Luke (Dark Water Security Series Book 1)

by Madison Quinn

  “Tell me, Ms. Telford—”

  “Emily, please.”

  Of course, she wouldn’t let me get away with calling her anything but the name that I’ll never be able to say again without thinking of her.

  “I know you’ve worked very closely with my partner, Alec, recently on a few cases. And from the looks of your resume, it seems you tend to contract with several different companies part-time. If you don’t mind me asking, what brings you here today? Not just here, but to Virginia, specifically?”

  “It’s time,” she says. Just when I think that’s the only answer she’s going to provide, she takes a deep breath, slowly letting it out before continuing. “I don’t know if Alec told you, but my father… he was very sick for a long time before he passed away—”

  “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” She closes her eyes briefly, and I’m torn about whether I should tell her to stop, tell her she doesn’t need to continue, or letting her continue. If I’m going to consider hiring her, I need to be certain she’s in this for the long haul. “Before he became ill, I worked full-time at a large software development company. My job was primarily to find ways to hack into the software that was being developed for companies who wanted and needed their systems hack proof. I loved it. I was on a fast track to moving up in the company because of my abilities. But then my dad got sick.

  “At first, he tried to hide it… but as the disease progressed it was obvious he couldn’t do it all on his own. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a part-time position with the company rather than leaving entirely. They offered me the flexibility to work when I wanted, which was key with Dad’s doctor appointments.”

  “How did you go from working at a software company to contracting with police departments, the FBI and ultimately Alec? It’s quite a jump.”

  “It is, but it’s not. My dad works…worked for a police department before he got sick. His coworkers would occasionally stop in and talked to him. During one of the visits, they were discussing a case—I know it sounds silly, but he used to say that talking about cases would keep his mind off of what was happening to him. Anyway, they were stuck because they knew this guy was guilty, but they lacked the evidence. They had eye witnesses who told them that this guy possessed hundreds of pictures of… young children. I happened to walk into the room at that moment, and my dad suggested I could help. I agreed, and within a few hours, I was able to hack into the hidden server that the guy had and find the evidence the DA needed to move forward with the case. After that, they asked me to consult on other cases.”

  “Did you ever go back to the software company?”

  “No.” She shakes her head. “I enjoyed what I did there, but this…it was different. It gave me a sense of…”

  “Purpose,” I suggest.

  “Yes.” She smiles sadly. “Not that I didn’t have a purpose with that company, because I did—I was helping to protect companies, and by extension, customers. This was just different.”

  “Has Alec explained both sides of our business?” I ask.

  “Yes, you provide security protection to anyone from politicians to local celebrities to businessmen… basically, anyone who is in need of your services.”

  “Correct. Our computer expert is tasked with getting at the information that they might be hiding from us, looking into threats against them, and at times, accessing security cameras of locations we can’t get into ahead of time to ensure their safety.”

  “That’s not a problem. I’ve done similar work with San Diego’s police department. Between us and these walls, I’ve hacked into the city’s traffic cams and even into bank security systems to keep their officers safe when they’re in the field.”

  “And they didn’t offer you a job?”

  “They did.” She laughs. “But, there, I was always known as my father’s daughter. I would always be in his shadow. They would never really see me as a coworker.”

  “Understandable. So, Alec has told you about the other side of our business?”

  “Yes, I’m sure he told you that I consulted with him on a case recently.”

  “He did.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why do you do it? It would be easy enough to look the other way, to pretend those problems don’t exist at the end of the day. Why do you risk everything, to help people you don’t know, Luke?”

  Holy shit. How did she turn the tables around so quickly?

  “Because sometimes people need someone to stand up for them, to offer them something when they think they have nothing. Because without us, things might never get better for some of the people we work with. Sometimes, it isn’t about the money and whether or not people can afford to hire us.”

  “That’s very admirable.”

  “It’s not,” I quickly argue.

  “You don’t have to do what you do. You don’t have to risk your lives to help them.”

  “If we didn’t, who would? With many of these situations, others want to help, but are bound by the law and can’t. We’re not bound by the same laws. But the question is: are you okay with doing the same thing? Are you okay with risking your name, your reputation? Because if you’re caught—”

  “I won’t be.”

  “You sound pretty certain.”

  “I am.” The confidence she walked in with suddenly reappears. “Some of what I’ve done in the past hasn’t been that different from what you and Alec do. I know how to stay hidden, to get information without being seen, without leaving a trace. No one will be able to find me.”

  “Alec found you,” I point out.

  “He found me because I let him find me.” She smiles. “Trust me, if I didn’t want him to find me, he never would have.”

  “Then why did you?”

  “I watched him for a while, trying to get a feel on him. At one point, it was obvious he was trying to find someone but was struggling. I contacted him, asked a few questions and gave him the information he couldn’t find. I thought that was the end, but a month or so later he was back, again looking for information. It wasn’t something I could help with at the time, but I pointed him in a direction, and from what I understand your current computer guy was able to get the information he was looking for.”

  “What changed? He never really said how you two met.”

  “One night—it wasn’t long after my dad—I wasn’t sleeping well at night, so I had been spending a lot of time in different chat rooms, which is ultimately where we bumped into each other again.”

  “What kind of chat rooms?”

  “I wasn’t ready to start working again; I just wasn’t ready to… commit to anything, I guess you could say. But I missed my work. There are chat rooms for everything, if you know where to find them. I belonged to a few: everything from families trying to bring loved ones into the country, to abused wives wanting to leave their spouses, to parents of missing children. Sometimes I would pop in and offer some assistance; just doing a couple of hours work was enough to keep me sane during those days.”

  “That’s where you found Alec?”

  “I hadn’t talked to him in some time, but he used the same handle in the groups so he was easy to pick out. He was asking for recommendations…essentially for this position. My handle was repeatedly mentioned as I had worked with several of the group members over the last couple of years. I waited a few days and then reached out to him. I knew he would try to have his current guy try to find me, but like I told you, if I don’t want to be found, you’re not going to find me digitally. I have several different handles I use that cannot be traced back to me.”

  “You’re certain?”

  “You can ask your current guy, but when I reached out to Alec and let him know I knew he was looking for me, he wasn’t surprised. He told me about your side business, and actually left out what your company really does, then asked if I would consult on some cases. I didn’t really want to. Like I said,
I wasn’t in the position to fully commit to anything. But then he told me about this case you guys were working on. The one where the father had kidnapped the newborn baby…”

  “That was a tough one.”

  It ended in our favor, but it was definitely one of the hardest cases we’ve ever worked.

  “Of course, I couldn’t say no, so I agreed to consult. In the end, I don’t know that I helped much, but it definitely helped me. Afterward, he kept pestering me to join your team, even just part-time; he was certain that there would be a full-time position opening shortly. I couldn’t consider it though; the last thing I wanted to do was move across the country and start something new.”

  “Yet, here you are. What changed?”

  For a moment I don’t think she’s going to answer the question. She closes her eyes, almost as if she’s trying to gather her thoughts.

  Chapter 11

  Emily

  “I started looking around, looking into the work you did, who you were, and…well, Alec can be very persistent when he wants something,” I admit.

  “That he can.” He agrees. “Though, I have to admit, I had my doubts that you were going to actually schedule the interview.”

  “Sorry about that.” I look anywhere but at him. The conference room we’re meeting in is simple, but impressive at the same time. The tech guru in me takes in all the small features that most people wouldn’t normally see. The mounted cameras angled in each corner of the room, the pull down screen for presentations and the large wall of sound proof windows that allow the occupants to see the rest the office. From the outside, it looked like a normal warehouse but once you enter it’s anything but that. I was instantly impressed with the set up that Dark Water Security had in that moment.

  “Tell me about yourself,” he asks.

  “What do you want to know?” The simple question immediately puts me on edge.

  “What do you do when you’re not working?”

  “I practice martial arts and volunteer teaching self-defense classes at a local woman’s shelter.” Okay, this I can handle.

  “Really?” He doesn’t hide his surprise. “I thought you…well, pretty much stayed at home. I’m sorry, it’s just that’s sort of how Alec portrayed you—”

  “Oh, that’s definitely me too. I don’t like crowds, new places, new things or, well…anything unknown.”

  “Yet, here you are,” he points out.

  “I know that I sound…well, crazy—”

  “No—”

  “I do, and that’s okay.” It’s definitely not the first time someone thinks I’m crazy and it won’t be the last. It never takes long for people to pick up on my avoidance of certain things to realize I’m not entirely normal. “It’s something I’m working on. I was doing really well until my dad got sick. Staying home, taking care of him, only leaving when I absolutely needed to—it allowed for my earlier habits to come back. I know I’m asking a lot, but I’d really like a chance. I can do this job. I have no doubts about that.”

  “Even with moving across the country?”

  “I know it’s not going to be easy, but I need things to change. Staying at home, in my dad’s house, isn’t helping. As unknown as this is, I think change is exactly what I need. Knowing that there isn’t a work from home option here, basically forces me to not slip back into those old habits.”

  He doesn’t respond right away, instead he just… stares as me. Instead of being uncomfortable like you would expect it to be, it’s anything but uncomfortable. While he takes me in, I do the same for him. His dark brown hair is cut short, obviously still left over from his time in the service. His broad shoulders give way to his obviously toned arms and chest. Even though he’s fully clothed, you can tell just by looking at him that he works out. When my thoughts start to turn to just how toned he might be, I force myself to look away. Thinking about the man I hope to be my future boss like this can’t be good.

  “When can you start?”

  “Start? Um…I guess now? I mean, obviously not tonight, but…”

  “The morning works.” He laughs. “Are you sure? If you need to go back to San Diego to—”

  “No,” I cut him off before he can finish his thought. “I packed enough to stay a few days since I wasn’t sure when you would be able to meet with me. I’ll contact a realtor back home and have someone get the house ready to sell.”

  “You’re sure? If you need to go back to handle things, we can delay your start date.”

  “No…old habits and all that,” I quietly admit. “I’d much rather stay out here and let someone else handle all of that. I read that sometimes starting over, starting fresh, can help.”

  “Yes, sometimes it can.”

  “Tomorrow morning then?” I ask.

  “Yes, be here around nine. Jose will be here for another two days, so I’d like you two to work together as much as possible before he leaves.”

  “Thank you again for the opportunity… and well, for taking a chance.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  We both stand at the same time, gathering our belongings from the table. I find myself watching him again when his back is to me. Although he’s casually dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, there’s no doubt he’s in charge. He has this sense of… power and confidence about him that I can only wish to have one day. When he turns to face me, I quickly look away and pick up my purse.

  “Good night, Luke.” I offer my hand at the door.

  “Night, Emily. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” He takes my hand in his, holding for what I would normally consider too long but it could just all be in my head. He hasn’t given me much of a second glance, so it’s probably all just in my head.

  The hotel is located only a few blocks from Dark Water Security offices and offers extended stay options which is why I chose this one. By the time I get up to my room my nerves are shot. Over the last three days I’ve questioned this decision more than I have anything in my entire life. Is this the right thing to do? Is this the right job for me? Is this the right place for me? Am I even able to do this?

  In the end though what I said to Luke is true: I need a change. I need a reason to get out of bed each day now that my dad is gone. I need to walk into a room and not picture him sitting there dying. I need… a fresh start. I’ve never been a fan of change and this is probably the biggest change I’ve ever made, but it’s something I think I need.

  Dark Water Security sounds like it’ll be a good fit for me. I get to use the skills that I’ve spent years perfecting while still making a difference. Alec and Luke… they seem like they would be good to work for. They’re both nice and so far seem pretty understanding. As long as I can keep my craziness under control, I think I’ll fit in… at least to a certain degree considering I don’t have a military background.

  Chapter 12

  Luke

  For the next several days, I practically lock myself in my office, only coming out when I absolutely need to. I know it’s not the answer, but every time I fucking hear her name or see her stunning blue eyes, they remind me of Em. It’s something I know I need to get past, but I have no fucking idea how. I spent the weekend doing everything possible to rid myself of the memories of that time in my life, but when I arrived this morning and found her already here, they came rushing back.

  “Luke?” Emily appears at my door.

  “Yes?”

  “Are we meeting in here or in the conference room?”

  “Oh, in the conference room.”

  I had lost track of time and completely forgot about our call with Alec. I quickly follow her to the room where we first met a few days ago. She takes the same seat she did as that day, whereas I sit in the one I originally offered her. It isn’t until she looks up that I realize my mistake. By sitting across from her, she’s in my line of sight. Before I can think of a reason to move, she’s dialing the conference line number on the phone between us.

  “Is everyone there?” Alec’s voice
comes through the speaker before either of us can say hello.

  “Yes, Ms. Telford and I are here.”

  “Emily, are you settling in okay?” he asks.

  “Yes, thank you. Jose showed me the ropes and left me very detailed notes on all the cases you’re currently working on.”

  “Good.”

  “Have you heard anything more on the Thompson case?” I ask.

  “Mrs. Thompson hasn’t received any ransom calls or communication from her husband,” Alec replies. “The police haven’t found any new leads either.”

  “I think we need to look into their financials further, something isn’t sitting right about them,” I suggest.

  “I agree,” Emily adds. “I’ve just started to dig into them, but I’ve pulled their tax returns for the last few years and various credit statements I could find online. It’s going to take at least several days to go through everything, but I can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something.”

  “Anything stand out?” Alec asks.

  “No. Everything is just too perfect. It’s just a feeling at this point, and it’ll take some time to get through everything—”

  “I can help.” I cringe even as the words spill out on their own accord.

  “Really? That would be great! With two of us working on it, I’m sure we could get through the records much faster.”

  “Perfect,” Alec agrees. “I’m going to continue tracking down a few college friends and old acquaintances that Mrs. Thompson provided the names of, and hopefully one of them will turn out.”

  “I have a program searching off shore accounts for anything in his name as well,” Emily adds. “It should be finished in the next couple of hours as it’s been going all weekend.”

  “What countries is it searching?” Alec asks.

  “All of them,” she answers.

  “All of them?” Alec asks just as surprised as I am.

  Off-shore accounts are notorious for not cooperating with inquiries; the whole reason they exist is to hide money, so why would they cooperate? Some countries are slightly better than others, but the issue still remains that they don’t like sharing information.