They reached Boston in less than two hours. Gray morning light filtered through thick clouds and between tall buildings as they crawled through rush hour traffic.
Arden had spent every minute of the drive searching the internet for the blueprints of GeoArray’s building. She’d finally hacked into City Hall’s database and was searching through a disorganized mess of file folders.
Her eyes were gritty with fatigue, her mind numb. She’d been on the go for days, running on adrenaline and not much else. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d closed her eyes. Aside from the breakfast sandwich Kane had made her, she couldn’t recall eating anything in the past forty-eight hours.
Yeah. She was a mess.
A mess who had to take down GeoArray’s server system in a few hours. She scowled, scrolling through the City Hall files. Her neck felt stiff from too many hours hunched over the computer, and she rubbed the knotted muscles.
“It’s got to be here,” she muttered, annoyed with the amount of time the search was taking. Usually, she was fast. Then again, usually she wasn’t working on no sleep.
“Why don’t you take a break, Arden?” Kane asked, turning in his seat to look at her. She looked up, met his warm brown eyes and for a moment was lost in the depth of them. “Arden?” he prodded, and she finally registered the question. She blinked back the exhaustion.
“I’ve almost got it.”
“I’m pretty certain you said that thirty minutes ago,” Silas said.
“Studies show that optimists live longer, healthier lives,” she responded.
“They also show that people who go into enemy territory blind die.” Silas pulled into a public parking garage, grabbed a ticket from the kiosk and tucked it into the glove compartment.
“Aren’t you just a stream of warm sunshine on a dreary winter day?”
Kane laughed.
“She’s got you pegged, Silas,” he said.
“I’m a realist,” Silas muttered. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m thinking we ditch the floor plan idea and do some covert reconnaissance. One of us can do a perimeter search of the building. We might be able to locate an access point that way.”
“Just give me another minute,” Arden said. She scrolled through the files on another page, and her heart jumped when she finally found GeoArray’s name.
She clicked the file, smiling as the blueprint popped up on the screen.
“Got it!” she nearly shouted.
“Can I take a look?” Kane reached through the center console, pulled the computer from her lap. He studied the blueprint for several minutes, and she studied him.
She didn’t mean to.
It just happened.
He was looking at the computer. She was looking at him.
He had a tiny scar above his left eyebrow and a larger one at the corner of his mouth. Both were faded white with time. Next thing she knew, she was noticing the thin white line that ran across the top of his right hand and the deep purplish mark on the side of his neck near his hairline.
He turned in his seat, caught her staring, and she was suddenly looking into his handsome face, his dark eyes. “Everything okay?” he asked.
She nodded, her cheeks hot. “Fine. I’m just tired. A habitual sleep pattern of seven to eight hours a night is thought to be best for peak cognitive performance. Of course, the amount can vary based on an individual’s basal sleep need and sleep debt, as well as age. There’s also a small percent of people that are their best with only six hours of sleep. It’s been scientifically proven. When they exposed rats to high levels of stress and little sleep, they found they were less able to perform tasks.”
“That’s an interesting data point,” he said without rolling his eyes, laughing or otherwise treating her like she was an idiot. She wasn’t used to that. Aside from her family and Juniper, there weren’t many people who didn’t at least smirk when she went off on one of her tangents.
“It’s just some silly trivia that I probably read a dozen years ago,” she murmured.
“It’s very relevant to our current situation,” he corrected. “And being exhausted when we go into GeoArray tonight isn’t a good idea. How about you try to rest for a while?”
“I’d rather take a walk and scope out GeoArray’s headquarters. I’d like to take a look at the building. See how much security they actually have.”
“No,” he said.
“We could at least drive past. We certainly can’t just sit here. We’ll draw attention to ourselves. Plus, it’s a waste of time.”
“It’s a public garage. And not all of us are going to be sitting here.” Kane handed the computer back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m going to survey GeoArray. You and Silas are staying here.”
“What! When was this decided?” Not while she was around to have some input. That much was certain.
“Now,” he responded.
“Well, you’re going to have to undecide it, because I’m not sitting in this car—”
“Sleeping would be a better idea.”
“I’m not sitting, sleeping or staying in this car while you’re doing reconnaissance.”
“Sure you are,” Silas said, opening his door and getting out of the SUV. “We’re too close to GeoArray for you to be wandering around. Its people have been looking for you for weeks. You think they’re not going to recognize you if you show up on one of their exterior security cameras?”
“They may be circulating Kane’s picture by now, too. We know they’ve connected him to the plane.”
“I’m pretty good at being unobtrusive.” Kane got out of the SUV, too.
“By pretty good, he means exceptional.” Silas closed his door. Kane did the same.
And Arden was suddenly sitting in the SUV with nothing but a dog for a companion. She couldn’t make out their conversation, their voices muffled by the closed windows. Admittedly, Kane was probably the best qualified to scout the facility, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have thoughts to contribute to the plan of action.
She reached for the door handle, freezing when the dog let out a quick, sharp bark.
“Calm down, Cujo,” she said. “I just want to get out and stretch my legs for a minute.”
The dog barked again, and Kane’s door opened. He leaned into the SUV, looking her straight in the eye. “You’re supposed to be resting, Arden.”
“I just wanted to stretch my legs for a minute.” And hear whatever plans you and Silas were making without me, she added silently.
“There’ll be time for that tonight. Right now, please try to sleep. Assuming we get in undetected, we’ll need you to be at the peak of your cognitive ability,” he said, throwing her words back at her.
“I guess a little shut-eye couldn’t hurt,” she grumbled. “Do you think you’ll be long?”
“I’m not sure. But you can rest easy. Silas and Dutch will stay with you until I get back.”
“How long should we wait before we come looking for you?”
“Forever,” he said.
“That’s a long time, Kane.”
“My point is, I don’t want you to come looking. I’ll be back by lunch time. If I’m not, Silas will know what to do.”
Be careful, she wanted to say, but he closed the door, stood for a few more minutes talking to Silas, and then walked away, sauntering along like he had all the time in the world.
* * *
Getting close to GeoArray wasn’t going to be complicated. Kane had been in more difficult circumstances on more dangerous missions. Compared to those, doing a little recon on a traitorous tech company would be a piece of cake.
The complicated part would come later, after the sun went down. He’d studied the blueprints; he knew that GeoArray had an intricate ventilation system. The vent cover should be on the western side of the building at—or very close to—ground level. He needed to make certain it was there. Blueprints were great, but they weren’t always accurate.
He jogged down three flights of stairs, exited the stairwell and walked into the lowest level of the parking garage.
Although visible from the public parking garage, GeoArray was across a small side street. Kane walked outside, following the sidewalk to the nearest crosswalk. A crowd of people waited there, most of them on phones, several carrying briefcases. Normal people going about their normal business. None of them had any idea how close the country was to disaster. The information GeoArray planned to release threatened the well-being of the entire nation.
Greed.
It made smart people do evil things.
GeoArray towered over the older buildings that stood nearby. Modern and edgy with sleek lines and reflective windows, the place was huge—a discordant note in an otherwise quaint section of the city. They were close to the harbor here, the glint of water just visible to the east. Lots of people. Lots of activity. That made it easy to blend in.
The light changed, and the crowd swarmed across the street. Adults. Kids. Families. Like DC, Philadelphia and Gettysburg, Boston had enough historical significance to bring crowds of sightseers all year round. He’d come here often as a child, traveling with his grandparents during his breaks from boarding school. Boston had been one of their favorite haunts, his grandfather’s passion for history dictating their travel plans.
He frowned.
He didn’t have time for introspection. He sure couldn’t afford to be distracted.
He stepped onto to the sidewalk with the rest of the crowd, making sure he was in the center of the swarm. There were security cameras near GeoArray’s front door and several more at both corners of the building. He noted those and the guard who stood nonchalantly in front of the building. No firearm that Kane could see, but that didn’t mean much.
If the blueprint was accurate, the vent was on the east side of the building, close to the back corner. An old cobblestone road led in that direction. He bypassed it, still walking with the crowd. Heading into the alley from the main street would be a red flag to anyone watching. He turned the corner and walked around the city block, grabbing coffee and some pastries from one shop, then stopping at another to buy some cold-cut subs.
Normal things that a normal person walking near the harbor might do.
There was plenty of hustle and bustle, plenty of camera flashes and excited chatter. He followed a small group of tourists past GeoArray. No public entrance on this side, but there were several doors and plenty of security cameras.
The buildings to either side were commercial properties. He used that to his advantage, walking down the cobblestone alley and trying the door of an obviously closed souvenir shop.
He turned back, sipping coffee and scanning GeoArray’s facility. There were several doors. Just like the blueprint had indicated. At the back corner, a vent sat flush against the brick wall.
He walked past as slowly as he dared. Phillips-head screws held it in place. There’d be a fan just beyond it. Easy enough to dismantle and remove with the right tools.
If he knew Silas, the guy would have an entire toolkit tucked away in the rental. He believed in being overly prepared. So did Kane.
He stepped out of the alley, merging with another small group. They were walking slowly, snapping photos of some of the older buildings and plaques that explained the history of the area. He took out his cell phone and did the same, taking a picture of the alley, zooming in on the vent and getting a picture of that. He snapped a photo of a small memorial marker that stood near the street and then turned to snap one of the back of GeoArray’s building.
One of the doors was opening, and he lowered his phone, pretending to scroll through photos as two men stepped outside. One was a stranger—tall with black hair, wearing a suit that probably cost a small fortune. The other looked familiar—light brown hair cut short, expensive suit, thin build.
Randy Sumner.
Arden’s ex.
The guy looked haggard, his cheeks gaunt, his eyes deeply shadowed. Whatever was going on, he didn’t seem happy about it.
Kane gave himself just enough time to notice those things, and then he moved away, merging with another group milling around near a bus stop. He snapped a few pictures of the distant harbor and waited impatiently for Randy and his buddy to make a move. If they returned to the building, he’d go back to the SUV. If they left the area, he’d follow.
Either way, he had information he didn’t have before.
Randy was in town.
As far as Kane knew, the guy was a consultant working out of GeoArray’s DC office. If he’d flown into Boston, he must be feeling pressure to make sure the cyber exchange went off without a hitch.
The fact that GeoArray hadn’t been able to find and dispatch Arden probably had her idiot ex sweating bullets. He knew what she was capable of, and he knew she wouldn’t stop until she was forced to or until she achieved her goal.
The door opened again and a uniformed security officer stepped out. He was pushing a cart of luggage, and he didn’t look happy about it.
“Where do you want it, Mr. Emory?” he snapped, loudly, rolling it toward the street.
Kane tensed at the name.
Emory and Randy together with a cart full of luggage all sounded like an escape waiting to happen. The two men made their way toward the curb.
“You called a cab?” Emory asked, glancing at his watch and frowning.
“Didn’t you ask me to?”
“Don’t get smart with me, Henderson,” Emory growled. “I don’t like it.”
“Yes,” the security guard ground out. “I called a cab.”
“When it gets here, load everything in it and take it to the dock. The Relentless Journey is in its usual spot. Just leave the stuff in my cabin.” Emory slapped a wad of bills in the guy’s hand. “That’s for the extra effort. Come on, Randy. We’ve got a few things to discuss before I leave. Let’s grab some coffee.”
“What do you mean, leave?” Randy sputtered, his face flushed with displeasure.
As Emory and Randy approached the bus stop, Kane turned away, knowing he was staring and afraid he’d be noticed. He texted Silas to give him an update, his back still to the men as they moved past.
“We’re both leaving, Randy. You go your way. I go mine. We knew it might come to this—especially with the elusive DeMarco girl still just out of reach.”
Kane fell in step behind them as they passed, keeping within earshot of their conversation.
“The plan was to leave after the file transmission, if we couldn’t find Arden and get the files back,” Randy whispered. “Why are you packing up now?”
“My wife thinks I’m leaving on a business trip this morning. My girlfriend and I are going out for dinner and I’ll likely stay on the yacht tonight. But I’ll be ready to launch it tomorrow night in the event that you haven’t retrieved those files. Not that I owe you an explanation. I’ve paid you plenty for your work. Or, should I say, for your girlfriend’s work?”
Randy responded, but the words were lost as the men walked across the street.
Kane could have followed, but he’d heard enough. He was more interested in the yacht. If he could get on board, he might be able to figure out where Emory planned to go. Despite what the CEO had told Randy, Kane wondered if Emory planned to leave long before the exchange happened.
Not that the exchange would ever happen.
Not if Kane had anything to do with it.
He texted Silas again and let him know that he was heading to the docks. He tucked his cell phone away, finished the last of his coffee and headed toward the glittering water of the harbor.