by Lea Hart
Sam looked over at his top man and let out a laugh. “I said very little because he was too busy giving me the rules and regulations speech.”
“He must’ve felt it was effective because he signed off and put our requests on the fast-track.”
Sam crossed his knee on his leg and then looked out the window again before he spoke. “I believe we received the green light because the possibility of an alliance between Vazov and Yolkin is not inconceivable. We both know that Yolkin had to have help to make the grab for power that he did, and if he’s in constant communication with Vazov, then all arrows point to him.”
“We should contact the Brussels legat and see what they have on Vazov and see if their suspicions about his ties to the Albanian Rudaj fis were ever proved.”
“That’s a good idea because if they’re connected, then it explains the black heroin in the dealer’s hands.”
Owen pulled his tablet closer and typed a note. “Is Bes Besiaj still the krye of the Rudaj fis?”
“I’m not sure, but if he is and there was a proven connection to the KLA made, then the stuff that’s showing up makes sense.”
Sam pulled out a folder and opened it. “But why would Besiaj use the Russian Bratva to distribute their goods when they have known ties all along the eastern seaboard? I’ve never heard of the Albanians working with the Russians, so why in the hell would Besiaj?”
“And therein lies the fifty-million-dollar question. Not even the Genovese crime family wants anything to do with them,” Owen replied. “When I was in the New York office, I heard a captain of the family say on tape that he hated the fucking Albanians because if you have a beef with them, you have to kill them right away. There’s no talking to them.”
“Yeah, I bet the Gambino family regrets ever hiring them as assassins back in the nineties. Gave them a foothold that allowed them to become one of the most dominant groups in the world.”
Owen took his chair again and leaned his elbows on the table. “We’ve got a lot of dots of raw intel, and it’s going to take longer than we like to develop them.”
“Which makes me crazy.” Tapping the table with his fingers, Sam shook his head. “We’ve got a new and improved Russian cell operating in the city with the possible backing of one of the best money launderers in the world—who might have ties to an Albanian fis that likes to donate money to al-Qaeda. Why should we worry about how long it takes?”
Owen let out a loud bark of laughter. “You have a sick sense of humor.”
“What the hell is my choice? This is a shit-show of such epic proportions that it’s difficult to imagine how it could get worse.”
“Lucky could stick her nose in it and put herself in danger,” Owen replied helpfully.
“Fuck you for even uttering those words.” He ran his hand down his face and felt a cold chill run over his body because that’s exactly what he was afraid of. Not wanting to let that picture fully develop, he glared at Owen. “I know you’re good friends with Jason over at SAI, so put a bug in his ear to keep an eye on Lucky. I’m going to be working it from my end, but it never hurts to have an extra set.”
“I will, but you know she has enough people around her that, even if she wanted to do something foolish, she wouldn’t get far.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
“Are you going to ask her to share intel?”
“Not sure. Right now, Simon doesn’t want her anywhere near this case because there’s some rumor suggesting she’s been crawling inside the Intelligence Branch’s network. After speaking with her last night, I know in no uncertain terms she’s been nowhere near it, so that means someone is making shit up or creating false data.”
“Not surprising. No one in the Intelligence Office likes being shown up, and that’s exactly what Lucky has done and could do again.”
Which suddenly made a lightbulb go off in Sam’s brain. Maybe it was the Intelligence Office that was spreading bad intel about Lucky. They sure had the ways and means to do it and what Owen had said was true because what she’d accomplished in a matter of weeks would’ve taken them close to a year. “You have a point, Owen.”
“I usually do,” he replied sarcastically. “Seems this case may not be a total shit-show if it gives you an excuse to keep in contact with Lucky. Maybe this time you won’t screw it up and you’ll get her to like you instead of hate you. That date you’ve been wanting may not be an impossible dream after all.”
“I would never get Lucky involved in something potentially dangerous just so we could hang out.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make it work in your favor.” Owen stood and picked up his tablet. “And that concludes my dating advice for the day.”
“Thank God,” Sam said as he watched Owen saunter out of the room. Picking up his stuff, he stood and walked out of the conference room toward his office. He didn’t need the case as an excuse because, one way or another, his and Lucky’s time was coming, and when it did, he wasn’t going to screw it up.
***
Lucky sat next to Griffin and grabbed another donut out of the box. “I tried to backtrack through the initial breach and then found myself stuck. Whoever is responsible for this has a sick skill set.”
Grif inhaled a donut in four bites and then flicked sugar off his sweater. “We have to change our mindset and think like the hackers we used to be. This breach has a purpose, and since we don’t know what kind of psychopaths we’re dealing with, we have to proceed slowly.”
“I agree, but I can’t figure out where they entered. I don’t think the initial package we discovered that failed to deploy is what we need to worry about. I feel like there’s something deeper in the network that we’ve yet to uncover.” Lucky looked over at her monitor and saw that the reverse-engineering software called a disassembler was halfway through processing the content of what had been sent. “It will be interesting to see if there’s ransomware attached to the package, though. That will tell us something because if there’s bank account information, that will give us a clue. We can get into the bank’s network and see who holds the account.”
“There will absolutely be ransomware.”
Griffin leaned over and looked at the monitor and Lucky inhaled his familiar warm male, musk scent and wondered why it didn’t send her swooning as it had in the past. “Hey, how was your date last night?”
“Are we really going to talk about that?”
Sitting up straight, she let out an exasperated breath. “Not if you don’t want to. I just thought we were at the point of being able to talk about stuff like that.”
Rolling his chair closer, he dropped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her close. “When we worked, it was amazing, and that’s not easy to let go of.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and grinned. “Let’s relive our ten worst fights and that way we won’t get nostalgic for the past.”
“Am I interrupting anything?” Hank asked as he walked into the room.
“No, Boss, just trying to figure out the security breach for the client.” Sitting up straight, she flashed Hank a grin and rolled her chair away from Grif’s.
“Yeah, something was about to get breached all right,” he responded with a laugh.
Griffin stood and shook Hank’s hand. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
Hank gripped Griffin’s hand and nodded. “Thanks, man, I’m officially cohabitating with my girlfriend, and it’s freaking fantastic.”
Lucky swung her head around and saw the huge smile that split her boss’s face. It was no small wonder that her best friend had fallen for him and was head over heels in love. “Has Stazi started to decorate your condo?”
“It’s not my condo—it’s our condo, and yes, she’s added some color to the place. We’re not going nuts, though, because eventually we’re going to look for a bigger space.”
“Your place has plenty, why do you two need more?”
“We’ve only got two roo
ms, and I want more than one kid, so it makes sense to start looking around now, so we’re ready.”
“She just moved in two weeks ago, don’t you want to wait and see how it goes before you start planning the kids?” Lucky asked.
“No. We’re going to be married next year, and I bet we start a family right away.”
Lucky saw Grif’s horrified expression and knew the idea of getting married and having kids was nothing he was interested in. “Close your mouth, Grif. Otherwise, you’ll catch flies.”
“Sorry, it’s just shocking to think that less than a year ago Hank didn’t know Stazi existed, and now he’s planning marriage and babies.”
Hank slapped Griffin on the shoulder. “If you’re fortunate, something like that could happen to you.”
Shaking his head vigorously, Griff waved his arms. “Don’t even put that out to the universe. I’m only thirty years old, and I’ve got a lot of living to do.”
“Turns out I like doing all that living with Staz,” Hank responded. Snapping his fingers, he gave Lucky a grin. “Almost forgot why I came in here. I wanted to give you a heads-up that Ivy is going to be in the office tomorrow and wants to meet with you.”
“Is she coming to apologize for stealing one of my best people and keeping her in Texas?”
“Don’t think so; she said something about the planned expansion of the Department of Intelligence at SAI.”
“Why am I expanding?”
“Max and Rory want to ensure we’re keeping up with the evolution of the security business and want to grow where necessary. As the VP of Operations, it’s Ivy’s job to make it happen.”
“Well, hanging out with Ivy is always fun and interesting, so I look forward to her visit.”
“Ryan’s coming with her, and he’s going on an op we’ve got on Friday.”
“Why?”
“Ryan was one of the best snipers on the Teams and an incredible waterman. We’re in the harbor on Friday, and I’d like to have him join us.”
“I think he’s coming along because he and Ivy just got married and doesn’t want to be left home alone.”
“Maybe, but I’m happy to have him, and it gives him a chance to keep his abilities sharp. Not a lot of opportunity in Texas to keep his diving skills up.”
One of the computers beeped and Lucky turned around. “I better check it.”
“I’ll do it,” Grif said as he moved toward the monitor.
“Leave you to it,” Hank said as he walked out.
Lucky watched him for a second and wondered briefly what Ivy had in mind. Expanding her department would be both a blessing and a curse, and she couldn’t decide which was going to happen first.
Taking a chair next to Grif, they both watched the data scroll across their screens. Right now, they didn’t have anything definitive, but what was showing up looked like the malicious hack was meant to permeate the client’s network, steal and encrypt all of its data, and demand payment for its return.
But her gut was telling her there was more, and it was going to take her and Grif digging through it together to discover what that more was.
CHAPTER FIVE
Thursday, September 7th
A Texas hurricane blew into the SAI offices, and it was Ivy Bellows Cordell. Hurricane Harvey had been hell for the folks down south, and Ivy might prove to be equally disruptive if she stayed for more than a few days. Which thankfully wouldn’t be the case, Lucky thought as she watched Ivy move toward her on her sky-high heels. “Is that red fringe decorating your shoes?”
Ivy let out a loud laugh, kicked up her heel, and grinned. “Yes, aren’t they fab? I grabbed them the last time I was at the Neiman Marcus outlet, and I’m not ashamed to say that I beat out a red-haired hussy who was trying to steal them from me.”
Ivy’s husband, Ryan, followed behind her and shook his head. “It’s true. I made her give me the gun before she went in, so I don’t have to spend the first year of marriage with my wife in the big house.”
“Honey, don’t be spreading fake news. I have never once thought of pulling my gun out to settle an argument over a pair of shoes.”
“And I plan on keeping it that way.
Lucky watched the two of them and wondered how opposites managed to cohabitate and make a happy life together. Ivy was a smart, fearless woman who had more than a bit of colorfulness in her personality, and Ryan was a laid-back former sniper who was ruffled by nothing, least of all his wife. Which proved logic had nothing to do with love. The heart wanted what the heart wanted, damn the consequences.
When Ivy got close, she enveloped Lucky in a big hug and then let her go. “Should we go to the conference room or down to the kitchen?” Lucky asked as she stepped away.
“Depends on where the muffins are.”
“Kitchen it is,” Lucky responded. “Ryan, the guys are down in the gym, and Hank asked me to send you over when you got here.”
“Roger that.” He bent over, kissed his wife, and then walked toward the staircase.
“I swear that man is poetry in motion,” Ivy said with a sigh as she watched Ryan walk away.
Hearing her name, Lucky turned around and saw Grif walk out of her office. “What’s up?”
“Found the bank number that was attached to the ransomware.”
“Where’s it located?”
“In Brussels,” Grif replied.
“Is that about the client that’s been hacked and jacked?” Ivy asked.
“Yes, and before I forget all my manners, let me introduce you to Griffin. We went to school together and he’s the second-best hacker I know.”
Grif smiled at both women and then shook Ivy’s hand. “I’m actually the better hacker; Lucky just can’t admit it.”
“Please tell me that Lucky has offered you a job and you’ve accepted.”
“She has about a dozen times, and as interesting as it is, I’m not ready to give up my independent ways.”
Lucky turned to Ivy and shrugged. “I’ll get him eventually.”
“The way he’s looking at you tells me you already have and he’s just stringing out his acceptance.”
“I wish my powers were that good, but they’re not,” Lucky replied. “Come into the office for a second, and I’ll show you what we’ve been dealing with.”
“Griffin, I want you to know that I’m a determined woman and I don’t plan on giving up until you’re working with us on a permanent basis,” Ivy said as she followed Lucky into the room.
“If you’re half as determined as Lucky, then I guess it’ll just be a matter of time.”
Standing in front of her keyboard, Lucky typed in a series of commands and brought up a view of what was on her monitors to the large Microsoft hub screens that dominated the wall. “We’re both thinking that the package that was delivered to the client no longer matters, but the hack does. Whoever found a way into the network and disappeared has exposed a vulnerability that we have yet to identify. A backdoor has been established, and we’re assuming it’s not a short-lived one, and as far as we know it’s up for sale on the black market.”
“What’s the strategy for this sort of thing?” Ivy asked as she set her bag down on a chair.
“We’re slowly working our way through the data and trying to determine what the goal of the intrusion was,” Lucky responded. “Being in the internet business means you’re going to get hacked and it’s best to figure out what someone is after before you make a move. We’ll soon know, and that will give us an answer as to what our next step should be.”
Griffin collapsed into a chair. “Most networks have a weakness in their defenses, and at some point, they’re going to get hit with an exploit.”
“Which is usually a piece of zero-day software,” Lucky added. “Which in English means a vulnerability in the network has been detected and is being exploited. Attackers either release malware or put it up for sale on the Dark Net.”
“When will you know and what can you do to prevent it from happening ag
ain?” Ivy asked.
“That’s the question we can’t yet answer,” Grif replied.
“If we rush, then we might miss an important piece of information that could lead us to the real reason for the breach,” Lucky added.
“We have approximately a dozen clients that require these services and the total for those contracts is well over the twenty-five-million-dollar mark,” Ivy said as she sat down and crossed her legs. “If we want to grow this part of the business, then we have to make some changes and create a team solely dedicated to it.” Swinging her leg, she looked around the room. “Actually, that’s why I’m here.”
“Let’s go down to the kitchen and find the muffins,” Lucky said as she swiped the images off the big screens. “I feel like this convo is going to need some sugar.”
Ivy stood and grabbed her bag. “Life always requires sugar.”
“Grif, come get me if you need anything.”
He gave her a salute and then hunkered over the keyboard.
Lucky sat next to Ivy on the couch in the kitchen and crossed her legs. “How much am I going to hate the changes?”
Ivy let out a snort and sat back. “You are the director of the department, so together we’re going to decide what the changes are going to entail.”
“Paint the big picture for me, so I know where we’re headed.”
“As you know, we’ve grown like crazy over the last year, and for it to be manageable, we have to work smarter so we don’t burn anyone out. What Max, Rory, and I have identified as a major area of growth is your department. Ultimately, we’d like to replicate what you’ve created here in Chicago in every office. Having the guys call you for every little request doesn’t make sense because it’s a waste of your valuable skills.”