Chapter 7

SEVEN

WEDNESDAY, 9:20 A.M.

The ground rumbled. A heavy weight pinned Juliette to the concrete sidewalk.

"Caleb? Are you hurt?" She gave him a shove, and he sprang to his feet, ready for action.

He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. She wiped the gravel bits from her hands and cheek.

Another rumble elicited more screams. Flames shot from the side of the office.

She had to get the people out of the burning building, but Caleb was one step ahead of her, running toward the lobby entrance, directing people to the parking lot across the street to get them out of the debris fallout area.

"I need to go in," Juliette yelled over the cacophony of shouts and sirens. "People might be trapped."

Caleb had one arm supporting a coughing woman to keep her upright, and he halted Juliette with the other arm.

"The building might not be safe. You're not a firefighter. The sirens mean they're close. Wait for backup."

He ushered the woman to a bus stop bench. Her once white outfit now had black stains. Juliette could smell the smoke from her hair, but she didn't appear to be injured.

No way would Juliette stand by if people needed to get out of the building. "I'm not going to wait around for the fire to spread, trapping more people. I'm going in."

Caleb looped his arm around hers. "Wait. For. Backup."

Traumatized soot-covered people clustered a safe distance from the office. Black smoke clung to the air, billowing from the crater that was once the site of Caleb's office.

She wriggled out of his grip. "What happened to your Army training, Caleb? We need to get the people out."

He spun her around to face him, placing both hands on her shoulders. "You don't think I care? That's my office. My employees." His voice was barely a whisper with the words my employees . "But you're not a firefighter or a Ranger, you're a bodyguard."

His words hit their intended mark, snapping Juliette's head back to reality. Caleb was in danger. If he'd been in that office when it exploded…

"You're right. I can't leave you unprotected. Because you need someone to watch your back. This attack was personal. I'm calling Agent McGregor to get you and Ivy into protective custody."

Her heart stopped.

Ivy!

One look into Caleb's eyes and she knew he'd realized the same thing. If these terrorists had stalked Caleb to his office, they wouldn't hesitate to go after Ivy to use as leverage.

All of Caleb's facial features tightened at once. "Ivy. We need to pull her from school, make sure she's safe." He dropped his trembling hands to his side while he fumbled in his pocket for his phone.

"They may go after her, Jules. I can't take that risk. What if they find her at school? We have to do something."

"I'm on it." With her phone in hand, she fired off a text to Noelle. "Noelle is at the school. I asked her to tail Ivy, and last time I checked, she was waiting on the school's security officer to clear her to be on campus."

"We need to go. I have to make sure she's not in danger."

Caleb swiveled his head, and Juliette did the same. She checked for anything out of place. Could the perpetrators be in the crowd, watching their handiwork? She scouted rooftops of other buildings in the area for snipers. Because someone had declared all-out war against Caleb, and his protection was her top priority.

"Let's get out of the open." She led Caleb to the side of a building across the street, away from the paramedics. She caught sight of Agent McGregor and Decia Slaton making a beeline for them.

Before Agent McGregor uttered a word, Juliette pounced. "Can you get Caleb and Ivy into protective custody? They aren't safe."

"Slow down, Ms. Montgomery. I'll see about protective custody if there's a reason for it. But we all need to sit down and have a conversation about this. We still don't know what the hackers want or why they've escalated to this kind of violence."

Juliette huffed. "They've already kidnapped one of Caleb's employees." She waved her arm in the direction of the smoldering building. "That's Caleb's office. I'd say these are pretty good reasons we need to get Caleb off this street to somewhere safe. You even said that Caleb might be instrumental in your investigation. If the FBI knows this, so do the hackers."

They both gave their version of events to Agent McGregor and Decia.

"Excuse me, but I see Michelle from my office." Caleb raced across the road before Juliette could stop him.

She glared at Agent McGregor and gritted her teeth. "Help me protect him. Find us a safe house."

Juliette dashed after her client and found him with his arm around Michelle, whose tears ran streaks through the soot covering her face. "It was so awful," Michelle sobbed. "There was a big rumbling sound, and black smoke filled the whole floor. If anyone had been in your office…"

Caleb nodded to Juliette. "My office was empty. They'd moved the meeting to a conference room on the other side of the floor to use the bigger screens and to accommodate more of the staff. The casualties might be minimal if no one was in the direct blast area." Caleb morphed into a soldier right in front of her. His clinical descriptions harkened back to their Army days. All business. Assess the situation. Check for survivors.

"That's a relief." Juliette didn't see any wounds on Michelle, but she could have inhaled a significant amount of smoke. "Will you get checked out by a paramedic before you leave? Also, you'll need to give a statement to the police."

"I've got this," Decia said, joining them. "I'm Officer Slaton." Michelle nodded and began relaying her version of events to the officer.

Juliette stepped a few feet away and texted Noelle for a status on Ivy. She'd feel better once she knew Noelle had eyes on the girl.

"Caleb!" Juliette's head swiveled toward the man racing across the grass entryway for the office complex.

She stepped in front of Caleb until he said, "It's Blake," and she moved to the side.

Blake approached with another woman, and he tackled Caleb with a bear hug. "I'm so glad you're not hurt. I'd decided to move to the bigger meeting room to fit more people. I was setting up the large conference room when it happened."

Caleb's eyes watered, but he held it all together. He turned to the woman. "Juliette, this is Georgia Payne. Theo's wife."

The petite woman might have been twenty-five but could have passed for much younger. Juliette bet the past few days would add a few stress lines to her flawless porcelain skin. Dark circles rimmed her green eyes, which contrasted with shoulder-length jet-black hair, giving her a gothic vibe similar to Raven's style. This woman had been put through the wringer.

"I'm so sorry about Theo," Juliette said.

Georgia sniffed. "I just hope the police can find him before…they kill him. But he would have been caught in an explosion if he'd been here. Why are they doing this?"

Caleb put his arm around Georgia's shoulder. "We'll get him back."

Blake flanked Georgia on the other side. They were like two pit bulls protecting their owner. "Why are these hackers targeting Cyberskies?" Blake asked. "What do we have that they want?"

No one had answers.

Juliette sized up Blake. The man was probably in his early thirties, tall, athletic, and dressed like he had some serious money in the bank. At this point, everyone was a suspect. She couldn't move past the fact that the perpetrator had known Caleb's meeting schedule. She mentally moved Blake's name to the top of her suspect list.

A smudge of soot was streaked across Blake's forehead. "Someone needs to pay for this," he muttered.

Agent McGregor waved for Caleb to join him, and Juliette tempered herself from intervening. He didn't need her monopolizing every conversation and smothering him. As he had reminded her often over the last couple of days, he could take care of himself.

While he wasn't known for being an extrovert, Caleb still poured out concern for his employees.

Juliette's phone buzzed.

Noelle: It took me a while to clear my presence with school security. But Ivy didn't show up for second period. No one has seen her. School is now in lockdown.

She must not have hidden her reaction well, because Caleb was suddenly inches from her face and grabbed the phone.

"Ivy's missing? We've got to find her. Now."

* * *

WEDNESDAY, 10:05 A.M.

"This is like a scene from a horror movie." Caleb couldn't shake the images that buzzed through his mind like a high-speed train.

The smoking crater in the wall of his office building.

Ivy, tied up and bruised like Theo.

The masked man standing in his kitchen.

What if Rushmore had kidnapped Ivy? Was she hurt? Or would they kill her to get to him? He shook his head and took two deep breaths to settle the roller coaster of what-ifs building in his mind before they took him on a wild ride.

"We need to get out of here, Jules. Maybe she just ditched class again, but I need to be at the school searching for her. Now."

"I agree. I'll text Agent McGregor to let him know the situation, then head to the school."

They managed to finagle Caleb's car out of the parking garage, which had turned into a triage area for people needing minor medical treatment for burns or smoke inhalation. Juliette jumped in the driver's seat after inspecting the car for any tampering. "You'll speed."

He huffed but relented and tossed her the keys. "As long as we're moving toward the school, I'm not going to argue at this point."

A police officer waved them through the parking garage gate, and they hit the road.

"I can't lose her, Jules." His voice cracked. "She's all I have."

Juliette glanced at him. "I know. She's so lucky to have you as a dad. We'll find her. Like you said, maybe she's playing hooky. The school has high security, so it's likely she's still on campus. We don't know the facts yet."

Facts were his life. Numbers dictated logic and reason. But this? His niece was missing, and it was all his fault. He might as well sign custody over to Ivy's grandparents.

"I never should have sent her to school today. I should have listened to her." His foot tapped out a steady rhythm on the floorboard of the passenger seat. Could Juliette drive any slower? Oh good, a red light. He was about to tell her to blow through it when his phone buzzed with an incoming text.

It's Ivy. My phone died. I'm using Noelle's phone. Are you ok? She said there was an explosion. Are you safe?

His heart restarted at the sight of Ivy's message. "Thank God. Ivy found Noelle and texted." His fingers trembled as he replied to her text.

I'm not hurt. But Noelle couldn't find you and I was worried.

Three little dots and what seemed like a thousand minutes later, Ivy responded.

I cut English class. I'm sorry.

He relaxed his clenched jaw muscles. Let future Caleb worry about Ivy ditching classes. Right now, all he cared about was her safety.

Juliette's phone vibrated, and she put it on speaker. "Noelle, what happened?"

"I've found Ivy. There's no evidence of danger here. She cut class to meet a friend by the soccer field. A school security officer found her walking from the field to third period like she didn't have a care in the world. I'm with the principal and the school resource officer now."

Juliette pressed mute. "What do you want to do? I can have Noelle meet us with Ivy at the apartment."

Caleb nodded and Juliette unmuted. "Noelle, can you please bring Ivy back to the apartment? I'll text Matt to see if he can send an officer to escort you."

"Sounds like a plan." Noelle hung up.

Juliette turned the car toward Caleb's apartment.

"I'm not going to be at ease until I see Ivy," Caleb said. "This was a false alarm, but what if these terrorists come after her, Jules?"

She pulled into a parking space next to his apartment building. "I think it's possible. They may see her as a link to you. Let's hope Agent McGregor can find us a safe house."

Us? Just like that they were a team again, falling in step next to each other as they headed toward his apartment. Once inside, Juliette rummaged through his kitchen to make them some sandwiches. Waves of nostalgia rolled over him, which only complicated his current situation, because no matter what, he couldn't fall for Juliette.

Not again. The last time that had happened, she'd walked out on him.

He sat at the dining room table and cleared a space for them to eat. She sank down next to him with two sandwiches and bottled waters.

He blessed the food—which she didn't object to—and stared at his plate. His stomach refused to settle until Ivy bounded through the front door.

"What do these guys want with you?" Juliette picked up her sandwich. "Why make it so personal?"

He shrugged. "I took a cursory look at their program. They seem to be intent on releasing an all-out cyberattack against the bank. Are they afraid that I'll stop them? I mean, I will stop them. But why take Theo? My heart aches for his wife and son."

She took a sip from her water bottle. "I keep checking to see if the police have any leads on Theo's whereabouts, but so far, nothing. I think we need to revise our action plan. We need to get you and Ivy out of town for a while."

Caleb nodded. "I hate to run. But if it keeps Ivy safe and in my sights, I'll do it. As long as I can have a computer to keep working, I'll be fine."

Juliette scrunched her face, her tell that Caleb knew all too well. "What's wrong? You obviously have bad news. Spill it."

"I've been texting with Agent McGregor. He's working on getting you into a safe house. But he mentioned it being an internet-free zone. He thinks the best thing for you and Ivy is to get off the grid."

"It might make it easier to keep Ivy in line, but I'm not sure either of us will survive." He offered a sad smile.

"The place won't be ready until tomorrow, so you have time. For now, I think you and Ivy should stay at my place tonight. The police will patrol the area, and I'm sure I can coax some of my coworkers into sharing the night watch. We can't stay here in case someone is watching your place."

Caleb wanted to hit something. So many people now had to put their lives on the line for his and Ivy's protection. "I don't want to put anyone in harm's way. I can stay up and take a shift. It would be just like our Army days. Besides, people are being attacked because of me. Look what happened to Theo. Apparently, I'm standing in the way of these maniacs getting what they want. And they've proved that they'll use people to get to me."

He heard the doorknob rattle and bolted for the door. Ivy flung the door open and fell into his arms, her tears wetting his T-shirt. The smell of her strawberry shampoo tickled his nose. He squeezed her tight, and she buried her head deeper into his chest.

"Oh dear, is everything all right?" The voice grated on Caleb's already frazzled nerves. Nosy Abby from next door.

Another voice echoed in the doorway. Noelle introduced herself. "Abby, let's talk about what you saw the other night of the burglary." The woman he'd yet to meet was a lifesaver by distracting Abby. His neighbor meant well, but Caleb couldn't handle the intrusion.

"But are y'all going to stay here tonight? I mean the break-in and now this?—"

Noelle cut her off. "We're not sure what security measures we will be taking, but we'll make sure to keep Caleb and Ivy safe. Let's get you back to your apartment. Maybe you have information that can help the police catch these guys." Noelle put her arm around the older woman and ushered her down the hall.

Juliette shut the door. Ivy refused to let go and twisted her hands into Caleb's T-shirt. "I'm so glad you weren't in the office today."

Caleb finally let Ivy go, but the girl was glued to his side.

He made Ivy a peanut butter sandwich, and they sat in the living room. Noelle slipped back into the apartment after having tea with Abby and doing a perimeter sweep of the building.

His curiosity got the best of him when it came to finding out how much Ivy knew about the hackers' program. He'd always been able to communicate with her on an adult level. If only she'd had the opportunity to just be a regular kid.

"Tell me about this program, Ivy."

Juliette and Noelle parked themselves at the dining room table, within earshot of the conversation. Juliette caught his eye, and he nodded, appreciating the backup when it came to Ivy.

His niece took a big bite of the sandwich and talked with her mouth full, but he didn't care. "It's a nasty program, Uncle Caleb. Definitely ransomware. They're just waiting for someone to connect to the internet so the hackers can have complete control of the bank's system. Then I assume they'd send a ransom in exchange for access to the server again."

He took a sip of water. "Could you recreate it from memory, Ivy?"

"Oh, of course I can. I spent time studying the program. I figured you'd take it away from me once you knew that I'd taken the laptop."

At least she was being honest. But it confirmed his worst fear. "What did you find out about the program when you studied it?"

"That it won't work."

His heart stopped. "What?"

She shrugged. "Just what I said. They left out a piece of code. The program won't launch. They made a mistake."

Every muscle in his body tightened. His concern had been that the bad guys would realize that Ivy had memorized their program and would target her to keep her silent. But in his wildest imagination, he'd never thought that Ivy would be able to fix a flaw in the code.

He prayed the hackers never realized what Ivy had seen when she'd stolen the laptop. "Ivy, have you told anyone what you saw on the laptop?"

Her face blanched. "Just one person. My friend at school. Layna."

Oh no. His throat constricted as if all the oxygen in the room had been sucked out. "What did you tell Layna?" And who was Layna?

Ivy fixed her eyes on the carpet. "I wanted to wait until I had more information. But Layna's brother works for the government. He's going to get me a job as a white hacker. Then I can ask him for information on Rushmore."

Oh, Ivy.

Her naivety would be her downfall. Why'd he let her skip all those grades? She was a guppy swimming in shark-infested waters, and he hadn't even offered her a life vest.

Some kind of parent he'd turned out to be. This had Rushmore's handiwork written all over it.

He clenched his hands into fists. His pulse hammered a steady thump in his ears. Rushmore had messed with his family.

This had to end. Now.

"Ivy, why don't you head into the bedroom and pack a bag for tonight? With everything going on, we'll probably check into a hotel for a little while."

She nodded and raced off to her room, apparently not the least bit concerned that she might be in trouble. Caleb headed into his bedroom and opened his safe. He pulled out a stack of cash and counted out five hundred dollars.

He marched into the dining room, where Juliette was talking with Noelle at the table. He dropped the bills in front of her with a thud. "I'm officially hiring Elite Guardians to protect Ivy. Here's a downpayment. If it comes down to her or me, you both take care of Ivy. She's the number one priority."

Juliette stared at the money, then at him. "I'm all-in."

Noelle extended her hand. "It's nice to officially meet you, Caleb. But what Juliette means is, we're all in. Alana and I are available to help with security. Is there anything else we need to be aware of?"

Caleb sank into the chair next to Juliette. "Ivy's grandparents, my brother-in-law's family, are suing me for custody of Ivy. If they find out that she's in danger, they could take her from me."