Chapter 10

TEN

THURSDAY, 10:45 A.M.

Juliette pounded on the door, mentally thumping herself for walking them right into a trap.

"How do they even know we're here?" Caleb muttered. "It's not like we're broadcasting our every movement."

Unless Blake had told someone he'd seen them there. Juliette couldn't help suspecting Caleb's partner, even if Caleb refused to consider it. "We just need to get out of here. And we faced tighter situations during basic training, right? This shouldn't be too difficult. I mean, it's not a no-win situation." She yelled to be heard over the clang of the fire alarm.

He nodded. "There's always a way out. That's what we've got to believe."

They surveyed the room to see what they had to work with. The metal storage racks lined each wall floor to ceiling, housing servers and spare computer parts.

She pulled on one of the shelves. "I think this can hold our weight." She climbed the first few rows, thankful the whole unit had been bolted to the wall. She hit the fifth shelf and stopped at the ceiling. The ceiling tile gave way with a push, and she stuck her head through the crawl space above. "We should be able to shimmy through the air duct toward the other side of the locked door. Hopefully they just lit a small fire and didn't set the entire place ablaze."

Juliette hoisted herself through the hole in the ceiling. Smoke had reached the three-foot-tall ductwork, but not enough to cause breathing or visibility issues. For now.

Caleb climbed up behind her but hung back with just his head sticking through the vent. He shone the flashlight for her, illuminating the shiny silver metal duct. She crept along, praying the airway would hold her weight. After a few feet of inching through the narrow passageway, she found an air vent that led into the hallway below, on the other side of the door to the server room that doubled as their prison.

She looked back and saw Caleb's head sticking up into the ceiling. "The fire isn't coming through the door, just a lot of smoke."

Juliette pried off the air grate with a pocket knife the security officer hadn't confiscated. She stuck her head out of the ceiling a few inches and saw the source of the fire. A trash can full of paper and cardboard had been set ablaze right outside the door to the server room.

She was about to let Caleb know to follow her when a man walked directly under the air vent. At least he didn't spot her in the ceiling. She inched her head back into the crawl space. The guy wore all black, including a ski mask, and was talking on his cell phone. He probably had fifty pounds on her. She turned the best she could in the tight space and held up a finger to indicate they had company. Caleb nodded and stayed put.

The work lights lit the area below, enough for her to see. She tried to hear the conversation, but it sounded muffled. Escape options were limited—either they take on this guy or stay trapped in a not-so-fireproof room.

The man turned around and stopped directly under her position. A crazy, Hazard Pay Montgomery–style plan formed, but it was risky, knowing there were two men to contend with—the big lug below and whoever was on the other end of that call. But she had to get herself and Caleb out of that locked death trap.

The hole was maybe a foot wide and eight inches deep. Just enough space for her to drop down and startle the creep. She held her breath and waited for the perfect moment.

"I'll meet you out front," the man said to the person on the phone. "They aren't going anywhere. I made sure of that."

Juliette crawled over the hole, rolled, and pointed her feet through the opening. Bracing her hands on either side of the vent, she lined herself up with the man and let go. She dropped onto his back and wrapped her arms over his throat in a choke hold. He couldn't yell for help with the pressure on his windpipe. The guy flailed and smashed her against the wall. She sucked in a breath but doubled down her grip. He wasn't getting away.

The building's sprinkler system kicked on with a hiss. Water saturated them, and her slick arms slipped from around his neck.

The big guy had no issues with his grip, and meaty hands wrapped around Juliette's throat. He shoved her up against the wall until her feet dangled. She kicked and clawed at the man's face, but he pressed down on her neck with a mighty force. Her vision blurred and she gasped for air.

A crack sounded and the pressure on her throat relented. Another thud and the man hit the floor. Her vision returned and landed on Caleb, standing over the man, holding a laptop like a hatchet.

Her throat was raw, but she managed to croak out, "Run. Second man."

"We need to see if this guy has any weapons."

Caleb bent to check the man, but Juliette grabbed his hand. "No time." The sprinklers had doused the trash can fire, but the smoke was sucking the oxygen from the air. Juliette's eyes burned as they raced to the reception area. How had these guys made it past security? She shuddered at the idea that these men may have taken down the security guard at the front of the building.

They were on their own.

Juliette skidded to a halt and put her hand on Caleb's chest as he was about to open the front door. "There's a second guy," Juliette said. "The guy you took down said he was going to meet someone ‘out front.' I'm assuming he meant the front of the building, like maybe with a getaway car, but just be careful. We don't want to be ambushed."

Caleb nodded and opened the door a crack. "The hallway is clear other than smoke. Let's proceed to the stairs and keep an eye out for our adversary."

He pushed the door open wide, and they entered the hallway, both swiveling their heads from right to left. Juliette glanced over her shoulder as they moved forward. Her brain wouldn't let go of the premonition that they were walking into a trap.

"He could be hiding in the stairwell," Juliette whispered.

"And I don't trust that the guy we knocked out will stay down for long." They approached the metal door to the stairwell. Caleb pushed the bar to the door, inching it open so as to not announce their presence.

"Clear," he said. Juliette followed behind him, her hand on his back, peering through the gaps in the stair railing to check for any signs of movement.

She put her foot on the first step, but the sound of pounding footsteps from below sent ice through her veins. She froze.

"Don't take another step."

Now she regretted her decision not to stop and frisk the other guy for weapons. Because the second man rounded the corner of the stairwell with a gun in his hand. The guy must have heard them coming.

The masked man stood halfway up the stairs and leveled the weapon at Juliette's head.

"Move and she dies."

* * *

THURSDAY, 11:00 A.M.

Caleb's pulse jackhammered in his ear at the sight of a gun trained on Juliette by some punk in a ski mask.

He wasn't going down like this, and he'd fight this guy hand to hand if it meant protecting Jules. His thoughts flashed back to their basic training days. Hazard Pay had always managed to get out of tough spots. Maybe if he thought like her…

Her eyes widened, reading his mind as if they shared a brain. He gave her an imperceptible nod. Without allowing himself a chance to second-guess this plan, he pivoted, put his feet on the edge of the top step, and launched himself at the man. Solid muscle broke his fall, and they tumbled down the remainder of the stairs. Caleb landed on the man's chest and ducked a punch. He pinned the man's arms down. This guy wasn't going anywhere.

"Run, Jules. Call for help."

Of course, she wouldn't. She retrieved the guy's gun and turned it on him—at his temple. "Now you don't move."

The man sagged in defeat. Caleb rolled off him to check his pockets for other weapons. He passed Jules some zip ties, and she secured the man's hands to the handrail.

The door above them clanged. Smoke filled the stairwell, and the other gunman emerged.

"Time to go," Juliette said. She whipped the man's ski mask off, and Caleb got a good look before Juliette grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

He'd never seen that man before. They raced down the stairs. "How many men robbed the bank?"

"Four," Juliette said over her shoulder as she took the stairs two at a time. He'd hoped to identify someone from his office as the culprit, but these two weren't the only criminals.

Crack! Plaster rained down on them. "I guess the big guy is awake," Caleb said. A bullet hole marked the wall right above their heads.

The second they tumbled into the first-floor landing, Juliette had her cell phone out checking for a signal. He heard her calling 911 as they moved through the lobby. Caleb wasn't taking any other chances of another ambush, but he needed to put as much distance as possible between them and the stairwell shooter. He kept his eyes peeled for trouble.

Speaking of trouble, how had these two clowns gotten past security? "Where's the security guard?"

Juliette shrugged and swept the confiscated gun around the lobby as they walked. "We need to get out of the building," she said. "The police are on their way, but those intruders will probably pursue us."

Caleb reached the guard desk and peeked behind. "The guard's been knocked out." He hurdled the desk and helped the uniformed man up off the floor.

The man wobbled a bit but was able to stand on his own and waved them off. "I'm okay. I'm okay." But blood trickled from a wound on his forehead.

"I'll stand guard," Juliette said. "I didn't hear footsteps behind us, so maybe the gunman decided his best option would be to flee."

"He might sneak down the stairs and exit from the back of the lobby."

Juliette nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for him."

Caleb found someone's sweater stashed in the desk and pressed it to the wound on the man's forehead. Sirens outside competed against the blaring fire alarms inside. Within seconds, paramedics, firefighters, and police rushed into the lobby. The cavalry had arrived.

Juliette snaked arms with Caleb. "Time to go. We're too exposed in this open lobby. Agent McGregor texted and will be pulling up in a moment." A paramedic took over to assist the security guard, and Caleb headed out the lobby door with Juliette. Four firefighters in full gear with a thick hose passed them. If the bad guys were smart, they'd be long gone. If the good guys caught a break, the stairwell shooter would leave his friend tied to the railing for the police to find.

The instant their feet hit the sidewalk in front of the office, two black SUVs raced up in front of them.

The passenger side window of one vehicle rolled down, and Agent McGregor stuck out his head. "Get in."

The back door swung open. They slid in next to the agent as several police, fire, and armed FBI agents swarmed the area.

"How did you find us so fast?" Caleb asked.

Agent McGregor turned his head toward the back seat. "I heard the call come in about a second fire in the building and knew you two had decided to tempt fate and return to the scene of the crime. Do either of you need medical attention before we hightail it out of here? We need to get you to a secure location. We'll sit down and take your statements for the police when we know you are safe."

Juliette rubbed her throat. She might be sore, but there didn't seem to be any damage to her vocal cords. "I don't think either of us is injured, and the smoke wasn't that bad because we were able to get out of the area where the fire started," Juliette said.

Caleb nodded, but Juliette had fatigue written all over her face. When had the dark circles appeared? And bruises were forming around her throat from where the guy had tried to choke her. Neither of them had slept much in the last few nights, not to mention his tumble down the stairs, so he assumed he looked equally as rough.

McGregor pulled onto the street, and soon they were heading to the outskirts of Savannah on the back roads. They passed Bonaventure Cemetery, the legendary cemetery he and Ivy had yet to visit. Live oaks dripping with Spanish moss lined the roadway. The serene beauty of Savannah contrasted with their tragic circumstances.

Would he and Ivy find peace? He prayed these terrorists would be caught so they could regain their lives.

Juliette had texted Noelle and confirmed that Ivy had already arrived.

Agent McGregor handed Juliette some bags. "I'm going to need your phones and any electronics. Anything that can be traced. Because we're going old-school at this safe house. No electronics of any kind."

No electronics?

How was Caleb supposed to flush out these hackers and save his business—not to mention the bank—without a computer? But it made sense. If he wasn't online, the hackers couldn't track his movements.

He shook his head and deposited his phone into the bag. "What's Ivy going to do when she finds out there isn't any Wi-Fi at the house?"

Juliette shot him a weary smile. "We'll make Noelle tell her. The least we can do is make it fun for her. Maybe we can finally eat junk food and binge-watch Star Wars ."

"Which is your favorite Star Wars character?"

She stared at him. "I want to say Spock…" He couldn't contain his laughter. Despite his many attempts to get her hooked on his favorite, Star Trek , she still hadn't a clue.

"At least you have the fighting skills to make it as a bodyguard. Because you're not cut out for nerd life. I mean, if you can't tell the difference between a Vulcan and a Wookie, I can't help you."

"Fine. I'll give it another try. Maybe Ivy can explain it to me in terms I can understand."

"Probably not." He snickered. She responded by sticking out her tongue.

They drove the remainder of the trip in silence, Juliette staring out the window, no doubt evaluating plans for the security detail at the safe house. Caleb relished the moment of peace in the back seat of the sedan. No one was chasing them, and Ivy was protected. His head pounded a steady beat from the stress of the past few days. He closed his eyes.

The vehicle stopped, jarring him awake. They'd arrived at a house in a residential area.

"Uncle Caleb," Ivy called as she ran out the front door, Alana at her heels. "I'm so glad you are okay." He enveloped her in his arms and led her inside, not trusting either of them would be safe outside.

Ivy gave him a tour of the house like she owned it. Maybe he needed to get her out of the city, at least for a vacation. But this house would make a fabulous getaway place.

"The decor is modern farmhouse." Ivy droned on as if she'd memorized the script of one of those home makeover shows. "And did you see outside? The neighbors at the end of the property have horses." Caleb crossed the living room and peered to the patio, which opened up into green pastureland spotted with some trees. In the distance, two horses hung out by the fence line, munching on some tall grass.

Maybe this would be a vacation, since they'd have to entertain themselves with no electronics. If only he could convince Agent McGregor to be the one to tell Ivy. But she'd probably already figured it out.

He finally just bit the bullet. "You understand that there can't be any Wi-Fi here. No connections of any kind."

Ivy rolled her eyes. "I know." But her face indicated her complete displeasure and ruined life.

"I mean it, Ivy. You can't get online, or you'll run the risk of tipping off the bad guys to our location. This house is safe. We have to abide by the rules."

Her bottom lip jutted out. "But if anyone can track down these hackers, it's us. I know you can find them. You're the best hacker alive."

"We just need to let the FBI do their job. They're the professionals."

"You don't ever take any risks, Uncle Caleb. Your skills are way better than these other guys. Why are we hiding in this house when we should be working with the FBI to stop these bad guys?"

The simple answer—he'd never risk Ivy's life for anything. "You know why. It's not safe."

Ivy rolled her eyes and pulled a device out of her bag. "Can I at least have my Kindle? Without Wi-Fi, I won't be able to do much, but at least I'll have my books."

He caught the attention of Agent McGregor, who had turned the formal dining room into a makeshift command center with papers, half-drunk cups of coffee, and blueprints spread across the wooden farmhouse table. The agent shrugged his consent. How much trouble could Ivy get into with a Kindle and no connectivity?

"Yes, you can keep your Kindle," Caleb said.

Ivy hugged the Kindle and raced toward the guest bedroom she'd already claimed as her own. His niece just didn't get it. Men with guns had hunted him and Juliette. This wasn't one of those games he used to play with her where he'd send Morse Code messages through the flashlight app on her cellphone. The stakes were too high.

He walked into the formal dining room and saw Agent McGregor and Juliette, deep in discussion about security plans. The agent motioned for Caleb to join them. Noelle headed off to check on Ivy.

"As I was telling Juliette, we'll have two agents stationed here around the clock. They'll work the perimeter, and the Elite Guardians will take shifts to help with inside security."

Caleb nodded. "What are you doing to find these hackers and put a stop to them before they destroy my company and take down a bank?"

The man leaned back in the wooden chair and steepled his hands in front of his face. "I still think our best shot is Ivy. I think having her meet with the hackers may be our only way to stop them. She can make connections with them in ways we can't. She could reach out to them and convince them that she wants to join their ranks?—"

Caleb huffed, silencing the man. "I can do the same thing. Use me, not her."

Agent McGregor sighed. "They already know you're not interested. And they've already established that they're willing to prey on her naivety. They don't know that Ivy told us about the meeting with CyberLane. We have the cell phone. I think Ivy should try to make contact. Set up a meeting."

No. Just…no.

"I want to do it." He hadn't even vocalized his answer.

He turned around and saw Ivy standing in the doorway to the dining room. "Ivy, it's not safe." He pulled out the chair next to her so she could sit with them at the table. The adult table. Why couldn't she just be a kid? This wasn't her burden to bear.

"I don't want to sit around and do nothing. We can get these guys and all be safe, or we can hide out here. I know I can help."

Caleb stood. "Conversation over. I'm not letting you risk your life, Ivy. These men are dangerous."

"But your life is on the line too." Ivy's eyes pooled with tears, and his heart melted into a puddle. "They blew up your office, thinking you'd be in it. I've lost my mom and dad. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, too."

* * *

THURSDAY, 3:15 P.M.

Ivy sat on the bed in the guest room of the safe house, feeling anything but safe. These hackers needed to be stopped. They'd gone after her uncle again.

The FBI agent, even Juliette, seemed to understand that Ivy could help. Agent McGregor knew that Rushmore would make contact. And they had.

If her uncle wouldn't let her help, she'd do it on her own.

Tears flowed down her face. Why wouldn't he see that they needed to do something?

Willing herself to calm down, she rummaged through her backpack until her fingers touched the wooden beads. Why had she kept the friendship bracelet that Layna had given her when she knew Layna had lied to her?

Part of her wished for a friend. The logical part of her brain told her that Layna was part of Rushmore. The girl had only been interested in Ivy's skills, not a friendship. But had everything the girl said been a lie?

What if there was some part of Layna that hadn't wanted to betray Ivy? If she could get a signal, she'd send a message. Let Layna explain. Maybe she wasn't all bad and would turn on the other members of Rushmore. They would work together and set up the meeting with Rushmore like the FBI guy wanted.

But this prison of a house had no Wi-Fi, and they'd gone to great lengths to jam all cell phone signals. Not to mention an FBI agent had confiscated all of her electronics.

Except one.

She grabbed her Kindle from the nightstand. It had a built-in web browser, and all she needed was access to her free email account. Uncle Caleb would be furious, but he wasn't doing anything. Why did he always have to avoid taking a risk?

Now was her time to shine. Because if Ivy could discover more about Rushmore, she would have tangible evidence to hand over to the FBI. Uncle Caleb would be safe. They'd go back to their apartment and pretend none of this had happened.

Ivy tossed the Kindle onto the bed. If she did this, she'd have to disable the security alarm and sneak out the back door when the FBI wasn't patrolling. Maybe she could reset the alarm to the factory setting and give it a new code. She'd watched a YouTube video once on how to do it.

On the way into the neighborhood, she'd spotted a playground next to a park a few houses down. She could walk all the way there or even just head near the neighbor's house and use their Wi-Fi. Not everyone on the block was locked up like a prisoner.

But was it worth the risk? She could bargain with the hackers. She had information that would complete their program, and she could exchange this for Uncle Caleb's life. If whoever was behind Rushmore got what he wanted, there'd be no reason to attack Uncle Caleb.

Ivy decided on a nap, especially since she'd be up all night with her escape attempt. Her uncle's life depended on her staying focused and sharp and she wouldn't let him down.

Juliette might be able to protect him, but it was up to Ivy to get information for the police to take these guys down.