by Chloe Lang
Kip Lunceford? The bastard’s coding skills were nearly as good as his and Scott’s, and in some cases better. He’d been the shining star of the original five. When TBK had been awarded the Pentagon’s consulting contract to develop missile-targeting software, he and Scott had put Kip in the driver’s seat of that project. Bad idea.
Eric stared at Megan, the wife of the man that nearly brought down the entire company. She wasn’t the only one who the feds had decimated after discovering Kip had sold classified code to terrorists. If Patrick and Sam hadn’t called in favors from some powerful senators and congressmen, they might’ve lost everything, too. Eric and his brother had been blindsided by the whole Kip thing. Trust wasn’t a luxury they would ever give in to again. Never. Not when it came to TBK, or anything else for that matter.
“Kip’s wife can’t get away with this, Cam,” Eric said through clenched teeth. “Ethel seems to have a soft spot when it comes to her.”
“I can’t blame her, bro,” Scott whispered back. “She looks innocent to me, too. And if truth be known, I’ve got something hard between my legs for her right now.”
“Don’t fuck up, Scott. This is TBK’s future that’s on the line,” Eric said. “We either stop her from hacking into our private servers and screwing up our code or we might as well throw in the towel and watch all our work be crushed into dust.”
Scott’s eyes never left Megan. “I hear you.”
Scott’s hushed tone didn’t make Eric’s worry fade. “I know she’s beautiful, our type for sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that her computer is what Dylan identified as the source, remember?”
Scott nodded. “God, she is our type, bro. Sharing her would be amazing. Can you imagine us showing up at Phase Four with her between us?”
“Not happening.” Of course, that image had been in Eric’s head from the moment Megan Lunceford had entered the courtroom. “Keep your head in the game or I will knock it off your shoulders.”
Ethel stopped tapping and stared at Megan. “Mrs. Lunceford, would you have an attorney with you today if you had had the funds to hire one?”
Megan nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Good to know.” Ethel sat back in her chair. “This court will assign you an attorney to review your case.”
“But, Your Honor?” Cam’s frustration was evident in every syllable.
Ethel’s face was stern. “No buts, Mr. Strange. Mrs. Lunceford, do you accept the offer of this court for an attorney to be assigned to you?”
“Thank you, Your Honor. I do accept.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Absolutely, I accept. I must keep my mother’s home. She left it to me.”
Ethel looked back down to the papers on her desk. “Back taxes. Lots of back taxes. You’re in quite a fix, young lady.”
“Your Honor, Mrs. Lunceford brought the papers, but what about the computer that she was ordered to bring?” Cameron asked. God, Cam was one hell of an attorney. “Where is that?”
The stately woman held up her hand to silence him. “He’s right, Mrs. Lunceford. You are supposed to have a computer here with you today.”
That computer was the key to everything. They had to have it.
Megan nodded. “Your Honor, I brought it, but it is quite heavy. I’m not sure why you need it. I got the computer, a monitor, and a modem from a pawn shop less than a year ago to help me look for work. A complete waste of money since the thing only turned on a couple of times. The computer is in my car out front. If I could get some help, I’ll bring it in.”
“Objection,” Cam snapped.
“Sustained. Mrs. Lunceford, please keep your answers short or Mr. Strange might bust a blood vessel.”
There were several chuckles from the gallery.
“Phoebe Blue, come up here.” Ethel waved her forward. Phoebe and her brothers Corey and Shane were local. Phoebe was an attorney, Corey was a US Marshal, and Shane was…well, that was a long, sad story.
Phoebe was all business. She’d worked her way through law school on her own. Her hair, which was quite long but rarely down, was up in a bun. She walked to the judge’s bench. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“Counselor, let me introduce you to your newest client, Megan Lunceford.”
“I’d be happy to help, ma’am, but my caseload is full.” Phoebe was a friend of theirs. She clearly didn’t want to be on a case that opposed TBK.
“It just got even fuller, counselor. Bailiff, please give these to Mrs. Lunceford’s attorney.” Ethel handed back all the papers Megan had brought to the court. “You may submit them to the court as exhibits when we come back to hear opening arguments next Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.”
The bailiff took the files and gave them to Phoebe. Megan’s eyes were wide as saucers in apparent shock.
“Court is adjourned.” Ethel pounded her gavel on the wood.
“All rise,” the bailiff said.
As Eric stood, he looked over again at Megan and had the oddest feeling wash over him. Call it a premonition, an impression, or just a silly hunch, but something about her reached into him, and he knew everything in his life was about to be changed by her. How or what? He wasn’t sure, but as the court cleared, he felt it into the very core of his being.
Chapter Two
Scott Knight heard a distant crash of thunder outside the courtroom. The last thing Destiny needed was another downpour after the most recent one. There were still so many roads washed out in the area that digging out would continue for a few more weeks. But the gray day outside wasn’t what was really at the front of his mind. The blonde beauty he and his brother were trying to bring down was at the top of his thoughts. Megan Lunceford.
Megan and Phoebe walked to the far corner of the courtroom.
Vicky and Felix came up from the back of the gallery together.
Felix nodded and Vicky asked in a hushed tone, “Another week? I guess this trip was a waste? How are you doing, guys?”
“We’re good,” Eric whispered.
Felix placed his hands on Scott’s and Eric’s shoulders. “We’ve got you covered.”
“Thanks, man,” Scott said softly. Felix might’ve aged over the years, but he still seemed like the charming guy from those first days at TBK. “You two head to Dallas. I know your plates are full with all the new contracts.”
“Okay. You need us here next week?” Vicky asked.
“We’ll let you know,” replied Eric.
“We’re going to grab a bite before we leave for Texas,” Felix said. “How about joining us?”
“No thanks.” Scott shook his head. “I need to talk to Eric about something.”
Felix shrugged. “Next time then.”
Vicky and Felix said their good-byes and left.
After they were out of earshot, Scott turned to Eric. “Kip’s wife can’t be involved. She doesn’t look like a criminal mastermind to me.”
Megan was shaking like a leaf next to Phoebe, her new court-appointed attorney.
Eric glared at him, his voice rising slightly. “Don’t.”
“Listen to your brother, Scott.” Cameron thrummed his fingers on the plaintiff’s desk. “Dylan has the goods on her. She’s as guilty as they come.”
She didn’t look felonious to him. She looked more like an angel than a cyber thief and dubious hacker.
“I thought we were going to have this done today,” Eric said to Cam.
“Ethel’s added week doesn’t change a thing. Mrs. Lunceford is over a barrel no matter what Phoebe tries.” Cam continued looking over his files. He was a great attorney. Phoebe was just as great. They’d squared off many times in this very court, with Phoebe edging past Cam in the win column.
“And what does that get us?” Scott was no longer on board with the plan. Destroying Megan’s life didn’t feel right. Not now. “Eric, you always say I have a sixth sense about things. Intuition. Well, trust me. She’s innocent.”
Eric shifted from foot to foot, clearly agitated by Scott’s words. “You think I say it
as a compliment? You know better. I trust the facts, bro, and the facts are right here.” He reached over and patted the pages on the table in front of Cam. “Dylan proved the insidious code came from Mrs. Lunceford’s home. It’s cut and dry. Capisce?”
“Give me a break.” Scott wasn’t about to back down. There was something about Megan that would never add up to her being behind their troubles. “You know there are ways around that. Someone could’ve hacked her computer.”
Dylan leaned across the half wall that divided the front of the courtroom from the gallery, which was emptying quickly of Destiny residents. “You saying I don’t know what I’m doing, Scott?” The investigator’s tone was harsh.
“I’m saying there are all kinds of ways to frame someone in our industry. Kip proved that.” He turned back to Megan’s direction. She and Phoebe were heading out the side door together. “Until we’re certain, I’m saying let’s slow this train down. Kip has lots of contacts on the outside, including the Chinese. Just because the creep is in prison doesn’t mean he can’t be working with them again.”
Dylan slapped him on the back. “She’s gorgeous. That’s a fact. But Kip isn’t in a position to work with anyone. He’s a traitor, not just to TBK but also to the United States. Homeland Security isn’t going to let him see the light of day ever.”
“If that’s true—”
“It’s true,” Dylan reiterated.
“Fine. So how can she be working with Kip then? Isn’t that what we’ve been thinking since we found the first virus?” The fact was that TBK’s viability hinged on the new platform. The first malicious program wasn’t the last. There’d been sixteen others in the past five months.
As the side door closed after Megan and Phoebe exited, Eric grabbed him by the shoulder. “Maybe what’s fueling her is misplaced revenge. Her husband was taken away while he was working for us.”
“Exactly my point. You remember Kip’s taste in women, right?”
“God, you’re not going to drop this, are you?” Eric was a hard nut to crack. “Let’s don’t go there for now. We’ve got an entire week to deal with this until our court date. What do you say, Scott?”
He shrugged. “I’m going to talk to her.”
“Hell no,” Cam barked. “That could put our whole case in jeopardy.”
Eric took a deep breath. “Leave it alone, bro.”
Scott knew he should, but he couldn’t. “Listen to me. Something isn’t right about this. I feel it in my bones.”
“Feelings are your strong suit, not mine.”
Scott nodded. “Before you close off that logical mind of yours, Eric, just listen. Okay?”
After a long sigh, Eric sat back down in the chair. “You’ve got my undivided attention.”
“I’ve got to file some papers with the court.” Cam snapped his briefcase shut.
“I’m betting these two fools are letting their dicks do their thinking about the cute blonde.” Dylan shook his head. “Don’t forget you’ve got hundreds of millions on the line, fellows. Maybe more if that platform gets damaged again. She might look sweet on a St. Andrew’s Cross at Phase Four, but is it worth everything you’ve built?” The ex–CIA agent didn’t wait for an answer, but headed for the back door.
After Dylan’s exit, the only people left in the courtroom were Eric, Cam, and Scott.
“Let me know what you two decide about Megan Lunceford,” Cam said and left them alone.
He and Eric watched as Cam walked away.
Then Eric said, “Convince me she’s not our hacker.”
He sat on the half wall, took a deep breath, and began. “Kip’s skill as a programmer was quite good, which he loved touting to any who would listen.”
Eric nodded. “I remember.”
“But the only women he’d ever dated were definitely not MIT girls.”
His brother chuckled. “You saying his wife is lacking in the brains department?”
Scott shook his head. “I remember the bimbos he brought to the Christmas party at the Dallas office, but he also dated that girl who was the psych major. Remember?”
“Wasn’t her name Lila something?” Eric asked.
“I don’t remember her last name. Kip preferred women with liberal arts degrees. For them to even get a second glance from him, they could have expertise in lots of things but not in programming. In TBK’s first year, Vicky shamelessly flirted with him. We both know how that worked out for her.”
“That’s true. He cut her off at every turn.”
“Okay, Mr. Logic, if all that’s true, then how can Kip’s wife be a programming genius that is able to get around all TBK’s safety measures?” He watched Eric’s eyelids narrow and brow furrow. “She might be an Einstein about art, music, history, or whatever, but not coding. Kip would’ve never married her if she was.”
“Okay. I’m with you.” Eric leaned forward as if to highlight what he was about to say. “She might not be the programmer behind the attacks on our system, but that doesn’t mean she’s not working with Kip or one of his associates.”
His gut tightened. Eric was right. They couldn’t just let Megan off the hook, no matter how much his feelings told him she was innocent. Someone might be manipulating her, convincing her to go along with his scheme with all kinds of promises.
“I’ve got an idea, bro,” he told Eric.
“That’s what worries me.”
Ignoring the comment, he continued as the scheme became clearer in his mind. “We’ll be able to keep an eye on her twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If she’s involved in the hacking in any capacity, we’ll discover it.”
“Sounds too good to be true, which doesn’t surprise me. You dream. I smash your dreams with reality. That’s been our jobs at TBK and on the ranch. Details. What’s your plan?”
Scott braced himself for Eric’s reaction. “We’ll offer her a job.”
Eric looked like he was ready to explode. “Have you lost your fucking mind? She’s the reason for TBK’s current vulnerability.”
“Best to keep our friends close and our enemies closer.” As he laid out the rest of the plan for his brother, Scott vowed to himself to help Megan. Whatever it took, he would prove her innocence.
* * * *
Under the gray skies, Megan stood on the steps of the courthouse with her newly appointed attorney, Phoebe Blue. The woman’s long dark hair, and shapely form seemed more suited for a career on fashion runways than in stuffy courtrooms. Phoebe’s eyes fit her name perfectly. Pale blue and mesmerizing.
“We have a lot of ground to cover before next Tuesday, Mrs. Lunceford. Let’s go to Lucy’s and grab a bite. We can talk about your case over lunch.”
Seven days in Destiny. Oh God. Her head was swimming with worry.
“Call me Megan, please,” she requested, wondering how in the world she would be able to navigate the next week. Dread twisted her stomach into a pretzel of nerves.
Phoebe smiled. “It’s a deal, Megan, if you promise to call me by my name, too.”
“Of course,” she agreed. “How long have you known the Knight brothers, Phoebe?”
“My whole life, but that won’t be a problem. I’m working for you now. They’re friends, but the law is the law and business is business. The court has ordered me to help you and that’s exactly what I am going to do to the best of my ability.”
Megan was relieved to have someone on her side, but still… “It’s going to be a tough case, isn’t it?”
“Very. Eric and Scott aren’t the kind of guys to give up easily. I saw Dylan Strange behind them. I’m betting he’s got some evidence that points to you.”
“I’m innocent, Phoebe. I swear.” She’d found it hard to look at the Knight brothers but couldn’t resist a peek at the copresidents of TBK several times out of the corner of her eyes. She’d expected the Knights to be much older, like typical corporate billionaire moguls were. They weren’t. She would guess them to be in their late twenties. Eric was the one who seemed most
comfortable in a suit and tie. Scott, as the judge had pointed out, was not so much. Eric’s face was handsome, with chiseled features and a five-o’clock shadow, which highlighted his square jaw perfectly. Scott had the most beautiful lips she’d ever seen on any man. Eric’s eyes were big, blue, and daring. Scott’s were a rich chocolate color. Both had thick, finger-tempting dark hair.
Recalling the two billionaires’ intensity and dangerous demeanors made her tremble again.
Phoebe’s cell rang. “One second, Megan.” She put it to her ear. “Hey, Ashley. You’re already at the office? Good. Clear my calendar today and tomorrow. The Stone brothers and their fiancée were in the courtroom, too. I’m sure they’ll understand why I have to delay getting their new wills finished for a couple of days. Great. I’ll bring all her records with us after Mrs. Lunceford and I have lunch.” Phoebe turned to her and nodded. “Tough case for sure, but I believe this client is well worth our best efforts. Okay. Bye.” Phoebe tucked her phone back into her purse. “Ashley’s my paralegal. I couldn’t make it without her. Now, where were we?”
“I was telling you I was innocent.”
Her attorney’s eyes narrowed for a moment before widening. “I believe you.”
“I can’t tell you how much that means to me, Phoebe. I know Judge O’Leary assigned you to my case, but I have no money to pay you. I wish I did.”
“Relax. I’ll get a little compensation from the court. Not my normal hourly rate, but it will do. What do you think of Destiny so far?” Phoebe’s tone sounded much like pride to her ears.
As they walked down the courthouse’s front steps, Megan noticed the sky beginning to clear. “Just drove in right before court. I didn’t have much time to take in the sights.” No credit cards. No money. How was she going to make it until her hearing? She swallowed hard, but it didn’t ease her anxiety.