Failsafe

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  He read it, his frustration rising. “This is the seventh request for emergency funding in the past three days,” he said as much to himself as to Kade, who was sitting on the couch. “If this keeps up, our emergency funding isn’t going to last the full three months it’s supposed to.”

  Kade looked up from his computer, where he was researching the founders of the guardian program. “Where did this request originate?”

  “Thailand.”

  “This is getting ridiculous,” Kade said with a shake of his head. “Have you noticed how all of the requests for help are coming from Asia?”

  “Yeah. It makes me think someone may be stirring up trouble on purpose.”

  “You think whoever is behind Martin’s murder is trying to bankrupt us?”

  “That’s exactly what I think. If we get desperate enough, we would have to reactivate the system.”

  “And if the system is reactivated, whoever has Martin’s equipment might be able to hack into it,” Kade concluded. “What I don’t understand is why Dwight never told Charlotte about her role in all this. Why wait until her twenty-fifth birthday? She’s been working with the guardians for a couple years now.”

  “Dwight was going to retire three weeks later. He said he wanted Charlotte to understand her past before she committed her future to the guardian program.”

  “Charlotte is the guardian program.”

  “Yes, but Dwight could have created a secondary key if Charlotte wanted to walk away and pursue other dreams,” Ace said. “Besides, having the key hidden in the middle of everyday life somewhere could be the best thing we could do. Dwight never expected Charlotte to show such an aptitude with computers and encryption programs. If she hadn’t, she never would have known anything except that she had a password he wanted her to remember and keep safe.”

  “That’s true. The question is how do we protect her? We don’t even know for sure that she’s safe right now, and it’s possible that whoever killed Dwight knows about Charlotte. We know from the police report that a car window shattered at the farm.”

  “We’ve been over all of the possibilities, and nothing is popping. We’re going to have to dig deeper,” Ace concluded. “Five people besides the guardians knew Dwight was managing the program. One of them must have talked.”

  Kade raked his fingers through his short, dark hair. “All of a sudden, the possibilities are feeling pretty overwhelming.”

  “I never said it was going to be easy.”

  “Maybe we need to take a different approach.”

  “How so?” Ace asked.

  “I think it’s time we look at the other side of the equation too. Let’s see if we can find the buyer.”

  “That’s easier said than done.”

  “Maybe so, but like you said, Charlotte has quite the aptitude for computers. If we can’t find the computer equipment by the time you meet with her, we may need to enlist her help to track it down.”

  Ace considered the idea. “If anyone could do it, she could.”

  “Exactly,” Kade said. “Are you sure you don’t want to call her in sooner? I still can’t believe you’re leaving her out there on her own for so long.”

  “Like I said before, it’s too risky. Someone might try to find her by following one of us,” Ace reminded him. “Besides, there’s no way of knowing if she is still checking the papers.”

  “Personally, I’m hoping we’ll have our guys in custody by then. Three more weeks is a long time.”

  “It is. I just hope Charlotte managed to find somewhere safe to hide out.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  Chapter 26

  Charlotte walked through the living room with a rag in her hand, making sure all of the surfaces were dust free. She had finished reading the book she had borrowed, and the characters were still vivid in her mind. The dinner dishes had long since been washed and put away, and Abigail had settled into her room for the night.

  She considered searching for another book, but she wasn’t quite ready to dive into another fictional world. Her own world seemed unrealistic enough. She heard footsteps in the kitchen, and a moment later Jake poked his head into the living room. Her heart lifted just at the sight of him.

  “Is Grandma already in bed?” Jake asked.

  “She’s heading that way.”

  “Do you have any plans for tonight?”

  “No. I was just trying to decide what I should do with my time.” Charlotte couldn’t deny that she was hoping Jake wanted to spend time together.

  “Do you want to watch a movie with me here?”

  “I didn’t realize you even had a TV in this house.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you.” Jake led her to the door she had assumed went to the garage. He opened it to reveal a breezeway identical to the one leading to his apartment. She followed him through to a windowless room situated behind the garage that had been set up as an in-home theater. A dozen seats were arranged in three rows, each row platformed slightly higher than the one in front of it.

  Jake motioned inside. “Come on. You have your choice of seats.”

  “This is amazing. It’s like your own private theater.”

  “That was the idea. My parents built this because it’s nearly an hour to get to the closest theater. They figured having us at home was preferable to us trying to find something else to do on a Saturday night.”

  “Are you telling me you were a troublemaker?”

  “Me?” he asked innocently. “Never.”

  Charlotte chuckled. “I almost believe you.”

  While he chose a DVD from the shelf in the corner of the room, Charlotte sat down in the front row. “Is this your excuse to take a break from work?” Charlotte asked.

  “It seemed like a good one. Besides, I’ve already put in a good ten hours today. I think I earned a couple hours off.” Jake started the movie and dimmed the lights before taking the seat beside her.

  The movie started, and she had to laugh when she saw it was National Treasure, a movie known for its historical references. “I assume you’ve seen this before.”

  “Maybe once or twice. It’s great inspiration.”

  Charlotte pulled her legs up underneath her, curling up in her seat. The moment she relaxed against the back, Jake reached over and took her hand. A jolt pulsed through her.

  She glanced over at him, a little surprised to see him watching her rather than the screen in front of them. What was it about him, she wondered, that a simple gesture could rocket through her that way?

  He shifted closer and kissed her, sending her world spinning. Her heart bounced to her toes and then up into her throat. His thumb brushed across the back of her hand, his hand keeping hold of hers as though he was afraid to let her go. In that moment, she didn’t doubt she was the center of his world and he the center of hers.

  When he broke the kiss, he gazed down at her for a long moment. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Me too,” she managed, her voice coming out in a whisper.

  Jake tugged her closer so he could put his arm around her shoulders, and she let herself nestle against the side of his body, finding a sense of belonging even as she wondered about the future.

  The possibility of never seeing him again depressed her beyond words. She thought of his gentle manner, his strong sense of family and duty that he barely recognized in himself, and the way every moment they spent together brightened her day.

  Would she be forced into a new identity as soon as she met with Ace? And if so, would she ever be able to enjoy such warmth of home again? Would she be expected to take over for her dad now that he and Kurt were both gone? Or would Ace step up to the task? She prayed a solution would present itself that would allow her to keep this new life she had stumbled upon.

  She still had a few more weeks, she reminded herself. Appreciating the simplicity of being with Jake, Charlotte was determined to enjoy their time together for as long as it lasted.

  * * *


  Erik stood at the edge of the alleyway, the wheels of an approaching car splashing through a puddle on the pavement. Instinctively, he stepped back into the shadows. As a ghost, he was trained to stay invisible as much as possible. Tonight it was literally a matter of life and death.

  The army intelligence officer working out of the small Middle Eastern country had no idea his cover had been blown. His superior officer had been notified, but he was convinced all was well despite the clues the CIA had laid out for him. Unable to work within the chain of command, the CIA had contacted him for help.

  Erik’s assignment was simple enough: make contact, pass along the sedatives the intel officer would need to drug his family, and then smuggle them out of the country to safety.

  Another vehicle approached, and Erik’s heart sank when he saw the police markings on the side. Two policemen stepped out and headed for the restaurant where the intel officer was currently eating dinner.

  “Great,” Erik muttered under his breath. He shifted forward, quickly figuring out the blind spots for the local traffic cameras.

  The policemen entered the restaurant, and Erik weaved his way across the street, staying out of view of the cameras. He ducked down beside the police car and slid beneath it. He pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket and illuminated the undercarriage. Considering his options, he chose the easiest one available.

  He unsheathed the knife tucked in his belt and cut through the gas line. Fuel gushed out, some of it splashing onto his sleeve.

  He rolled out from under the car and casually made his way to the dark entryway of the business next to the restaurant. As he feared, when the police emerged from the restaurant a few minutes later, they weren’t alone.

  Mason Bevins walked between them, his hands cuffed behind his back. Erik wasn’t sure how extensive this man’s training had been before he’d entered the field, but his pale face made Erik think this was his first real taste of danger.

  Recognizing that Mason would likely panic if he tried to make contact, Erik watched and waited as the man was loaded into the backseat of the police car and the two officers got into the front seat.

  The car started but only made it a few yards before the engine came sputtering to a stop. The policeman behind the wheel tried several times to restart the engine before ultimately popping the hood and climbing out to examine something under it.

  Erik waited patiently until the second officer joined him. Once they were both looking under the hood, Erik approached.

  “Engine trouble?” he asked in Arabic.

  “Yes,” the driver said. “I don’t know what happened.”

  “I do,” Erik said. He positioned himself to the side of the car and pointed at the gas engine. As soon as the two police officers leaned under the hood again, he knocked the hood support rod free and slammed the hood down on both of them.

  Groans sounded, and Erik sprang into action, quickly disarming the man closest to him, who appeared to have lost consciousness.

  The driver pushed himself free of the car. Though somewhat stunned, he managed to draw his weapon, but before he could take aim, Erik kicked his hand, sending the gun skidding several feet across the wet road.

  The man looked over at Erik, then at the gun, apparently debating his next course of action. Erik didn’t wait for him to make a decision. He executed a quick spin and threw his elbow into the other man’s jaw.

  Squaring up against his stunned opponent, he dodged an attempted punch and danced on the balls of his feet before executing an uppercut that sent the other man sprawling onto the ground. Erik scooped up the gun still lying on the street and retrieved the handcuff keys from the still unconscious man slumped over the car.

  “Who are you?” Mason asked as soon as Erik opened the car door.

  “I’m here to help.”

  “My family. You have to help me get my family.”

  “We will, but for now, let’s get you out of these handcuffs.”

  Mason nodded eagerly. As soon as the man’s hands were free, Erik motioned for him to follow.

  “Do exactly as I tell you and we’ll have you and your family home before you know it,” Erik said.

  * * *

  This was too easy, Jake thought to himself. He and Hannah had been dating for a week now, and he could hardly believe only two weeks had passed since she’d stumbled into his life.

  He had fallen into a great routine when she had first arrived. Secure in knowing his grandmother was safe and happy, he’d forced himself to get up with the sun, spending an hour writing each morning before breakfast. Having his meals provided for him on regular intervals freed him from life’s simple distractions and left his day free to work as he chose, writing, sketching out his plot lines, or simply going for a walk or a ride to clear his head.

  Gone were his regular visits to the gym, replaced by various farm chores when he tried to spend an hour or two each afternoon helping Max or spending time with his grandma so Charlotte could have a little time to herself. He liked taking his daily exercise in the fresh air rather than working out in the gym.

  Distractions were few and usually of his own making. With no night life to intrude on his time, he couldn’t believe how much he had been able to accomplish. Since he and Hannah had gotten more serious, he had taken less time for himself than when she had first arrived, but his productivity seemed to be more efficient now that he was keeping such a regular schedule.

  The time he spent with Hannah varied from day to day. Sometimes they went for a ride or watched a movie after his grandma went to bed. They did more research on the family in the article Hannah had found, but they had reached a point that they couldn’t go any further until he ordered some vital records from Richmond. He really was going to have to make a trip there sooner or later to take care of the legal business for his parents’ estate.

  For the past couple weeks, he had been reluctant to give up that much time to sitting in a car. Instead, his outings into town included Hannah and his grandmother. He was starting to think Hannah’s patience was rubbing off on him. He no longer felt the need to rush his grandma through each activity; he let her take her time in the simple tasks, like mailing a letter, buying groceries, and checking out books from the library.

  Once he slowed down long enough to listen to her, he once again began to discover his grandmother’s wisdom and sense of humor. He didn’t know if her lucid moments were becoming more frequent or if perhaps he had been too busy before Hannah had arrived to really appreciate them.

  A knock sounded on his door, and he opened it to find Max on the other side with a thick ledger in his hands and several white envelopes resting on top of it. “Sorry to bother you, Jake, but I’m afraid it’s time to do payroll.”

  “Ugh. I hate this stuff.”

  “I know. The checks are already written out. They just need your signature, but when I was looking through the payroll account, it was off by eighteen hundred dollars. It really needs to be balanced before we hand the checks out.”

  “All right. Thanks, Max.” Jake accepted the ledger reluctantly. “How soon do you need it back?”

  “Payday is tomorrow.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Jake groaned as Max started his retreat toward the barn. Closing the door, he looked down at the stack Max had given him: the thick, business-style checkbook and the latest bank statements on top.

  Knowing the unpleasant task would hang over his head if he didn’t take care of it right away, he fished around in his desk drawer for a calculator. Coming up empty, he headed for his dad’s office, taking the checkbook and bank statements with him.

  “What’s all that?” Hannah asked when he approached the hallway near where she and his grandmother were sitting in the living room.

  “I have to balance the checkbook.” He rolled his eyes.

  “I gather you don’t like balancing your checkbook.”

  “You would be correct. The one advantage of being an author and only getting paid twice a year i
s that I don’t have to deal with this stuff very often. I pay my bills six months in advance, and the next time I get a check, I pay all my bills again. Unfortunately, a farm doesn’t run that way.”

  “I know a lot of people prefer to keep their finances private, but if you need help, I’m pretty good at math.”

  “Are you offering to balance my checkbook?”

  “If you want me to.”

  “This could be love.” Jake shoved the stack into her hands and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Bank statements are on top, and the payroll checks have already been filled out. I don’t know anything else. Tell me what I need to sign when you’re done.”

  “Jake, you probably don’t want to just give someone a checkbook and say you’ll sign whatever they give you.”

  “I’m not giving it to just anyone. I trust you. Besides, it’s not like I won’t read who I’m paying before I sign the checks.” Jake started to step away and remembered the problem Max had mentioned earlier. “Oh, there’s one more thing. Max said the payroll account is off by eighteen hundred dollars. I have no idea how to figure out what caused that.”

  Hannah opened up the first bank statement. She scanned it quickly and pointed to a number on the second page. $7,554.27. “It’s probably this right here.”

  Surprised by the certainty in her voice, he stepped closer and looked at the columns of numbers. “What makes you think that?”

  “If someone reversed the first two numbers, that would create a discrepancy of $1,800.”

  Jake reached out and took the checkbook from her. “What’s the check number?”

  “Four-two-two-eight.”

  He flipped through the carbon copies of the checks his father had written the month before, scanning it until he found the correct one. Sure enough, the amount was $5,754.27, not the amount listed on the bank statement. Jake looked at her, amazed. “How did you do that?”

  “It’s not complicated. When a variance is divisible by nine, it usually means there’s a reversal somewhere.”

  “You say that like it’s common knowledge. I’d never heard that before.”