“It’s all gone?” Cai asked.
He couldn’t answer. How stupid could he have been? Distracted and overwhelmed, he wasn’t sure how much he'd manually backed up. What he had were the last pages from the printer and the slimmest hope his backup program had uploaded to the cloud.
And that the cloud hadn’t been hacked.
“I need one of your computers,” he demanded, standing and shaking his hands at his side. Stomach clenching, he paced the room. He had to check the cloud, see if his other online backup service had the files. The hairs on his arm and back of his neck lifted, and a shiver ran down his back. Someone got past his firewalls like they were nothing. No doubt that person was Dr. Murray or one of his minions.
Apollo slid his computer next to Matisse’s, and the room, his friends, and Nora all disappeared. There was only him and the task at hand. Password entered into the online backup system, he held his breath as his files appeared, one at a time. “Thank God.” There they were. Without looking, he opened his desk, fumbled for a USB and inserted it. Each file relating to Dr. Murray’s study was transferred. When he finally sat back, rubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes. The room faded back into focus.
The guys had surrounded him. In silent support, they stood at his side, and he hadn’t even noticed.
“You got them?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah.” He lowered his hands. “I got them.”
Behind him, Nora grasped his shoulders and pressed down. “Are you okay?”
“Pissed,” he answered, reaching for her hand to squeeze. Everyone was much too close to him. “You’d think I’d have learned by now to watch my back.” He ejected the USB and slid it into his back pocket. “We should probably put this somewhere safe if someone felt threatened enough to delete everything I had and fry my computer.”
“It’s dead?” Nora asked, reaching past him to touch the silver cover.
“Most likely. Black screen of death,” he answered.
Nora sucked in a breath and bit her lip. “How’d he know?”
“Probably had some sort of monitor on the files. It alerted them when I went in. Then they just backtracked. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. Fuck!” It pissed him off he’d been outmaneuvered.
“It doesn’t change what we know.” Cai’s voice was unwavering. “And now that we do, it’s time to act on it. I’m going to the hospital, and I’m going to talk to Tyler.”
“What if he won’t see you?” Nora asked.
“He’ll see me. I’ll make sure of it.” As Matisse watched, Cai kissed her quickly on her forehead. “He needs to know he’s not alone and that I’m not angry. We’re his support system.”
“You’ll bring him back here,” Ryan stated, and the rest of them nodded.
“If he’s still too angry at me, I can find a place to stay for a while. That way he’s comfortable.” Her voice shook as she made the offer.
No way.
Matisse should have known Apollo’s voice would be the loudest. “Abso-fucking-lutely not, baby. Never.”
But it was Cai she watched. It wasn’t jealousy Matisse felt, but awe. Nora had a unique ability to know what it was each of them needed. In this, she put Cai’s opinion above the rest of them.
“Let’s see how he is first,” Cai answered.
“Bullshit, Cai,” Apollo boomed. “No one comes before her.”
“It’s not about coming before me.” She attempted to soothe him. “It’s about what Tyler needs. Maybe a day or two surrounded by people who care about him will be enough to get him back on track.” Standing a little apart from their group, eyes wide, Nora came across as fragile as a doe. A deep breath, and she straightened her shoulders and tipped her chin up. “I’ll be fine. Just because I don’t live here, doesn’t mean I’m not okay.”
“Don’t make any plans to pack your bags, yet,” Seok remarked. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Cai. You visit Tyler and tell us your impressions.”
“If Nora leaves, I leave with her,” Apollo persisted. “Non-negotiable. Tyler won’t give two fucks if I’m here or not.”
“No, but Cai might,” Nora argued.
“Baby—”
“Let’s just see, okay?” Matisse reminded them. The idea of returning home to find Nora gone made him sick to his stomach and started an itch beneath his skin.
Apollo glowered, face pinched, but nodded. He cared as much about Cai as any of them, and if their friend needed to bring Tyler home to recuperate, he’d agree to it.
Cai placed his hand on the door, holding it with a white-knuckled grip. “We agree then? If Tyler can be released, he comes here?”
“Yes.” Nora was the first to answer, and despite the anxiety that clawed at him, Matisse nodded as well. “Yes.”
“If that’s what needs to happen,” Seok said.
“Okay,” Ryan answered simply.
They waited for Apollo, who turned his attention to Nora. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “It’s just for a little while, and we’re not even sure I need to go.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, stepping toward their girl and pulling her into his arms. He glared at Cai over her head before laying his cheek on her hair. “He can stay here.”
32
Nora
Cai left for the hospital almost as soon as Apollo agreed. Nora hung onto Apollo, hands fisted in the huge man’s t-shirt. She didn’t like the idea of leaving them, but she liked what Dr. Murray had done to Tyler even less.
“I don’t want to leave you today.” Since Matisse was in the midst of an epic search for whomever hacked his computer, Apollo had dragged her out of the room. “I’m afraid I’ll come back and you’ll be gone.”
“You need to go to the gym?”
He nodded. He’d been going every day.
“Can I come with you?”
At her words, he winced. “I don’t think so, baby.”
“Why not? I could walk on the treadmill.” Why hadn’t the idea occurred to her before? Apollo was anxious, and she could use the exercise. With nothing else to do, it seemed the perfect solution.
“It’s not the sort of gym with treadmills and yoga classes. It’s a boxing gym, and you have to be a member.”
“Oh.” Suddenly, Apollo’s torn and scabbed knuckles made sense. “Okay.” If he was uncomfortable with her watching him work out or being at his gym, she wouldn’t push it. Right now.
“You can help me, nae serang.” Seok wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently disengaging her from Apollo, who after a second’s delay, released her. “I have a project downstairs.”
“Okay,” she said. Hopefully it would distract her.
A rap at the front door made her jump, and Seok frowned. “Huh.”
“I’ll get it,” Nora said, and hurried downstairs just as the person waiting knocked again.
“No,” Seok called, but it was too late, she’d already opened the door and come face to face with a very red-faced and annoyed looking Dr. Murray.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice tinier and weaker than she wanted.
“Well, Nora. When you don’t answer my calls, or texts, and I have a very weird conversation with one of your boyfriends—you don’t leave me much of a choice.” His hands were stuffed in his pockets, and the collar of his coat was turned up. In the driveway, a black Jeep idled, white smoke billowing from the tailpipe.
“I’m not going to participate anymore.” Again, her voice shook, and she cursed at herself. “I quit. I’ll take the debt.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to have to do this again, Nora.”
The door opened wider, and Seok appeared at her shoulder. Taking a step back, she allowed herself to lean against his hard chest. Other footsteps followed, and Ryan, Matisse, and Apollo, who took up as much space as all of them, came to stand with her.
“She’s done.” Matisse’s accent came out a little stronger than it normally did, proof of being upset. “I think you know why.”
; The doctor’s eyes flicked to Matisse then to Nora. “This study is important. The most important thing I’ve ever done, and what we discover could change the way we fight and win wars.”
“You’re not using Nora to make those conclusions, Doctor,” Ryan said.
“Think about what you’re giving up,” Dr. Murray entreated her. “This is your ticket to a college education. Don’t you want her to be successful?” he asked the guys.
Nora could see he thought he’d made his case. He knew how much she wanted to be on equal footing with the guys. But he underestimated how strong their bond was. In the weeks she’d had with them, everything she’d come to believe had changed.
She’d thought she had to settle for what she had. A job cleaning toilets, or a job making change. It was the best she could hope for.
With the guys, she had the support she needed to take the spark inside her, the one flickering and whispering, you’re good enough, and fan it into a fire. She had a weekend job, but she’d never been more confident. Her future was bright, and participating in this experiment had no bearing whatsoever on her success.
“I’ll be fine,” she told him. “It’ll take longer than I want, but I’ll get there. I’m out, Dr. Murray.”
Two spots of red appeared on his cheeks above the beard he’d begun to grow when the weather turned cold. “All right.” Somehow he spoke without moving his lips. “I’ll let the school know.” Backing down the steps, he started toward his car but turned around and hurried back. “Matisse Boudreau. Stay the fuck out of my work.” His fists curled at his sides, and without thinking, Nora sidestepped in front of Matisse only to be lifted out of the way and come nose-to-trapezius muscles when Apollo moved in front of her.
“Get out of here,” he growled.
“Totten was right.” Nora stood on her tiptoes to see Dr. Murray, who glared with so much hate, she gasped. “You’re not worth this much trouble.”
She rocked back on her heels, but someone was there to catch her. Matisse. “It’s okay, cher. He’s as mad as a wet hen, but you don’t need to worry. We’ve got his number.”
Apollo slammed the door, but his shoulders still heaved. “You okay?” he asked.
Nora nodded. “I guess I don’t have to go to campus to quit.”
“We would have gone with you,” Seok said.
“I know,” Nora answered, and she did. These guys literally had her back.
Outside, an engine revved, and tires squealed on the pavement. Matisse peered out the window on the side of the door, and shook his head. “He’s going to boude all day.”
Which reminded her. “Wet hen?”
“Hens don’t like the rain, cher.”
Eyebrows lifting, she shook her head. “Wh—And what the heck does ‘boude’ mean?”
“Pout.” With a wink at her, Matisse jogged up the stairs, leaving her staring after him in confusion.
“It’s a Cajun thing,” Seok said.
“I want to stay.” Apollo’s face was flushed, and he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead.
“Go.” She placed her hand on his heart and patted him. “I’m fine. We’re fine.”
“You’ll be here when I get back?” Bending at the knees, he peered into her eyes and watched her closely for her response.
“If I’m not, you’ll know where I’ll be.” If she had to leave for Tyler, she would. But she would make certain Apollo knew where to find her.
“I don’t like—”
“Apollo!” Matisse yelled from the top of the stairs. “We won’t let her disappear.”
“I promise you, friend.” Seok clapped his hand on Apollo’s shoulder, staring intently at him until Apollo finally nodded.
“Okay.”
Seok reached for the workout bag Apollo had dropped in the hall earlier and handed it to him. “Go. Jump rope.”
Apollo snorted, and the mood lightened. He kissed her cheek, his smooth face gliding over hers. “Love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said. She opened the door for him and waved as he walked to his car.
Once the door was closed, she faced Ryan and Seok. “You guys okay?” She worried it’d been too much, standing up to Dr. Murray like they had.
“Yes.” Ryan’s green eyes were earnest. “In fact, it felt good. It’s been needling me ever since they injured you taking you on that ride through town. I shouldn’t want this, but I sort of wish I had the opportunity to punch him the way Seok did.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Seok reached into his back pocket for his kerchief and secured it around his head. “I didn’t punch Dr. Murray. It was the other man.”
“Dr. Gundersson,” Nora said.
“Yes. The Die Hard bad guy.”
“I don’t want you two punching anyone.” Hands on her hips, she tried to stay serious, but Ryan seemed to find the idea so appealing, she smirked.
His phone rang, interrupting them, and he glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Cai. Hey,” he answered.
His eyes narrowed, and he spun away, toward the kitchen. Seok followed, and Nora trailed behind them, worriedly.
“Yeah, okay,” he said and shook his head at Seok. “See you soon.” He hung up. “They let Cai in to see Tyler. He’s going to hang around the hospital for a while. I’m going to meet him before I go to class. Tyler won’t be released today, but possibly tomorrow, and he’s agreed to stay here.”
Here it comes.
“We’ll find you a hotel for a few days, Nora,” Ryan went on. “Until we get Tyler on his feet.”
“Okay.”
“Are you sure?” Ryan asked.
Her stomach growled, and she was a little light headed. A lot of action had happened, and she hadn’t even had coffee yet. “I’m sure.” From the corner of her eye, she caught Seok studying her. “I think I’ll grab breakfast and go to the library.”
They were watching her too closely, and the truth was, she was really proud of herself thus far for not coming across as a whiny baby. But she needed a little time to wallow in self-pity. Not only for needing to move out for a few days, but for being an easy target for someone like Dr. Murray.
“Want me to come with you?” Ryan asked, and she shook her head.
“I might stay there a while.”
He understood what she wasn’t saying and nodded sympathetically. “I have class in an hour. I’ll text you…” He trailed off.
“I need to return the cell to Dr. Murray, actually.” She dreaded having to see him again.
“Give it to me, and I’ll do it on my way to class.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t care if it made her a wimp, now that she’d extracted herself from Dr. Murray’s grasp, she didn’t want to put herself within reach again. “It’s in my room.” Seok’s eyes burned a hole in the back of her head when she left the kitchen. Her phone was where Matisse had left it. Seok was gone when she got back downstairs. “Here.” She placed it in Ryan’s open palm. “Thank you. Where’s Seok?”
“Here.” He emerged from the pantry with a granola bar and a bottle filled with water. “I’ll be in my workshop most of the day. Find me when you come home. I might need some help.”
She’d forgotten all about him asking her to join him. “I can go out later—”
His calloused hand took hers. “Go out. Take a walk. I’ll be here when you get back.” Enfolding her in his arms, he kissed her head and stepped back.
Ryan held out his hand. “Phone?”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” He slid the phone into his back pocket. “I’ll make sure the loose ends are tied up, and I’ll see you this afternoon.” Taking the place Seok had vacated, he kissed her gently on the lips.
“Bye, Ryan.”
He left through the backdoor, and Nora was alone in the kitchen, except for Matisse, who was battling cyber-villains, and she couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
Seated at his computer, he stared at scrolling letters and numbers on the screen.
“Did you
get in?” He jumped out of the chair when she spoke, holding a long-fingered hand over his chest.
“Scare me to death, cher!” Splaying against the seat, he shut his eyes and stuck his tongue out.
“Is it working?” she asked, coming closer. Nothing on the screen made any sense to her.
“Sort of,” he said, and straightened before grabbing her hand. “Sit with me.” He threaded his fingers with hers and tugged until she sat in his lap. “It turns on.”
“What is all of this?” Pointing to the screen, she followed the scroll with her finger.
“Stuff about the programs on the computer, diagnostics, stuff like that.”
“And you understand it?” she asked. The words were arranged in nothing she could comprehend.
“I do.”
“So you speak French and computer.”
“To. Talk. Like. A. Computer. You. Must—”
She silenced him with a kiss. “Very funny,” she whispered against his lips.
He wasn’t done with her, and holding the back of her head, he urged her back to his mouth. His tongue teased her lips, tip prodding to beg for entrance. They dueled, chasing one another. She giggled and opened her eyes, only to find him staring at her wide-eyed, and she burst out, laughing. In response, he smiled and kissed her chastely once more. “You’re going to the library?”
She nodded and kissed his cheek before standing. “I’ll be back later.”
“Did you have breakfast?”
She held up the granola bar she’d forgotten was in her hand. “I never made you coffee,” he said and made a move to stand.
“I have water. Stay. Finish what you’re doing. I’ll see you later.”
His eyes had already gone back to the screen, a frown beginning to form at the edges of his lips. She left the room and closed the door behind her. Distractedly, she put on her coat and boots and wrapped Ryan’s scarf around her neck.
Outside in the cold November air, her thoughts were clearer and sharper. Something occurred to her as she walked down the street, toward the lake and the library. They needed help.
Finding Truth (The Searchers Book 3) Page 17