She smiled and crossed her arms, not realizing she was pushing her breasts together, providing me an exquisite look at her cleavage. Settle down, dick. Her cleavage is not an invitation to anything other than a glance at what could be.
“Your computer is compromised. If I’m correct, I’ll find that every time you sent out an e-mail, did an Internet search, looked at your files from work, or even ordered takeout online, someone else knew about it and was watching. If you had this thing open and turned on all the time, the camera was most likely enabled, allowing them to see everything here in the apartment.”
Makenna motioned toward the phone. “The same applies to your phone, but in your case, I can already tell it was a GPS tracking device and a microphone, listening into your every word and knowing every location you’ve been at for some time now.”
I moved closer to the screens of the look-alike items. They were pinging away at every new thing they found.
“Am I going to be using these identical pieces? Is that what they’re for?”
She nodded. “Yes. Once we see how damaged your laptop and phone are, we’ll move over any information that we’ve missed. We’ve set you up with a new e-mail address and phone number, where we’ll port your number to this phone and sync it to mine. Every time you get a call, I’ll get a notification of who it is and if it is safe to answer.”
I hated to admit this but, “I’m not sure I’m following, love. Won’t someone get wise to the fact that they can no longer hear me or track me on the cell phone and computer? Won’t that raise a red flag, so to speak?”
She shook her head. “We’ve been working on a simulation script that’s being uploaded to your computer and phone. It will give the appearance you are actively using both items. There are several prerecorded situations that will play out. Plus, each time someone tries to tamper with either of your devices, a trace signal will go out to see if we can isolate where the transmission is coming from, get a lock on their IP address, and hopefully, nab the individual.”
I couldn’t think anymore. It was already into the early afternoon and I needed some lunch. “Would you like me to make you a sandwich or heat up some of the food my cook prepared?”
Makenna held her hand out to stop me from getting up and going to the kitchen. “Okay, as of now, either you or I will do the cooking. You might be all high-and-mighty to afford a cook, but you’re not working right now and your assets should be frozen, so the cook is on leave until further notice. Is there anyone else who comes in here on a regular basis?”
My mind wandered to a vision of Makenna half-dressed, wearing an apron and nothing else, barefoot in the kitchen. I quickly dispelled the notion and thought over who came around. “I have a housekeeper who comes once a week, always on Friday at one in the afternoon. A fitness trainer comes three times a week in the evening on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; though, some weeks we switch it up to Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. A security guy for the building checks the system once a month. And a florist comes once every week to water the plants and bring fresh flowers. Why?”
“As of now, that’s all your and my responsibility. We need to eliminate any potential threat of someone planting new devices here in your place. Any of them could be guilty of placing the listening devices, intentionally or not. The more control we have on the situation, the better.
“I can set up an account for grocery service, verified through Titan, that will deliver the needed items here to your condo. Or I can go out and get the things myself. It’s time we teach you how to live in the working class again, no longer the snob you’ve become.”
I threw my head back and laughed harder than I’d laughed in a long time, drawing a quizzical look from Kenna.
“This is not a laughing matter, Marcus.”
I held up my hand to quiet her smart mouth while I tried to get myself back under control. “Sorry, love, but your words, they’re too hysterical. I don’t know whether to keep laughing or to be offended and claim you’ve wounded my pride.”
“What?” She shrugged her shoulders.
My words were surely lost on her, so I opted to explain. “You’ve cast me as a pretentious white-collar worker who can’t lift a single finger to help himself. If it weren’t for some good investments and gut instincts, I wouldn’t have a pot to piss in.”
I stood up and swung my arms around in an arc, indicating the lush surroundings. “I only moved here four months ago. I’ve been trying to juggle my new position at the company with home life, if you want to call it that. Frankly, I rather enjoyed the cramped space I used to live in where the neighbors were my friends, not like the snobbish prudes in this building. But I was told that if I wanted to work as a junior partner, I had to present my life with all the bells and whistles to appease higher-end clients. This is not my comfort zone, and you know it.
“As for cooking and cleaning, I have no problem pulling my weight. Now that I can’t get back into the office, I relish the idea of cooking some of my mother’s recipes. Speaking of which, are you ready for some lunch?”
Makenna looked at a loss for words, only nodding, before sometime later adding, “Lunch sounds good. Whatever you have is fine.”
She didn’t trust me. She didn’t think I could take care of myself by cooking, cleaning, or anything else. I’d show her I was still the same Marcus she’d left all those years ago. I would do anything to gain her confidence so we could finally broach the subject of why she ran.
I busied myself in the kitchen, getting a pot of water on to boil and pulling out some fresh pasta and the ingredients needed to make my mother’s marinara sauce. Thankfully, I’d made up a batch of Italian meatballs and pasta noodles a few days ago when I’d first come back from being incarcerated. I’d needed something to keep my hands busy so I wouldn’t explode or break down and cry from the allegations against me.
Yes, I knew I was a bit of a pussy or wimp—or whatever you wanted to call me—for shedding some tears. I could take it. It’s not like anyone was here to care. But I’ve lived on my own for the past five years, feeling I was all alone in this fucked up situation. Not even sure how or why I’d gotten there and with no clue how to try and prove my innocence.
Cooking had always brought a release almost equivalent to the high one gets while working out or making love. Well, not exactly like the last one. I glanced up at Kenna, wishing like hell we could be close again, because I could really use some mind-blowing endorphins right now. And with the way she looked, it wouldn’t take long to get me off. You’re rushing again. Once step at a time, man. One step at a time!
I continued throwing ingredients in a large saucepan until I had a rich tomato-and-basil aroma permeating the whole kitchen. “Mmm, that smells good. Is that your mother’s spaghetti and meatballs recipe, the one she reserved for family only?”
Looking up to meet her eyes, I couldn’t help but smile. She was sitting there transfixed by the smells. Her eyes glazed over with hunger while her stomach made its craving known with a sound that had her flushing from her chest all the way to her face.
Nodding, I answered, “Yes, it is. I’m a little surprised you remembered.” Her tummy took that moment to rumble again. I took the spoon in my hand and pointed it toward her. “When’s the last time you ate?”
She began to stare out into space. I had a feeling she hadn’t had anything in a while. Grabbing a piece of the garlic bread, I walked over, handed it to her, and watched her mouth as she bit into the side of the bread. A groan of appreciation came from the back of her throat as her mouth turned into a smile, before she ravenously devoured the piece I’d given her. She finally admitted she hadn’t had anything to eat in over twenty-four hours, with exception of the iced coffee I’d made her earlier.
“Food should be ready shortly.” I pointed toward the cell phone and laptop and asked. “How much longer will it take to get me up and working again?”
Typing a few things into her laptop, she seemed to be generating a report of some sor
t. “It should only be a couple more minutes. Your phone is ready, but I’m waiting for the laptop to finish uploading the dummy program. I want to be sure to activate them both at the same time so whoever’s watching on the other end of things won’t see anything different, only what appears to be a small little hiccup.”
Returning to the pots on the stove, I looked over to see Makenna pick up the papers Cassia had dropped off. I noticed every couple of paragraphs she’d either shake her head or crinkle the papers on the sides in frustration. Her face was devoid of much emotion, except she was biting her lower lip, which she used to do when she was stressed. God how I’d love to be the one sucking on that lip.
Her laptop made a notification sound like that of a doorbell. Makenna dropped the papers and typed in a few things before reaching in to grab my current cell phone from the metal case. She walked over to the kitchen island and looked me straight in the face. “I’m going to deactivate the scrambler long enough for you to make the calls to the people we discussed. You’re going to tell them that due to circumstances, you no longer require their services in the immediate future but would like the opportunity to call them should things change over the upcoming months.”
“And what if they demand payment for short notice?” I wondered.
Makenna looked deep into my eyes. “I’ve read over the files Titan secured, along with the conditions of your house arrest. The paperwork notes that your bank accounts are frozen, so how are you able to continue to pay for the day-to-day things? If you don’t have any resources, we can have Titan pick up the tab and bill either you or your family when this is all settled.”
I wanted to scream out loud that she believed me, but knew that might push her away. “No need for Titan to pick up the tab. Jackson said he’d front me the money and if things became too costly, he’d get either my mom or Mr. Prescott to help me out until I could repay them.”
Reaching out for the phone, our hands brushed one another, causing each of us to step back in surprise at how much electricity existed between us. The spark was instantaneous, speeding up my heartbeat, and I could easily see her eyes shine luminous for the first time in what seemed like forever to me.
The calls took no time at all. To my surprise, no one seemed offended except the housekeeper. My trainer said he’d picked up a few new clients who would keep him busy. And the cook said she’d been looking to cut back her hours soon anyhow. She’d just found out her daughter was expecting, and wanted to spend more time helping her and her son-in-law. So I offered each of them two weeks pay for short notice, while I offered the housekeeper a month’s severance. She wanted more, but finally let it drop when Makenna took the phone and told her either she accepted or the offer would be rescinded.
Makenna placed the phone back in the metal box, reestablished all the wires, and turned the scrambler device back on.
“Are you ready to eat?” I questioned, feeling a bit famished.
She held up one finger to me. “Just a minute and I will be. Please have a seat.” She motioned toward the chair beside her, which gave me hope that we could work well with one another.
Makenna typed in a few commands on her laptop and got a confirmation response on her screen. I could tell my brows were furrowing with curiosity, and before I could ask, she was talking. “I just activated the dummy programs on your phone and laptop. It will run a few hours at a time here and there, stopping when you’d normally go to sleep and reopening when you’d be awake to work. The laptop will open various programs and files, look like it is receiving e-mail from a dummy e-mail account Titan has set up, and show that you’re responding to them with basic responses. The same applies for your phone. For all intents and purposes, it will look like you’re trying to figure out what went wrong.”
She held up the paperwork Cassia demanded I sign. “All this is bullshit of the highest order. It doesn’t have anything to do with your case whatsoever. It only states that you agree to do whatever she, or her dad, says. Basically, you’d be their damn lapdog, barking on command.” She threw the papers down and asked, “Is this the only lawyer you’ve hired? The one they recommended?”
Shaking my head, I responded. “I wasn’t released long ago. This guy was the one to pull the strings to get me a bond hearing and post bail. I wasn’t allowed to call anyone, not even my family, until I got back here to do so.”
Something dawned on me at that moment. “Do you think that maybe while they had my laptop and cell phone retained—”
I didn’t even have to finish the question. Makenna automatically knew what I was about to say, which wasn’t surprising, given we’d had that kind of rapport before. “The tracers in your phone might have been added around that time, but the laptop had evidence of a backdoor being added about eight months prior to all this going down. I’m actually surprised the FBI and the SEC hadn’t caught the issues, or if they did, they’re not telling anyone.
“The short of all this is that you’ll be able to work on your new laptop without worry of anyone looking over your shoulder. Any incoming e-mails for your old machine will have to pass through mine to ensure their safety and validity, as with the cell phone. Everything is being ported from one account to another via me.”
Okay, I didn’t understand how that worked, but I trusted her to not screw me over. “So it’s okay to work on files from the office? Do a little of my own research?”
“No!” She said quickly and to the point, leaving no room for argument.
“As far as work is concerned, your hands are not allowed to touch the files due to SEC rulings. The mere fact that Cassia and her father want you to have your hands in them should be a red flag, which makes me wonder if you’re being set up even further. I’ll reject each one that tries to come to you in e-mail form.”
Panicking, I asked, “Then how in the fuck am I supposed to try and prove my innocence?”
She reached out and turned my face toward hers and smiled. “That’s where I come in. I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, try to find your alibi, and discredit every single claim against you.”
I could feel the muscles in my body relax. “You believe me?”
Makenna took both of my hands in hers, her thumbs finding the radial pulse on each wrist. “I’m going to ask you a few questions, and I want an honest answer.”
“Okay, let’s do this.”
“Did you create a Ponzi scheme to steal millions off of the company’s clients?” Her first question felt like a slap in the face, but I knew I had to answer honestly.
“No.”
Makenna continued. “Do you know of anyone who’d want to see you fail?”
Again I answered, “No.”
“Do you know where the missing money is?”
“No.”
“Are you aware that some of the clients you’re accused of stealing money from supposedly have terrorist ties?”
“No.”
The last question was a surprise. “Are you and Cassia in a relationship?”
I didn’t see what this had to do with the case, but if she was jealous over such a ludicrous idea, maybe she still had feelings for me. “No.”
Makenna nodded. Her eyes told me she believed me even before she said anything. “Your heart rate didn’t change, neither did your breathing, nor did you look away at any time. I believe you, but I wanted to make sure.”
There was a knock on the door as Spencer yelled through, “Are you almost done with the scrambling device? Our guys at headquarters are starting to get antsy.”
Makenna yelled back, “Five minutes left.” It was coming up on an hour, but she was still within the promised time constraints. Geez.
Something told me she had a lot more to say, but we were running out of time. Instead, she put the duplicate laptop and cell phone on the other side of the table and spoke quickly, saying, “These are yours to use, whenever you’re ready. I already sent out an e-mail to one of Titan’s top attorneys in the New York City area to assist us on gett
ing your charges overthrown. I don’t know if you understand that while your hands are not touching the files from work, we will, or at least I will, get ahold of any files you need access to. Being security agents, we operate similarly to the government agencies, but while their hands are tied by red tape, we can skirt around in the gray areas a little better, as long as we don’t get caught.”
Makenna took a deep breath in, ready to spill more details, but I realized where she was coming from. “You don’t trust anyone do you, not even the government agencies?”
She shook her head. “Titan encountered double agents within the FBI and CIA in a couple of our last cases. Apparently, some people will turn their backs on duty and honor if it means they get a higher paycheck.” Pressing a hand against my chest, she assured me by saying, “That’s not the way Titan operates. We are loyal to the end. So to answer your question, no, I don’t fully trust anyone right now.”
The last part sent a shiver through my spine as I turned my head and glanced toward the door, wondering if the FBI agents who’d been watching me were allies or enemies.
Makenna turned off the scrambler. “Are you going to get me a plate of food or what? I’m working my ass off over here and you’re making my mouth water with all the delicious scents emanating from your kitchen.”
She smiled as she got up and opened the front door. “Okay, boys, the scrambler is deactivated. Now please explain to me why I found programs compromising his laptop and cell phone, ones that should’ve been easily spotted by the most basic of hackers? Also, who’s up to reviewing the information I requested?”
I watched in amazement as both Spencer’s and Kyle’s mouths opened and closed like fish out of water, trying to gulp for a much-needed breath of air.
Finally Spencer came to his senses and walked into the apartment with a file and handed it over to Makenna. I half listened to them review things briefly. Mainly it was pictures and dossiers of fellow FBI agents who’d be taking their places later tonight and into the midnight hours. There were papers regarding the charges, bank accounts, and the like. “No need to go over these, Spencer. I already have the same copies you do. I reviewed them on the plane ride here this morning.”
Makenna's Trust: Titan Security Series #3 Page 6