Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

FRIDAY, 6:45 A.M.

What else could go wrong? Juliette had already faced off with drones, dodged land mines, and run for her life. And it wasn't even seven a.m.

"Ivy, get on the floor." A gun-strapped drone hovered right in the path of their car.

The girl complied without a word.

Juliette blinked, willing the scene in front of her to change. But that thing blocked their way. She could hit reverse, but the drone would follow. Or worse, shoot the car up. Her pulse hammered in her ears.

Caleb raised the shotgun, but he'd be no match for the machine gun mounted on the front of the drone. Ivy sucked in a breath from the floor in the back seat of the borrowed sedan.

If there was ever a moment she needed God, it was now.

Out of the corner of her eye, movement whooshed from the wooded area across the street.

The drone exploded, raining fire and mechanical parts in front of the car.

Alana stepped out from behind a tree and lowered a handheld RPG. She waved them on. "Get out of here! I'll cover all of you."

Juliette hit the gas, and the sedan engine revved. As she followed the road to the turnoff for the subdivision, another fireball shot across the view in her rearview mirror. Behind them, Alana jumped up and down in triumph, fist pumping the air.

These hackers—no, make that terrorists —were relentless. Juliette's blood boiled. "We're being followed." Another drone bobbed and weaved behind their racing car. How many drones did these guys have?

Enough to create a terrifying army.

Caleb racked his shotgun and rolled down the passenger window.

Juliette watched the scene unfold through the rearview mirror with one eye while she watched the road with the other. Before Caleb could get off a shot, Alana ran into the middle of the road with the RPG, and the grenade sliced through the machine, sending its parts scattering.

Juliette stomped on the gas pedal and raced to the main road, the stress coursing through her veins faster than the spinning tires of their stolen vehicle. Even if the threat was over, she wouldn't relax until they were out of this car and off the radar of these madmen with attack drones.

"A drone attack in broad daylight?" Caleb said. "Seriously?"

"I've never seen anything like that in my entire life. Whoever is orchestrating this Rushmore group is well funded. They blew up millions of dollars' worth of equipment today."

Caleb stared out the window. "I need to call Blake. He might be a target as well."

"I'm not sure that's a great idea," Juliette said. "We don't know who we can trust at this point. We have two dead FBI agents. It seems like these hackers are monitoring our every move."

"But how?" Caleb turned to Ivy in the back seat. "Ivy, you said you never turned your phone on since we got to the house and you never got a signal."

"I didn't. I was going to, but Juliette found me before I could."

"Did Layna give you anything else other than that phone?"

Ivy hesitated. "She did give me a friendship bracelet." She shook out her sleeve, and a beaded bracelet slid down her wrist. She passed it to Caleb.

He turned it around in his hands. "I've never noticed this before. Why didn't you tell us that Layna gave you this?"

Ivy shrugged. "It didn't seem like a big deal. The phone could be tracked. This is just a stupid bracelet."

Caleb sighed and examined the beads.

"What did you find, Caleb?"

He blew out a breath, betraying his exhaustion level. "One of these beads has a tracker in it. It's different than the others."

Caleb broke the strand of string holding the beads together and rolled them around in his palm. "It's probably emitting a low radio frequency. They've been able to locate us this whole time." He dropped the questionable bead on the floor and smashed it with the heel of his shoe. He tossed the pieces of the bead, along with the rest of them, out the window.

Juliette stared at the open road ahead. "Well, they won't know where we are, but right now, we have no place to go."

"I'm hungry," Ivy said, her voice soft. Juliette's heart broke. The girl had endured a terrible ordeal today—one that might shape her future. This threat needed to end so Ivy could get back to her life.

"There's a diner a few streets over from here," Juliette said. "I've been there before. It shouldn't be too crowded this time of day, and we can make a few calls and use their Wi-Fi. We'll figure things out from there."

Caleb's eyes were fierce. The man was gearing up for a fight. "Can we stop at a place where I can buy a laptop?" he asked. "I feel lost without one. I won't do anything to attract attention to myself. No one will track me. I'd trust a brand-new computer way more than any of my old ones. Someone working for Cyberskies has to be in on this hacker group. It would be the easiest way for someone to bypass security and gain access to the bank."

"Who do you suspect?" She agreed it might be an inside job, but they needed proof. Or at least a lead.

"I can't imagine it would be Blake. He's been a great friend for a long time. I trust him, or I wouldn't have become his business partner."

"But anything is possible."

Caleb shrugged. "He would have the highest level of access and the knowledge to pull this off. But why physically rob banks? Why not just finish the program and send the ransomware? And Blake would know how to complete the program."

Juliette had no answers as she navigated the country roads, her anxiety ratcheting with each passing mile. Within fifteen minutes, she pulled into a big-box computer supply store, having had no revelation as to their next steps. Once Caleb had the supplies he needed, they'd head to the diner for breakfast along with the opportunity to regroup.

The Elite Guardians Agency had two clients in desperate need of protection.

Juliette had developed a soft spot for both of them. Caleb's kiss didn't help squash the desire that took up residence in her heart. She needed to get her head out of the clouds and into her job. Caleb was first and foremost a client.

She refused to let her personal feelings jeopardize his safety. Because she'd do whatever it took to keep Caleb and Ivy safe. Even if she had to put her own life on the line to do it.

* * *

FRIDAY, 9:15 A.M.

The back booth of the café resembled a display rack at Best Buy. Caleb had bought two MacBooks and an iPad. All machines ran at the same time. He'd have bought more, but considering he and Ivy were homeless at this point, he decided to make do with just the essentials.

"What can I get you, hon?" the waitress asked Caleb. She pulled a pen from her bun and poised it over her notepad.

"I'll have the shrimp and grits." He couldn't go wrong with a classic Savannah dish, even though the drone chase had stolen his appetite.

The diner thrummed with voices and dishes clinking and smelled of coffee and sugar. Juliette had already ordered an entire pot of coffee plus some cinnamon buns for the table before they'd sat down. Now she added a platter of bacon, eggs, and hash browns just before the waitress scurried off to take an order from another table.

"Where are we going next?" Ivy asked, the normal sparkle in her eyes now dull.

Juliette nursed a cup of coffee with both hands. "I called Agent McGregor. He's on his way over."

Great. The man who couldn't protect them would come up with another brilliant plan. Why didn't he just hand Ivy over to the hackers? That's all McGregor wanted—to use Ivy.

Caleb turned his attention to his laptops strewn about the table. He'd hunted for the least sticky spot before placing them down and was using three menus and twelve napkins as a buffer. He accessed his own system, hunting for any signs of the hackers. A nagging in the back of his mind wouldn't quit. This had to be an inside job. These hackers had manipulated his system and had been passing messages back and forth right in front of him. And he'd employed them. But Cyberskies had seventy-five employees, so he needed to narrow the pool of suspects.

He ran a hand through his hair and then remembered the sticky table situation. "I need a shower."

Juliette smirked. "Yeah, you do."

"Speak for yourself. You've got a nice streak of dirt across your T-shirt." That was putting it mildly. Her white T-shirt showed streaks of dirt like it'd been dragged through the mud a few times.

She frowned at her attire. "I guess that's to be expected when dodging robotic land mines. Sorry you ruined your favorite nerd shirt. But I know you keep backups for your backup shirts. For emergencies like this."

He glanced at his blue Star Trek shirt. Pajama shirt, since their flight from the house had been an abrupt one. At least he'd been wearing jeans and not his flannel bottoms with the Spock heads on them. And how did Juliette appear so put together despite outrunning a drone army and having mud on her shirt?

Ivy stared, saying nothing. The food arrived, and the waitress arranged plates in between the laptops and cords.

"I guess I'm right on time for breakfast." Agent McGregor strode in and pulled a chair from an empty table. He sat down at the head of the booth. Caleb kept watch outside and saw a vehicle pull into the parking lot with two occupants. Feds. He relaxed a bit. Even though the safe house had wound up being compromised, any reinforcements were appreciated.

"I'm not sharing." Juliette covered her mountain of food with her hand.

McGregor laughed. "I'll be surprised if you can finish that platter."

Caleb snorted. "Oh, just watch her. I have no idea where she puts it."

The agent asked the waitress for coffee, and she returned with a cup.

Caleb knew the man had news, and he hated small talk more than anything else. "What's the plan now that the hackers destroyed the not-so-safe house, Agent?"

Grief flashed across his features for a fraction of a second, but then it was gone. Caleb winced at his insensitivity. This man had lost two colleagues in their battle. "I'm sorry."

"When we weren't able to get ahold of our agents on the sat phone, we sent backup. A little too late though." The agent sized up the ragtag crew at the table. "But thanks to you folks, we've apprehended two suspects that we think are involved with Rushmore."

Finally, a win for the good guys. The agent continued. "First of all, we found the man you two tied to the stairwell of the office. Guess his partner left him behind. His name is Daniel Archer. Ring any bells?"

Juliette froze with her fork dangling in midair. "I know that name. But I don't have an eidetic memory, so give me a second. I need the coffee to kick in." She finished her bite, took a sip from her mug, and squinted. "Wait. I think he was the security guard at the bank. The one that was robbed."

Agent McGregor's face crinkled like he was holding in laughter at Juliette's antics, but he held his professional demeanor in place. "Well done. He worked as a night security guard for First United."

"That's how they were gaining access to the bank," Caleb said. "They had a man on the inside."

Agent McGregor took a sip of his coffee. "More good news though. We were able to locate one of the drone pilots. He was a few houses down in a parked car. His name is Jeff Kline. He's a highly skilled computer programmer. But it gets better, as the guy has a scar across his cheek—as if someone had whacked him in the face with a ‘best in customer service' award."

"So the hackers were the ones robbing the bank," Jules said. "And this is the guy that pushed Caleb in front of the streetcar." She stabbed another bite of eggs.

"We think they hired a couple of ex-military guys for some added support, but it looks like they're doing their own dirty work. Whatever their mission is, it's personal to them. These Savannah Rushmore members have gone rogue. None of the other cities where Rushmore operates have reported bank robberies or drone attacks. But it's a big win for us, because we believe Jeff's code name is the Architect. He may be the creator of their ransomware."

"Does this mean they can't launch the program, since their architect is in jail?" Juliette asked, right before taking a big bite of the cinnamon roll.

"That's why we need to keep Ivy safe," Caleb said with a glance at his very quiet niece. She moved food around on her plate with a fork. "If Ivy can recreate their program and make it work, they don't need their architect." He stirred his coffee with more force than necessary to combine the cream and sugar.

The man cleared his throat. "We'd like to take both you and Ivy into protective custody."

Instant irritation. "But how can you keep us safe?" Caleb never hid his emotions well. "What are you doing to find these hackers and stop them?"

The plastic cushion on the agent's chair squeaked when he shifted. "Ivy's made more inroads with these hackers than we have. And that's tough for me to admit. We'd, uh…we'd like to proceed with having Ivy make contact with them?—"

Ivy's eyes pleaded with him.

"Did you not see the drone army they unleashed on us? It doesn't feel safe to put a twelve-year-old out there as bait. There must be another way." Several customers stared at their table, and he lowered his voice. "Use me. I can do the same things Ivy can. I've gone over their program and can fix their bug. I can act like I want to join them. What better way to take down the bank than to have the guy that created the security software on their side?"

Juliette shook her head. "They'll see it as the trap that it is. Rushmore has tried to kill you several times. And they'll still come after Ivy. She's the easier target."

The fine lines around Agent McGregor's eyes deepened. His job carried a world of stress, and maybe Ivy was the man's last resort. But what if something happened to her?

The agent cleared his throat. "We'd still like to have her contact Layna. Let them think that Ivy's not told you anything. We'll think of a reason that the tracker got damaged, like Ivy lost the bracelet. But if she makes contact, we can?—"

"No. Find another way." Back at the safe house, he'd told Juliette that he'd consider it. But after drones had chased them out of the supposed safe house, he refused to let Ivy be dangled as bait.

His niece rested her hand on his arm. "Uncle Caleb, I want to help. I know I can do this."

"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do it. These are dangerous people. You saw the drones. They're ruthless."

"Just think about it, Caleb," Juliette said, still working on her pile of hash browns. "That's all Agent McGregor is saying."

"You want her to meet in person? Couldn't she meet them online?"

The agent sat back in his chair. "We'd like to arrange a meeting between Ivy and Layna. In person. Someplace public. We need to draw the hackers out into the open."

"And when Ivy gives them what they want? She becomes the very definition of expendable ."

Caleb ran a hand through his hair. This conversation was going nowhere. He turned to Juliette.

"Your job is to protect Ivy first, remember?" Why couldn't she see the danger? Memories of that day on the mountainside assaulted him. This woman was too quick to take risks, and now she wanted to put his niece in the crosshairs.

Not going to happen.

"You're not taking chances when it comes to her life, Jules."

Fire sparked in her eyes, and she practically slammed the fork to her plate. "Do you really think that little of me? That I'd put her in harm's way? I plan to be right beside her the entire time. I'm not letting her do this alone. But if it helps catch these guys, I think we should at least hear the agent out."

Everything within him wanted to protect them both…

"I need some air." He scooted out of the booth and headed to the parking lot. On the way out, he passed Alana heading into the restaurant. Caleb nodded but kept moving.

A hand on his arm stopped him at the restaurant's exit. "It's not safe to be outside, Caleb." Juliette stood between him and the door. She nodded to a section of the restaurant where there was a private table.

"Fine," he muttered. He followed her to the private section and sank into the vinyl booth. An old-school jukebox brandished a rainbow of flickering colored lights across the back wall.

How had things spun so far out of control? The building blocks of his world consisted of numbers, order, and logic. This situation was chaos, unpredictable. No instruction manual existed. And the thing that bothered him the most?

He was falling for Jules, but at what cost? How could he trust her to protect Ivy when the woman who had his heart refused to play it safe?

From his spot, Caleb could see Ivy talking with Agent McGregor and Alana. His eyes were glued on Ivy until Juliette gave him a soft kick under the table. "Ivy is fine. Alana came in and won't let her out of her sight. For the record, I'm not siding with Agent McGregor. I'm just saying hear the man out. That's all. You know I'd never risk anything happening to Ivy. Or to you."

He nodded, a lump forming in his throat. "I refuse to let go of her. Or you." He stared at Ivy again, who laughed at something Alana said. When was the last time Ivy had giggled like that?

Juliette reached across the table and squeezed his hand, letting her fingers tangle in his. "We will get through this. The three of us. We will make it to the other side, and I'm not resting until we do. But we need to lay out all our options. I would think you, as Mr. Logic, would want to study all possible outcomes."

He shook his head. "Be serious."

"I am. I have my focus a hundred percent on protecting Ivy. No matter what. I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

Caleb sighed. He'd have to trust Jules to do her job and protect Ivy.

Because he was the one who would be hunting these criminals down to protect all of them.

"I know this is a terrible situation all the way around. But just last night, we talked about trusting God with Ivy."

His own words stabbed him like a thousand bee stings. He couldn't argue with his own words.

"I don't know, Jules. I feel so helpless. I close my eyes, and I'm back on that mountainside with Laz crushed in that Humvee, and I can't do anything to pull him out. And I watched Laz and Tank die on an endless loop in my mind some nights in my dreams. It makes me want to play it safe. Especially with Ivy's life."

Juliette hadn't released his hand, but their connection ran deeper than physical touch. She understood him. They'd both had a front row seat at the same horror show. It haunted them both.

His throat constricted. "I trust you, Jules. I know you'll protect Ivy. And I know I have to let go of control here."

"We're a team, Caleb. I've always got your back. Remember how we fought our way out of the unwinnable training exercise? What did you call it?"

"The Kobayashi Maru. You changed the rules of the exercise. How can you forget?"

Her lip quirked up, like she was trying to stifle a smile in a somber moment. "I don't speak Klingon."

"It's not—never mind. But I get your point. We've faced circumstances where the odds were stacked against us, and we found a way out."

She leaned in closer over the table, her fingers still entwined in his. "I'm all-in, Caleb. I'll watch out for Ivy. Even if I have to Kobayashi Maru my way out of the situation. I'm not running away this time. We're in this together. As a team."

Oh, how he wanted to lean over the table and kiss her again. But Juliette defined dangerous , and right now, he needed all of her attention on Ivy.

Because he was going to let his niece help the FBI take down a dangerous gang of criminals, while trusting that God had all of their backs.