Nicole whispered, “Alethea doesn’t stop. She has to dig and dig until she finds the truth. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. If this isn’t real, I don’t want to know.”
Marie said, “You don’t mean that, Nicole. And it is real. Stephan loves you. Anyone can see that. Jeremy says that Alethea only sees the worst-case scenario and works backward from the idea of ‘what if it were true.’ She didn’t accuse Stephan because he did anything. She accused him because she can’t imagine a world where he wouldn’t do something like that.”
“I know you’re right,” Nicole said. “That’s why I haven’t said a thing to him. I know it’s not true.”
Abby said, “I’ve never really given Alethea a chance. Lil says she’s not close to her own family. She considers us her family. What if she doesn’t know how to trust people? We could show her. We could take the first step and really open up to her. Look at all we have. We’re incredibly blessed. Maybe she would relax if we opened up to her first.”
When neither of the other women said anything, Abby added, “For Lil.”
Marie nodded. “You’re right, Abby. I’ve never hidden my dislike of her. That’s not fair to your sister or to Jake. If Lil is putting off the wedding until we sort this out, then it’s time for us to put this all behind us.”
Nicole let out a shaky breath. “I love Stephan. Alethea asking questions won’t change that. I can forgive and forget if I know that doing so means that much to Lil.”
Abby picked up her fork. “Okay, it’s settled then. I’d like both of you back here tomorrow afternoon for tea. I’ve invited both Lil and Alethea. Let’s show them that we can make this work.”
Marie made the sign of the cross and appealed to the heavens. When Abby and Nicole looked at her, she said, “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
Chapter Fourteen
Outside Jake’s office, Marc offered Stephan a short reprieve. “I can go in first, update him on what we know, and then tell him you’re here.”
Stephan won Marc’s respect by shaking his head and saying, “If this problem is a ripple effect of what I did last year, I’m not going to dance around whose fault it is. It rests firmly on my shoulders. I appreciate your support, but I don’t need it. Jake will listen to reason. And Dominic . . .” Stephan sighed. “I’ll figure out something.”
Marc spoke briefly to the secretary and then Jake opened the door himself. “Stephan, come in.”
When Alethea stepped forward to go inside, Marc held her arm and led her to the couch in the waiting area. Most men would have let go of her arm when she shot them the how-dare-you glare she sent him, but Marc only tightened his grip. She didn’t belong in there, not yet. If she’s right, they’ll come for her.
Neither sat as they waited.
Between gritted teeth, Alethea said, “Get your hand off me.”
“Can’t do that. They need time to sort this out before they involve us.”
“So, what do you expect me to do—wait here until they bestow an invitation on us?”
“Yes.”
She said something rude under her breath.
Marc hid a smile. Patience was one quality his little warrior lacked. There were worse faults a person could have. Patience could be learned; loyalty couldn’t. The more time he spent with Alethea, the more he respected what drove her decisions. Even though she approached problems with a battle-ax when others would have used a more delicate tool, she was driven—almost obsessively so—to protect the ones she cared about.
A strong, loving woman whose worst enemy was herself. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he wanted to help her find the kind of family she sought. Here with the Corisis, if possible; elsewhere, if necessary.
The secretary addressed them. “Mr. Walton will see you now.”
Still holding her arm, Marc looked down at Alethea and said, “This time, let me do the talking.”
Her lips pressed into a straight line of displeasure.
“Do you trust me?” he asked softly.
She glared at him and then looked down. “Yes.”
“Then follow my lead here. This is a tricky situation. Jake knows what you think is going on. Stephan may. Don’t ram your theory down their throat. Let them come to it naturally. I’ve already increased security. The situation is being dealt with.”
“I can’t just—”
Marc turned her to face him. “Yes, you can. The goal of a good security team is to protect without scaring the shit out of the people you work for. We’ll watch, Alethea. If you’re right and this is a small piece of something bigger, we’ll find the proof and we’ll stop the bastard responsible. But Jake deals with facts, and all we have right now is server breach.”
Dressed in a dark suit and looking every bit like he belonged, Jeremy Kater walked into Jake’s outer office. He stopped when he saw Alethea, then continued toward them.
He shook Marc’s hand and then Alethea’s. “Jake called and said Stephan is here. I should have guessed you’d be here, too.” He nodded at Alethea.
Marc let go of Alethea’s arm and placed his hand on her lower back. Did she have feelings for him? They’d been friends for a long time.
Oh, my God. I’m jealous. I’m never jealous.
That’s because Alethea is the first woman who actually matters.
Alethea asked, “Did you bring Jeisa back with you?”
Jeremy’s expression became guarded. “No, she stayed in California. She is in the middle of a big fundraiser.”
Alethea nodded and gave a small smile. “You look happy, Jeremy. I know I haven’t always appeared to be happy for you, but I am.”
Relaxing a bit, Jeremy said, “Thank you. For the first time I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what I was meant to do.” He looked from her to Marc and back. “I hope you find the same, Al.”
Marc was tempted to proclaim she had, but he held his silence. This was not the time or the place.
Alethea tensed beneath Marc’s hand, but she didn’t look back at him. She asked, “Did you find anything to help Stephan?”
Jeremy shook his head in frustration. “Not yet. You think he did it?”
Alethea stood straighter. “No, he’s innocent. I know he is. The proof is there if you dig deep enough. If I were you, I’d ask myself how Sliver would set him up.”
“Sliver?” Jeremy frowned. “Why would he go after Stephan? If Sliver wanted to hurt Dominic, wouldn’t he choose someone closer to him?”
The secretary behind them said, “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but Mr. Walton is losing patience.”
As the three of them headed toward the door, Jeremy’s tone revealed he was beginning to see the merit of Alethea’s idea. “Sliver would know how to cover his tracks, but why waste his time with easily fixable coding errors?” He stopped before opening the door. “You think the errors are a decoy, don’t you? Something to keep us chasing our tails.”
It was apparent that through years of working together Jeremy knew Alethea well, and it gave Marc a twinge of jealousy. But he knew Jeremy’s chance, if he’d ever had one, was in the past. Still, there was a bite to Marc’s tone when he said, “Enough. Let’s go in.”
Jake turned when they entered. “Jeremy. Good. We’re all here. Stephan has offered to give you full access to his server. I want you to take my parents over there and find out who is doing this.” He turned back to Stephan and said, “Everyone in this room wants to clear you. And we will. Hopefully before this explodes. I was hoping to have something concrete by now.” He was referring to Dominic—another person who hadn’t been blessed with the patience gene.
The door to Jake’s office flew open and Dominic’s voice boomed through the room. “Which one of you thought having this meeting without me was a good idea?”
Jake went to his side and said smoothly, “You gave me twenty-four hours, Dom. So technically, you did.”
Dominic strode to the middle of the room and faced Stephan. The air was ch
arged with the threat of imminent violence. “If I find out you’re involved in this, that you’ve been using my sister to get to me, there won’t be any place on earth you can hide from my wrath.”
Normally sarcastic, Stephan wisely chose not to be for once. He met Dominic’s angry gaze with the steadiness of an innocent man. “I love Nicole. I don’t know how this is happening, but you have my full cooperation and access to whatever you need to figure it out.”
Letting out a breath that sounded a bit like a hiss, Dominic didn’t look away from Stephan as he asked, “Marc, you’re a good judge of character. Do you believe him?”
Without hesitation, Marc said, “I do.”
Dominic swung to look at Jeremy. “Jake must have you looking for proof. Have you found anything?”
“Not yet.”
Looking around slowly, Dominic’s attention settled on Alethea. “What do you think?”
Everyone stopped breathing . . .
“He didn’t do it. Someone must have access to his IP address.” Marc waited for her to say more, but she didn’t.
Dominic punched his leg. “Shit. I wanted it to be you.”
Stephan’s eyebrows rose. “Sorry?”
Still angry, Dominic took his phone out of his pocket and opened his messages. He held his phone up so everyone could see a photo. “I received this from Stephan this morning.”
It was a slightly blurry color photo of Judy sleeping in her crib.
Stephan said, “I didn’t send that. I haven’t been in your child’s bedroom.”
Marc moved closer. “Can I see it?” Dominic handed him the phone. “It was taken from her baby monitor. I know that feed.”
A chill settled in the room. Jake asked, “Are we sure Abby didn’t send it?”
Marc handed Jake the phone. “It’s from Stephan’s email.”
Rising to his full height, Dominic roared, “How could someone access Judy’s monitor? I thought we were using encrypted video.”
Alethea interjected, “My guess is Abby didn’t get that memo.”
Dominic turned to Marc. “Marc, I want the security at my house doubled.”
“Already done, Dom.”
Shaking with a fury that had no outlet, Dominic growled, “What did you know that you failed to tell me?”
Jake accepted the blame easily. “I told him to keep it between us until we could confirm that we were dealing with more than a simple hacking.”
Grabbing his phone back from Jake, Dominic snapped, “I’d say we’re dealing with a hell of a lot more than that. I want the bastard who thinks it’s funny to taunt me with my daughter. And I want him now. What do we know?”
Jake said, “All we have is a theory.”
Looking down at the photo on his phone as if it caused him physical pain, Dominic snarled, “A theory?”
“Alethea’s,” Jake clarified.
Dominic spun back to address Alethea. Marc kept a hand on her lower back and felt her tense beneath his aggressive approach, but she kept her expression calm. She took a breath and said, “I think it’s Sliver.”
“We dealt with him. Jeremy, you said that we sent him so far underground he wasn’t a threat worth pursuing.”
Jeremy looked uncomfortable and admitted, “I may have underestimated his obsession with you. This isn’t someone trying to make a name for himself. This is personal. Vendetta level.”
Marc said, “Alethea believes that Sliver could be the same man Stephan gave your server codes to last year. He worked for Stephan in the past. That would have given him the opportunity to access his server as well.”
“What are you basing that on?” Dominic asked forcefully.
Alethea raised her chin and said, “A gut feeling.”
“So why the photo of my daughter?”
“A taunt and a warning. He wants you to know how close he is.”
“I want this guy. I don’t care what it takes. No one threatens my family and lives. Do we understand?”
Stephan stepped forward and said, “Dom, every resource I have is yours in whatever way you can use it.”
Rage still simmering close to the surface, Dominic said, “Hope you’re not holding out for a thank you. You gave this bastard access to my family.”
Stephan corrected him. “Our family.”
Rubbing his eyes in frustration, Dominic took a deep calming breath. He looked across at Marc. “I don’t want to scare Abby, but I want my home to be a Secret Service wet dream.”
Marc nodded. “Consider it done.” He stepped away to make a couple of calls to his men. When he returned, Jake had a large dry-erase board out and was making a web that had Dominic in the middle.
Jake said, “There has to be a piece we’re missing.” He put a line connecting Dominic to Stephan. He drew another line connecting Dominic to Jeremy and then to Sliver. An additional line connected Sliver to Stephan. “What is the pattern?”
Alethea asked, “Jeremy, when did you first notice Sliver online?”
“About two years ago, I guess.”
She asked, “When did Jack leave your company, Stephan?”
“About that time.”
“It has to be him,” Marc added. “But why connect with Jeremy?”
Alethea studied the board. “I don’t think he meant to. I believe that’s the only mistake he made. Jeremy challenged his ego online. If this is the same guy, he thinks he’s smarter than everyone else. We used that successfully against him last year. We can use it again.”
Jeremy looked across at Marc and said, “Alethea excels at shit like this.”
Marc watched Alethea study the web on the dry-erase board and couldn’t agree more. Alethea continued, “You know this guy. His name isn’t Stanley or Jack, but you know him. He’s someone who feels wronged by you. Who has a reason to hate you, Dom?”
With marker poised, Jake said, “We’re going to need a larger board.”
Marc added, “It wouldn’t be anything recent. This guy has a festering hate.”
As Jake and Dominic brainstormed for people involved in deals where the other side might have felt cheated, the list did indeed overflow onto sheets of paper.
Alethea suggested, “What if we broke it down by year? Work backward from when he started working for Stephan.”
Jeremy watched the growing list and whistled. “Dom, you’re lucky you’re still alive.” He looked at Jake. “Is your list as long?”
Jake held up two fingers. “Two, maybe three shady deals.”
Dominic’s eyebrows rose. “Really? And here I thought you believed in doing everything above board.”
Jake shrugged. “I’m only human.”
Alethea pointed to the list. “Add those deals, too.”
When they had an exhaustive list, Alethea paced the room and said, “Is there anyone on this list who would have the skills to pull this off? Maybe someone isolated from society by their awkward level of intelligence?”
“Hey, hey,” Jeremy said, “not all geniuses lack social skills.”
Jake opened his mouth to agree, then closed it with a snap. “She’s right. That type of personality profile fits this scenario.”
Eyes collectively went to Jeremy, who bristled a bit under the sudden scrutiny. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t know any of you before Alethea asked me to hack into your system.”
Alethea instantly stiffened, apparently preparing for them to adapt her theory to include her.
Before things got more heated, Marc said, “The likelihood that it’s someone in this room is slim, and doubting each other is just what this guy wants. That’s why he used Stephan. We’re not going to get anywhere if we don’t trust each other.” He picked up the stack of papers and said, “I suggest we start here. I’ll track down what everyone on this list is doing now. Location. Financial standing. Everything.”
Dominic rubbed his forehead roughly. “That’s going to take you a while.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dominic nodded in approval.
&n
bsp; Jeremy started toward the door. “I’ll go back with Stephan and see what I can find on his side.”
Jake walked over to a briefcase and took out a laptop. “I’ll pour over our records to see if we forgot anyone.”
Dominic checked his watch. “I’m going home.” Then he strode out of the office.
Alethea said, “I—”
“You should stay close to Abby and the baby,” Marc said, not giving her a chance to finish her sentence. “Give Dominic tonight with them, but you have the perfect excuse to spend the day with them tomorrow.”
“The tea? Are you kidding me? You want me to sit there having scones while the rest of you figure this out?” She looked ready to stomp her foot like a petulant child.
He wisely suppressed his amusement. There would be time later to kiss that pout off her lips. “That’s where we need you. Close. Watching without alarming them.”
Jake inserted, “I agree. They don’t need to know about this yet. So far all we have is a theory based on coding errors and one photo. There is no need to scare them. We have all angles covered.” He took in Alethea’s obvious displeasure with the idea and said, “Why don’t you help Marc with research tonight? I’m sure he could use your help.”
Alethea shook her head in disgust and turned to leave.
Jake stopped Marc when Alethea was through the door. “Marc, you need to keep this contained until we can figure it out. Alethea is as potentially volatile as she is an asset. If it gets out that we’re onto this guy, he could disappear before we can nab him. And I want him.”
“Then I’d better catch up with her fast,” Marc said, and strode to the door. “I’ll do my best, but she’s not going to fall for the bunker thing twice.”
Seated beside Marc in his Lexus, Alethea closed her eyes for a moment to clear her head of the jumbled emotions surging through her. Stephan was where he needed to be. Dominic and Jake were aware of the gravity of the situation and would remain on high alert until whoever was doing this was caught. With Jeremy and Jake’s famous computer-geek parents working on the IP address that led back to Stephan, it wouldn’t be long before they could trace it back to the true origin, and with Marc working the other end they should be able to flush out even the best alias. Whoever was doing this was close and he was getting cocky.
The Legacy Collection Box Set Page 90