DONOVAN (Gray Wolf Security, #1)(47)

“That’s what she’s hoping.”

Ash was quiet for a second. Then he said, “That wasn’t really what I was asking though.”

“I know it wasn’t.” I cleared my throat. “We’re enjoying your wine collection.”

He chuckled. “Go for it. Someone should be having a little fun right about now.”

Kate was standing in the doorway when I turned to go back inside.

“Any news?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing worth talking about.”

There was a tightness that crossed her face, a tension she was fighting.

“Are they keeping my dad informed about what’s going on? Does he know where I am?”

“Not specifically. But he knows you’re safe.”

“Okay.”

She turned to go back inside, and I watched her, wondering why someone would want to hurt her. What could somebody possibly have against her, someone who knew computers and explosives? That would have to be a unique person, someone with an eclectic background. Who, besides me, could be a part of Kate’s life and know those things?

The thing was, everyone was still fixated on the idea that the perp coming after Kate was someone who was caught in the act of robbing cars, or someone who wanted to rob the bank, who killed the security guard when he happened upon this person by accident. But it didn’t feel that way to me. Not anymore.

Kate’s car was broken into two weeks before the security guard was killed. Why? What was the thief looking for? And why her car? It couldn’t be just a coincident. Someone was looking for something. Or trying to see how hard it would be to get into her car there in the bank’s employee lot.

And then her memory of the night of the murder. She said she saw something in the parking lot and instinctively knew something was wrong. Why? What was it about what she saw that she knew it was wrong? Did she recognize something? Or someone?

Then there were her dreams. She saw herself in familiar places. The feelings of fear and dread didn’t come until later. Was that because she knew who the perp was and her subconscious mind was trying to tell her where she’d met with that person before?

It all seemed to lean toward someone in Kate’s life. And I had a list of the people in her life that Daniel gave me when we took this case. But I knew most of those people, and I couldn’t think of a single person on it who met the criteria we’d worked out.

Unless it was two people working together.

And that opened a door I wasn’t sure I wanted to walk through.





Chapter 25


At the Compound

David studied the screens of his computer monitors, watching for the anomaly he knew was coming. And there it was.

Shit! How did he let such a big hole in the programming go unnoticed? He should have checked it, should have plugged it up long ago. Closing it now was just like closing the barn door behind the horse…a metaphor he hated.

He worked quickly, modifying the code so that no one could use that particular door to hack his cameras again. And then he ran through the code of his program, looking for any similar holes that could be used to manipulate their security protocol. He’d been going over it again and again over the last few days. He felt like the kid whose clothes were stolen during gym class. But this felt more like he’d handed the clothes over to the bullies rather than them breaking into his locker.

He was always so careful. Always. This never should have happened.

“Listen up,” Ash called, “we’ve got two new, high-priority clients coming in. So I need everyone on deck.”

David ignored him, still staring at the computer code as if it would suddenly stand up and start talking to him.

And then it did.

“Shit, shit, shit!”

“Watch your mouth, brother,” Kirkland called to him from where he was sitting at the kitchen table.

Ash stood up from his desk, his eyes moving straight to David. He knew him well enough to know that if he was cussing, there was something deeply wrong.

He crossed the room in half a dozen stride, not walking quickly, just with long strides.

“Find something?”

David almost didn’t want to tell him, but if he didn’t, he might be putting someone’s life in danger.

“There’s a breach.”

“What do you mean, a breach?”

“Whoever got into the camera feeds, also got into my program. This person…” David sighed. “He’s good.”

“You almost sound like you admire him.”

“I do, in a way.”

Ash’s eyes narrowed, but he understood. David knew he did. Ash respected his enemy. In a way, this was the same thing. This person was David’s nemesis, but also his equal.

“What did they have access to? And are they still there?”

“I’ve just shut the door,” David said, his fingers moving so quickly over the keyboard he knew Ash was impressed. “But I don’t think he was there anymore. I didn’t hit any resistance in closing it, and I would have if it was still an active door.”

“Can you tell when the last time it was used was?”

David plugged in a few more values, staring at the code until he felt a headache begin to ache behind his eyes. “Twelve hours ago.”

“You’re sure.”