you do that, she’ll likely call my mom, which means it wouldn’t be just the two of you.” His mom would cancel whatever appointments she had scheduled if it meant getting to see Sidney again.

  “I’m sure we’d both enjoy that,” Liz asked.

  “I know Mom will,” Tyler said.

  “Sidney?” Liz turned more in the seat, facing Sidney directly. “You want to do the salon thing?”

  “Yes!”

  “It’s called Simply Sensational.” Tyler grinned, not surprised she’d chosen the girly option. Reaching into his suit pocket, he pulled out a pen and his business card to write the address on the back. “She’ll be waiting for you.”

  “Thank you,” Liz said as she turned to face forward. “Let me know if I need to come get Ryder later.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Tyler said, patting his son’s shoulder. “After seeing his room at home, we may never get him out of the lab.”

  “Good Lord, they call it a lab,” Taryn said, rolling her eyes at Ryder. “Sounds downright school-like.”

  “Probably way cooler,” the boy retorted.

  Liz and Sidney waved as they drove away. Tyler led Taryn and Ryder to the front desk. While they checked in with security he called his sister-in-law. As expected, she was happy to move things around to accommodate Liz and Sidney, and assured him she’d be calling his mother.

  “Is your office really big?” Ryder asked as they stepped onto the elevator.

  “Sort of.” He pressed the button for his floor. “I share a space with my team, though I have a room within the main area so we can lock things up. It would look a lot bigger if it was empty.”

  “You have a lot of computers?” Taryn asked.

  “Shelves upon shelves full of computers and monitors. Then there are the tablets and gadgets and parts and pieces to make more gadgets.” While he watched Ryder’s eyes dance with excitement, Tyler moved closer to Taryn.

  He’d really like to be alone with her, to touch her and ease her against the wall and kiss her senseless. Having been without her taste since the afternoon in the media room, his craving was growing ravenous. The only satisfaction he found was standing close enough to bump his fingers against hers.

  She glanced up, held his gaze for only a second before looking away. He wasn’t sure what he’d seen there, a flirtation or willingness to explore what they’d glimpsed, or maybe simple happiness but he was encouraged by it. He was especially encouraged when she brushed her hand against his in return.

  “Are you working on anything fun right now?” Ryder asked.

  “A few things. On one machine, I’m trying to kill a virus that starts eating data after the machine is fully booted. It’s taking a while because I can only work while the machine is still booting, even safe mode isn’t safe.”

  “CMOS?”

  “Nope.”

  “BIOS?”

  “Nope.”

  “DOS?”

  Tyler shook his head, wondering again how his kid, any kid for that matter, could know so much about computers and only be ten. “I have another computer hooked to it that’s running a backdoor program I wrote. While the infected machine is booting, I can use the clean one to pull off bits of data.”

  “But you have to shut it all down before you get much?”

  “Yeah, and it’s a big hard drive.”

  “Can you set it up so the clean drive runs the machine as master and the infected drive only works as a jump drive?”

  “Won’t work.”

  “Maybe it’s a power thing. What if you take the infected drive out of the machine and just hook it up to a power supply? Maybe the virus only works where the operating system’s engaged.”

  Tyler narrowed his eyes, thinking. It would take some finagling to fool the drive, but it might work if he could keep Windows from trying to boot. “You sure you’re only ten?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Ah,” Taryn sighed. “Finally Ryder has someone who understands what he’s saying.”

  Tyler chuckled as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. He rested his hand on Taryn’s back, guiding her though she already knew the way. It was a basic touch. It was a sensual touch that traipsed along his fingers and up his arm with arousing warmth. It was a touch he could easily lose himself in. “We geeks will take over the world one day.”

  “Should we be calling you Brain?”

  “Are you Pinky?” he asked, angling toward the double glass doors on the right.

  “Not on my ditsiest day.”

  “Good to know.” Holding the doors for them, he smiled as Ryder passed and bit back a frown when Taryn moved away. “Welcome to the Specialized Crimes Unit.”

  “I’d fix it unless you want to see how far—” Aidan spoke to someone on the phone. Catching sight of Ryder he paused a beat before finishing his sentence, “—a stiletto can fit where it shouldn’t. Well, that’s what Lana will do if I have to tell her what you’re saying.” Aidan nodded toward Taryn, his version of a hello. “I’ll sell you out in a heartbeat. I have to live with her.”

  “He makes Lana sound scary,” Taryn said as Tyler led them forward. “She seemed nice when I met her.”

  “It’s a wedding thing. She’s out of town and put him in charge.”

  “It’s sweet that he’s handling it.”

  “Sweet?” Kieralyn asked as she walked over to greet Taryn. “I’ve heard him offer to shoot three people, each time sounding more violent and vulgar. The shoe thing’s new.” Smiling, Kieralyn offered a hand to Ryder. “You must be Ryder. We were only expecting Taryn, or Aidan would be on his best behavior.”

  Ryder shrugged. “I’ve heard worse at school.”

  “Some things never change.” Filters had always and would always suffer without parents and teachers around to monitor every second. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Breck snuck out to meet Kami for a doctor’s appointment,” Kieralyn answered. “Liam took some evidence down to lockup. Ava’s setting up the conference room for us.”

  “Good. I’m going to show Ryder the lab, maybe put him to work since he’s smarter than me.”

  “Well, that’s not hard.” Kieralyn winked. “I’ll take Taryn down while you break a few child labor laws. And here I thought you were a good guy.”

  “I’m one of the best.”

  Kieralyn laughed. “Taryn, if you’d rather not go to the ice box and listen to geek talk, I can take you to the conference room.”

  “You know, I think I wouldn’t mind missing out on the geek talk.” She tapped Ryder’s shoulder. “Do exactly what Tyler says. These aren’t like the computers at home.”

  “Yes, Taryn.”


  As she walked away with Kieralyn, Tyler slipped an arm around Ryder’s shoulders. “She doesn’t understand these things aren’t really all that fragile, does she?”

  “Nope.” Ryder looked at him as they walked, seeming hesitant. “Tyler?”

  He tried not to be hurt that Sidney had started calling him Dad, but Ryder hadn’t. Taryn had said he would come around. Tyler held out hope she was right. “Yeah?”

  “Do you like Taryn more than you did at first?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then wouldn’t it be easier for you to marry her so we could all live together like a real family?”

  The image that snapped into focus held a great deal of appeal, but life wasn’t so easy. “I think we need to know each other a little better before we make any big decisions like that.”

  Ryder sighed. “I told Sidney you wouldn’t change your mind.”

  He couldn’t decide if he was more upset over upsetting Ryder or excited they wanted to be together. He handled Ryder gently, telling him it took more than liking someone to make a marriage work, but his thoughts were on Taryn.

  She was smarter than any woman he’d ever dated. She loved his kids. And she was sexy. So sexy.

  Taryn hadn’t been entirely comfortable with the idea of Tyler leaving Ryder alone in the lab, but then he’d come into the conference room and pulled up a camera feed on a tablet. As comfortable as he was in his own room, Ryder sat at a counter building something she wouldn’t likely understand.

  Seeing him allowed her to put her mind at ease. At least in regards to Ryder.

  Soon, Tyler’s entire team was assembled with a couple guys from the White Collar division. For two hours they detailed the layout of the gala space, questioned her about her acts and the props that would be used, and discussing Taryn’s role during the event. Ryder never moved from his seat.

  “We’ve talked about the gala and the art that’s going to be there, as well as the target piece, but nothing has been said about where my team stands in relation to the investigation.” Taryn didn’t want to consider that one of her team could be guilty, but working through everything with Tyler had shown her how serious he was about catching the right person. He wouldn’t arrest someone for the sake of making an arrest. She hoped the rest of the agents were as genuine.