The Lion's Prey

by Camden Mays

“I guess so.”

  “How do you think he got the money?”

  “Probably not in a good way.”

  “I don’t want it.” Jess shook her head. “What should we do?”

  “Well, these files are very important. I don’t think we can tell anyone about them. It would put us both in danger. We’ll have to get them to your dad when he comes home.”

  “And the money?”

  “I guess it’s yours. Normally we would turn it over to the authorities to sort out. But these files make it too dangerous to get anyone else involved.”

  “I know,” Jess said with excitement about a new idea. “I’ll give it to Mike Kilroy’s kids. You remember the guard from the Gala that was killed when he helped Dad?”

  “Yeah, I know. You and Brittany started a crowdfunding drive for them, right?”

  “His daughters could use it.”

  “It’s your call, Jess. But if you do it, just make sure no one knows it was you that gave the money.”

  Jess reached over and thumbed through a stack of hundreds and grinned. Then she pulled out ten of the bills.

  “It’s for the new paint job on my car after the scratch mark.”

  Hannah laughed. Then she pulled out another bill.

  “And this will cover dinner tonight.” Now they both were laughing.

  “OK, the rest goes to kids. I promise.”

  ✽✽✽

  Torrance, California

  Hannah wasn’t sure what to expect when meeting Grace, Cole’s ex. She hoped it would be just a friendly exchange without delving in too deeply. Jess, by all accounts, was a grown woman and had proven to be capable of taking care of herself. Hannah had no designs to intrude on any parental role. Still, she and Jess had become closer after the attempt on their lives. And Jess’s new desire to pursue a career with the FBI gave them common ground.

  After securing the documents recovered at the storage locker, Jess had dropped her off at the hotel. She returned later to pick her up and drove her to Torrance to have dinner with Jess’s mother.

  Jess pulled the old VW Cabrio into the parking lot of Madre Oaxacan Restaurant on Cabrillo Avenue.

  “This time next year I’ll be able to order a margarita here,” Jess said as they entered the crowded restaurant. Hannah chuckled, remembering what it was like to be younger.

  It was an early dinner, and the place was already crowded, but Grace had somehow managed to already snag a booth for them. After Jess introduced the two, Hannah and Jess slid in across from Grace. The server brought the chips and salsa, and they made small talk before placing their orders. Both women were trying the suggested margarita.

  “I don’t think I ever really thanked you for what you did to try and save Jess that night at the house.” Hannah sensed that Grace genuinely appreciated that she had put herself in harm’s way to help her daughter.

  “No, I’m just sorry any of it happened at all. But Jess here is really a fighter.”

  “Well, thank you. She comes by that stubborn streak honestly,” Grace said.

  “OK, I’m right here guys,” Jess said, waving her hand and scrunching her eyebrows.

  “I’m just saying that when you put your mind to something, there’s no turning you. Like with your training and your major at school and your interest in the FBI.”

  The last bit caught Hannah’s attention. She sensed that Grace was none too happy about the career path that Jess was interested in pursuing.

  “So what did you two do today?” Grace asked.

  “Oh, nothing really. I showed Hannah around town,” Jess said, munching on chips and salsa as a distraction. Hannah hid behind the large margarita glass, taking a sip, hoping to avoid giving a response.

  “And Hannah, no kids, huh?” Grace said, causing Jess to stop mid-movement while dipping her chip.

  “No. Never found the right guy.”

  “I’m sure it’s hard with the career you have to even think about having a family.”

  “Mom!”

  “What? I’m just saying that it’s a tough job.”

  “No, you’re right,” Hannah said. “It’s a tough road, and anyone considering it as a career should think seriously about the commitment required. It’s not for everyone. But I’ve enjoyed it. I feel like I’m making a difference.”

  “Well, I know you’ve made an impression on Jess.” Hannah smiled and thanked God that the food was arriving, hoping it would expedite things.

  Hannah’s cell phone vibrated. She ignored it. It rattled again, and she looked at the caller ID. She excused herself and stepped out to take the call.

  “Mom, don’t be weird.” Jess knew that while her mother had said nothing wrong, her tone and mannerism carried a subtle hint of antagonism.

  “What? I’m not weird. I just want Hannah to know that she’s influenced you and you’ve changed.”

  Jess narrowed her eyes and leaned over the table. “No, Mother, getting stabbed several times influenced me!”

  Hannah returned, sensing she had stepped into something as she looked at both of them. Jess made it obvious, while Grace just smiled.

  “I’m so sorry. I hate to do this. But that was the SAC’s admin in Seattle . . .”

  “SAC?” Grace questioned.

  “Special Agent in Charge,” Jess answered.

  Hannah nodded as she stood at the table’s edge. “Yes, and there’s been a major incident in a case I was working on. I apologize, but I have to fly back tonight.”

  Jess and Grace both looked bewildered.

  “I’m sorry. It was so nice of you to invite me to dinner. I’ll get an Uber so that you two can finish.” Hannah pulled out her wallet to leave cash.

  “No, I’ll take you, Hannah,” Jess said, grabbing her purse.

  Hannah looked at Grace as if asking for permission.

  “Sure, let Jess take you. I’ll take a box to go for her later.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes, yes.” Grace waved and got up to say goodbye. It surprised Hannah when Grace gave her a hug.

  “It was nice meeting you, and thanks for taking care of my girl when she’s out there in DC.”

  “I think she’s the one that takes care of me,” Hannah said with a laugh.

  On the drive back to the hotel to get her things, Jess inquired about the urgent call. Hannah didn’t know any details but just that the SAC needed her there ASAP.

  Jess stayed in the car in front of the hotel as Hannah headed to her room to grab her bag. As she quickly packed her toiletries, her phone buzzed again. Her face lit up as the caller ID showed Cole’s picture. He must be home, she thought.

  “Cole!” she said, answering the call.

  “Hi babe, I called you as soon as I got home.”

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m across the country when you got home.”

  “How’s Seattle?”

  “I’m actually in LA now, but heading back to the airport in a few minutes.”

  “LA?”

  “Yeah, I hung out with Jess, and we had dinner with Grace.”

  “Huh?”

  “Well, sort of. It was interrupted by a call from the Seattle SAC needing me to get back tonight. I’m not sure what’s happening. He didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. Jess is actually waiting for me downstairs to drive me to the airport.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Why don’t I call you back in like five minutes and you can talk to both of us? We’ve got some things we need to share with you.”

  “Hmm, OK.”

  “Wait, Cole, how long are you going to be home?”

  “I don’t know. They called me back in with haste. The team is still in the field. It may be follow-up questioning related to Darcy Regis or the hearing.”

  “Alright, I’ll call you back in three minutes on FaceTime. I’m running late, but Jess is going to be excited to talk to you.”

  A couple of minutes later, Hannah tossed her bag in the trunk, joined Jess in the Cabrio, and asked h
er to wait before pulling out of the hotel. Hannah dialed Cole’s cell, and she held the phone so Jess could see her dad.

  “Hey blondie blonde.”

  “Oh my God, Dad, when did you get back?”

  “Just a few minutes ago.”

  “It looks like you haven’t shaved in days.”

  “I haven’t, but you two sure look pretty.”

  “I hate to cut it short, but I’ve got to get on a plane soon. Now that you’re home for a day or two, we can chat later, but we need to tell you about a couple of things.” Hannah gave the phone to Jess.

  Jess explained that she had received the letter from Grant Ramsey and told him about the money and documents. Hannah had the papers with her, and Jess explained what she wanted to do with the money.

  “Alright, Hannah, I’ll get in touch with McCune, and she’ll probably send someone to get the documents. As far as the money, I can’t think of any better use than to help those kids out, so from here on out, there was no money in the box, and I think you should just destroy the letter.”

  “I was going to put it with the other docs. They may want to analyze it,” Hannah said as she looked at the clock, knowing she needed to get moving.

  “No. Based on what you said, he indicated he left something for Jess. They’ll want to know about that. It’s better that only the three of us know about this.”

  Hannah nodded.

  “Jess, that means your mom can’t know, and Brittany can’t know. No one else. You understand?”

  “I’ve got it, Dad.”

  “Sorry, but we have to go, Cole.” Hannah blew him a kiss and Jess started the old, faithful car.

  “Be sure to let your dad know about the attack at the coffee shop when you talk to him, OK?”

  Jess seemed put out by the motherly comment, and she scrunched her eyebrows. Hannah picked up on the body language.

  “Hey,” Hannah said, looking at Jess as they pulled into the passenger drop-off area. “He’ll be proud of how you handled yourself.”

  Jess smiled.

  Chapter 25

  Kirkland, Washington – Earlier That Day

  Ty Reichert typed away on the secure laptop that the FBI had provided. He sat at the kitchen table in the modest three-bedroom, two-bath home that was built back in the seventies. Agent Cynthia Layne, a member of the FBI’s little-known Cyber Action Team (CAT), sat with him as he worked to prep the unit to demonstrate the glitches his software had caught. Two other agents were inside the house with Ty, and another two sat in a car positioned out on the street.

  He paused, thinking about Gina, feeling responsible for her death.

  “Are you sure this connection is secure?” he asked the cyber agent.

  “Positive,” Layne said.

  Ty finished off his bottle of Mountain Dew and resumed typing and connected to the internet. Ty clicked his way to his cloud account. His access was denied.

  “What?”

  “What’s going on, Ty?” Layne asked.

  “My cloud account is shut down.” He tapped the keyboard and looked at other accounts. All of his social media accounts were deleted as well.

  He sat up straight and searched for his other accounts. Banks, credit cards, nothing. It was as if he had evaporated from existence. He sat in shock, overwhelmed by a sense of dread, knowing that his enemy was capable of digitally erasing him. They had moved swiftly to discredit him, and Ty was convinced they would stop at nothing to get their hands on his software. Haslet Securities held his laptop, undoubtedly destroyed by now, and eliminated his digital accounts. The only remaining copy of Bee Sting was in the drive that looked like lighter with the Georgia Tech logo.

  Agent Layne grabbed the laptop and pushed keys. Her expression was perplexed at how quickly Haslet had worked.

  “We’re dealing with some top-shelf resources.” She shook her head in disbelief. Then her chin jerked as if she had had a disturbing thought.

  “You two switched out your phones, right?” she asked the other two agents. They both nodded in the affirmative.

  “And you didn’t bring your other phones with you? We’re sterile, right?” she asked, referring to the procedures of leaving no cyber connection in such a related case. They both nodded again. Layne stood. “I’m going to check with the two agents parked out in the car.” She left the house.

  As she walked down the driveway, one of the agents in the house reached up to open the blinds to watch her. As he did, his sleeve pulled back, revealing the Fitbit device on his wrist.

  “Dude!” Ty yelled out, seeing the lapse in security.

  “What?” the alarmed agent said, turning to see Ty standing.

  “Your Fitbit! They can track you with that.”

  Layne stood at the passenger’s window of the car, checking on their security. As she was chatting with the two agents, a vehicle drove by with the windows rolling down. Before she could react, automatic weapons were unloading on the unsuspecting agents in the car and the home. Bullets ripped through the car windows and the agents seated in it. Layne received multiple hits and fell to the ground beside the car. The agent with the Fitbit stood with his back to the window and took two slugs to the back when the shots were fired.

  Ty dove for cover as the other agent crawled toward his colleague to check on him as bullets continued to riddle the home. Ty curled up in a fetal position, his eyes wide and mouth open as he saw holes ripping through the front door. Horrified, Ty reached up and snatched his drive, stuffing it in his pants pocket. The agent lying on the floor yelled for Ty to get out as he anticipated the inevitable.

  Outside, the five shooters had emerged from the vehicle. One walked over to Agent Layne as she gasped for breath and crawled along the sidewalk in a futile attempt to escape. The mercenary leveled his automatic rifle and put two more bullets in her head before applying the same to the already-dead agents in the car.

  Two of the mercenaries separated to circle around both sides of the house while the others approached the door. Ty had made it out the back door but knew he would not make it over the backyard fence as he heard the shooting move closer as the men approached. He saw the cover to the house’s crawl space and dived into it. He army crawled to a dark corner that had some insulated ductwork that he thought he could hide behind. He heard the scene play out on the floor above him.

  A series of thumps indicated that the agent lying on the floor stood to escape but was taken out quickly. There were two more shots, and then muffled calls for Ty from above.

  Inside the house, the two quickly searched for Ty, stomping about with precise and deadly steps. A muffled warning crackled over the mercenaries’ comm. “You have sixty seconds.”

  Sirens echoed around the crawl space, getting louder. The mercenaries’ footsteps hurried toward the kitchen, scraped the table, and left. They grabbed the FBI laptop.

  When Ty knew they were gone, he crawled out from under the house, soaked with sweat and tears, and fled over the fence in the backyard. If the FBI couldn’t keep him safe, the local police didn’t stand a chance. Ty’s world was gone, and he was feeling the weight of the events of the last few days and the lives that had been lost all because he found that stupid malware. He intuitively checked his pants pocket to make sure he still had it. He wasn’t sure where to go or who to trust. Anyone associated with him would be put at risk. He wandered the streets as the sun set over the rooftops of the homes in an otherwise quaint neighborhood. Hope was evaporating from his life like the day’s sun.

  ✽✽✽

  McLean, Virginia

  Cole enjoyed the thought of being home and sleeping in his own bed. He was to meet McCune in her office at nine in the morning, and the purpose was unclear, but it had to be significant to drag him across the globe. He was exhausted and off schedule as he attempted to wait up for Jess to call him back.

  The call finally came, and Cole learned of the attack on Jess at the coffee shop. He was proud that she had protected herself, her training had definitely pa
id off—but he was also worried for her. She was a stronger woman now, but he hoped she had not lost all innocence. She ended the call saying the words that fathers love to hear, and it gave Cole a sense that she still had a soft side. It was just under the other layers, Cole reasoned.

  “Good night, Daddy. I love you,” Jess said.

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

  Cole thought about the cruel twist of fate that had the two people he loved the most separated from him by two thousand miles. Soon the day’s travel caught up with him, and he laid his phone on the nightstand and slept.

  ✽✽✽

  Seattle, Washington

  Hannah Jacobs inserted the key to her hotel room at three in the morning. She had spent the last few hours looking at the scene of the hit in Kirkland and trying to make sense of the evidence. It was believed that the mercenaries had captured Ty Reichert, and to keep the cyber threat quiet, the news stations were fed lines about it being a gang-related shooting since the agents had been protecting a witness. Hannah knew that any foe brazen enough to attack FBI agents in daylight was involved in the gravest of matters.

  She opened the door and was startled to find Reichert in her room. She instinctively drew her Glock. He stood from the armchair he had been sleeping in and raised his hands up as if to surrender.

  “It’s OK, it’s OK,” he said. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

  Hannah’s eyes searched the room.

  “You seemed like the one I could trust.” Hannah lowered the weapon and Reichert lowered his hands.

  “How did you get in?”

  “Picked up a burner phone and used the hotel app for the key. I’m a hacker, remember?”

  Hannah motioned for Reichert to sit back in the chair, and she sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What happened at the safe house?” she asked.

  Reichert explained the theory about the FBI schedule and system being hacked. If the hackers had a schedule of who was to be on guard at the safe house, they could try their cells or other devices to track them. He reasoned that the agent with the Fitbit had been traced easily enough. Hannah shook her head in disbelief. It was the same agent that she had worked with to pick Reichert up. She could have easily been there at the house as well had it not been for her trip to help Jess in LA.