“Why do you think he took money? Was he hacking on the side?” Luke asked.
“No. There was money that we could never find. We were able to account for what Wells was blowing through, but there was a couple million that just went…missing,” Felicity recalled.
“That must be the money he thinks you have. Maybe it wasn’t the money Liam put back but that money?” Dace paced the office, piecing together what made the most sense, given the circumstance. “Maybe he did break back past Liam’s fire things…”
“Firewalls,” Liam corrected.
“Firewall…” Dace continued, “Maybe the guy did his own math and noticed the missing money.”
“I suppose there’s a small possibility he was able to get in, but why didn’t he try to take the money once he was in?” Liam questioned. A guy like that, so savvy he could possibly break through a nearly unbreakable security wall – why not take what he could once inside?
Luke nodded slowly as he stared off at nothing in particular, letting the clues fall into place. “Under the radar. He’s dead, remember? Why let the world know he’s back from the grave if he doesn’t have to?”
“Good point, but none of this is really relevant.” It was a story with a thousand endings, Felicity thought, and the only ending she cared about was the one where this guy was behind bars or back in the grave where he belonged. “Dunham and Lainey should be our focus, and it looks like they’re working for Wells.”
“Or…” Liam interrupted, standing from his chair, “they are Wells.” Liam looked down at her. “Is that possible, Felicity?”
“No…” Felicity shouted. “Not – not my sister. She was just a kid, a teenager, then. She was in college.”
“Okay, so rule her out for a minute,” Liam offered. “Could Dunham be Wells? I mean you both worked for him. What if Dunham wasn’t really working for anyone but himself and was there to keep an eye on you? You were his biggest producer, his strongest hacker.” The more Liam said out loud, the more it all made sense. “You were also the most likely to blow his cover, and you did.”
Luke needed more, needed Felicity to think harder and give them something she may not even realize she had, so he took a low blow. “You were engaged to the guy – how do you not know who he was or what side he was playing for, City?”
She whipped her head toward Luke with a hard glare focused on him. “Yeah, Luke, I was engaged to him and thought it was forever until he delivered my mom and sister to Wells and ran with money that Wells thinks I have.” With a surprised gasp, she quickly covered her mouth, shocked by her own admission. Was that what she really thought? Was that what really happened?
Luke leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “C’mon, City. Think, girl. What else? What else do you know. Put it together – what really happened?”
Felicity nodded her head, gaze locked on Luke’s while searching his eyes like the answers rested there. He had stirred something in her, uncovering memories she had long since buried in the deepest darkest parts of her psyche. It was coming back to her though. She needed to remember, wanted to remember.
“I never really met Wells, not face to face anyway. It was always through emails and messages where his voice was disguised,” She recalled. “He could have been anyone. I mean when your ex and your sister rise from the dead, anything is possible, and this has Wells, or whoever, written all over it.”
“Good job, City,” Luke said, offering her encouragement. He’d interrogated plenty of victims over the years as well as hostile witnesses and terrorists. He was a strong subscriber to the idea that people tended to know more than they thought or knew they did. “Keep talkin’, darlin’.”
“I didn’t blow it by asking too many questions. Dunham…he knew I found out that Wells wasn’t legal,” Felicity added. “I told him everything. He knew because I told him. I handed him the smoking gun, and he used it to blackmail me and keep me working by kidnapping my mom and sister.” Felicity couldn’t believe what she was saying, what a fool she had been. “Dunham bailed when you guys showed up. That’s how he knew you were coming for Wells…he was Wells. Right?”
“Shit, City…” Dace dropped his head and shook it in disbelief. This really was the kind of stuff made for movies. “Okay, we have two theories and need to treat this like we have three unsubs’ until we know otherwise – Wells, Dunham, and Lainey.” He looked to Felicity certain referring to her sister as a criminal stung. “Until we know she’s innocent, we have to assume she’s in on this, City.”
“I understand,” she said quietly.
“Who’s Wells? Where is he? How does this Dunham fella fit into it? And where’s your sister been all of these years?” Wylie asked, bullet pointing what needed to be addressed in their investigation.
“And where’s my mom?” Felicity added to the ever-growing list of questions and concerns.
“We have current images now, so I can start facial recognition, try to pinpoint where they are, and go from there. I won’t look too broad or it will slow the search.” Liam was on a roll. They had a long list of questions, and it was time for answers. “If they get within one hundred miles of us, we’ll know they’re coming.”
“Can’t you tell where they are by the Costco location? Isn’t it pretty obvious?” Wylie asked.
“Sure, says he’s in Tallahassee.” Liam laughed. “And Seattle…Birmingham…Chicago…and Eugene, just two hours south of here. He’s fucking with us.” Liam paused, looking at his screens, each holding different bits of information. “There has to be a clue in all of this though. I just need to find it. I’ll write a program to look for patterns, dissect the pictures. Felicity, I’ll want your help with that. Much faster with both of us on it.”
“Sure thing.” She smiled. They were still worlds apart, but Liam’s request for help meant something. She didn’t know what yet, but she’d take it. He was about to be her knight in shining armor. She just hoped he was ready for that.
“So, this is a game of who can out technology the other now?” Dace asked with a chuckle.
“Exactly. He gave us a trail. We just need to find it in all of this,” Liam added, his fingers already tapping away. “There’s always a trail.’
“What ever happened to the bad guy just chasing us with a gun?” Luke asked, his tone laced in sarcasm but his question real.
“This is a new kind of manhunt, boys, like hunting someone who isn’t there,” Liam answered. “Technology can make you believe anything and everything then hide it all in an instant, like chasing a ghost. It’s now our greatest enemy while also our greatest tool. It’s how we are going to resolve this as much as it will threaten us.”
“So, get on that interweb thing of yours, Liam, and surf it or whatever. Find him – beat him. Case closed, brother.” Luke ended with a booming team Liam clap of his hands.
“I will, and it’s innerweb.” Liam smiled, focused on his wall of screens. “I just need to find the first needle in the fucking haystack that is layers and layers of coding and programming.”
“Ummm.” Felicity turned from her computer, interrupting the silence surrounding them. “I already may have found that needle you’re looking for. Well, found help anyway.”
Liam stopped what he was doing and listened. All they needed was a small break. “Okay? And?”
“He’s an old…friend. He’s actually how I got hooked up with Wells and ultimately met Dunham,” she explained. “I can’t reach him though. He’s off the grid. But I think I know where he is.”
Liam jumped to his feet and hung his cardigan sweater, swapping it for a jacket.
“Hold on, he needs to do his Mr. Rogers thing and hang the sweater. Are you going to change your shoes too?” Wylie teased. Liam was often the butt of many harassing jokes because he was the quieter brother with all of the fun quirks to pick at.
He flipped his brother off before turning to Felicity. “Let’s go.”
10
“So, you may not like where
we end up,” Felicity said with trepidation. “In fact, you’ll probably hate it. Not…your style. It’s just outside the city, a bit of a drive.”
“I don’t mind the countryside, Felicity,” Liam responded, looking out his passenger side window. “I assume that’s where we’re going to end up since we’re heading this way?”
Felicity kept her eyes on the road as she drove while trying to decide how much she should tell Liam in advance. “Umm, that’s not what I meant, but okay. Just… Keep an open mind.”
The tall statured buildings and quick pace of the city slowly disappeared as the laid-back suburbs of Portland surrounded their drive. In less than thirty minutes, they would find themselves passing through the rural outskirts of Portland. Their destination in the middle of nowhere.
Felicity took an exit from the highway they had been traveling and continued along the tree lined road that took them further and further away from civilization. Even the plentiful farmlands became fewer and further between, until it was just them, flanked by forest on each side of the road.
Liam looked up from his phone when the signal grew weak, bouncing in and out of service, “Where exactly are we going? What could possibly be out here? I mean there’s off the grid, then there’s this.” He laughed. “Does he live on one of those self-sustainable farms or something?”
“Not exactly.” She snickered.
As the trees grew thick, the bulky header shaded them from the sun, creating an eerie vibe that sent a chill down Liam’s back. “Are you sure this is the right way?”
“How can you question my directions if you don’t even know where we’re going?” she fired back. She attempted to tell him where they were going, and he shut her down. Now he had the gall to question her?
“Well, we’re way the hell out here. It’s a little creepy. You also brought Declan’s big ass dog. Is he for protection?” Irritated, Liam tossed a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to Dick the dog, who took up the entire backseat. “Do we need protection? I mean, if he hooked you up with the cyber mafia and all…”
“Are you worried, Liam? Or, is this just that uptight, stick up your ass talking?” Felicity never swore, unless Liam O’Reilly drove her to it, and he’d floored it straight to pissing her off. “Why, didn’t I bring one of your brothers?” she said under her breath.
Liam unholstered his weapon and examined it, checking the chamber and making sure he had extra ammunition. “God knows where you’re taking me. Backwoods people eat their own kind, right? Better be ready.” He was full of shit, but he didn’t care. If he wasn’t irritated with Felicity, he was interested in her – too interested. Keeping her pissed off kept him pissed off, and everybody was better off that way.
“It’s really not that serious, Liam. I don’t think you’ll need that,” she snarked. Time to hit him where it hurt. “Besides, I’ll be there to protect you. I’ll beat up the bad guys for you.”
“One black eye, and your tougher than me? Okay, Felicity.” He held up his phone, waving it back and forth. “No service, I can’t check anything from out here.”
Felicity grinned and offered a monotone threat. “Also, can’t call for help.”
He rolled his eyes and sat in silence but only for a moment. “And the only reason you landed a few hits on my pretty mug was because I let you. I didn’t fight back. Wouldn’t want you to cry or anything.” He turned his focus back to his window and half whispered between gritted teeth. “You’re such a…girl.”
“Yep. No cell service, no way to call…for help.”
“Are you serious right now?” Liam turned in his seat to face her, even leaned her direction to make his point. Even Dick the dog sat up and paid attention. “That isn’t the least bit funny. Someone is after you, capable of killing you, and you have jokes?”
“Lighten up. We’re safe out here because there’s no cell service or technology of any kind, really. He can’t reach us here, Liam. Besides, you said you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
“That I did,” he said softly.
“Thank you…for that.”
Liam tapped his foot nervously and huffed. He was uncomfortable with the conversation. It was getting personal, and he didn’t want to send the wrong message. “Well, Reagan would be crushed if anything happened to you. I owe it to her to…keep you safe.”
Cop out she thought. He cared, or he wouldn’t have leapt out of his seat and volunteered to go with her. “And you, Liam?”
“And I…” he hung on his own words for a moment, not sure how to answer. He felt guilty lying to her and telling her the truth. It was a lose-lose for him. Saved by the sign, he thought. “And I…think we’re here.”
A large ornate sign, engraved with Blue Moon Resort, was posted on the side of the road, held by totem poles on either side. Felicity turned onto the narrow road that carved its way through the thick forest. There were trail signs with maps, every so often, and wooden benches placed all about. The further in they got, the thinner the trees became until it opened into a beautiful space – a parking lot.
“This is the nicest parking lot I have ever parked in,” Felicity said. “The flowers, the waterfall and fountain? It’s all so…natural too. Very…organic.”
“Organic? Really? Not park-like but organic?” He laughed at her choice of words but had to agree.
The place was lined with mossy logs, even marking the parking spaces, and steps that lead up to the top of a grassy berm where the actual resort must be. Spring flower gardens bordered the perimeter and the water features while baskets of trailing foliage hung from the surrounding trees. It was like its own calming oasis, not a parking lot.
“If this is the parking lot, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the place looks like. What is this?” he asked when he noticed the wooden signs all around that said no cellphones or cameras of any kind beyond this point. “No phones or cameras. Is this one of those sweat lodge places where you write letters to yourself as a form of self-discovery?” he teased.
“Something like that.” Felicity turned to him, a little more pissed off than she probably should be by his condescending attitude. “Did you ever think maybe it was just to shut off the outside world?” She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “And relax maybe? Do you even remember what that is, or do you enjoy being so friggin’ uptight all the time?”
Stunned by her reaction, he said, “Are you okay? Put the claws away. It was just an observation. I’m on your side, remember?” He reached for the rear car door and let Dick out. “I see why you wanted to bring Dick. He should like it out here, quite a bit of freedom.” Liam scratched the dog’s ears, his head hitting just above Liam’s waist. “He can just let it all hang out and go nuts.”
“You have no idea.” Felicity snickered and headed for the stairs that lead to the resort grounds.
Once at the top, they could see a gorgeous clubhouse in the distance, but they were stopped by a self-service information center that had basic resort rules posted and information on where to find golf carts and clubs, the swimming pools, hiking maps and whatever Blue Moon Resort had to offer. It was a pretty swanky place from the looks of it.
Liam grabbed Dick’s leash from his back pocket, minding the sign that said it was required. Then he bent down to one knee in an effort to clip it to Dick’s collar.
“So, I sort of didn’t mention what kind of place this was because I thought you may not go in.” A nervous chuckle danced in Felicity’s words before a subtle snort erupted. “I, uh…”
When Liam looked up, suspicious of her behavior, he was quickly drawn to a sultry woman’s voice behind him. “What a handsome fella.” Before Liam could say thank you, she said with a wink, “Cute dog, too.”
Liam tried to make eye contact, but it was nearly impossible since he was eye level with…not her eyes. His jaw dropped, and he choked on his words as he stumbled forward into Dick who licked him fiercely.
“Lucky dog,” the older woman added before disappearing down a path i
nto the woods.
A real snort escaped Felicity this time. “Not here five minutes, and you’re already being hit on. You O’Reilly boys and your rugged good looks. Can’t take you anywhere.” She laughed, not at the idea that Liam was hit on by a member of the Cougar Club but because of his reaction to the surroundings he was finally seeing for what they were.
“That old woman was…Felicity…she was…” He looked around and noticed a couple headed to a putting green with bags being pulled by a younger caddy, and a family picnicking on the expansive green lawn in the distance, couples with heavy, outdoorsy backpacks high fiving each other as one group coming off a hiking trail past a group ready to head out. They were all naked.
“I think women of her age prefer to be called, mature,” Felicity said with a straight face.
“She was fucking old, Felicity.”
“Would you say it to her face?”
“I’d rather not.” Liam was so taken aback; his voice was pitchy and cracking. “Her…you know…were sagging all the way to her…you know, and her… Oh my God, what are we doing here?!”
Felicity bit her bottom lip to nearly bleeding, finding far too much joy in Liam’s discomfort. “Blue Moon, it’s a, uh…nudist resort.”
“You don’t say…”
With his back to the rest of the resort, Liam faced the parking lot in an effort not to see all of the dangling parts floating – or flopping – around. “We can’t go in there. I am not going in there.”
“Yes, we can. I need to. I found Wells’ old partner. I know why he bailed when he did now,” Felicity shared. “It was when Wells got weird and started keeping the money, turning their real business to an illegal operation. That’s got to be it.”
“And he’s here, living like…this?” Liam waved a finger over his shoulder, indicating the nudists, but refused to turn around. “He’s living here…you know?”
“You mean naked? Jesus, Liam, just say it. You act like you’ve never seen any of this before.”
Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included! Page 40