Jase hurried out and Crockett flew Horse with him. “Crack open the door,” he whispered.
As soon as she did, he zoomed the tiny surveillance bug into their room. “You were right,” he murmured.
Dread made her blood run cold.
24
Epic Fail
Crockett’s impending product presentation at the FBI was the gateway to the biggest opportunity for Wilde Innovations and he needed to keep his head in the game. But he’d tossed and turned all night, even with Alexandra snuggled in his arms.
If a grown woman had to resort to biting a member, something extreme was happening at Incognito. But until they could gain access into that back room, he had to focus on the task at hand.
Round Two with the FBI.
As he and Decker approached the Department of Justice on Pennsylvania Avenue in northwest DC, Decker bit out a grunt. “What’s she doing here?”
Crockett flicked his gaze to the entrance of the gray government building that covered most of the city block. Ruth Lizzard, Wilde’s former QA Director, chatted away on her phone. He’d terminated her employment last fall for sexual misconduct and had zero interest in speaking with her.
“Hopefully not vying for the same business we are,” Crockett replied. “Do you know where she landed?”
“Director of Software Development for No Man’s Land.”
“That drone manufacturer has been trying to break into the federal space for years.”
“Looks like they found the right person to blow that door wide open.”
Ruth Lizzard ended her call and marched in their direction.
“Ah, crap,” Decker grumbled.
“Hello, boys.” Ruth Lizzard did not crack a smile. “Here to wow the FBI with your little critters?”
“I heard you joined Chavez’s company,” Crockett said, taking control of the conversation. “How’s that working out?”
She grinned. “Ray’s a dream to work for. We’re rolling out some fantastic products. Just between you and me, the FBI was totally impressed.”
But Crockett wasn’t. “Good for you.”
“Best of luck, kiddos,” she said. “You’re gonna need it.” With a smug smile, she flicked her blonde head and strode off.
Lizzard made his skin crawl. She’d been an outstanding employee until she’d attempted to screw her way into an executive position. When he’d refused her, she’d gone after Decker. So, he’d terminated her and hadn’t thought twice about her. Until now.
Swallowing down the bitter taste, he and Decker entered the building’s waiting area. Danny Strong exited through security and shook both men’s hands. “Good to see you.”
“You, too,” Crockett said.
Both men accompanied him to the bulletproof window. “They’re with me.” Danny slid his DOJ badge through the recessed tray.
“I need to see your IDs, gentlemen,” said the security clerk.
Crockett and Decker slipped their driver’s licenses into the tray. Once the employee had entered the necessary information, she slid their IDs back through, along with temporary badges for Crockett and Decker.
“Wear those at all times,” she said as both men clipped on the plastic visitor badge.
“I’ll see you on the other side.” Danny walked back through the employee entrance.
Similar to airport security, Crockett and Decker stepped over to a conveyer belt. They placed their laptops, cell phones, and Spy Flies into the plastic bin to be X-rayed. Then, both men stood in the “X” position while the security guard waved the wand over their bodies. Once cleared, they stepped through the metal detector and waited in front of a sliding glass door to one of three glass-enclosed isolation chambers.
When the door slid open, Crockett stepped into the space. The door closed behind him. Several seconds later, the glass door in front of him opened and he stepped into the FBI lobby.
After Crockett and Decker had retrieved their belongings, Danny led them to a large conference room. “They’re on a brief break,” Danny explained.
Based on the number of notebooks and tablets, they had a full house.
“How’d the previous demo go?” Crockett asked while Decker paired the two Flies with his phone.
“You know I can’t get into the specifics,” Danny replied.
“I didn’t ask you anything specific.”
“Yeah, right. It went fine. Unexpected, actually.”
Knowing Lizzard, Crockett wasn’t surprised she’d bring the unexpected. That seemed to be her strong suit of late.
Along with the three members from Round One of the source selection panel, four high-ranking individuals entered the room. They were the Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief of Field Ops, and Chief of Surveillance Programs.
Between wheezy breaths, the Contracting Officer from Round One reiterated the agency’s expectations per the solicitation, then turned the floor over to Crockett.
“Good morning and thank you for this opportunity.” Crockett glanced at each of the panel members. “Wilde Innovations is the industry leader in unmanned aerial vehicles. We are the eyes and ears during mission-critical operations for law enforcement, first responders and Special Forces. Our military-grade fleet of aircraft is designed to mimic birds of prey. Hovercraft drones, along with our larger craft, are used around the world with excellent results. Per your solicitation, today’s demo will spotlight the two Spy Flies on the table. Black and Horse were designed to mimic the Black and Horse flies. Decker Daughtry, Wilde’s Chief Innovator, will command each device via his phone, but they can also be flown using the handheld controller on the table. Please direct your attention to Black as we highlight its advanced maneuverability.”
Using his phone, Decker guided the miniscule craft into the air. Based on yesterday’s practice drills, Crockett had every confidence his equipment would exceed expectations. The Fly zoomed around the room before Decker landed it on the top of the projector hanging from the ceiling directly overhead. Then, he demonstrated how the tiny insect could hover in mid-air before landing on the table. After Decker directed it into the Chief Technology Officer’s soft-shell tablet case, he buzzed it onto the Chief Procurement Officer’s spiral-bound notebook.
“Nice,” said the FBI employee.
And then, Decker’s expression shifted. It was subtle, but his eyebrows puckered briefly. Acid churned in Crockett’s guts. Black’s demonstration still had another ninety seconds, but the insect hadn’t budged. Why isn’t she moving?
“As you can see, the equipment behaves like a common fly.” Decker held Crockett’s gaze for an extra second. “Please direct your attention to Horse. This insect is as maneuverable as Black, but we’d like you to pay special attention to the sound quality.”
Horse rose in the air. Decker flew it around the table so the panel could hear the quiet humming of the insect. Then, the bug crashed belly up on the table.
“That’s not good,” mumbled the Chief Technology Officer.
The wheezy Contracting Officer’s thick, mucous-filled cough made Decker flinch. Crockett’s stomach dropped. He had to act quickly, so he slipped his hand into his suit pocket and pulled out his personal Moth. Not the device he’d used at the previous demo, but one he’d had for years and kept at home. As he flew it around the room, he let out a relieved breath.
Crockett operated the craft through a series of flawless maneuvers while Decker narrated. Though most stayed focused on Moth, several glanced at the catatonic Horse, still belly up on the table.
When the demo ended, Decker collected Horse and Black. A thin sheen of perspiration dotted his forehead. Though Crockett wanted to fling the fucking bugs across the room and belt out a list of obscenities, he was too busy trying to come up with a plausible answer as to why both of his sixty-five thousand dollar pieces of equipment had failed in some form or another.
“What was the purpose of crash-landing the craft?” asked the Deputy Director of Field Operations.
&
nbsp; The tech officer raised his eyebrows. “You did that on purpose?”
Leaning back, Crockett crossed his legs. “We build fail-safe behavior into the equipment to cover for human error or in the event the mission doesn’t go as planned. The bug goes belly-up to fool the enemy into believing it’s real. And it’s dead.”
“Very nice,” said the Chief of Field Ops.
But Wilde Innovations’s demonstration of their Spy Flies had been anything but. For the first time in his career, Crockett Wilde had failed.
Big time.
Alexandra spent the morning in production going over her DC’s Brightest Tech Star segment with the editor. Pleased with the results, she hoped this feature story would open up more opportunities to cover the meatier ones. “Can I get a copy for my demo reel?”
Before the editor could respond, Stacy barged in. “I finally have a break in my super busy schedule. Max says I need mentoring.”
“Oh, brother,” mumbled the editor.
No small talk. No manners. “I’ll make time when I get back from my interview. Plan on four o’clock.”
As if hypnotized, Stacy stared at the monitor. “Hey, that’s Tex. He’s super hot. I let him know I’m available. What are you doing with him?”
Falling in love.
The production editor glared at her. “Quiet!”
Stacy turned on her heels. “I don’t have time for this. See you at four, Al.”
Alexandra cringed at the hideous nickname.
“I don’t envy you,” said the editor. “She’s got the intelligence of a bobble head.”
Later that afternoon, Alexandra returned from interviewing the residents of Happy Day Retirement Village who were preparing for a 5K race. She had barely stowed her handbag beneath her desk when Stacy bombarded her.
“Let’s get this mentor shit over with. I’ve got to get to happy hour.”
“Why don’t we start with your copy?” Alexandra asked, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
Stacy plunked down several pieces of paper, then plopped into her desk chair and rolled next to her. After reading the first few copy sheets and leafing through the rest, Alexandra had her answer. Stacy Blunk couldn’t write a basic news story. She didn’t even cover the basic who, what, where, when and why. While her spelling was atrocious, that was nothing compared to the elementary way in which she approached an interview.
Max would risk the integrity of the news station and the reputation of the other excellent and qualified journalists on staff because he couldn’t control his raging libido.
After Alexandra rewrote one of the stories, she slid her tablet around so Stacy could read it.
“Wait? What? You’re done? That took you three minutes. How’d you do that? Never mind. I’ll bring you what I’ve got every day. Those dumb neighborhood stories can’t possibly keep you that busy. Plus, you’d be helping boost my popularity, which is your job as my mentor.”
Over the years, Alexandra had mentored a number of fresh-faced journalists right out of college. It was something she loved doing. But Stacy had no interest in learning. Twenty minutes later, Alexandra wondered why she’d bothered to explain the basic structure of a news story. Stacy hadn’t taken notes, but she’d checked her phone plenty.
“That was a handy lesson, the who-what-where-when-why. Did you make that up?”
Alexandra laughed. Stacy had a sense of humor, after all.
“What’s so funny?”
No effin’ way. “What did you study in school?”
“Boys, partying, like everyone else.”
“Where did you cut your teeth?”
Stacy’s lips twisted. “My teeth?”
“Where did you work before you came here? Which market? Or are you from print?”
Stacy’s cheeks turned the color of her hair. “I worked in a men’s clothing store.”
“Nice.” Alexandra tried to suffocate her sarcasm.
Puffing out her chest, Stacy said, “I was the number one rep three months in a row.”
“Is that how you met Max?”
“He was my best customer! He bought an entire wardrobe while I worked there. My commissions were through the roof.”
Max Buchard is such a pig.
“If we’re finished, Max wants to see you.” Stacy spun around at her desk and started texting.
Alexandra headed toward his office. What could he want? Max never gave her the time of day. While she hoped for the best, she was a realist. She was about to knock, when his door flew open.
Max reared back. “Christ, you scared the bejesus out of me.”
Jumpy much?
“Come in,” he said. When she did, he shut the door. “We have to re-do the interview for the winner of DC’s Brightest Tech Star.”
Her stomach roiled. “Why?”
“You have a conflict of interest.” Hitching an eyebrow, he glared at her over his glasses. “Why didn’t you tell me you were interviewing someone who’d done business with your brother? Damn waste of money and production time.”
Her blood pressure spiked. “The fact that Mr. Wilde did business with my brother is irrelevant to the story. I use the name Reed. No one in this town even knows I’m a Mitus.”
“My decision is final.” He shuffled over to his desk and sorted through one of his many piles. After lifting a piece of paper, he held it out. “This is a good sort of story for you. The animal shelter in Falls Church is celebrating their grand re-opening.”
Unable to control her anger, her cheeks grew hot. This is absolute bullshit. He was punishing her for something he did two years ago because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants then, either. “To whom did you reassign the story, Max?” The question was moot. She knew the answer.
“Stacy Blunk will contact the winner. As her mentor, help her prep.”
“I conducted a solid interview,” she said. “Redoing it is a waste of the station’s money.”
Max’s smarmy smile left her feeling queasy. “Per usual, your self-serving needs come first. Shame on you, Alexandra. What about his poor sister?”
“Mr. Wilde discussed his sister because he trusted me.”
“Instruct Stacy what questions to ask.”
“You can’t teach someone who doesn’t want to learn.” Alexandra shook her head. “I don’t think Mr. Wilde will agree to another interview.”
“Convince him.” He opened the door. “Oh, and if you won’t work with Stacy, I’ll be forced to let you go for insubordination.”
Her heart plummeted. Max had backed her into a corner.
After waddling into the hallway, he pivoted. His beady eyes drilled into her. “Maybe this time you’ll learn your lesson, honey.”
25
Alexandra’s Suspicions
As Alexandra waited in Wilde’s reception area, she nibbled her fingernail. She would convince Crockett to redo the interview for Sophia’s sake.
Crockett rounded the corner. “What a great surprise!” he said, but concern laced his eyes. “What brings you by?”
“I know you’re busy. I need five minutes.”
“You okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“Let’s talk in my office.” The normally chatty workspace was eerily quiet, the atmosphere thick with tension. Had someone died?
The second they stepped inside his office, he said, “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for her reply, he left.
Something is definitely wrong. She eased into the chair across from his desk and glanced around for a clue. Nothing was out of place.
A moment later, Crockett returned, deep worry lines etched between his eyebrows. “I’m all yours.” His forced smile made her heart tighten. “Is it Kimberly?”
“She’s fine, but you aren’t. Talk to me.”
“Just work. No big deal.”
The push and pull continued. She asked him to confide in her. He told her he was happy to help her. She crossed her arms. “I’m not leaving until you s
pill. What’s going on?”
Knock, knock, knock!
Decker burst into the room. “The bugs are performing perfectly. Like that epic fucking fail never happened.”
Alexandra whipped her head around. Crockett’s phone rang. “I have to take this.” He hit the talk key, pressed the phone to his ear. “Wilde.”
As he listened, he pushed out of his chair and strode to the window. “I understand,” he said. “What do you think?”
Decker sidled over to the conference table, removed his suit jacket and tossed it on the chair. His face was pale, he couldn’t hold still. Jittery hands paired with darting eyes made for a very nervous Decker.
“Thanks for your honesty.” Crockett hung up.
“Well?” Decker asked.
Crockett eyed her.
“This is where I’m supposed to leave,” she said. “But I’m not. You two look like hell.”
“Close my office door.” Crockett waited for Decker to shut it. “That was Danny.” A chill swept through the room. “Three of the attendees thought our demo was brilliant. They liked how we included the fail-safe.”
“What about the others?” Decker asked, fiddling with his man-bun.
“Not so much. And one is convinced something went wrong. Danny isn’t sure we’ll make it to Round Three.”
“Oh, no.” Alexandra knew how important this was to Crockett. “What happened?”
Without getting into the weeds, Crockett told her about the Spy Fly failures during both FBI demos.
“You’ve never experienced anything like this before?” she asked.
“No.” Both men responded in unison.
Crockett opened his top drawer and rifled through it. Then, he punched his phone console. “Ellen, I need aspirin, three coffees, and food.”
The door flew open and Ellen set a bottle of pain relievers on his desk. She shot Alexandra a tight smile. “Be back shortly.”
“I’d like to help,” Alexandra said. “But I need more information. Can I ask you some questions?”
THE WILDE TOUCH: Book Two of The Touch Series Page 24