Chapter Sixteen

Allison shivered. The temperature inside Drew Getty’s computer room seemed to drop several more degrees. She blinked at the data on the screen, but it didn’t change. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The address she’d given Sloan was to a clone. A fake! Courtesy of Drew Getty.

Had Sloan, Tom, and the FBI agents been ambushed at the bogus address? Allison’s tip may have sent them to their deaths. Bone-numbing cold seeped into her body and she started to shake. She curled her fingers into her palms and squeezed her fists for control. More questions burned, but she waited. If she gave away her thoughts, her feelings, Drew would use that as leverage against her. If she stayed silent, he might freely share more information.

One of the things she remembered during that disastrous blind date was how much he liked to talk. He had an overabundance of confidence in his ability and enjoyed flaunting his knowledge. With patience on her part, he would think he held the upper hand. With luck, he might expose more of his plan.

If he did, she hoped to stop him.

Drew leaned against the table. “You have such unimaginative code. It was easy to copy.” He gave her a satisfied smirk. “I forged an e-mail from O’Neal to Delano, suggesting he review all of Northstar’s internal code for a potential insider job.”

“It shouldn’t have mattered,” Allison replied. “I suggested we look at an inside job months ago. We couldn’t detect the breach.” Her protest blurted out before she could stop herself. “Besides, all of Northstar’s e-mails are encrypted. You need a passkey to open and read them.”

He pressed a few more keys and a window popped open. Allison stared again in disbelief at Northstar’s passkey.

“A Trojan, Allison.”

She hated the sound of her name on his lips.

A Trojan—a little program running quietly on the Northstar computer systems—this one designed to allow an outsider to read every keystroke she entered. Somehow, her scans had missed the malware. Drew could have been recording everything they’d done for the last three months, maybe longer.

“I am the master puppeteer,” he said. “I pull the strings. Of course, I made certain your footprints were all over the hacks. Tom Delano would have been blind not to notice. It was only a matter of time before O’Neal demanded an explanation.”

“How?”

Drew laughed. “I monitored every e-mail sent or received from your office. I set up the cruise for a Mr. and Mrs. Tallon—your sister, I believe—and orchestrated the opportunity for your vacation. How nice of you to make it look as though you were running away. O’Neal couldn’t help but see your guilt.” Drew tapped the top of the monitor. “Once O’Neal ordered you to L.A.…well, the rest was just a matter of following your trail. Hacking into the FBI systems was a piece of cake once you broke into my clone. They didn’t even bother hiding the safe house address.” He made a tsking sound. “To think they’re guarding our country’s interest. What I don’t understand, is why they didn’t lock you up?”

Allison almost blurted out Sloan’s name. He was the reason she hadn’t been arrested the minute they landed in L.A. She looked away and remained silent.

“No matter.” Drew shrugged. “It worked out better for me. O’Neal told Delano to keep an eye on you and get proof you were a traitor. It seems O’Neal still has some doubts about your guilt.”

Allison silently digested that last statement. Byron O’Neal usually made decisions and executed plans without reservations. She was surprised to learn he had doubts.

“Was the clone’s address an ambush as well?” Allison hoped she didn’t sound too vested in the answer.

“No.” Drew shook his head. “The clone was set up to bounce my signal and act as a decoy. When the cavalry raided the location, they left you all alone.”

“We weren’t alone.” Mitchell strained against the hold on his arm, his face filled with frustration. “Agent Kane was there.”

“What a good protector he was, too.” Drew’s sadistic grin made Allison shiver. “We made you disappear right under their noses.” He leaned in and whispered. “Everyone doubts your loyalties. You’re screwed, dear Allison.”

After seeing the data, she was sure he was right. Except for one thing. She wasn’t screwed. Not while she and Mitchell were still alive. She would find a way out of this situation. “This is very elaborate.” She gestured to the computer setup. “You went to a lot of trouble to frame me for the hacks. Why didn’t you kidnap me sooner?”

“Ah, that’s the brilliance of it all. Mother wanted to kidnap you, or one of the other Northstar techs, from the beginning. But that would’ve raised suspicion. They would’ve come looking for you too soon, and may have found us before we were ready. I convinced her that a sting would be more fruitful. We set you up, and led everyone merrily down the path, believing one of Northstar’s own betrayed them.”

Drew circled behind her. “I hacked into your systems, stole the data files and set up the leaks to the press. Once you were assigned to beef up the firewall, it was a matter of letting my little malware copy your annotations.”

“You’re obviously very skilled.” Allison hoped her tone sounded like professional admiration. “Why do you need me? What do you want me to do, that you can’t do for yourself?”

He stopped pacing and stood on the other side of her chair. He smiled as though pleased by her acknowledgement of the genius of his work. Reaching across a keyboard, he tapped a manila file folder lying next to the monitor and slid it toward her.

She looked at the file and then at Drew.

A hush fell over the room as though everyone collectively held their breaths.

She lifted the folder and looked inside. The only item in the file was a single sheet of paper. In the center of the page, in bold, black letters was a name.

Dean Weston.

Allison studied it without blinking. Of course. Now she knew why Drew’s real name sounded familiar. Northstar had a case file on Dean Weston. He’d been arrested for kidnapping Senator Burnsworth’s wife and attempting to blackmail him to prevent a program that would potentially cripple the drug trade coming into the U.S. via Mexican cartels. At present, Weston was in FBI custody awaiting his first hearing. Allison couldn’t recall any other details.

She closed the file and put it on the table. “Dean is a relative? A step-brother?”

“Half-brother. But I’ll give you a silver star for effort.” Drew smirked.

“I still don’t understand what you want with me.”

“You’re going to get my son out of prison,” Mrs. Weston snapped. She glared at Drew as though she was tired of his game.

“Your son?” Allison asked. More pieces fell into place. It was a family affair. A mother and son conspired to free the wronged sibling. She faced Mrs. Weston. “What makes you think I can release your son from a federal prison?”

“Because if you don’t, you can watch how long it takes this boy to die.” The older woman’s face grew ugly as she spoke. “He’ll suffer, just as my son has suffered in that godforsaken hole.”

What they wanted was impossible. A cold knot tightened in Allison’s stomach. “I don’t have the authority.”

Drew slid closer. “We don’t need authorization. Once you’ve removed the evidence against him, the authorities will be forced to release him.”

“But there are so many files—”

“No.” He ran a hand over the top of the monitor. “Not yet. Dean’s case hasn’t been brought up for prosecution yet. They’re holding him as a suspected terrorist. He hasn’t even seen a lawyer.” He circled behind Allison’s chair again. The way he paced from side to side made Allison feel like a lamb stalked by a hungry wolf.

“How do you know about the case files on your brother?” She thought she knew what might be happening with Weston’s case, but she wanted Drew’s take on the situation.

He moved closer to Allison and wound a strand of her hair around his finger. It was all she could do to sit motionless until he yanked and pulled her close. She swallowed the pain. This she could endure, but if they hurt Mitchell…

Drew’s hot breath washed over her face as he spoke. “There are only two places where his files are kept. We know, because the FBI has him in custody for questioning, but haven’t charged him yet.” He pulled tighter on her hair. “You see, it’s all very civil and legal under the USA Freedom Act.” He released her and shoved her backward.

Allison caught herself from falling out of the chair.

“We’ve petitioned every government agency for help.” Mrs. Weston’s shrill voice filled the room. “No one will even talk to us. It’s like my son has dropped off the face of the earth.”

Drew’s and his mother’s resentment were evident. Even though Allison had been involved in the assignment to find the senator’s kidnapped wife, it wasn’t her place to say whether or not Dean Weston was innocent. “So one of the files is with the FBI. And the other?”

“Stupid girl.” Mrs. Weston scowled and pulled Mitchell to stand directly in front of her. “See how stupid your auntie is? She can’t even figure it out.” The woman glared at Allison as she spoke. “It’s at Northstar. It’s all that damned Byron O’Neal’s fault. He put my baby in prison. He is going to pay.”

“Calm down, Mother.” Drew took a step toward Mrs. Weston. “You know what the doctors said about getting too upset.” He turned to Allison. “Surely, you can see our plan by now. We started small. Leaking stories from Northstar’s case files, generating questions about Northstar’s integrity, and shedding doubt on the firm. Sweet revenge for what they did to my brother, to be sure. But it also forced you to search for the leak. Once you started opening up the system to fix things, it allowed my malware to do its job.”

Allison shrank back in horror at his words. She had seen the result of his handiwork. O’Neal, Tom, herself—they had all been played. The result was the devastation of a company that had helped maintain security for countless citizens for two decades. The firm brought many criminals to justice. What Drew Getty had done could destroy O’Neal and Northstar Security Firm forever.

Allison realized she must first save herself and Mitchell. Then, if she could prevent the firm from falling into ruin, she would. Regardless of O’Neal’s lost faith in her, she couldn’t let all his good work be destroyed.

Drew indicated there were two sets of files, one at Northstar, and the other at the FBI. She studied the information on the screen. A seed of an idea started to grow. Maybe… “You want me to erase the files?” Allison asked to confirm their intentions.

“That’s our plan.” Drew inclined his head. “Delete them. Remove all traces of the evidence against Dean.”

“You’ve been in the Northstar systems.” Allison frowned. “Why didn’t you do this yourself?”

“I was only in part of your system. I searched for Dean’s file, but couldn’t find it.” Drew rolled back his shoulders and puffed out his chest. “I could brute force my way through your encryption and destroy every single file, but then it would look like it was done from the outside. But if you do it,” he paused, “it won’t be forced, no suspicion. No one will be the wiser, and then Dean will be free.”

“You’ve already placed suspicion on me.”

“True.” He gave a sly wink. “But they still don’t know your motive. They’re distracted and won’t see this coming until it’s too late.”

“What if I refuse?”

Drew’s face twisted into an evil smile. “Please don’t make us hurt the boy.”

Allison lifted her chin. She wouldn’t show fear. “You’re going to kill us when this is done, anyway.”

“No!” Mitchell shouted.

Allison tried to keep a brave front for her nephew. “I’m sorry, Mitchell, but they won’t let us live. We can identify them. We know what they’ve done.”

“Poor Allison.” Drew chuckled. “I forgot the best part.”

Allison stared. What was he talking about? The Westons couldn’t possibly afford to let her and Mitchell live.

“Everyone has skeletons in their closets. Even you, dear Allison.” Drew pointed at the computer as he explained. “We planted evidence against you. Why do you think it was so easy for O’Neal and Delano to suspect you of betraying them?”

“What are you talking about?” Her blood ran cold, wondering what Drew had on her that would turn O’Neal against her.

“Once we decided which of Northstar’s techs to frame, we went on a treasure hunt. Inside your personnel file, we found an appeal to investigate the shooting that killed your partner.”

“But that appeal was turned down. Northstar left the investigation to the local authorities.” Allison couldn’t imagine how that would raise any flags.

“We know. We took the liberty of planting your footprints in the data file, along with some not-so-hidden data. It will look like you tried to have it deleted, but when it’s recovered, it will reveal that you were driving the patrol car. And when your partner exited the car he was shot immediately.”

Drew squeezed her right shoulder. She winced as pain shot down her arm and through the ends of her fingers.

“Your wound.” Drew squeezed just a little harder. “Is from your attempt to run away from the gun battle.”

“That’s not true!” Mitchell shouted. “I’ll tell them the truth. They’ll believe me.”

“Shut up, boy.” Mrs. Weston hissed. “They won’t believe a kid.” She spun Mitchell around to face her. “They wouldn’t believe me when I told them my son was innocent. And I’m the wife of a judge.”

Allison felt blood drain from her face. The pain in her shoulder was intense. Throbbing crept up her neck and the room spun. She realized with cold certainty that Drew’s plan would work.

There was evidence against her, evidence even he didn’t know about. Allison had felt she let Reggie down. She’d said as much to her supervisor, to the internal investigation board, and to the police psychiatrist. Written documentation transcribed from her own words would ring with more truth than any official police report. Between Drew’s planted evidence, and O’Neal’s suspicion she was the hacker, she would be arrested and convicted for falsifying a police report. But worse, she would have to watch anguish crush Reggie’s widow as the whole incident was opened up again.

She bit hard on her lower lip to distract herself from the pain inflicted by Drew’s grip. This pain she could control. Control was what she needed right now.

“Mitchell. Listen to me.” Allison spoke quietly to calm him, to keep him from aggravating their captors. “It will be all right. If I do what they want, we’ll be okay.”

Drew released her shoulder. It was all Allison could do not to shrink further into her chair.

Mitchell’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. He seemed so small and helpless. Yet stoic and brave. He was growing up right in front of her eyes. “You’ll go to jail.” Mitchell stated it with understanding beyond his nine years. “You’re innocent—and they will still put you in jail.”

“You’ll be free,” Allison reasoned. “If I don’t do what they ask, we’ll both be killed.”

Death was a frightening thing to a young boy. Gruesome and final, but Mitchell didn’t give in. He straightened his shoulders and wiped his eyes. His chin lifted. “What about the warrior code? What about honor?”

At that moment, Allison couldn’t have been prouder of her nephew. Mitchell had given her a way out. Her seedling of an idea sprouted. Inside the blink of an eye, her idea grew to the stature of an oak tree. The heartbreak of her plan was allowing Mitchell to believe his ideals were useless, that the code of honor meant nothing. Against the reality of their situation, she’d have to lie to him. She didn’t know if she could.

“I’m sorry, Mitchell,” she whispered. “Those things aren’t going to work here. I made a promise to your mother to keep you safe. That promise is more important than anything else. I have to do what they ask.” She stared into his earnest eyes. “Please forgive me.”

“No,” Mitchell shouted. “Don’t.”

She shut her mind against his pleas and faced the computer. She didn’t dare look in Mitchell’s direction again, if she did, she might lose her resolve.

“Please, Aunt Allison. Don’t. It’s wrong. You’ll lose your honor.”

The tension in the room rose. Everyone seemed affected by the young boy’s disillusioned outburst.

Allison spoke to Drew Getty. “I will do what you ask—if you let him go.”

“Not until it’s done. He’s our insurance, you see.” He raised his palms in a shrug.

Allison nodded. She hadn’t expected a different answer. She’d been trusted to care for Mitchell and she owed it to her sister to do everything in her power to honor that trust.