Hard and Fast

by Raven Scott

  “Does Passante know Optimal or Hernandez?” Lucas asked.

  “Oh yeah,” Michael quickly confirmed. “They were big rivals before Optimal collapsed after the car crash. And Passante is well aware of the reputation Hernandez has for stealing from his competitors.”

  “Good work, Michael,” Lucas stated. “Now we have to tighten the noose. There is no doubt Hernandez is our guy, we just need the proof. We don’t have anything valuable from the Pratt situation. Did the police get anything from Petrov after his arrest on Monday?”

  “We got an update today, including the identity of the accomplice. The second guy is Sergei Petrov. He and Oleg are brothers, and the company, Bold Management, is owned by their uncle, Stan Petrov,” Michael outlined. “According to what they told the police, they were approached by a man and paid ten thousand dollars cash for the job. No names were exchanged, but the description they gave matches Nunez.”

  “Nunez might be the key,” Ned suggested. “He’s worked for Red Creek for almost eight years, and makes decent money. But, he has a big family to support and his financials look tight. So, I’d say he did this job with Hernandez for cash on the side. I’m thinking he has very little allegiance to the kid. Maybe we can get him to turn against Hernandez in exchange for immunity.”

  Lucas nodded in agreement.

  “Let’s make it happen. I’ll check with Evan and Sam to see who’s available for a trip to Chicago. Maybe Abe,” he suggested.

  Like Evan, Abe Smith was a CIA Protective Services operative prior to joining Fortis. By later that afternoon, he was at the corporate offices for Red Creek Capital, meeting the head of security to discuss a very private matter. The team had the results a couple of hours later.

  “We got it all,” Abe reported back on a conference call with Lucas’s team. “It wasn’t difficult to get him to cooperate and turn on Hernandez. And it sounds like the other general partners at the firm will be happy to get rid of the punk.”

  “What did Nunez say?” Lucas asked.

  “Pretty much what we suspected. And Hernandez paid him directly by bank transfer, and provided the cash to pay the Petrov brothers.”

  “Good. What about Pratt and the guys who took him out and attacked Evan and me?” probed Lucas.

  “Nunez claims he didn’t know anything about it. He only got involved last week to destroy the car engine, and someone at Optimal referred him to the Petrovs,” Abe explained.

  “Well, that has to be enough to get the FBI to bring Hernandez in for questioning. Michael, let’s reach out to your contact in the morning,” instructed Lucas.

  “Sure thing,” agreed Michael.

  “Any chance they’ll let Abe join the interview with Hernandez?” Lucas suggested. “I want to know what the motive is behind all of this, and everything he knows about Magnus and Alex’s engine.”

  “I think I still have a few favors I can call on,” confirmed Michael with a smirk.

  “Good, I’ll give Passante and Alex an update in the morning,” added Lucas. “With any luck, we’ll have this mission wrapped up by the end of the week.”

  He and Ned spend another few hours at the dining table, building out contingency plans depending on when Hernandez was arrested, and what he revealed during questioning. They took a break for Lucas to grill chicken and bake potatoes on the barbecue outside, then laid out the meal on the kitchen counter. Alex came back from the shed only to grab her meal.

  “How are things going?” Lucas asked as she turned to walk away carrying her full plate, cutlery, and bottled water tucked under one arm.

  Alex paused, clearly surprised by his question. The first directed to her since the incident after they had arrived on Sunday. She looked at Ned who was busy filling his plate.

  “It’s okay,” she replied politely. “I spoke to Marco a little while ago. He said you guys think Cesar Hernandez may be responsible? That’s good news.”

  “Could be. We’ll know more tomorrow,” Lucas replied cautiously.

  It felt good to be on speaking terms with her, even if it was just in passing.

  “Thanks for dinner,” added Alex, filling in the brief silence.

  “No problem.”

  Their eyes met briefly. That same electric charge stirred the air.

  “See you guys later,” she finally stated, then walked away.

  Lucas watched her go, looking comfortable and industrious in loose work pants and a T-shirt. Then he found Ned glancing back and forth between him and where Alex exited into the mudroom.

  “What?” demanded Lucas.

  But his friend just scoffed and shook his head.

  After eating and cleaning up, Ned went to do a security inspection around the property and along the dock. Lucas made a phone call he had been avoiding for a couple of days.

  “Hi, Kathy,” he stated when the call was answered. “I got your message.”

  Kathy Anderson was his next-door neighbor. Divorced, single, and in her midthirties, she lived comfortably on a sizable alimony check. She had become a friend over the last three years since Lucas had moved into his current house, and was always great about keeping an eye on his place while he traveled.

  Earlier that day, Kathy had sent him an e-mail to say his cleaning lady, Prudence, who’s supposed to visit twice a week, hadn’t shown up since he had left.

  “Hey, Lucas, how’s your trip going?” she asked in her bubbly voice.

  “Pretty good. How are things with you?”

  “Painful and sore. I started going to a new yoga studio last week, and did a hot yoga class today for the first time. Who knew it was possible to sweat so much.”

  Lucas smirked. This was how all of their conversations went. Kathy treated exercise classes and shopping like others did their careers.

  “Sounds interesting,” he murmured. “Thanks for the heads up on my cleaning lady. But I’m not surprised. She’s been a little flaky over the last few months.”

  “Do you want me to check in on anything? I still have your spare key,” Kathy offered.

  “No, that’s okay. I’ve been meaning to call the maid service that Prudence works for and have them send me someone new. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Lucas. You shouldn’t have someone going into your home if you’re not here. Even if they’re through a service. I’ve heard horrible stories about robberies and all sort of crazy things.”

  Lucas could hardly tell her that was the least of his concerns. His house had more than enough security to ensure no one went in or out without him knowing, and all activity inside or around it was recorded. Which is why he already knew Prudence wasn’t very good at her job.

  “Why don’t you let my girl, Lita, work for you,” Kathy continued enthusiastically. “At least until you get back. I’m sure she could use the money.”

  Lucas scratched the scruff on his cheek, thinking it wasn’t such a bad idea. At least temporarily.

  “Sure, Kathy. That would be great.”

  “Fantastic. I’ll let her know. She’s comes three times a week, so she’ll just clean your house after mine and you can pay her the same.”

  “I don’t need three days,” Lucas objected. “One would be fine for now.”

  “Well, that’s the thing,” Kathy replied slowly, clearly preparing to tell him something unexpected.

  “What thing?” he asked calmly.

  “Lita’s got another job offer that pays a little less but gives her double the hours. The only way she will stay with me is if I can offer the same,” admitted Kathy. “So this will be a win-win for us, right?”

  Lucas shook his head already regretting the conversation. He should have sensed from the beginning that there was a motive behind her offer.

  “Fine. But I’m only committing to using her until I’m back. And that might only be another few days,” he agreed.

  “Thanks, Lucas, you’re the best!”

  He mumbled something appropriate before they en
ded the call.

  “Everything okay?”

  He turned to find Alex walking across the living room.

  “Yeah, just some personal stuff,” he replied. “Taking a break?”

  “No. Just getting my iPad. I need to log on to the network to review some of my notes.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Lucas told her, walking over to the table to pick up a small square box. “I copied the storage server before we left, and it’s all here on this portable drive. I meant to tell you on Sunday.”

  “Wow, that’s great,” she uttered, clearly surprised.

  “It’s wireless, so you can access it directly from your iPad. I’ll send the password to your phone by text message.”

  She took the device from him. But any additional discussion was interrupted by the insistent beep of the alarm on Lucas’s laptop, then his cell phone.

  “Shit,” he muttered, pulling out a chair to sit in front of the computer.

  “What? What’s happened?” Alex demanded.

  Lucas read through the lines of programming code that scrolled up the screen. His hands flew across the keyboard as he typed in characters and responded to prompts on instinct at lightning speed.

  “Lucas, what is it?” she repeated with increased concern.

  “Someone’s hacking into the Magnus network,” he finally explained in a calm tone.

  “What? I thought you said they wouldn’t be able to get access unless they were in the building?” She gasped. “Are they there, in the shop?”

  “Nope,” Lucas confirmed, still typing at an impressive speed. “Looks like they’ve discovered another way in.”

  CHAPTER 18

  The attack was fast and aggressive, immediately targeting the weakness within the administrative controls. Lucas quickly knew that the black hat on the opposing computer was far superior to Pratt. He or she wasn’t using a pre-built application, or an automated tool designed to get remote access; they were actively rewriting the source code to the storage server to hijack it completely. It’s exactly what Lucas would have done facing the same challenge.

  The battle was intense, but over quickly since Lucas wasn’t interested in dueling with his opponent. Instead, knowing the data on the storage server was an outdated copy, he just restored the box to its original factory settings, effectively wiping it clean of all information. In less than ten minutes, there was nothing left on it to hack.

  Lucas sat back in his chair for a few minutes in the silence that followed, thinking through what had just happened. While he had anticipated and prepared for just such a possibility, it still surprised him how quickly it happened. With Fortis about to engage the FBI to apprehend Hernandez, the timing was also very suspicious. Maybe Fernandez somehow knew they were hot on his trail, and this was his last attempt to achieve his goal?

  “What happened?” Ned asked, now standing beside Alex and looking between them.

  “Hernandez just tried hacking into the Magnus system directly. I shut it down, but I don’t like the timing,” Lucas explained as he was calling Michael on speed dial. “I don’t think we should wait until morning. Let’s get the feds engaged now. Hernandez may already know we’re onto him.”

  Michael quickly pulled some strings to get the wheels in motion, and the FBI had an arrest warrant for Cesar Hernandez within hours. He was in custody soon after midnight. Lucas and Ned grabbed a few hours of sleep, but they were up by six in the morning, waiting for an update on what Abe and the feds had uncovered in questioning Hernandez.

  “I’m going for a run,” Ned declared about an hour later while they still waited. “Text me when you hear something.”

  Lucas nodded, his attention fixed on the record of the hacker’s code that he had recorded during the attack. Something about it was strange, almost familiar. But he couldn’t think of how or why.

  “Any news?” Alex asked as she crossed the floor from the doorway to the bedrooms in the direction of the kitchen.

  He looked up, watching her progress. She always looked so energetic in the morning, as though she couldn’t wait for the day to get started. Lucas stood up and walked over to join her as she poured a cup of coffee from the fresh pot he had brewed a little earlier, taking his empty mug with him.

  “Hernandez was taken into custody by the FBI late last night,” he confirmed, since she had finally gone to bed before eleven o’clock.

  “That’s amazing!” she exclaimed with a big smile over the rim of her coffee mug. “So it’s over, right? It’s done?”

  “We need to know what he’s said in his statement. But hopefully, yes,” Lucas told her hesitantly.

  He refilled his cup, adding cream and a little sugar from the supplies on the table.

  “Why?” she asked. “We know he’s responsible for destroying my prototype and trying to steal the design. What more is there?”

  Lucas leaned back against the edge of the counter, captured by her animated reasoning.

  “Yes, that’s what it looks like. But we don’t know what we don’t know,” he replied.

  “Meaning what exactly?”

  “Meaning we need to know the full scope of this whole plan. How do we know Hernandez is the only one involved? What if there are others working with him? Or someone else who planned and paid for the whole thing?”

  She sighed heavily.

  “Okay, I see your point.”

  Lucas put down his coffee and stepped closer to her.

  “I know you want this over and done with. I do too. But I need to make sure it’s completely safe before you go back home.”

  Alex looked back at him with those bright, intense eyes. They were disappointed but accepting, and he couldn’t help but admire her courage.

  “Why are you doing this?” he asked, a question he had been pondering ever since the day of the fire.

  “What, exactly?”

  He smiled at her now familiar taunting tone.

  “Why are you finishing your engine for the race?” Lucas clarified. “Why not just wait until the threat is gone?”

  She snorted with a small chuckle.

  “It’s a little late to ask that, don’t you think?”

  Lucas shrugged, smiling back. Her light mood was infectious.

  “I understand why Magnus Motorsports should pursue this technology, and I know timing is everything. So, my job is to keep you and the asset safe for the duration,” he explained calmly. “But you’re the one here, working nonstop to complete the work. And it was your decision, so I’m just curious about why.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Do you always answer a question with a question?”

  She laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement, causing his heartbeat to accelerate.

  “Because I don’t like answering questions, that’s why.”

  “And yet you just gave me an answer, finally,” he smirked, crossing his legs at the ankle.

  “Well, it’s a very rare thing, so don’t get used to it,” Alex replied with dismissive wave of her hand.

  “Maybe you just need a little practice,” Lucas teased with a charming twist of his lips. “Why are you here?”

  Alex studied him contemplatively, looking far deeper than just the surface of his face like she did the evening they met at the hotel restaurant. Then she looked down at the kitchen counter and placed her mug down on it.

  “I don’t like to quit. And I definitely don’t like when someone else tries to force me to,” she said quietly. “That’s not a very feminine quality, I know. My dad calls it obstinate.”

  Lucas watched her for a long moment, surprised by the serious undertone in her voice.

  “Does that happen often? People trying to stop you?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “I’m a female automotive engineer. What do you think?”

  “I think you have a very strange idea of what’s feminine and what isn’t.”

  Alex glanced at him with surprise in her eyes, then back at the counter. Lucas had the
urge to say more, but managed to hold his tongue. She cleared her throat and turned away from him.

  “Well, now that I’ve satisfied your curiosity, I need to get back to work,” she finally stated.

  “Aren’t you going to eat something for breakfast?”

  “Are you cooking?” she shot back over her shoulder.

  “Come back in fifteen minutes if you want an omelet.”

  She only raised her thumb in the air as she walked toward the side entrance and back to her workshop.

  The update from Michael and Abe came later that afternoon. Lucas set up a videoconference with his team, and Evan and Sam from the Fortis headquarters.

  “So Hernandez admitted to the whole thing?” Evan asked.

  “He didn’t have much choice after the evidence Nunez provided,” Abe summarized. “He knew Magnus was going to release a new engine in June because someone approached his driver last year trying to sell him some of the technology. Hernandez turned down their offer and instead decided to shut down Magnus by stealing the whole design for his own use. When that didn’t work, he had it destroyed.”

  “Did he say who tried to sell it to him originally?” asked Lucas. “Was it North?”

  “No, he couldn’t remember. Just that it was a woman during an event at a local racing club in Chicago, and that she wanted too much money for just the battery design. He figured it would be cheaper to hack into Magnus and get everything. So he hired a firm called Crow to do just that,” Abe explained.

  “Do we know anything about this Crow?” asked Sam.

  “I’ve heard of them a few times over the last two to three years,” Lucas told them with his arms folded. “They operate way off the grid, doing freelance work. Cyber intrusion for a fee. From what I remember, that setup in Chicago with Pratt resembles their tactics.”

  “Hernandez claims he only paid a retainer fee up front, the final payment was due once the intelligence was delivered. He didn’t ask any questions about how the job would be executed,” continued Abe.

  “So, he didn’t know about Pratt or his murder?” Lucas asked.

  “So he claims,” Abe confirmed. “Or maybe he’s copping to white-collar corporate espionage to avoid a murder charge. Either way, he says he canceled the contract with Crow last weekend because it was taking too long, and instead hired Nunez to destroy the engine and eliminate Magnus from the race.”