“Dog trainer? What the hell?”
That he’d been more surprised that she had a dog trainer than had cook did make her smile. “It’s a long story, but I’m pretty involved in dog fostering and rescuing. I have four dogs living with me now and Eric trains them so that they have a better chance at finding forever homes when they go up for adoption.”
Isiah crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, that makes sense—the training part anyway. What doesn’t make sense is why you have staff to do that.”
“Because I don’t have time but I do have the money, and Eric is the best,” she answered, knowing full well it wasn’t a complete answer.
“I worked for the government, I can pretty much guarantee you don’t make enough to hire a fulltime dog trainer and cook.”
And there it was, the question—buried in a statement—that she’d both expected and dreaded. Oh, her teammates knew who she was—or rather, who her parents were—but almost no one else knew. There were very good reasons for that. But Isiah did not look like a man who would let the issue go. Not entirely anyway.
“My family has money,” she said quickly. “Like, a lot of money. I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind. But Eric’s mom has worked for us since before I was born. Eric and I grew up together. After he graduated from college, he did a brief stint as a cybersecurity engineer at a private firm in DC before deciding that cooking was his real love. The dog training was something he picked up along the way.”
Again, Isiah searched her face, giving nothing away. Then he nodded. “And Yael?”
“She’s Eric’s wife. She’s former Mossad—Israeli intelligence—and she’s both my personal trainer and, when needed, personal security.” She turned away at that last admission. Admitting that she sometimes needed personal security made her a little nauseated. Partly, it pricked her pride that she couldn’t always protect herself. But the admission also reminded her of the one time she’d needed personal security. She hadn’t had it then, and that day had changed everything. Ever since, no one in the family traveled without it.
“Personal security?”
To his credit, Isiah sounded more curious than judgmental.
Alexis nodded but said nothing more.
“You need personal security because of your family’s money or because of your job?”
“I’ve had personal security since I was twelve. But I imagine my job hasn’t made it easier. Yael has been with me since she and Eric got married fifteen years ago.”
Isiah looked off into the foliage, much as she’d done moments ago. Finally, he let out a long breath, and with it, the tension eased from her own body.
“And you trust them?” he asked.
She nodded. “Literally with my life.”
“And you think they can help?”
“I know Eric has a secure connection, and mad computer skills. I know he can try to help. But I can’t guarantee he’ll find anything. But then again, no one can guarantee that.”
She saw him weighing her statement. Even if they found a quiet way into Huck’s cloud drive, there was no guaranteeing that what they’d find there would help Huck or the spy in question.
Evening birds started to sing to each other in the trees and thunder rumbled in the distance. From the sound, Alexis knew the storm would bypass the island, but the air had grown heavy with moisture and the mosquitos were starting to make an appearance.
As Isiah raised his face to the skies his shoulders dropped an inch. “I don’t love the idea of bringing other people into this when I don’t know what this is, but at this point, I don’t think I have a choice. Not unless I want to risk putting a big target on me by accessing the drive myself through unsecured channels.”
Alexis hadn’t expected him to concede any more than he had—in his position, she would feel the same reluctance. With a nod of acknowledgment at his well-founded hesitancy, they continued on to Yael and Eric’s.
In silence, they walked the remaining ten minutes to the apartment building. They were standing in the lobby waiting for the elevator when Isiah spoke again.
“You don’t live here, do you?”
She ignored the twinge of guilt and shook her head.
“So, last night?”
“I wasn’t going to let you follow me home, but I knew you wouldn’t go back to The Shack until I was somewhere safe.” The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. “Yael and Eric, and Eric’s mom, Rachel, all live here on the fifth floor.”
“The top floor.” It wasn’t a question, he could see the buttons for the floor numbers. But again there was a question buried in the statement. She didn’t have to answer, but she did.
“My parents own both of the penthouse apartments. They bought them for the Goodman’s when I took the position on the task force and moved to Tildas Island. My parents treat all of our employees very well. Especially those with whom they entrust their only child’s life.”
“I think I might like your parents,” he muttered as the doors opened and they stepped into the hallway.
“They might go a little overboard,” she acknowledged. “But they do try to let me have a relatively normal life. This is our compromise,” she said, gesturing to the two doors.
“Fair enough. Although one day, you’re going to have to tell me who your parents are,” he said as he followed her to Yael and Eric’s door.
“Look it up. You wouldn’t be the first,” she said as she knocked on the door.
“I’d rather hear it from you. And I’m a patient man.”
As he spoke, Eric opened the door, giving her an excuse not to dissect Isiah’s statement. She had texted both Eric and Yael to let them know they were coming over, but not why, so while he wasn’t surprised to see them on his doorstep, she could see the question in his eyes.
“It’s a weird story, Eric. Isiah will tell you all about it,” she said as she walked past him and into the open living room where she saw Yael.
When Eric closed the door, she faced the three people watching her expectantly. “Yael, Eric, this is Isiah Clarke. Isiah, this is Yael and Eric. Eric, we need your computer skills because it’s highly likely that someone in the CIA is selling out our assets.”
Well, hell, Alexis didn’t pull any punches. Isiah watched both Yael and Eric’s reactions. Not surprising, as a former intelligence agent, Yael displayed none whatsoever. Eric raised a single eyebrow.
“Well, that was dramatic,” Yael said.
Alexis smiled at her. “I’m capable of drama. I just don’t indulge in it very often.”
Yael rolled her eyes. “Isiah, can I get you something to eat or drink? Beer?”
He started to shake his head, then changed his mind. “A beer would be great. This has been an interesting afternoon. In more ways than one,” he said, shooting a glance at Alexis.
Eric chuckled. “I bet. Now, you want to tell us what’s going on?” he asked, gesturing for him and Alexis to take a seat.
Isiah studied the man as they arranged themselves on the two couches in the living room. Eric Goodman looked to be in his mid-forties and was the same height as Alexis. He was definitely a little softer around the middle than his wife, who was whipcord lean, but he still looked relatively fit. Wire-rimmed glasses perched over a pair of brown eyes that looked to take in more than most people probably gave him credit for.
“Here,” Yael said, re-entering the room with three bottles of beer and a glass of whiskey for Alexis. Yael Goodman was probably close to five foot four, but her petite bone structure and lean muscles made her seem even smaller. He imagined that was an advantage back when she’d been an agent—with her build, coupled with her wildly curly dark hair and wide eyes that were an even darker shade of brown than her husband’s, she’d probably been easy to underestimate.
“So what can we do for you?” Yael asked once she’d settled herself at her husband’s side on the love seat. The love seat was on the other side of the coffee table from the couch where he and Alexis s
at—on opposite ends.
Rather than answer, he took the phone out and set it on the table. Unlocking the device, he played the message. It did not get any clearer or less alarming hearing it for the second time.
When Huck’s voice ended, he shut the device down, slipped it into his pocket, and looked up at his hosts.
“You want to get into the cloud drive?” Eric asked.
“Stealthily,” Yael added.
Isiah nodded.
“That a problem, babe?” Yael asked her husband.
Rather than answer right away, Eric leaned forward, picked up a pencil and a piece of paper, and, from memory, wrote the address of the drive down. He eyed it for a moment, frowning, then shook his head.
“It won’t be a problem, but I’m not sure how long it will take,” he said. “Even though my connection here is secure and easy to obscure, I’ll want to bounce the signal around a fair bit to be on the safe side. I think the best thing to do, depending on how much information is there, is to copy it quickly to another drive that we control and then we can go through it without having to worry about being discovered. We could even print it, if need be. A little old fashioned, I know, but sometimes that’s the most effective way to view data, especially data that we don’t know what we’re looking at or for.”
“Can you start tonight?” Alexis asked.
Eric rose from his seat. “I can start now.”
At his comment, some of the tension eased from Isiah’s chest. Intellectually, it was foolish to trust these people so quickly, but he’d passed the point of turning back when he’d handed Alexis the headset back at his bar. Besides, Alexis clearly had some significant trust issues and yet she trusted these people. He wouldn’t bet his life on them—not yet—but he was willing to bet they could help him with this.
“My computer is in the office which means I have to release the kraken,” Eric said, gesturing for Isiah to follow him.
“The kraken?” Isiah asked, rising. Both Alexis and Yael did the same. Apparently, this would be a group adventure.
“He’s not that bad,” Alexis said.
“At least he’s not Satan,” Yael muttered, utterly confusing him.
“Satan?” Isiah asked.
“Satan is a kitten Rachel is fostering,” Alexis answered as they walked down the hallway.
“And that adorable little shit definitely lives up to her name,” Yael said.
“And the kraken?” Isiah asked as Eric opened the door and a brown dust mop went flying by him. No, not a dust mop, a dog. A very small, long haired dog that stopped at Alexis’s feet and started bouncing up and down. And peeing on the floor.
Yael let out a loud sigh. “Isiah, meet Puddles. Aptly named as you can see. We call her the kraken because she attacks everyone—lovingly, of course. You won’t find a sweeter dog, though she’s a bit much for some people. I’ll get the paper towels,” she said then disappeared back toward the kitchen.
“You’re the best tiny brown dog in the world aren’t you, Puddles,” Alexis crooned to the dog, whom she’d picked up and was now cuddling. “It would be better if you learned not to pee every time someone walked into the house, but you’re working on that aren’t you?”
Puddles wiggled in her arms, then went completely limp, draping herself over Alexis’s shoulder.
Alexis laughed. “She’s almost like a ragdoll cat. If we could only get her to stop peeing then I have no doubt dozens of families would vie to adopt her.” As she spoke, she rubbed her cheek along the dog’s long brown coat. In the past twenty-four hours, he’d seen Alexis in a lot of different lights and this was yet another. He didn’t know her well, but how she looked now, cuddling the tiny dog, was the most relaxed he’d ever seen her and it was hard not to want to wrap an arm around her and join in the snuggles. Although, as he thought about it, he realized that even though he’d learned a lot about her, he still had no idea what her last name was.
“What’s your last name?” he asked.
“We’ll bounce it through the university in Alabama first,” Eric said, cutting off any reply Alexis might have made, which was, no doubt, the intent.
“Why Alabama?” Isiah asked, allowing the man to distract him. What Alexis’s last name was, was neither here nor there at the moment, but eventually he’d get her to share.
Eric shrugged. “Why not? From there we’ll pop through a couple of places in Europe and Africa, then back to the States, then maybe through the Middle East. I’ll have to see how I feel at that point.”
“Anything I can do while you’re doing that?” he asked as Yael appeared in the doorway.
“The floor is clean,” she announced. “And no, there’s nothing you can do. You’re welcome to stay here and watch, but Alexis, can you come to Rachel’s with me for a moment? She called earlier and needs some help setting up that new accounting software.”
Alexis shared a look with Yael then gave a little shake of her head. “Rachel doesn’t need help with her software,” she said to Isiah as she handed Puddles into his arms. The dog lifted its head, scrambled its little paws against his chest, then relaxed in his arms. “This is Yael’s way of getting me on my own so she can interrogate me about you.”
Yael lifted her gaze upward and let out a small sigh. “I was trying not to embarrass you, but I’ll know better next time.” Then turning to him, she added. “We already know nearly everything about you just as we do about everyone who comes into Alexis’s life on a regular basis. But what I don’t know is what she thinks of you. So if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to steal her away for some good old fashioned gossip. I’ll return her when I’m satisfied with the answers she gives.”
“Anything I should know or be worried about?” he asked Alexis.
“Not a thing,” Alexis answered. “It will probably be her easiest and fastest interrogation ever.”
“No, that interrogation was when I met Eric,” Yael said with a grin.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Eric said. “We’ve all heard that story a million times. Now would you please go away so I can concentrate?”
“Yes, dear.” Yael dropped a kiss on her husband’s head before gesturing Alexis out of the room. Following Alexis out, she paused in the doorway and turned back to Isiah. “He accidentally hacked into a Mossad network. They sent me to figure out who he was. Took less than five minutes to get his entire life story.”
“That’s because you’re terrifying,” Eric said, his attention never leaving his computer screen.
“You’re so sweet, Babe. Love you and we’ll see you in a little bit.” Yael gave a little wave then Alexis dragged her from the room, muttering something about getting things over with.
“I’ve known Alexis her entire life,” Eric said as he rapidly keyed in something. “She won’t talk unless she wants to, no matter how much Yael prods her.”
Isiah lifted a shoulder. “Alexis has made it pretty clear what she thinks of me. She trusts me a little but not too much. She cares enough about what was on that message to want to help me. But as for the rest, I think she’s withholding judgment.”
Eric snorted a little laugh. “Yeah, that sounds exactly like Alexis. Now let’s talk about something a little more interesting. Do you want to see what intel your friend left you?”
“Holy shit, you’re in that fast?” he asked, moving across the room to stand behind Eric.
“Not quite, but the relays are working well tonight and I’ve bounced it off of more than enough locales to cause some serious confusion, but I have one…more…stop…here.”
Isiah looked at the screen and saw nothing but code scrolling. Eric keyed in something, waited a few minutes, then keyed in something else.
“What are you doing?” Isiah asked.
“I’m making it look like the connection to Huck’s files came from the company’s data center. That way, if anyone else finds the file and tries to discover if there has been any other access, it will look like the service provider made a mistake and pinged one of it
s accounts rather than someone gaining any actual access.”
“So the first level of defense is misdirection?”
Eric nodded. “And the second is complete confusion, which is why I have it pinging all over the world.”
“I knew enough about computers to be efficient when I was in the service, but not much more than was necessary. That said, your plan sounds like a good one to me.”
“Good, I’m glad, ‘cause we’re in. Now, where should I save it?”
“You have a drive?”
Eric’s attention left the computer and landed on him. “You’d trust me? Trust us?”
Isiah studied him. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
“No,” Eric drew the word out. “I guess I’ve been around Alexis and my wife a little too much. Neither one of them trusts easily.”
“Whether or how much I trust you all is a little moot since you’re already in the file and can access it again whenever you want. Just save it to your drive and let’s print everything. I want a hard copy that I can review without having to worry about anyone looking over my shoulder.”
“You got it.” Eric turned back to his computer. “Alexis’s family has a private data center. I’ll copy the data there, obscure it, secure it, and then block all access except from me. It will also limit your ability to access it. I can’t give you rights to that data center, but I can’t think of a better place to keep it.”
“As long as I have a copy, I’m good,” Isiah said, but the man was so focused on what he was doing that Isiah was pretty sure Eric hadn’t heard him.
Within seconds, the printer kicked in and sheets of paper started feeding through. They were still feeding through ten minutes later when Alexis and Yael walked in.
“That’s the info?” Alexis asked, joining Isiah at the printer.
“Yes, almost all of it. How many files are left, Eric?”
“Two,” he answered. “That was a short interrogation,” he added. Isiah assumed he was talking to Yael, as both he and Alexis had their backs to the couple.
Night Deception Page 5