Christmas Data Breach

by K. D. Richards

  “I’ll get started on trying to figure out who our shooter is,” James said. “I’ve got a friend at the transportation authority that owes me a favor. Maybe a traffic camera got a shot of the bike’s license plate.”

  “What do you plan to do?” James directed the question to Gideon, but he ignored James for the moment.

  He turned in his chair to face Mya. “Kamal implied that you’ve orchestrated all this as a way to hide the fact that your research is a failure.”

  Mya’s lips flattened into a tight line. “You can’t possibly believe—”

  “I don’t, not for a minute.” And he didn’t, but that didn’t mean others didn’t believe just that. “But we need to figure out what Brian wouldn’t tell us.”

  Mya eyed him curiously. “How are we supposed to do that?”

  He could think of one way, but Mya wasn’t going to like it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “So, let me make sure I understand this. You’re planning on breaking into Brian’s house, but I am forbidden,” Mya practically spat the word, “from going with you?” She couldn’t believe he’d actually used the word forbidden like she was a misbehaving child.

  She wasn’t even sure she wanted to go with Gideon on this particular outing. Watching Brian get shot, and being shot at herself, had shaken her more than she was willing to admit. But she hadn’t made it to where she was by letting anyone tell her what she could and couldn’t do. She wasn’t about to start now.

  “Gideon’s visit to Leeds’s place isn’t exactly aboveboard. It’s best to keep you out of it.”

  Mya shot a quelling glance at Tessa. “I’m aware breaking and entering is illegal.”

  “Which is why it’s best if you stay here,” Gideon growled.

  Mya took a step toward him and pinned him with a look. “Just in case you get caught?” she said.

  “I won’t get caught. I know how to get in and out of a space without leaving a trace.”

  Mya smiled, clapping her hands together. “Great. Then I’ll just do whatever you do, and I should be fine.”

  Gideon’s voice dropped low, almost menacing, but she recognized the fear in his tone. “You need to stay out of this.”

  “Whether I stay here or not, I am in this, whatever it is. Someone is trying to kill me. Has killed two people close to me and stolen my life’s work. So, I am very much in this.”

  They stood, locked in a hard stare, a battle of wills, for a long minute.

  “You follow my lead. Without question,” Gideon said through clenched teeth.

  It was dark by the time they left West’s offices. The drive to Brian’s was tense. Gideon was upset with her for insisting on coming with him. She knew the safest thing would be for her to hole up in one of West’s safe houses and let Gideon track down the person or people behind whatever was going on. But she just couldn’t do it. She had spent the last seven years of her life developing this treatment. Nobody cared about getting it back more than she did.

  Gideon parked on the street adjacent to Brian’s house and turned to Mya. “I didn’t see any cops, but that doesn’t mean much. I’m sure they’ve already been here and searched.”

  Mya frowned. “Wouldn’t they have already taken anything that might lead them to Brian’s killer, then?”

  Gideon’s eyes roamed over the quiet street. “Anything obvious, yes.”

  “But we’re looking for things that aren’t obvious?”

  “Yes,” he said, looking at her. “Kamal is looking for evidence that will lead her to a killer because she doesn’t believe your research has been stolen.”

  There was a lot Mya could say to that, but she just pressed her lips together and let Gideon go on.

  “We are looking for evidence of a theft,” Gideon finished.

  “Under the assumption that finding whoever stole my research is the killer,” Mya said in understanding. “I get it.”

  “Good. Let’s go. The longer we sit here, the more likely someone sees us.” Gideon’s eyes searched the street through the windshield again. “We go in, see if we can find anything that would shed some light in your situation and head out. Agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  “Put your gloves on and keep them on until we’re back in the car.” Mya did as told. “When we’re inside, try to touch as little as possible.”

  They got out of the car, and Gideon put his arm around her shoulders. He leaned his head in close as they made their way down the sidewalk. The warmth from his body stole over her and her heart gave an involuntarily jolt.

  “Keep your head down. Hopefully, if anyone sees us, they’ll just think we’re a couple out for an evening walk.”

  Mya did as he asked, and they walked quickly, though not fast enough to draw attention to themselves.

  Blow-up Santa Clauses and candy cane lights decorated many of the front laws on the street. Several of Brian’s neighbors had gone all out, stringing lights from their houses and trees.

  A light glowed on the main level of the house to the right of Brian’s home, illuminating two teens. Neither of them looked away from the television as she and Gideon passed.

  Brian lived in a modest two-story home. A green unadorned wreath on the front door was the only acknowledgment of the season.

  Gideon picked the locks on the front door quickly and let Mya slide by him into the house. Even though the sun had set more than an hour earlier, it still took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the complete darkness inside the house. The blinds on the windows were all the way down, making it impossible for anyone outside to see inside the house. That was good for their purposes.

  “Don’t turn on the lights. We don’t want to attract attention.” Gideon turned on a small pin light and swept it over the space. There wasn’t much to see. The house was laid out in shotgun style, the living room leading to the dining room leading into the kitchen. From the front door, they could see into each of the three rooms.

  “Where do we start looking?”

  “You take the sideboard in the dining room, and I’ll search the living room.”

  They both went to work, but it took only a couple of minutes to determine there was nothing of value to be found.

  “Upstairs?” Mya whispered, pointing to the ceiling. Gideon nodded. They split off at the top of the stairs, Gideon moving left and her taking the room to the right.

  Brian’s bedroom, as it turned out. It felt invasive to be searching his bedroom, even though she knew he’d never return. She pushed away the awkwardness. If there was something here that could help them find out who’d done this, they needed to try.

  The blinds had also been pulled low in the room, but enough moonlight filtered around the sides that she could make out the items in the room. The furnishings were modest, a queen-sized bed, matching bureau and nightstand. The attached bathroom was small but clean.

  Mya started with the closet, but except for some questionable sweater choices found nothing of note.

  She moved to the nightstand next, her eyes falling on the framed photo facing the bed. Rebecca and Brian gazed at each other in obvious affection.

  “Gideon, come look at this,” Mya hissed. Remembering his admonishment to touch as little as possible, she pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a photograph.

  “What is it?”

  Mya pointed to the photograph. “It’s Rebecca and Brian.”

  Gideon studied the picture. “You didn’t know they were dating?”

  “No. Neither of them said anything to me, and I never noticed anything other than professionalism between them.”

  Gideon motioned for her to follow him across the hall. “There’s something off about this room.”

  A double bed pressed against one wall while a desk faced the adjacent wall. Nothing stood out as amiss to her. “What’s strange about it?”

>   Gideon pointed his flashlight at the floor. “Look at the windows.”

  The plastic blinds on the two windows in the room were only halfway down, allowing a glimpse of the siding on the neighboring house through one window and Brian’s backyard through the other. One of the room’s windows was also dressed with a single blue-and-white curtain. It took only a moment for Mya to understand what Gideon found unusual.

  “That is kind of weird. Why hang a curtain on the window that looks out onto a wall but not any of the others? And in the guest room but not in the master bedroom.”

  Gideon went to the window, staying out of the direct line of sight. He ran his hand over the satin material, starting from the top and working his way down until he was on his knees. “There’s something here.”

  Mya joined him at the window, making sure to stay to the sides so she wouldn’t be seen, just as he’d done. She watched as Gideon worked two fingers between several popped stitches at the bottom of the curtain and pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded into a small square.

  “A postal receipt.” He held the paper out. “The package dimensions are about right for sending a packet of papers without folding or bending them. Could be the receipt for sending your research to Irwin.”

  Dim light from the streetlamp outside the window illuminated the paper enough that she could read the writing.

  Mya shook her head. “That’s not Irwin’s address.”

  The line where the recipient’s name was supposed to go was empty, but the address was in New Jersey, not that far from where they were now. She didn’t recognize the address, but she recognized the handwriting.

  She gripped Gideon’s bicep. “Gideon, Brian didn’t write this. This is Rebecca’s handwriting.”

  He frowned. “Why was it hidden in Brian’s curtains?”

  “Maybe Rebecca hid it there?” Mya said, but that explanation didn’t feel like the right one.

  “It’s more likely Brian hid it there. If you’re right about him and Rebecca being in a relationship, he could have discovered it while he was with her.”

  “But why take it?”

  “Maybe he recognized the address,” Gideon answered.

  “We need to know whose address that is, and what Rebecca sent.” Mya looked up from the paper in Gideon’s hands.

  His dark eyes bore into hers. The soft light filtering in from the windows cut across Gideon’s chiseled jaw. She ached to touch him. They stood close enough that she’d only have to tilt her head upward to meet his lips.

  She pursed her lips.

  Gideon dipped his head.

  A car door slammed outside the window.

  Gideon put his index finger against his lips. They pressed their backs to the wall next to the window. Mya tightened her grip on his arm. He leaned forward to peer out the window, a move she mimicked, ignoring the sharp look he sent her.

  A uniformed police officer strode to the front door of the house. He pounded on the door, then tried the lock.

  Her heart pounded so loudly she was sure the cop could hear it from outside.

  She saw the beam of his flashlight fanning over the lawn before he rounded the side of the house.

  “What do we do?”

  “Sit tight. Someone might have reported seeing a light inside or hearing something, but it’s more likely he’s just making sure the place is secure.”

  They stayed frozen next to the window for what seemed like an eternity. The officer finally reappeared at the front of the house and headed back to his car. After a quick glance back at the house, the police cruiser pulled away from the curb.

  Gideon grabbed her hand. “Time to go.”

  They hustled down the staircase, but when Mya turned toward the front door, Gideon pulled her gently toward the back.

  “We can’t be sure he isn’t waiting farther down the street to see if someone comes out. We’ll cut through the backyard.”

  They let themselves out through the back door and stole through the neighbor’s yard. They were lucky the complex appeared to be one that didn’t allow fences, but that also increased the odds that someone would see them.

  They made it to the car without being stopped. Gideon circled the block.

  “Looks like you were right,” Mya said as they passed Brian’s street. The police cruiser was parked several houses down on the opposite side of the street from the house, the officer they’d seen visible behind the wheel.

  Mya held her breath as they passed, but the officer’s gaze was fixed on Brian’s front door. He didn’t so much as spare the passing SUV a glance.

  “Where to next?” she asked.

  “My place. I want to do some research. See if we can’t connect that address to a name.”

  “I can’t believe Brian and Rebecca were betraying my trust and I didn’t even suspect.” Betrayal ripped through Mya’s chest. Gideon reached across the car’s console and squeezed her hand. “We don’t know anything for sure. Let’s get home, share what we found with the team and go from there, okay.”

  She returned his squeeze, her smile tight. He made it sound easy, but she knew in her gut whatever was going on was much more complicated than they realized.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gideon spent the drive back to his place silently berating himself for having taken Mya with him to search Leeds’s home. If the officer had decided to check inside the house or if there had been a second cruiser watching the back door, they’d be in jail right now. And it would be damn hard to protect Mya if he was locked up. Not that he was doing a great job of it, anyway.

  As soon as they got back to his place, he’d lay down the law. The best way, maybe the only way, he could ensure she was protected was to set her up in one of West’s safe houses, and that was just what he was going to do. Even if he had to lock her inside.

  Gideon glanced at her in the passenger seat. After an initial rush of words that he attributed to adrenaline, she’d fallen silent. Although she still seemed to read his moods fairly well after twelve years apart, he was rusty on reading hers. He couldn’t tell if this was an exhausted silence or one that was going to come back to bite him.

  He’d barely closed the door before he got his answer.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Mya tossed her coat over the banister and plunked her fists on her hips, and glared at him.

  He took off his jacket and turned his back to her to place it on the coat rack by the door. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “The hell there isn’t. You brooded all the way home.”

  Mya’s reference to his place as home plucked at his heart, and for a brief moment, he thought about what it would be like for this to really be her home. With him.

  He turned around but didn’t look her in the eye. “I was just thinking about the case.” He tried to move around her to the stairs, but she stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

  “No, you weren’t. The muscle on the side of your jaw was twitching. You’re angry. Why?”

  “Why?” The anger he’d internalized bubbled over. “What we did was dangerous. We could have been arrested, not to mention what would have happened if the guy who shot Brian, who shot at you, had shown up.”

  Mya’s face softened a fraction. She placed a hand on his chest. “That didn’t happen.”

  His heartbeat quickened at her touch. “It could have. I should have known better.” He covered her hand with his and looked into her eyes. “I do know better, but I let my feelings for you cloud my professional judgment.”

  A fraction of a second passed and then she stepped in close. “Your feelings for me?”

  Her second hand joined the first over his heart.

  “Mya—”

  “Do you still have feelings for me?”

  “You know I do. That doesn’t change anything.”

  “It c
ould.” Her gaze sent blood surging to his groin. “I want it to.”

  Mya slipped her arms around his waist and went up on her toes. She placed a feather-light kiss along the line of his jaw, first on one side of his face and then the other.

  “Mya—” Her name seemed to be the only word he could get out at the moment. Not that it mattered. She moved her mouth over his, cutting off any discussion.

  She steered them backward until his back met the wall. She deepened the kiss, her mouth hot, eager and devouring.

  Emotions ricocheted through him. Anger, frustration, desire.

  Desire quickly took precedence.

  His hands went under her sweater, and with a flick of his wrist, he undid the clasp on her bra. It had been so long, too long, since he’d held her in his arms. He savored the feeling of smooth bronze skin, the curve of her hips and the well of the peak of her breast.

  She stepped back from him long enough to tug her sweater over her head and toss it and her bra to the floor. His shirt landed next to hers a second later. He cupped her right breast then bent his head to take one perfect brown nipple into his mouth, teasing it into a hard peak.

  A husky moan tore from her throat, and his erection pulsed. He shifted to take the other breast, wrapping his arm around Mya’s waist to keep her upright.

  Her hands slid between them and unfastened his belt, then the button on his jeans. Her hands slipped under his waistband and around to cup his buttocks, pulling their bodies even closer.

  His lips never left hers as he propelled them both toward the living room. He lowered her onto the couch then stepped back, letting his jeans and boxers fall to the ground.

  Mya’s eyes raked boldly over his naked form, her eyes darkening with lust when they reached his manhood.

  “You’re beautiful,” Mya said with a touch of awe that had him throbbing for her.

  He grabbed a condom from his wallet and sheathed himself before pulling her back into his arms a fraction of a second later. He made quick work of her pants, and then there was nothing at all between them.