by Raven Scott
Lucas clicked on another file on the computer desktop and another series of pictures came up of a couple in various kinds of public displays of affection. The most intimate was a very deep kiss at a winner’s podium while Jean Renaud held up a large trophy.
“What Alex hadn’t mentioned was that she and Renaud had dated for over a year,” he added, zooming in on the face of the Magnus lead engineer in the arms of the race car driver. In the picture, she looked sexy and glamorous.
“You think Renaud has something to do with all this?” Lance asked.
“That’s the first thing we have to find out,” Lucas replied softly. “Based on what I found last night, I’d say they stopped seeing each other sometime last fall.”
“So, Cotts shares her design ideas with her boyfriend who’s in the racing industry, then he sells her out when they break up?” suggested Michael.
“I’ve seen far worse from an ex-lover,” replied Lucas. “And it gives us motive and opportunity. Renaud knows cars. If both Cotts and North told him about their individual work, he would definitely see the bigger potential, and he has the sponsors and contacts in the industry who would pay big for the information. If we can connect Pratt and Renaud to the same contact, we’ll know the threat.”
“Sound like a plan,” Michael summarized, slapping his hand on the table.
The other agents voiced similar confirmations.
“Good. I’m meeting with Marco and Alex now, then we’ll get the perimeter hooked up after lunch.”
“Alex?” Ned questioned with raised brows.
Lucas cringed inside, suddenly aware of his unintended slip.
“Cotts,” he growled back, ignoring a knowing light in his friend’s eyes and telling himself that Ned could speculate about insignificant things all he wanted, it didn’t mean anything.
Lucas walked into Marco’s office through the open door a few moments later and found Alex alone in there, leaning against the back window and looking outside. Her mass of jet-black dreadlocks was pulled back into a high ponytail at the crown of her head, revealing the striking contours of her cheeks and jawline. She looked incredibly young and fragile, swallowed up the shapelessness of her gray overalls.
“Sorry, I came to see if Marco was available for an update,” he stated once she finally noticed his presence.
Her shoulders straightened and her full lips flattened with annoyance.
“He’s just finishing with a customer,” she stated stiffly.
“Okay, let him know I’m available whenever he is,” Lucas told her, then turned to leave.
“Wait,” she demanded as she strode across Marco’s office. “You didn’t answer my question. Who are you people? How does a network security consultant get to walk around on the streets all strapped with guns?”
Alex stopped with her arms crossed defensively across her chest and her hip cocked to one side. Lucas decided to draw on his natural, persuasive charm in an attempt to disarm her. Getting the job done would be a lot easier with her cooperation. And he wouldn’t mind reacquainting with the sexy, playful Alex he had met on Sunday night.
“Systems security is just part of what we do,” he explained smoothly. “Fortis specializes in all aspects of asset security, protection, and recovery. Our agents are the best trained in the world in our field.”
“Trained how? For what?”
Lucas walked out of the room into the hall between the offices and gestured for Alex to follow him. She hesitated for a moment, then went along. He stopped in front of the newly constructed Fortis control center so that she could see each of the three men inside as they worked on their individual tasks.
“We recruited Michael out of the FBI two years ago,” he stated, pointing to the youngest of the three men. “He was the best in his class in investigative science at the academy, then spent four years in the field working kidnap and hostage cases.
“The big guy with blond hair is Lance Campbell, former Army Ranger, specialist in close contact combat. I’m not sure if he’s ever even fired a gun outside of training,” Lucas told her with a smile. “The last guy is Ned Bushby. He and I met ten years ago in the Secret Service. He was a special agent in the fraud and cybercrime division.”
He watched Alex looking over the men speculatively before she finally looked up at him.
“And you?” she finally asked. “You were a Secret Service agent, too?”
“Definitely not!” he replied with a sharp laugh. “Way too many rules for me. I was a consultant to the various government agencies for a few years, including the Secret Service. My training was more cerebral than theirs. But don’t worry, I picked up a few physical skills along the way.”
There was a hint of a smile on her lips, but they were interrupted before he could have enough time to enjoy it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Marco stated as he walked toward his office. “I just had a couple of customer issues to deal with.”
“No worries,” Lucas replied as he and Alex joined Marco, each taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “It hasn’t been long. My men are now working on getting your building set up with our full security program. We’ll be ready to implement for tonight.”
“Okay, okay,” Marco said, nodding. “That’s good.”
“It’s everything I had outlined in my proposal from last week,” continued Lucas, making sure to direct his attention to both Alex and Marco. “Twenty-four-hour manned security outside, in addition to your night security guard inside. We’re adding digital surveillance around the outside of the building, with motion sensors for after hours.”
“What about the weapons?” Marco asked. “You didn’t mention those in your recommendations.”
“No, I didn’t. But that was before I understood the potential risks to your assets,” Lucas stated calmly. “Right now, they are just a precaution. My team will wear them at all times. It’s not negotiable. But they will be concealed outside of the offices and shop floor, so your customers will not be aware that we’re armed.”
Marco looked as though he was about to argue the fact, but then he sighed and relaxed.
“Okay, I suppose that will be fine,” he finally conceded.
“Good.”
“What about the guys?” Alex asked, sitting forward in her chair. “They’re pretty freaked out about a team of armed men lurking around. We have to tell them something, Markie.”
“I’m happy to meet with your employees to explain our presence. Depending on how much you want them to know, of course,” Lucas suggested.
Marco nodded, accepting the offer.
“I’m sure we can set a quick staff meeting this afternoon.”
They were interrupted by a beep and vibration from Lucas’s phone, held in the breast pocket of his shirt. He immediately pulled it out to read the message, then stood up.
“Excuse me, I have to make a call. But go ahead and set up a time for me to talk to your people later.”
He strode out of the room while calling the direct line to one of his employees at the Fortis headquarters on speed dial.
“What do you have, Laura?”
“I finally have something useful from that spy software you left on Pratt’s computer on Friday. From the instant message he’s just opened, it looks like he’s about to get cut off by his sponsors,” said Laura Speedman, one of several operations analysts in the Alexandria, Virginia office who worked on special research and investigative projects. “They’re using a free dating site to communicate and I can’t get a lock on the other user. If we’re going to find out anything useful from Pratt, it’s now or never.”
“How much time do we have?” Lucas asked as he walked into the on-site control center.
“Less than twenty-four hours. He’s confirmed a meeting for eleven o’clock tomorrow morning, central time; twelve o’clock eastern.”
“Where?”
“Not communicated yet.”
“Okay, keep me updated. We need to be there for that me
eting.”
CHAPTER 7
Through Tuesday afternoon, the Fortis team implemented their plans. While Lucas set up the upgraded server equipment and implemented even more strict data storage protocols, Lance, Ned, and Michael swept the property for any hidden bugs and installed the new surveillance equipment.
At three o’clock, Alex and Marco gathered all of the Magnus employees on an open area on the shop floor so that Marco and Lucas could introduce them to the Fortis team.
“Guys, I’m sure you all notice the small security team that arrived this morning,” Marco said to kick off the brief meeting. “They’re with a company called Fortis, and I’ve hired them to provide some extra security as we prepare for the summer racing season. I’ll let the Fortis team tell you more.”
Marco looked over at Lucas and nodded, which was Lucas’s cue to begin. “Hi, everyone, I’m Lucas Johnson. This is Michael, Lance, and Ned,” he stated in an even, casual tone, pointing to each man as they each nodded in turn to the small audience. “As Marco said, we’re here to provide on-site security for the building and equipment, and will in no way interfere with your work. I know there is some concern about the fact that we are armed, something we understand is unusual for you to see. It is a precautionary measure, but standard for the services we provide, and they will be concealed in front of your customers. But I can assure you that you have no need to worry. We are all licensed and well-trained marksmen. Within a couple of days, you won’t notice we are here.
“Any questions?” he asked, but the twenty people just looked around at each other. “All right, then. If you do think of something, don’t hesitate to let me or one of the agents know.”
The small gathering quickly dissipated as everyone returned to their jobs, until only Lucas, Marco, and Alex remained.
“Thanks for that,” Marco said, looking much more relaxed than he did a few hours earlier. “At least now, they can stop speculating about the situation and get back to work.”
“No problem at all,” replied Lucas pleasantly. “Was that the reaction you were expecting?”
He directed the question to Alex, since she had been the most concerned about the other employees.
“They were a little quieter than I expected, but I’m sure they’ll eventually speak up if they want to know anything more,” she admitted.
Lucas smiled easily down at her, noting that her body language was far less guarded than in their previous encounters.
“While I have you both here, I have an update that you should be aware of,” Lucas told them. “We have a lead on whoever tried to get into your network. I’m taking Lance with me tonight to check it out. We’ll be gone for about twenty-four hours.”
“What did you find out?” Marco asked, looking hopeful and alarmed at the same time.
“Nothing specific yet, but I’ll know more by tomorrow,” explained Lucas, unwilling to share too much until he had some concrete information. “Michael and Ned will stay here and we’ll start our security detail as planned. But here is my personal cell phone number so that you can reach me if needed.”
He took two of the Fortis business cards out of his pocket and handed one to each of them.
“Okay. Well, I hope you find something useful,” said Marco with a sigh. “I’d feel much more excited about this project if we didn’t have to worry about who’s trying to steal it. Excuse me.”
Just then, Marco’s cell phone started ringing. Lucas and Alex watched him walk out of the shop floor to take the call, then they looked at each other. There was an awkward pause.
“I’m sure you’re very busy, so I’ll leave you to it,” Lucas finally told her.
“Wait,” she stated as he turned and was walking away, then she fell in step beside him. “I’m going to get a cup of coffee, if you have a minute.”
It sounded like she was inviting him to go with her, but it was so unexpected that Lucas hesitated to follow her. Until she looked back over her shoulder, now from a couple of steps ahead of him. He then walked behind her in silence until they reached a small kitchen. It was stocked with a fresh pot of coffee, a rack of white coffee mugs, sugar packets, and stir sticks.
“Do you want one?” she asked as she poured the rich, fragrant coffee into a cup.
“Sure,” Lucas accepted graciously, then watched patiently as she poured a second cup.
“How do you take it?”
Alex opened the compact fridge built in under the counter and took out a carton of half-and-half milk.
“Cream and sugar, thanks.”
She added the ingredients, than handed him his drink.
“I want to apologize for my behavior since you arrived,” she finally stated after they had both taken a couple of large sips. “I’m not usually so uptight.”
Lucas only listened, not willing to test the statement.
“But I guess this whole situation has just caught me off guard,” she continued, her eyes fixed on the black contents of her cup. “I just can’t believe that there is such a threat to the company. I feel responsible.”
The last statement was made just above a whisper.
“You’re not responsible for any of this, Alex,” Lucas immediately replied.
“Of course I am,” she insisted. “I’m the one who decided to push the boundaries, work outside of the box. And look where it’s gotten us. What if I can’t even deliver on the forecast? Then all this will be for nothing.”
She swept her hand in his general direction, clearly referring to the presence of his team.
“My dad always said that I better learn my limits or I’d wind up in a situation I couldn’t handle.”
“I don’t know. You seem to be handling yourself just fine,” he countered, trying to erase the forlorn look on her face.
“Yeah? Well, it must be these designer power suits I wear every day,” retorted Alex, but it was laced with humor. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate your work for us and I’ll cooperate any way I can.”
“All right then,” Lucas stated softly. “Why don’t you tell me about your relationship with Jean Renaud?”
She blinked a little, but otherwise didn’t react, which told Lucas that she wasn’t surprised that he knew.
“What do you want to know?”
“Are you guys still seeing each other?”
“No. We ended our relationship last September. We spoke a few times before Christmas, but I haven’t seen him since,” she replied simply, then took a long drink of her coffee.
“Was the breakup amicable?”
She looked at him steadily for a few seconds, and Lucas could see her brain working through the deep brown pools of her eyes.
“You want to know if he might have something to do with this whole thing? That if things ended badly between us, then maybe he’s behind the leak of information?”
She didn’t miss much, Lucas thought to himself, a little impressed.
“It’s a plausible theory,” he replied with a shrug.
“But not a viable one,” she countered. “Jean and I never discussed my work. I don’t think he even knew what I did for Magnus, to be honest.”
“How is that possible?”
It was her turn to shrug.
“We met at an industry event, and he just assumed I was a racing fan like every other woman who wanted to meet him.”
“And you never told him different?” asked Lucas, trying to understand her thinking. “How long were you guys together?”
“About a year and a half. It never came up. What difference would it make?” Alex countered. “We met, we had a connection that led to a thing for a while. That’s it.”
She turned to the sink and began washing out her now-empty mug.
“You didn’t want him to know that you’re an automotive engineer,” he finally stated.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she attempted to dismiss, but her back was still to him.
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
<
br /> “Well, you’re wasting your time,” she stated with a tolerant smile when she turned back to face him. “Jean has nothing to do with any of this. We had a long distance thing until it wasn’t convenient anymore. No messy breakup, no hurt feelings. He didn’t even know that I had connected with Adam.”
Lucas nodded in understanding.
“Thanks for clearing that up.”
“Glad I could help.” There was another pause where they both just looked at each other.
“Well, I have to get back to work,” she finally stated. “Good luck with that lead you have.”
“Thanks,” replied Lucas as he watched her walk away.
A couple of hours later, he and Lance were on a commercial flight to Chicago with a plan to catch Timothy Pratt connecting with whomever was sponsoring his attempt to hack the Magnus computer system. Laura had confirmed the location of the meet at a deli in the southern end of the city, about two miles from Pratt’s apartment. Lucas designed a plan for a small team to have eyes and ears on whom Pratt spoke to and what information was passed on.
When Lucas and Lance arrived at a small budget hotel facing Pratt’s apartment, it was almost eight thirty, and the third member of their tactical team was already checked into their room.
“Ice,” Lucas called out in welcome to Evan DaCosta. “When did you arrive?”
“About an hour ago,” Evan replied as he shook hands with each of the men. The nickname “Ice” was a remnant from his former career as a field agent in the Protective Services division of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Lucas and Lance dropped their overnight bags on the ground.
“Anything to report?” asked Lucas.
“Nope. Pratt’s at home, watching television,” Evan confirmed, pointing to the long-range binoculars mounted on a tripod in front of the window. “The place is still a mess, but he’s packed up some of his personal things.”
Lucas walked across the room and took a look through the binocular viewfinder. Their subject was standing in the kitchen talking on his cell phone.