“Why don’t we just turn the file over to Kent and the CDC?” Carson asked.
“No, they don’t know their head from their…” I said.
“Lucy.” Noah’s nostrils flared.
“What, well it’s true,” I countered resting my hands on my hips.
“We keep this in-house until we find all the answers. Once we have some, we’ll take it to Homeland and use it as leverage for keeping Sam out of jail.”
“Hey…” Sam pouted.
“He’s got a point.” I said meeting Sam’s gaze.
“You have a file to decrypt. I can always take you back to the director and let them provide your accommodations,” Noah said, glancing over his shoulder at Sam.
“I’ve already tipped our hand there was a competition, but we still need to figure out what each hacker took.” I agreed.
“Carson and Ford, you’re with Lucy. Grant and I will watch over Sam.” Noah glanced at me. “That is if you’re back. I won’t have this vigilante stuff going on anymore.”
“I’m back for this. I can’t make any promises beyond that.”
“Then you’re out,” Noah said as the doors slid open and he stepped out.
“What do you mean I’m out? You need me,” I said, jogging to catch up to him.
He spun around and pegged me with his glare. “No, Lucy. I’m done covering for you and making excuses as to why you flew off the rails after Sloan died. People die in our line of work. You needed to grieve, and we gave that to you. But instead of dealing with those feelings, you hunted and tracked down six pedophiles and dealt with them yourself. You made me look like a liar and cemented the belief that I can’t control my own people.”
“Noah, they were pedophiles. Surely you of all people…”
His look turned from determined to on the verge of blowing. “You aren’t a team player. You never have been unless the situation suited your needs. Sam”—Noah pointed to the kid—“has always done anything we needed, without questions and without a smartass answer. He’s the reason I’m here, not because you demanded I act but because of him.”
Noah grabbed Sam’s elbow and led him to the SUV on the other side of the parking lot. Grant kissed my forehead in passing. “He just needs time to cool off. He didn’t mean it.”
Yeah, he had. I should have been angry—he was being an asshole— but I wasn’t. Everything he’d said was true.
“Carson, are you coming?” Grant asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Carson called out and turned to look at me. “We’re leaving first thing in the morning. If you’re with us, then be with us.”
I didn’t answer. With a pointed look at me, Carson turned and jogged over to the SUV.
“What about you?” I turned my attention to Ford. “You going with them?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m just a liaison to them, but you’re my friend. Someone I didn’t realize until recently that I could count on. So, I think I’m sticking with you.” He leaned in to whisper, “Until you smarten up.” He winked and headed toward the car we’d driven in.
Chapter 10
My chest ached as I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. My bedroom door cracked open, and Ford walked in. “I could hear you thinking all the way into the spare room.”
“Sorry,” I said, scooting over so Ford could crawl in beside me. It wasn’t the first time we’d slept together in the same room. I’d played the part of girlfriend to cover his lies when I’d shown up in his hometown. There was something comforting about his presence.
“Noah’s not wrong, you know.”
Coming from anyone but Ford, I’d have taken offense to that. “I know.”
Ford pulled me into his arms and stroked my hair. I turned into his chest, and his lips touched my forehead. “I’m sorry Sloan died. I know you loved him.”
I looked up at Ford. “I feel guilty.”
That was the first time I’d ever said those words. It felt freeing and, at the same time, made my stomach churn.
“You couldn’t have known there was a bomb under your car.”
I lowered my gaze and moistened my lips. I wasn’t sure this was a conversation I was ready to have.
“Uh-uh,” Ford said, breaking into my silence. “You aren’t clamming up on me.”
I let out a shaky breath. “The last conversation he and I had was about you.”
Ford’s fingers stilled. “He told you about what I said when I was desperate to find you.”
“Yeah, he did. He said you’d walk away if he’d help find me,” I said, rolling out of Ford’s arms and onto my back.
“I meant it, Lucy. I would have once I knew you were alive,” Ford said into the silence of the room.
“I know that, too,” I answered. “So did Sloan.” I glanced at Ford again. “Sloan realized what that meant about the same time I did. He knew I had feelings for you, too, and I was conflicted. Sloan was my boyfriend, but he was observant. I couldn’t hide my feelings from him.”
I was glad Sloan and Martin weren’t in the room to comment. For once, I needed to be the only one in my head. Here in this moment.
Ford tangled his fingers in my hair again. “You have feelings for me?”
I laid in silence. “I think you’ve always known.”
“You picked Sloan. I respected that as best I could.” He climbed out of the bed. “Lucy, I can’t be second choice to a dead man.”
“I’m not perfect, Ford,” I said, sitting up in the bed. “I couldn’t stop it from happening. I liked you both. I have to live with knowing that Sloan died, unsure where we stood. It’s a closure I’ll never have.”
Ford stopped just inside the doorframe and glanced over his shoulder. “I can’t give you closure, and I’ll never be a replacement for Sloan.”
“I know. It’s not fair that I care about you and can’t let him go. It’s not fair to either of you.”
“It’s not about us, Lucy. What is it that you want? Only you can decide that. If it’s chasing pedophiles, I’ll help you. If it’s being part of the team, I’m with you. If you just want to be friends, I’ll try that too, but I can’t deny what I feel for you. I tried it once, and it almost killed you. Don’t ask me to do it again.”
Ford walked out of my bedroom like he’d done in the past. I lay back on my pillow, my gaze at the ceiling above. The voices in my head were quiet this time of night. It was that very silence that was so deafening.
“That was the smartest thing I’ve heard the thief ever say,” Sloan said, appearing in the room.
“Get out of my room, Sloan. I can’t do this with you popping in and out of my life. I can’t—”
“My death made the choice easier for you, Lucy,” Sloan said before vanishing again.
The alcohol and the hunting did little to ease the pain in my heart and my head. The conflict was mine. I loved Sloan, and I loved Ford. Two very different men occupied my heart.
An hour later and still unable to sleep, I slid out of bed and headed for the kitchen to grab the wine bottle. I didn’t bother with the lights as I made my way to the fridge. The glow from the open door painted a shadow across the linoleum floor.
“I’m sorry, Lucy.” Ford’s words were quiet in the darkness.
I closed the fridge and turned to face him. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”
Ford closed the distance between us and cupped my cheek. “I lied. I wouldn’t have been able to walk away from you.”
I rested my palm on his chest. “I wouldn’t have let you.”
He leaned in, his lips a breath away from mine. “Lucy…”
I didn’t let him finish. I pressed my lips to his and pulled him closer. I needed him. I needed this. I needed to get out of my head and just remember how to feel without the ghosts plaguing me.
What started out with hesitation turned hot as sin within seconds. He pulled me tight against his body as my hands rested on his chest and slowly lowered to his lounge pants.
He b
roke the kiss. The quick rise and fall of his chest matched mine as he rested his hand over mine, stopping the slow descent it had started. “You’re not thinking clearly.”
“I am thinking clearly. I need you,” I answered, swallowing around the plea in my voice.
“We do this, and there’s no backing out, Lucy. I want this, and I want you more than my next breath, but I’m willing to wait until you’re ready.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
I didn’t need to ask twice.
Chapter 11
For several hours, Ford had helped me forget the pain and only feel the pleasure. Was it wrong that I wanted to cling to the feeling and never let it go?
He was awake as I lay on his chest. I’d felt him stir when the first sunlight shined through the windows. He pulled me closer and kissed my hair. “How long have you been awake?”
All night. “Just a bit. I’m worried about Sam.”
Ford ran his hand over his face. “Have you decided what you’re going to do? You know Noah meant what he said last night.”
I looked up at him. “Do you think I’m selfish?”
He turned to meet my gaze. “I think you’ve had to take care of yourself and your sister for a long time, and I think you needed to be selfish to survive.”
I rolled onto my back. “You’re not a team player either. I think that’s why we get along.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Lucy. We get along because we don’t put up with each other’s bullshit.” Ford tossed the covers off his body and lifted me into his arms, carrying me into the bathroom. “We’re both in need of a shower.”
He kissed me nice and slow as he lowered me to my feet. Ford turned on the water, and I glanced into the bathroom mirror.
I touched the bruise around my neck. It was turning ugly. I lifted my gaze to my face. The bandaged cut wasn’t nearly as interesting as my eye color. They’d once been green, and now they were a striking shade of blue.
Ford stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, staring at my reflection. “Have the voices gotten quieter?”
I swallowed hard. It wasn’t normal for me to be so open with people other than my twin. Privacy had always been a way of life until now. “Most are still a low murmur.”
Ford rested his face against mine. “Have you made your decision?”
I nodded and moistened my lips. “Regardless of how uncomfortable I get, I’m in. If that’s the only way to be in this hunt, then I’ll just have to deal with Noah.”
Ford stared at me as if trying to determine if I was telling the truth.
“Good.” He kissed my cheek and pulled me into the shower, where we stayed until the water turned cold.
****
The undercover FBI building at the watermill was exactly how I remembered it, not counting the extra guards surrounding the area. Noah had taken the threat against Sam as serious, and I was thankful he had.
The morning breeze against my skin was refreshing. The sounds of nature and the water in the river calmed my spirit. The wheel on the mill was turning with the running water.
Water lapped against the smooth stone barrier. The current was in full force. Freedom, if I cared to take it.
Armed guards dressed in military fatigues stood outside the door of the mill, rifles in hand and scowls guaranteed to scare off any nature seekers who’d lost their way. The swift river lapped up against the stone retaining wall.
Normally Ford and I would have just used our electronic cards to get in. Today, guards stopped us and called for permission to allow us inside. I didn’t even make a joke about it. This wasn’t a laughing matter.
The outside of the mill was rustic and made of wood; the inside was refurbished and modernized. I touched one of the beams as I passed, recalling the manly smell the first time I’d ever stepped foot under this roof.
The motley crew of men inside was like pieces from different puzzles. They didn’t look like they fit, but they were mine.
We stepped into the war room. Carson was on the other side of the room, working on his cache of guns and other deadly devices.
He winked then smiled, meeting my gaze.
Grant was seated on a table behind Sam’s desk, a gun resting on his lap. His gaze followed where Ford’s hand was touching me. He lifted a brow in question.
Grant noticed everything.
Sam hopped up from his desk, his look hopeful. “You came.”
“Of course, I did.” I smiled as I approached. “No one screws with my best friend.”
The smile on Sam’s face grew, and he puffed his chest with pride. “I knew it. I tried to tell them all that you like me best.”
“I think you’re right, Sam. Her being here says more than words could ever say,” Grant said, sliding off the table. He patted Ford on the arm as he passed.
“Now we can get this show on the road. Noah is in the meeting room. He was waiting on you two to get here.”
I chuckled. “There’s no way he knew I was coming.”
“He knew,” Carson said as he guided Sam toward the meeting room. “We all did.”
“Am I that transparent?” I whispered to Ford.
“They’re trained professionals, baby,” Ford whispered back.
I stepped into the conference room to find that it had been transformed. Maps and pictures covered the walls like a room had been made into a murder board. Blown-up DMV pictures of the faces that had been in Sam’s threatening email with the attached news article lined the walls in different areas. Beneath each hacker, the pictures reflected different places, along with crime scene pictures and police reports.
Sloan and Martin were in the room, each looking at the maps and pictures.
“She showed up with a new boyfriend.” Martin nudged Sloan. “You owe me money.”
“Took you long enough.” Sloan’s gaze dropped to Ford’s hand, and I didn’t move away. It was better to confront this head-on and let Sloan see I was at least trying to break free.
Ford led me to the wall before he dropped his touch.
I let me gaze travel slowly over everything on display. “You’ve been busy. This must have taken all night.”
“We need to eliminate the threat. Now it’s time we get to work,” Noah said.
I nodded. Noah wouldn’t ask again if I was in. The fact I was here told him as much. I slowly moved down the wall of death again. Stopping, I pointed to one of the crime scenes. A small patch of blood lay beneath the body in the doorway. “Do the police know whose blood that is?”
“Raul Rodrigues was the only DNA profile.”
I glanced over my shoulder toward Noah. “That’s good. I can work with that.”
“Raul was in charge of hacking the medical company to collect the Easter egg,” Sam announced.
“And do you know if he retrieved it?”
“He said he had. He said it didn’t take long and that he left a backdoor in case they made him go back in.”
I pulled out a seat at the table. “Would whoever is orchestrating these challenges normally ask for you guys to go back in?”
Sam’s cheeks hinted pink as if embarrassed he’d been caught. “No, and personally, I think Raul had another reason he wasn’t sharing the reason he did it.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“I think he may have a vendetta against the company. They make pacemakers and the one in his father’s chest failed.”
“A dead parent makes it personal. Did he ask for that hack, or was it coincidence it was given to him?”
“It was assigned,” Sam said. “We don’t get a say in what we hack when working a security project like that.”
Noah passed out folders to each of us. “Inside, you’ll find your assignments. We do this by the book. No short cuts. We find the killer and the person who ordered the hacks, if we’re lucky it’s the same guy, and we’ll hand him over to Homeland.”
I flipped my file open. “What if it’s not cut and dried?” I raised my hands. “I’m not sayi
ng I’m going all vigilante on these people, but I ingest blood, and one tries to kill me…”
“Like most of them do,” Sloan added.
“Like most of them do,” I echoed, “I’m going to protect myself.”
“We wouldn’t expect anything else, but if you have other options, then you keep them alive.”
“Does he not know her at all?” Martin asked.
Sloan shook his head. “Nope. None of them do. Not how it matters most.”
“I don’t know. I think the boyfriend does,” Martin floated over to where Ford was sitting.
Sloan narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t be jealous. She deserves to be happy,” Martin said.
“Says the guy whose had longer to deal with watching her,” Sloan added.
“It wasn’t easy watching you two, either.” Martin shrugged. “She needs to be loved, and we can only do it from a distance.”
I shook my head, ignoring their commentary.
Noah’s glare bored into me as he watched the shake of my head. “Understood?”
“Sure,” I answered. “I understand. No killing the bad guys unless it’s either them or me. I get it.”
“Good.” Noah sighed like he’d fought a battle and won. “Carson and Ford will go with Lucy to try and get a hit at the crime scene. We’re keeping Sam under lock and key here at the compound. He’ll be your tech support as best he can without being on location. Sam knew these guys, so let’s use that knowledge to our advantage. Wheels up in one hour.”
Chapter 12
I stepped into my assigned quarters and headed to the closet to grab a change of clothes. Ford had left me to go pack his own things.
“You got a second?” Sam asked as he knocked on the doorframe.
“I always have time for you. Come on in,” I said. I folded the clothes and set them on the dresser.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come back. You know I wouldn’t have blamed you if you hadn’t. I know you aren’t a people person.”
Hacking Justice (Fractured Minds Series Book 5) Page 5
