Chapter 59

fifty-nine

DYLAN

Two days later, I frowned at the report Ryan gave me in his office. “This can’t be right.”

“The FBI’s analyzing what’s left of the program. The document you’re holding contains their interim findings. The virus you uploaded didn’t destroy the program. Someone else’s did. It looks as though there was more to the tracking software than we thought.”

“Alex said he had safeguards that would stop the terrorists from using the program. But he would have needed access to a computer to release the virus.”

“Not necessarily.”

There were other options, but I doubted he would have used them. Especially when his team was still working on the program. “Even if the virus was released using a time-delay sequence, it might not have helped. No one knew where the terrorists were based. The FBI and the CIA might not have been able to arrest them before the program was destroyed.”

“Alex would have considered that outcome before he installed the virus. ”

No matter what Ryan said, Alex wasn’t reckless. I turned to the next page of the report. “Who had access to the program before Alex sent the final copy to Washington, D.C.?”

“You and the chairperson of the project.”

I flipped to the front of the document. Something about Alex’s boss hadn’t felt right from the moment I saw his photo. But nothing about Richard Leigh’s life had raised red flags with anyone. Except me.

“Do we know anything about Richard apart from what Bryant Security and the FBI identified in their report?”

“No.”

I tapped my fingers against the arm of the chair. “Where’s his ex-wife?”

“I don’t know. What are you thinking?”

“The Haqani Army tried to kidnap Alex’s brother. What if they threatened Richard’s ex-wife, too? Even if they had a horrible divorce, no one would let a terrorist group hurt someone, especially if they could stop it.”

“Richard would have said something if that had happened. The FBI or another company could have provided his ex-wife with personal protection.”

Ryan sat back in his chair. “Regardless of who’s involved, we don’t have to worry. The FBI and the CIA are continuing the investigation. It’s time to walk away.”

I didn’t often feel frustrated, but I really wanted to know who destroyed the program.

“How are you feeling?”

I’d told Ryan my PTSD was back. After this meeting, I was taking two weeks off work. “A little better. I went to Pastor Adam’s support group yesterday. It helped a lot. And one of the PTSD therapists can see me this afternoon at the hospital. ”

“That’s good. You know I’m here for you. If you need anything, let me know.”

Tears filled my eyes. “Thank you. Jeremy and Connor have been wonderful. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

“They know what you’re going through. How was Alex when you left?”

“I don’t know. He went back to the ranger’s house.” I took a deep breath, readying myself for what I’d say next. “When he came back from Boulder, I told him I’d uploaded a virus into the program. He wasn’t happy.”

Ryan’s gaze sharpened. “I don’t imagine he was. Why did you tell him?”

“I didn’t want him to find out from someone else. He trusted me with the program and he feels as though I let him down.”

“Did you tell him the Department of Defense told you to install the virus?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter how it happened or that it wasn’t my virus that destroyed the program. I went behind his back and added something to the program that he didn’t know about.” After leaving Sunrise Bay, the only thing I knew for certain was that Alex would never trust me again. So many people in his life had let him down, and now I was one of them.

Ryan didn’t ask any more questions about Alex. Instead, he handed me a folder. “I spoke to a friend in the Department of Defense this morning. He was impressed with your work on the EMP project. It looks as though we’ll be doing a lot more work for the government.”

I opened the folder. Inside were the schematics for a new surveillance drone my team designed. “Does this mean what I think it does? ”

Ryan nodded. “They liked your team’s presentation. They want to finance the development of the prototype. If it meets their requirements, they’ll approve the second phase of the contract.”

“Full production?”

Ryan’s smile gave me the answer I was hoping for.

My team would be super excited. We’d spent months developing a camera that was no bigger than half a pea. Sitting on top of a drone the size of a wasp, its range, accuracy, and picture quality were unbeatable.

“That’s the best news I’ve had for a while.”

Ryan’s smile dimmed. “It will get better, Dylan.”

“I know. It just takes time. Thanks for taking care of Alex in Boulder. I’m sure he appreciated everything you did.”

“He was more worried about you.” Ryan’s eyes softened. “I know I always talk about keeping our emotions out of our work, but sometimes it’s hard. From what I saw of Alex, he’s a good person.”

I nodded. He was more than good. He was the best person I’d ever met.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself or him. Once the FBI has finished their investigation, I’m sure they’ll find a number of issues with the EMP project.”

I sighed. Ryan knew more than he was telling me, but that was okay. After today’s meeting, I’d leave the fate of the EMP project in someone else’s hands.