Hacking Justice (Fractured Minds Series Book 5)

by Kate Allenton

  “Got it,” I said with a salute as he shut the door.

  Asher met my gaze, and a slow, easy grin lifted his lips. “Buckle up, buttercup. This could get dicey.”

  I yanked the seatbelt and snapped it into place before glancing back at Sam, who was trying to hook his. After he did, he lifted his gaze. A worried look registered in his eyes.

  Without a word, I gave him a curt nod and turned back around. “Let’s go, cowboy.”

  Asher revved the engine then shot down the road that led to the main road. He took the turn onto the asphalt almost on two wheels, which had me grabbing the oh-shit handle above the door.

  I glanced back again to find a car flick on its lights as if surprised by our exit. Asher had been right. There was a tail. “Detective, I think you’re breaking about five laws.”

  He chuckled. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride, Lucy. I have friends waiting that are more than happy to help.”

  We turned onto another backwoods road. There were several motorcycles lining the street. Men in black leather with tattoo-covered arms waved and revved their engines as we passed. They pulled out behind us, taking up the entire lane and going really slow.

  When the car eventually caught up, the driver would have a hard time getting passed these bikers.

  “You’ve done this before?” I asked.

  “That’s a story for another day.”

  Chapter 26

  We drove two towns away before ditching our vehicle and getting into the back of an ambulance.

  Asher looked relieved, whereas Sam and I were confused. I didn’t like being confused.

  We’d been in the ambulance for about ten minutes when it slowed and came to a stop. The doors were pulled open, and Asher hopped down, grabbing my and Sam’s suitcases as we followed.

  We were on a tarmac in front of hangars. A helicopter was parked in front of one. Asher walked straight to the pilot, a tall guy, whose arms were the circumference of my legs.

  “You know that guy?” I asked, taking my bag back from Asher.

  “Buzz will take you the rest of the way.”

  “Buzz?” I asked. Asher continued to carry Sam’s bag. “You know some interesting people.”

  “Be glad I do,” he said, pulling a card out of his pocket. He handed it to me. “If you get into trouble, you call that number.”

  “Why are you helping us?” I asked. Detective Rowen Asher, at one point, thought I’d tried to kill my boyfriend and blown up a building, even though I hadn’t had anything to do with it, and after that, he’d implied he knew more about me than he was letting on. Why again was Noah trusting this guy?

  “Because I owe a friend,” he answered and passed off Sam’s bag. “I’ll be the one driving you back when you return.”

  “Thanks for this.”

  He nodded and left as Buzz was ushering us onto the helicopter.

  Several hours we landed at a ranch in Texas. The woman from the picture stood just off the porch with a shotgun in her hands and a cowboy hat perched on her head. Three ranch hands stood behind her. Each with their own weapon.

  The chopper blades slowed before Buzz would let us get off. He was the first to disembark and helped Sam and I off the iron bird. He approached the woman and picked her up in a bear hug and kissed her cheek before setting her down.

  She cupped his face. “You need to shave.”

  The large pilot grinned. “Women like my whiskers.”

  “Not this woman,” the lady answered. Her face never softened.

  “Donna?” I asked.

  “Lucy, right, and Sam?” the woman asked. “Buzz, get that bird out of here,” she barked before meeting my gaze. “And you two need to get your bags so we can get you inside incase they’re using satellites.”

  I grabbed my bag and waited for Sam to get his and followed the woman and entourage of men up the steps onto a wrap-around porch. The screen door was being held open, and we stepped into the darkness.

  The scent of apple pie smacked me in the face as I glanced around the room. Family pictures lined the walls. Some were Donna as a kid with adults whom I guessed were her parents. There were others where she was older and standing next to what could have been a teenaged Noah.

  The resemblance was uncanny.

  “Is that…” Sam asked.

  “I believe so.” I left my bag in the living room and followed Donna into the kitchen. “We appreciate you having us.”

  “There’s nothing I won’t do for that boy. He said his coworkers were in trouble, and that you are good people, so I don’t mind helping if I can. This is the first time he’s ever asked since he left.”

  “I bet he always knew he wanted to be a fed,” Sam said.

  The woman and one of the ranch hands exchanged a look that told me Noah had even more secrets than I knew.

  “Come on, let me show you to your room and get you settled before dinner.” Donna changed the subject, neither confirming nor denying that rules and authority ran in Noah’s blood. Noah and his mother were alike in more ways than one.

  She stopped at the top of the landing and shoved open a door. The room was pretty in a country kind of way. There were two twin-sized beds on opposite walls. A small dresser and a desk took up the remaining space. The closet was filled with little kid clothes.

  “I know it’s not the Four Seasons, but this will have to do. I have the ranch hands staying in the rooms above the barn.”

  “This is perfect,” I answered and lifted my suitcase onto one of the beds.

  “Do you have a password for your Wi-Fi?” Sam asked, turning in place as if scanning the room for an outlet.

  “You won’t be getting online while you’re staying here.”

  Sam’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  “Afraid so. Noah is worried your computer can be traced when it goes online, so I’ve turned off my service for the time being until you leave.”

  “You didn’t have to go to all the trouble,” I offered, taking the computer bag from Sam’s shoulder. “He won’t be getting online until we return to the compound, and we aren’t staying long. He’ll survive an entire day without being online.”

  She eyed me and nodded; her gaze never softened. “Get settled. Dinner is almost done. The meeting is scheduled for first thing in the morning.”

  “I thought we were supposed to meet at night,” I said.

  “Things came up, and it got pushed to tomorrow morning. You’ll be flying out when it gets dark.”

  Donna left us in the room, and I plopped down onto the bed. There wasn’t even a reason to unpack, no reason to get comfortable.

  “What am I supposed to do without being able to use my computer?” Sam said, sitting down on the bed. His shoulders deflated as he stared at the computer bag.

  “You know, in the psych ward, they wouldn’t let us use computers.”

  Sam lay back on the bed with a huff and rested his hands behind his head. “That didn’t stop you, though, did it?”

  “Nope. But Donna’s right. Not getting online is the smart thing to do right now,” I said, rising from the bed and walking to the only window in the room.

  The porch light was shining out into the yard where we’d landed. Off in the distance, lights shined in a barn where horses were being led.

  Everything was quiet, almost too quiet.

  “So, what do you think Detective Rowen meant by saying he was returning a favor?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I bet he’s waiting to make a move on you. The guy likes you. It’s written on his face. Too bad he’s too late. Ford beat him to the punch, which is okay. I think you two will be good together.” Sam cleared his throat. “So, did you have a chance to look at your blood donors, yet?”

  “Nothing more than their pictures, why?”

  “I might have heard you’re seeing ghosts. There may be a reason for that.”

  “Ford thinks it might be because I died on the operating table,” I answered.

  �
�Well, there is that, but there’s another possibility.”

  I raised my brow. “And what might that be?”

  “One of the women who donated was a psychic, and some people believe that it’s a passed-down trait, which means…it might be something special in the DNA.”

  I let the curtains slip from my fingers and turned to face Sam. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I hacked all three donors in case one was psychotic.” Sam sat up on his elbows. “We needed to know in the event you were affected.”

  “You didn’t have to,” I said, sitting on the bed, ignoring the twisting in my gut.

  “That’s what best friends do for each other when one’s in trouble,” Sam said.

  I didn’t know what to say to that. I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around that information. I unzipped my suitcase, “Since you’re my best friend, then you should know the voices are getting louder and harder to block.”

  “I didn’t know…”

  “How could you? I avoided everyone for two months,” I said with a sad smile, only now realizing how my absence might have affected Sam.

  The sound of a bell being rung sounded through the house, rattled my bones. It was a welcome reprieve in the silence.

  “I guess that’s the dinner bell,” Sam said, popping up from his spot on the bed. He held out his hand. “Let’s go meet the folks.”

  Chapter 27

  We stepped into the dining room to find Donna and the ranch hands already at the table. The guys were talking about the fields and fences and all things I knew nothing about. Donna gestured to the two remaining chairs.

  As soon as we sat, a breadbasket got shoved in my direction. After that, the rest of the dishes did as well. The talking continued even though there were a few questionable glances tossed our direction.

  There was no doubt of the relation of the man sitting at the end of the table. He wasn’t old enough to be Noah’s father, but he looked just like him. Noah had a brother he’d never mentioned, and one I’d never seen even during those early times when I’d tried to tune in to get a feel for the man that was going to be in charge of my freedom.

  Noah’s brother had dark shaggy hair that dipped down to partially cover hazel eyes. He watched me like I was feeding my vegetables to the dog under the dining table. He wasn’t subtle with the way his jaw ticked, and aggravation wafted off him.

  “Cut it out, Pete,” Donna said, smacking his arm. “Quit staring and let them eat in peace.”

  “Well…” Pete paused, pulling apart his bread. He finally turned his gaze to Donna. “I don’t know why you agreed, Momma. We don’t know these people, and it’s dangerous to have them here.”

  “He’s your brother,” Donna said.

  “I’m sorry for the inconvenience. We won’t be here long,” Sam blurted out before casting his gaze down at his food.

  “Dinner is delicious, Donna. Thank you for having us,” I said, turning my gaze back to Noah’s mother. “I’m afraid Noah didn’t tell me much more than your name. He said it would be safer that way.”

  “Well, that’s something, I guess.” Pete shoved back from the table. He picked up his bowl and carried in into the kitchen before returning to grab his hat from the back of the chair. “I’ll take the first shift. Bobby, you and Roy can draw straws to decide who comes next.”

  “I don’t mind helping,” I said, meeting his gaze.

  “Nonsense, you’re company.” Donna turned her glare on her son.

  “Right. Company.” Pete’s tone dripped with annoyance before he stomped out of the room.

  “You’ll have to forgive Pete. He normally has much better manners,” Donna said.

  “It’s okay. We’re intruding on your safety. I can’t say I blame him.” I gave her a small smile and continued eating. When everyone was done, and dessert was served, I helped Donna wash dishes; time she spent telling me stories about the dynamic between Noah and Pete as they were growing up.

  After we were done and Sam had slipped away to grab a shower, I stepped out onto the porch. Pete sat in one of the rocking chairs, his gun lay resting on his lap, another rifle within reaching distance.

  A blanket of stars filled the night sky for as far as I could see. It was a beautiful sight and so vast, unlike the sky in any other place I’d ever seen it before. The half-moon shined high up in the sky. I leaned against the porch rail and sipped my glass of tea.

  “Your brother meant well sending us to the place he trusted most.”

  “Ha,” Pete blurted out. “If you think that about Noah, then you don’t know him at all.”

  I turned and took a seat on the porch swing, moving my foot so that it swayed. “I know him as well as any man whose carrying around secrets and baggage. I recognize the pain in his eyes.”

  Pete stared off into the distance and turned silent. We sat for ten minutes before I got up and walked back inside.

  He wasn’t a very friendly guy. He had the manners of a gnat, unlike his brother, Noah, who observed every situation and person in it, first, before passing judgments.

  Night came followed by the rising sun. The sound of roosters crowing woke Sam up from his sleep. The sleep I’d been robbed of from Sam’s snoring.

  Before seven a.m., Sam, Pete, Donna, and I, plus a few other ranch hands, were all headed in a convoy of trucks toward the outskirts of town. We pulled around behind an auto garage and parked the trucks.

  Sam and I exchanged a hesitant look before we were ushered from the truck and inside the building.

  Chapter 28

  The smell of grease and oil filled the room. Dirty rags lay on a bench in the back of the room. The oil pits that workers used to get beneath the cars were dirty, but there were no cars parked above.

  “This isn’t what I expected,” Sam said, turning in a circle, clutching his computer bag strapped across his body, holding it close to his chest.

  I touched the pencils holding my hair in the messy bun even as a shiver skirted my spine. “I’m sure it’s fine, but I want you to stick close to me, just in case.”

  Neither Donna nor any of the others entered the garage, and I peered out the window to find them standing guard nearby as if this was the Wild West and they were expecting a shootout.

  Within ten minutes, the large metal door opened. Dust motes danced in the shaft sunlight streaming into the dim area. A woman stepped in, holding the hand of a young girl wearing glasses. She looked about eight years old and was clutching a sketchbook against her chest.

  They were followed by two marshals, who proceeded to check both Sam and me for weapons. Once they were satisfied, they stepped to the opposite side of the room, keeping their witnesses in the line of sight.

  “Hi, I’m Dr. Lucy Bray, and this is Sam,” I said, holding out my hand.

  The girl looked up at her mother, her eyes worried.

  The mother ignored my outstretched hand and crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want with us?”

  Straight to the point. “Um…we’re liaisons with the FBI, and we had a situation where your daughter’s name came up in connection with one of our cases.”

  The woman wrapped her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “She had nothing to do with me turning state’s evidence against the lab.”

  I raised my brow. “I’m not sure what it all means yet, but we have a very deadly situation happening. We believe someone is trying to obtain a virus that’s undetectable.”

  The color drained from the woman’s face. “We can’t help you.”

  She turned to head toward the door, but her daughter didn’t move. “You’re talking about the water virus?”

  “Margo, no,” the mother growled.

  Tension gripped my shoulders. I dropped to my knees in front of Margo. “We’re just looking for answers, nothing to get you guys involved. What can you tell me about the water virus?”

  “Mom, it’s going to hurt people. I told you that. Please let me help them.”

  Tawny Reynolds
moved back to the center of the room and wrapped her arms over Margo’s shoulders. “You swear you’ll keep my daughter out of this?”

  “I promise,” I said, meeting the mother’s gaze.

  Tawny sighed. Her nervous, protective, motherly energy was like a living, breathing thing. “What you have to understand is Margo is gifted. She doesn’t see things like we do. Where we see half of a formula, she somehow knows what’s supposed to be next. It’s logical to her. We can’t explain it, and some would say that she’s channeling the information from her spirit guides. There’s no rhyme or reason for what she can do.”

  “Spirits?” I asked.

  “I see all kinds of things,” Margo answered.

  “Okay.” I stood up and pointed to Sam. “You’re gifted. So is my friend Sam. He’s very smart. So why don’t you tell us what you know about the water virus.”

  Tawny ran her hand through her hair. “I worked at Textor Labs, and we’d been contracted by the CDC to try to find a cure for the water virus.”

  I rubbed my chin and listened, trying to figure out how the kid was involved, and as if reading my mind, Margo answered.

  “My mom used to bring home her work, and when she was working, that didn’t leave us much time together, so I wanted to help.”

  “And you did,” Tawny said, rubbing her hand over the daughter’s hair. “My daughter not only finished the formula for the cure, she figured out how to make it. I took it to my boss and claimed the work as my own.”

  “You were trying to help your mom. I get it,” I said, softening my gaze on Margo.

  “My boss was elated, or so I thought. I’d been working late in the office on trying to finalize a report on testing the equation. We’d need that to get it funded. That night everything went wrong.”

  Margo took her mother’s hand and held it. Tawny let out a shaky breath.

  “I was in a hurry to get to my boss’s office to leave the report on his desk when I heard voices. My boss was still at work. Only there was another guy seated in his office. There were two other men standing behind him. My boss looked scared like I’ve never seen him before. He was telling the men where to find me and that he’d kept me at the office to work on the paperwork. So I should be easy to take care of, and if not, then he gave them my home address and Margo’s name to use as leverage.”