Chapter 21
Grant slammed the report down in disgust as he righted his chair and pounded a fist against his desk. He locked eyes with Mike Donovan, his voice a controlled growl. “How did this happen?”
The VP of Security glanced down at the floor, appearing as though he’d rather melt into it. “We’re still piecing that together, Mr. Harrington.”
“How much damage?” Grant’s hand clenched into a fist.
The man swallowed hard, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “We’re still sorting through that, as well, but we do know they downloaded several confidential files. We are not yet certain if employee logins were collected or not, but we will be asking everyone to change their passwords.”
Grant shook his head as a sigh escaped him. Each word was a stab to the heart. And it was more than just the capital. He’d invested his life, his own self into this company. A loss like this wasn’t just financially catastrophic, but emotionally crippling. “What files? And don’t tell me you don’t know.”
“I don’t have a complete list at this time, but before we were able to stop the deluge, they grabbed most of the in-process contract files, government bids, and some of the confidential RD.”
Grant rubbed at his chin as he tried to keep his anger in check. “And you can’t trace this?”
“We’re working–“
“Work faster,” Grant shouted, his fist slamming against the desk. “This is millions of dollars at stake. We’ll be outbid on every contract, not to mention the losses we’ll take when our technology is stolen.”
“I’m sorry, sir, this never should have happened.”
Grant squeezed his fist again as his mind pushed to find some way to stave the losses. This would not bode well with the board. His shaky ground would be even shakier now. He stood to lose the entire company…if it didn’t go bankrupt first.
“We are also sweeping the office for bugs and checking all computers for key loggers. As soon as I have more information, it’ll be on your desk.”
“Is there any way we can get those files back or…restrict their access to viewing them?”
Mike brightened a little, raising his chin. “Everything they downloaded has been double-encrypted. It’s been my policy for file storage since you hired me in case of just such an event. It’s not fail-safe, of course, but it’ll slow them down.”
“What are you saying? That they can’t read the files?”
“No. At least not right away. They’ll need to break the encryption to read them. That buys us some time to sort this out.”
“How strong is the encryption.”
“Top of the line, sir. I insisted on nothing less. Again, the safest files are those that haven’t been downloaded. And with some tech savvy, they may get through it, but we do have a safety net.”
The words provided little consolation to Grant.
“Let’s hope it provides us with something while I work to fix this mess.”
Mike Donovan bobbed his head up and down. “I’ll get back to monitoring this, sir.”
“I want a complete report of everything they do and how this happened on my desk ASAP.”
“Yes, sir,” he said as he strode to the door, seeming pleased to escape the scrutiny of the CEO.
Evie rushed in after him. “What do you need, sir?”
Grant buried his head in his hands. “A new life, I think.”
Clutching her notepad close to her chest, she offered him a gentle smile. “It seems your life has taken a turn for the better in many respects. Sadly, not this one.”
He offered her a slight smile, knowing her reference meant Julia. “This is a mess, Evie. And I shouldn’t be pushing you to help me fix it. You’re still recovering.”
“I am perfectly fine. Just a little residual soreness in my wrist, but this brace helps quite a bit.” She twisted her wrapped wrist in the air. “And you’ve weathered worse before and come out stronger. I have faith in you, sir. And speaking of recovering, how is Mrs. Harrington?”
“No ill effects from the event, thankfully.” His mind centered on Julia and her most recent set of challenges, starting with the car owned by DG Industries that nearly ran her down.
“I missed seeing her when I was out earlier this week.”
“It’s too bad you weren’t here. Then we wouldn’t have had that ridiculous incident with Bianca, and you would have the help you need.”
Evelyn pressed her lips together and flicked her eyebrows up. “I never cared for Ms. Moreau. She spent more time primping than working. I’d prefer to go it alone.”
“Honestly, I’d prefer only you, too, Evie, but it’s far too much after your near-death experience.”
“I’m not actually dead, Mr. Harrington. And I wasn’t that near it either, thanks to Mrs. Harrington. She was very brave. And I’m so pleased she has recovered well. That hit she took…”
Grant’s forehead creased at the thought of the terror she’d suffered.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not. I just…wish it had been me and not her.”
“My husband says the same thing. Though I am ever so grateful she was able to piece the puzzle together. Now, what files did you need?”
Grant pulled his mind from his heartache over their experience and into the game. “Government bids. All pending. I want to review the dates on each and determine if we need to put together new bids.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll pull them all for you now.”
“Thanks.” He picked up the preliminary summary report from Mike and scanned it again before his cell phone chimed.
He hoped to find a message from Julia, but the lock screen showed one from Worthington instead. The report on Kyle Carter arrived. Would you like me to send it?
Grant heaved a sigh, not needing to be reminded of Dr. Kyle Carter when he already had a fire to put out. Still, his curiosity drove him to find any clue as to why the man wanted to dismantle his life. He typed a response. Please send to my private email.
Worthington responded almost immediately. I will scan and send after retrieving the files from Mrs. Harrington.
Grant furrowed his brow. “Julia?” he murmured.
He pressed the call button as Evie bustled in with several folders in her hands.
“Mr. Harrington, how can I be of service?” Worthington asked as Evie dumped the folders on Grant’s desk.
He offered her a whispered thank you before answering his butler. “Julia has the file on Kyle Carter?”
“Yes, sir. She asked to review it.”
“And you gave it to her?”
“Yes, sir. Is there a problem?”
Grant’s mind whirled. His protective instinct wanted to stop her from dealing with anything related to Kyle Carter, though his analytical side hoped his smart-as-a-whip wife would find the needle-in-a-haystack clue and solve this issue like she had the last. “Uh, no, I just…didn’t want it to upset her.”
“Well, she must not have been too upset. The file is here on her desk, and she is gone.”
A shiver of foreboding snaked down his spine. He shoved it away with a shake of his head. “She’s meeting Sierra to shop.”
“Oh,” the man stammered.
Grant silently chuckled at the man’s faltering voice, a similar feeling coursing through him as he worried about how the interaction between the two ladies in his life would turn out. “I feel the same way, but Julia seems to have a knack for setting people at ease.”
“Indeed, sir. We had a private conversation earlier again about the phone call faux pas. And she assured me I should not worry about it.”
“She’s an amazing woman, Worthington.”
“Yes, I couldn’t agree more.”
He read the insinuation in the man’s words easily. “Well, as long as she wasn’t upset and is happily perusing purses with Sierra, that’s all that matters.”
“Yes, sir. I will send this file as soon as I’ve scanned it. I hope everything is well at the office despite the trouble.”
“It’s a mess, but that’s nothing new. Tell Julia I may be late tonight. I’ll send her a message, but just in case.”
“I will, sir. Good luck.” The butler ended the call. Grant stared down at the screen for a moment before he toggled to his message with his wife. It’s a mess here. I’ll probably be late. How’s the shopping going?
He waited a moment, hoping to see her pop on to respond, but nothing came. With a pang of disappointment, he slid the phone to the side and opened the top folder from the stack. He didn’t expect her to answer. He stared into space for a moment, imagining Sierra chucking her phone across the store and complaining that it was her time, not his.
The thought brought a chuckle to him as he dove into the bids, sorting through each one and marking the next steps in a desperate attempt to stop the flood of capital from his company.
An hour later, he’d worked through the first stack and returned them to Evie. Before moving on to the second, he rubbed his eyes and checked his phone, expecting a message from Julia. Nothing.
An uneasiness lodged itself in the pit of his stomach. Maybe the shopping was going that well. Or that bad. His thumb hovered over the call icon. Just a quick check-in to see how things were going, he thought before he nixed the idea. He did not want her to feel like she had to report to him, particularly given the recent accusations.
Instead, he slid the phone aside and turned his attention to his computer screen. After changing his password at the mandatory prompt, he logged into his personal email to find the report sent by Worthington.
A colorful circle spun on the screen as he waited for it to open. When it did, a giant picture of Kyle Carter popped up. With a deep, disgusted sigh, he scrolled past it to the next page and skimmed the summary on the man. He appeared to be an upstanding doctor and an exceptional surgeon in his former location. He’d recently moved to New Orleans. Could the move have set something in motion?
Grant searched the conversation he’d had at the police station with the man. He’d mentioned the press conference following his arrest for murder. Had he been obsessed with Julia since he saw her there? Or was there something more?
As his mind tried to piece it together, it settled again on Julia. Maybe he’d fly her to Paris for a surprise dinner. She deserved it after the last few days. A smile tugged at his lips as he imagined her reaction, her eyes sparkling in the city’s lights as they dined.
The thought still hung in his mind when the ringing phone cut through it. He glanced at the display as it buzzed across the desk. James.
He flicked his eyes back to the report on Kyle while he grabbed his phone and accepted the call. “James, are you being slowly driven insane by shoes and handbags, or have the ladies let you go?”
A groan sounded on the opposite end. It stopped his heart, and he tightened his grip on the phone. “James?”
The man offered a pained cry. “Mr. Harrington…”
He sucked in a breath before he continued. Frantic voices sounded in the background.
“Are you okay?”
“Call 911!”
Sirens wailed as more shouts resounded. Grant’s tension grew, his pulse racing and his heart hammering. “James, what happened?”
“They’re gone, sir. Both of them.”
“What do you mean gone? James, what happened?”
“Mrs. Harrington and Sierra…someone took them. They’ve been kidnapped.”
The words echoed in his ear, each syllable a hammer blow to his heart. His vision blurred, and his breath caught in his throat. The world stood still as his chest tightened. Julia and Sierra, in danger, possibly hurt. The thought was unbearable, igniting a frantic urgency in him. He had to do something. But what?