Chapter 63

sixty-three

ALEX

While I waited for Dylan’s personal assistant, I flicked through a magazine, trying to calm my nerves. I wished I felt as confident as the receptionist who greeted me. Even though what Dylan did was wrong, I acted like an idiot. Being angry at him wouldn’t change what had happened, and staying angry wouldn’t help anything.

Before I’d left home, stopping at Bryant Security on my way to the airport seemed like a good idea. Now that I was here, I wasn’t so sure. I wouldn’t blame Dylan if he didn’t want to see me. He had staff who depended on him and work to do. But, two months ago, despite his workload and his brother’s wedding, he’d traveled to Sunrise Bay to help me. If nothing else, he deserved an apology and my thanks.

I looked up when someone walked across the lobby. It was Dylan. It had only been three weeks since I last saw him, but it felt like a lifetime. I missed spending time with him, whether we were working through complex code or enjoying dinner together. His kindness and sense of humor made me feel complete .

I dropped the magazine onto a table and stood. When Dylan’s eyes locked on mine, I swear the earth moved.

“Hi, Alex. I didn’t expect to see you again.” Dylan clasped his hands in front of him.

His steady gaze worried me. The weight of my mistakes felt heavier with every second of his silence. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to speak. “I’m on my way to Washington, D.C. I wanted to apologize for what happened. For how I treated you.” My voice wavered, betraying the guilt that gnawed at me.

Dylan stared at me with wary eyes. The pain I’d caused him was clear in his gaze. “Apology accepted,” he said, his tone guarded. “Are you meeting the EMP team?”

“I am,” I replied, struggling to maintain eye contact. “We’re working through different deployment options.”

“You still have a copy of the program?” Dylan seemed genuinely surprised. A flicker of hope crossed his features before quickly being replaced with caution.

“The virus didn’t destroy the latest version. Our team was back at work the next day, making sure the virus hadn’t spread to other software.”

“Did it?” His question was loaded with concern, his voice softer now, as if he was allowing himself to care again.

I shook my head, feeling a small sense of relief. “No, we were lucky. Would you like to go somewhere for coffee?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, hoping to bridge the gap between us.

“I can’t leave. I have a lot of work to do.”

His rejection felt like a punch to the gut, and I could see the strain in his eyes, the conflict between his responsibilities and the hurt I’d caused.

My heart pounded in my chest. “It wouldn’t need to be a long coffee break. I have to be at the airport in an hour.” My voice cracked, and I hoped he could hear the sincerity and longing behind my words, the silent plea for a chance to make things right. “I could update you on what’s happened since you left Sunrise Bay.”

Dylan’s eyes connected with mine. “I’ve been trying to get an update from the FBI. But because Bryant Security isn’t involved in the project anymore, no one will speak to me.”

“I know as much as anyone else. I’m happy to tell you what’s happening.” I felt like a fraud. Using the EMP project as an excuse to spend time with Dylan wasn’t only unethical, it was plain stupid.

To my surprise, Dylan nodded. “If you’re happy to use one of our meeting rooms, we could talk there.”

The room Dylan took me to wasn’t far from where we were standing. He turned on the coffeepot and sat at a round table. “Have you heard from the person who turned out to be your brother?”

I nodded. “He’s still being looked after by the FBI. Paul called me a couple of days ago. He sounds like a good person.” I took off my jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. “Anthony was discharged from the hospital a few days after you left. He’s recovering at home.”

“He must be feeling overwhelmed by what happened.”

“Having his wife with him makes a big difference.” I’d visited Anthony twice since he left the hospital. It would take him a long time to recover, but he was strong.

Dylan rested his elbows on the table. “Two weeks ago, I went out with Luke and Steve. They said something about brothers which made me think about Richard Leigh’s daughters. Do you know if they’re safe? ”

“They’re okay. Did you know Richard uploaded the virus to the program?”

Dylan’s eyebrows rose. “Did he tell you that’s what he did?”

“He didn’t have to. He was my safeguard. If I couldn’t get to a computer, he’d make sure the program was destroyed.”

Dylan’s eyes widened. “He knew you were giving the program to the terrorists?”

I nodded. “Their threats were getting worse. The FBI had no idea where they were, so we gave the terrorists what they wanted. Except it wasn’t the real program.”

“It wasn’t?”

“The program the virus infected wouldn’t have worked. But it was close enough that a programmer would have been fooled.”

Dylan rubbed his forehead. “I can’t believe Richard was part of your plans. He spoke to me on the night of the raids. He didn’t sound upset or more stressed than anyone else.”

“Richard watched the live video from his office in Washington, D.C. He knew about the tracking software and how to access the data. When the raid was over, he destroyed the program.”

Dylan took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Are you all right?”

He nodded and sent me a forced smile. “I’ll make the coffee.”

Something wasn’t right, but I didn’t know what it was. When Dylan handed me one of the cups, I took it and frowned. “Thanks.”

An emotion I couldn’t quite place darkened his eyes. “There’s something you should know.” He placed his cup on the table and sat down. “After the Haqani Army tried to kidnap your brother, I installed an app on your email account. It redirected your messages to me. I released most of them but kept anything from the terrorist group.”

My hand tightened on the handle of the mug. If I thought the day couldn’t get any worse, I was wrong. “Are you still checking my emails?”

“No. I turned off the app when I left Sunrise Bay.”

I should have been annoyed that Dylan deliberately censored my mail, but too much had happened for anger to find a place in my heart. “Why did you do it?”

“I was worried about you. The Haqani Army’s threats were getting more violent. They were targeting your family and friends, people you cared about. I had to make sure they didn’t make you do something you’d regret.”

“I guess I did that myself,” I muttered, my voice barely audible. “What emails didn’t I see?”

“They sent photos of Anthony while they were torturing him. The other messages contained threats. I don’t have access to the messages, but the FBI does.”

Placing my coffee on the table, I sighed. “When I gave the terrorists the program, one of them said something about Anthony. I didn’t know what he was talking about. It would’ve been the photos.”

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t trust me, but I was there to protect you and the program. Sometimes I had to make decisions you wouldn’t like. But I made them because they were the right thing to do.”

Something Dylan said made me uneasy. “Who asked you to protect the program?”

For a moment, I didn’t think Dylan would answer me. Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating .

“Who was it, Dylan?”

“I don’t know their name, but it was someone above your boss. After the death threats your team was receiving, they were worried the program would get into the wrong hands. They gave Bryant Security the authority to do whatever was necessary to keep you and the program safe.”

I didn’t know what to say. Every accusation I’d hurled at Dylan was based on lies. I thought he’d tried to sabotage the program, but he was only doing his job. A job I should have known about. The realization hit me like a physical blow, and my breath caught in my throat.

Dylan’s cell phone rang. He looked at the caller display and frowned. “I have to answer this. I’ll be back soon.”

After he left, I stood in front of the window, staring over the parking lot but seeing nothing. I’d seriously misjudged him, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

A few minutes later, Dylan walked back into the meeting room. “Thanks for waiting.”

“It was no problem, but I need to leave.” My voice wavered, betraying the storm of emotions inside me.

He sent me another forced smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “I appreciate your apology. It means a lot.”

My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a painful reminder of our fractured trust. Even when we first met, we weren’t this unsure of each other. I looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of the connection we once had. I wanted to give him a hug, to bridge the chasm that had opened between us, but anything other than a handshake wouldn’t feel right.

I extended my hand, hoping that one day, we could be friends again. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m sorry I misjudged you. ”

His hand slipped into mine, warm and firm, and for a brief moment, I felt a spark of hope. But as I let go, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d lost something precious.

Not for the first time, I wished our lives could have been different.