by Blue Saffire
“I changed my mind,” he says, and my heart comes to a halt.
A million thoughts race through my head. Has he changed his mind about me? Is he over me and my secrets?
“We’ll be spending the night at my place,” he continues, and the tightness in my chest loosens.
“Oh, okay. I’ll meet you there.”
* * *
Kevin
I haven’t been able to settle my mind since Dem stepped out of my car. I wanted to follow after her, but Shane needed to see me. He thinks he may finally be onto something.
I sent one of the guys to shadow Dem, for me to have peace of fucking mind. Someone has been leaving those notes for damn near three weeks. It’s not like I forgot about her feeling like she was being watched right before the fire. In my line of work, something like this isn’t swept under the rug so lightly.
Dem knows this. She knows better. The investigation over the fire at her place sucks ass. Again, I don’t think those asshats are doing their damn jobs. Which has led me back to the surveillance footage.
I run a hand through my hair to reel my temper in. I’m following my instincts and protecting what’s mine. I lean forward and squint at the screen.
“Would you look at this,” I say to the image before me.
“Hey, I think I was right about Cal,” Shane says as he walks over to my desk with his laptop bag slung over his shoulder.
We agreed to work in the office to be able to have some quiet time without distraction. I pause the video on my screen and try to focus on him. Try being the operative word. This nagging feeling demands I keep watching these videos before me.
“So, you think Cal took one of your programs to… What did you call it? Daisy-chain?”
“It’s something like daisy-chaining. He’s linked one system to another. If that’s the case, it would explain the reason why I can’t get into the laptop. You see, it’s designed to transfer files from one system to another without leaving a trace. I never thought of it before because I haven’t told anyone other than Cal about it. I didn’t think he understood it enough to do something like this. Fuck, I still don’t believe it, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s my fucking program. I know it is. I just can’t believe he figured out how to use it. I swear, I hope he wakes so I can kick his ass. What the hell was he thinking and what the fuck is he hiding?” he says the last part more to himself, hurt lacing his voice.
I’ve been wondering the same thing. It’s clear Cal was in over his head, but he was determined as hell to see this through. Whatever is the root of Dem’s problem, Cal was riding it out to help her.
“So, you believe there’s another laptop?”
“I know there is. There has to be. You know me. I should have been into that laptop weeks ago. It’s like someone is fighting me, but this would make sense. At least, it would make it begin to make sense,” he replies, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“Okay, I’m with you. Follow this, and we’ll make sure it’s solid before we bring it to Quinn. Can you have concrete facts for me by the morning?”
“Aye. I’m working on something.”
I nod. “Good.” I turn my attention back to the screen in front of me. “Have you ever taken a look at the security footage at Danita’s apartment the night of the fire?”
His face crumbles. “Aye, I did. It was trash.” He takes a pause and thinks for a moment. “You know something, I watched it few times. Something nagged me about it. I still don’t know what it is.”
“Do you think it could be the fact that it’s a loop?”
His eyes grow large. “Shit, aye, that could very well be it.”
“Yeah, the footage from that night is bullshit. I hacked my way into a few of the other cams in the neighborhood.”
“Wait, I’m sorry. Excuse me,” he mocks.
“Listen, I may not be a convention-going, tech-spewing, computer geek like you, but I know how to use these things for when I need to get the job done,” I grumble and fold my arms over my chest. “Anyway, this is a loop from the night before. It’s not the real thing.”
“So, someone made sure to cover their tracks.”
“Aye, one of her neighbors is a young college student. He’s a cocky little fucker. He has these two girlfriends. One drives a red car and the other a silver one. He keeps them on a schedule. They never show up on a night that’s not theirs. The kid has been consistent for over two months. Come look at this.”
He places his bag down on a nearby chair and rounds my desk. I start the footage for him and watch the cam from Dem’s neighbor’s home. On the neighbor’s cam, the red car is in the neighbor’s driveway. On the footage from Dem’s, the silver car is in the kid’s driveway at the exact same time stamp.
“The transition is so smooth. It’s why it got by me the first time,” I say.
“Aye, I was thinking the same thing. I don’t know if we’re dealing with the same fuckers that shot up Erin’s. They weren’t savvy with the cameras. They disabled them. Less effort, less skill.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m not liking this,” he mutters.
“That makes two of us.” I clamp my mouth shut before I say anything else.
I’m pissed, and I might say the wrong thing. This is something I need to handle, but first, I need to talk to my woman. She’s keeping secrets we haven’t agreed upon. If things between us are going to continue to work, she has to be honest with me when it counts.
“Do ya want me to jump on this tonight as well?”
“No, you stick to verifying that Cal used your program. I’ll handle this.”
“All right.”
Chapter 31
Tell Me the Truth
Danita
I was so tired when I arrived at Kevin’s, I could barely keep my eyes open. He waited up for me. I could see the frustration in his face when I walked in worn out. Once again, I was assigned to work with Harris and Dawson on a case.
Keeping my distance from Harris took most of my energy, because all I wanted to do was kick him right in the balls. His audacity to glare at me made my blood boil. Not wanting to look like a mad woman who has lost her mind, I clamped down on my anger and did my job.
However, this morning, my job is the last thing on my mind. Kevin is angry and rightfully so. I’ve been keeping secrets from him as it is. I should have told him about the notes.
I sit up in bed and press the side of my face to his back. He’s been sitting like this since I opened my eyes. His bare back straight, tension rolling off him, his knees bent with his arms draped over them, and his head facing forward—although I know he’s aware that I’m awake and watching him.
“Talk to me,” I whisper.
“You should’ve talked to me a long time ago,” he replies.
“And I’m sorry about that.”
I reach for his ribs and start to lightly drag my fingers up and down his side. He doesn’t release the tension. If anything, I think it gets worse. I turn to kiss his smooth back.
“I did some digging, and I think you’re right. Those letters don’t have anything to do with Cal’s shooting. I thought confirming that would make me feel better or something. It doesn’t. I’m even more angry. I want ya to take some time off. I’ll talk to Dugan if I have to,” he says, his accent thick.
“You know it’s not that simple, and I can’t do that.”
“No, I don’t. I don’t know that because I don’t know what’s going on. This isn’t going to fly much longer. I feel it in my blood. Time is up. Quinn is going to put the pieces together soon,” he says tightly.
I move away from his warmth, causing him to turn his angry eyes on me. There’s more than anger reflected in his depths. I see hurt and something else I can’t quite put my finger on.
“I’m no closer to getting any of the answers I need,
” I say in defeat, my voice raising louder than I mean for it to. “I can’t tell you anything more than I already have.”
“Then how am I supposed to help you? How can I protect you?”
I push a hand in my hair and tug. Why did I think this wouldn’t happen? It’s been brewing for months. Yet, I thought I could avoid it.
“Look, maybe it’s time I start to look at other ways to get out of this mess.”
“What mess? Tell me what the mess is, and I can help you figure a way out.” He reaches to cup my face, forcing me to keep eye contact with him. “I love you. I want to make this right. I want you to trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
“Then tell me what the hell is really going on. What does all this have to do with Cal? What are you hiding from me? What is it you think Con can tell you? I can’t sit back and wait any longer. Not only because my brother is bound to blow this wide open and find out that I’ve been hiding things from him, but I can’t have your life in danger from shit that you’re keeping from me,” he fumes.
“I shouldn’t have kept the notes from you, but I’m doing the right thing not telling you the rest. I won’t put you and your family in that type of danger. I’m already too close to you all. I think I need to back off of Con and find another way,” I say and start to get out of the bed.
“Dem,” he barks.
I stop and stand stock-still. The emotions in his voice crack like a whip. I close my eyes, but don’t turn to face him.
“Take me as I am.”
“You don’t get to do that. Not when I can feel in my bones that this is about to go left.”
“It’s all I have.”
He scoffs, and I turn to open my eyes and look at him. He looks more hurt than angry this time. He’s rubbing his thumb in the center of the palm of his other hand.
“I want ya to understand that all this time, I’ve been going against my instincts to respect yer wishes. I’ve given ya trust that surpasses who I am to my core. Blind faith, I’ve given ya.” He lifts his gaze to mine. “If you can’t give that back to me, I don’t know how to protect ya. I’m at my wits’ end.”
“Maybe it’s time we take a break.”
He snorts. “Unbelievable. Ya know, I didn’t think I could be more disappointed than I was last night when Shane told me he thinks Cal stole one of his computer programs to do some bullshit to his laptop. Ya’ve just proven that a lie.”
Suddenly, it’s like the air is sucked out of the room. I palm my forehead and start to pace. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. I was so focused on Conroy. How could I be so stupid?
“What does this program do?”
“What?”
“The program. What is it supposed to do?”
He looks at me in confusion. “It chains one system to another. Why?”
I stop my pacing and look at Kevin. I start to bounce on my toes as I think this through. How much should I give away?
Kevin climbs from the bed and stands before me. He reaches for my waist and pulls me to him as he narrows his eyes at me. I look up at him, biting my lip.
Before I can give him an answer, his phone rings. He curses, but releases me and rushes to his phone while keeping his eyes on me.
“Aye, Shane, what about ye?”
He listens to his brother on the other end while nodding. That look of anger clouds his handsome features once again. I need time to think.
Before he can get off the line, I head into his bathroom to take a shower. Hopefully, he’ll give me enough time to clear my head and wrap my mind around my thoughts. Cal may have left me a clue all along.
* * *
Kevin
“Are you going to talk to me?” Dem says from the passenger seat of my car.
I haven’t had a clear enough mind to say words, and I still don’t know why she decided to come with me to the office. I want to trust her, but that’s going out the window with all the secrets. I have to think about my family, and now that Shane has stumbled upon something new, I can’t wrap my mind around anything or lock my temper down enough to string two words together that she’ll actually understand.
“I don’t have anything to say.” The words come out thick and heavily accented.
“What are you thinking?”
I pull a face. What am I thinking? I’ve been stewing since I woke up this morning. Not that I got much sleep. I kept playing those surveillance videos over in my head, feeling like I was missing something. Not only in the videos, but with everything.
That call from Shane this morning pushed me over the edge. At first, Shane was hurt and confused. Cal has been his best friend for years. My brother has never hidden a thing from Cal and never thought he had to protect his side projects from him.
Shane is a bit of a computer savant and has enhanced a lot of our work gear and computer technology at the office. From time to time, he geeks out, and Cal is the only one that will listen even though he hasn’t a clue what Shane is talking about.
Which is where the confusion came from. Cal doesn’t get it. Shane has shared ideas with him and never thought twice about Cal stealing them. That’s where the nugget of truth lies.
Shane and I both know Cal wasn’t capable of pulling off duplicating that program. However, there’s one little fucker who is. I’ve texted Trent to bring Con into the office.
This is the part I’m not telling Dem. My nephew is more involved than any of us thought. Shane remembers Con being around when he demoed the program for Cal. The little runt actually asked Shane about it.
Con is smart. Too damn smart for his own good. He thinks this is something we don’t know, but we’re all well aware of it. It shouldn’t have taken us this long to figure out he knew something about that laptop. Which might make the little fucker smarter than us all.
“Kevin.” Dem sighs, breaking into my rambling thoughts.
“Answer me this. What exactly is it you think my nephew knows?”
She shifts her weight in her seat uncomfortably. Bingo. Just as I thought. Nope, I’m done. No more secrets, especially when they are tied to my little lying nephew that I love to pieces and will protect from whatever the hell his father has gotten him into.
“I’m not sure I need him anymore,” she says slowly. “You mentioned that program. Cal asked me a few questions once. They were hypothetical. He…he knew about my training and background. I was able to answer the questions, but I didn’t know what they were for.”
“So, you think you helped him gain access to use Shane’s program?” I say as my wheels begin to turn.
If this weren’t Cal, I’d believe this were possible. I’m not saying she’s lying, I’m saying I don’t believe my nephew is innocent. Cal could very well have asked the questions, but he relayed the answers to Con, I guarantee it.
“I think I helped him, but I also think he wanted me to know about the laptops. There were two. He mentioned them a few times that day. It totally slipped my mind. I need to get my hands on those laptops. They have to be the key.”
I grind my teeth, but I don’t tell her what I know. All morning I’ve been questioning myself and wondering if I let my dick and my heart guide all my decisions. Even now, I can’t look at her.
I need to detach myself until I figure out how this all involves Con and affects my family. This is not a case of harmless questions. If Con has that laptop, there’s no telling what he knows.
Cal had him in that car when he went to meet Dem for that meeting. We don’t know how deep Con is in. I swear, I want to ring Cal’s neck.
“Kevin, what aren’t you telling me?”
“That’s a grand question. Why don’t you go ahead and answer it for me?” I say as I pull into my parking spot at the office.
I stare ahead at the brick wall. My grip on the steering wheel so tight, my knuckles turn whit
e. I don’t know where to place this anger, frustration, and hurt.
Cal isn’t around to be accountable. Con is a kid. That leaves the woman sitting next to me, and I’m not totally sure that she deserves to bear the weight of any of what I’m feeling.
Is she the enemy or the victim? If she’s the victim, I’m failing all around, aren’t I?
“Look at me,” she demands.
I don’t respond right away. I work my jaw as I pull it together. Mum has taught me never to lose my shit on women. She’d collar me for reaming Dem out the way I want to.
When I turn to face her, her eyes turn sad. My heart squeezes. This is why I wanted to avoid looking at her. It’s like having a gorgeous doll break within your palms.
Yet I have to steel my resolve. Once she shows me I can trust her again, I can make the rest right. For now, I need more answers.
Her lips tremble a little before she lifts her chin and her eyes harden. I want to kiss that defiance right out of her. I have to ball my fists in my lap to keep from reaching for her and doing just that.
“I’ve been as straight with you as I can be. I’ve told you that I mean you and your family no harm. I want this mess over with, and I’ll be out of your hair for good,” she says.
I’m not expecting her words to punch me in the gut so hard. I don’t know what’s worse, her throwing verbal daggers or watching her pull away. It’s like I’ve started a collision course and I’m helpless to stop it. So, I do my best to change course and not address the knife she’s thrown at my heart.
“We need to be prepared for when Quinn figures this out. I know my brother well, and we’ve run out of time.”
“You let me worry about that,” she says and turns to get out of the car.
I grunt in frustration, climbing out at the same time. “It’s not that easy,” I call across the roof of the car, placing my elbows on top.
“Nothing around us ever is. I told you, I’ve got it.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
I shove a hand into my hair. “Why do ya have to make things more complicated? Talk to me. I’m here to help. I don’t want to fight with ya, I want to protect ya, I want to be there for ya. If yer not the villain here, show me. Give me something.”