Chapter 3
“Get your shit,“ Jeb ordered, staring down at Skylar.
“What?” Her voice was still soft as when she’d first spoken. It made him wonder when she last spoke to anyone.
“You heard me. Get your shit. Or leave it. It doesn’t matter. We need to get out of here.”
“Jeb,” Poole said, stepping closer. “We need to radio for backup if we’re going to try to get her to the boat.”
“Fuck!” So thrown by her presence, he’d forgotten that he had no way to get her to the boat safely at the moment. Scrubbing his hand over his face, he sighed, feeling stupid.
“We can call for Hop to bring the helicopter in. We can get her out safely that way,” Chris suggested.
“How long will that take?” Jeb asked.
“Not long,” Rick said, now fully standing with the others in the small space.
Skylar recoiled, taking a step back. Her arms wrapped around her middle again like a protective shield in the looming presence of the four large men. She tilted her head to the side, her eyes piercing Jeb with a defiant glint. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here. And just because you’re barking the order for me to pack my shit hardly means that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Well, you need to get the fuck out of here. That’s for sure,” he argued.
“I can’t do that,” she retorted, her voice a mixture of resignation and challenge.
“Why the hell not?” Jeb’s patience was fraying, something that never happened on a mission.
“My absence would be noticed. I assume you’ve managed to jam the security around here, and that’s why you were able to slip up on me. That’s all well and good, and quite frankly, what I hoped for. But I have no chance of getting out of here undetected.”
Jeb opened his mouth, ready to unleash the frustration filling his entire being. His cool head and calm demeanor were hanging on by a thread when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. Whipping his head to the side, he stared at Rick.
“Focus, Jeb. We need to find out what the hell is going on. The mission”s parameters may have changed since you obviously know who’s here, but the overall purpose is the same.”
He knew his fellow Keeper was right, but his thoughts were twisted and tangled as if his extensive training had evaporated in her presence. Facing her again, he growled, “You wanted me to find you. You’ve been fucking with my system for months, reeling me in. Why? If not to discover you and rescue you from this high-tech prison, then why?”
She swallowed deeply, her gaze flitting from his face to the other Keepers and then back to him, a silent battle raging in her eyes. She slowly turned, releasing one of her arms from around her waist, and waved it toward the bank of computers behind her. “This,” she rasped. “All of this is why I can’t leave.”
Jeb’s confusion was palpable. His brows rose, and he shook his head. “What is all this? We know you get supplies brought in. Someone’s got you here, and it sounds like they’re not letting you leave. So what the fuck is all of this? What’s the endgame?”
“Let’s move this downstairs so we can get more comfortable,” Rick suggested.
Jeb”s head swung around, incredulity seeping into every cell until he caught the expression of concern on his comrades’ faces. Planting his hands on his hips, he dropped his chin and stared at his boots for a moment before nodding. Something was obviously going on… something big. And whatever it was, Skylar was at the core and couldn’t walk away. And maybe the only way she had to reach out was to find him and tweak him just enough to come looking for her.
Lifting his head, he said, “That’s a good plan. Is that okay with you, Skylar? Can we go downstairs and get comfortable and talk this out?”
Her shoulders rose in a heavy sigh, her nod almost imperceptible. “Yes. But, um, there’s only one chair down there.”
Poole’s warm smile broke through the tension. “Wouldn’t be the first time we sat on the floor.”
Jeb knew Poole was trying to ease the tension radiating from her. That should be my job. He had no idea where that idea came from—it had been many years since he’d taken on that role. Glancing behind her, he inclined his head toward her chair. “We can take your chair down with us. We’ll manage just fine.”
The men shifted slightly, creating a space between them. Rick went down the stairs first, and then they allowed her to follow. She wasn’t a prisoner, but they weren’t about to give her a chance to escape before they had their answers.
“Go on, I’ll get the chair,” Chris said.
Jeb trailed Skylar down the narrow staircase to the first floor. The air was thick with tension as he gestured toward the old rustic table. She chewed on her bottom lip but walked past him to slide onto the wooden chair. Chris set the computer chair down and rolled it toward Jeb.
Jeb settled into the seat, his hands resting near hers on the table. Rick leaned casually against the wall near the window, his stance belying his alert gaze. Chris mirrored Rick’s stance at the door. Her gaze once again darted around to the men, but she didn’t voice a protest on their strategic positions of obvious entrapment.
Jeb’s thoughts drifted momentarily. When he first entered the old lighthouse earlier, he’d been struck by the unexpected warmth someone had created, the orderliness with which they lived, and the smallness of the space. The room seemed to shrink even more with four imposing men and one small woman downstairs. It was as though every molecule of space had been claimed.
It was fine by him. He was used to intimidating a person of interest, but he could sense Skylar’s discomfort. He recalled how she hated crowds, often escaping when she could. Jeb shook his head slightly to dislodge the unnecessary memory.
Letting out a long sigh, he turned his attention to her, waiting until she finally lifted her head and met his gaze. “Skylar, I’m sorry that I haven’t introduced my coworkers. This is Poole, Rick, and Chris. Gentlemen, this is Skylar White.” Murmurings of greetings were made.
Continuing, Jeb said, “I’m at a loss here.” He leaned forward. “Please, try to see this from my perspective. We expected to confront an adversary interfering with our programs, only to discover that it’s a single woman living out here all by herself. And to top it off, you’re someone who I know from my past. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, then to find out that you were specifically trying to contact me…” His palms lifted upward as he added, “I want to help you, Skylar. I need to understand. But I can’t do that unless you’re willing to share what’s going on.”
Poole caught Jeb’s attention from the side. “We need to let Carson in on this.”
Nodding, Jeb agreed. “Skylar, my boss and coworkers need to hear what’s happening.”
Her face creased with uncertainty, but after a moment of hesitation, she acquiesced with a whispered, “Securely?”
“Absolutely. Just like they’re here in this room. We’re jamming any signal other than ours leaving this place.”
Her head jerked up and down in agreement. Jeb glanced over to see Rick speaking on his secure line. Once the others at LSIWC were on speaker, Rick nodded toward Jeb, and he turned his attention back to Skylar.
Her hands rested on the table, clasped together. Driven by an impulse bridging years of distance, he slid one hand over to place over hers. He had no idea how it would be received after all these years. She flinched, and her head lifted, spearing him with her pale-eyed, otherworldly gaze. Her head nodded in jerks before she dragged her tongue over her bottom lip.
“I… I don’t really know where to start.”
“The beginning isn’t a bad place,” Poole proposed.
Her laugh was short, tinged with irony. “I’m afraid there’s not enough time in the world for that kind of story.” Sighing, she continued, “I’ll at least explain the short version. But first, please sit. I’m not going to run outside and try to escape. Believe me, if there were a chance I could have done that before now, I would have. At least use the bed.”
Poole nodded, then moved to the bed and sat on one end while Rick sat on the other. Chris pulled up a few empty wooden crates and made a seat out of them. Once they were seated, she released a long sigh.
“My specialty is in computer coding and cybersecurity. Eventually, I became particularly gifted in circumventing cybersecurity.” Her voice held no pride, but regret bled through.
“The dark web?” Jeb interjected, his brow lowering.
She nodded, her eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions. “I never saw it as anything other than just coding. My work was neither right nor wrong… just coding. I was given a task, and coding for a solution was just a puzzle to be solved.”
Shrugging, she added, “But the company I worked for soon had me work in more and more isolation and delving into different ways of subversion and manipulation. I was given seemingly unrelated tasks and never put them together as a whole.”
She pressed her lips together and rubbed them back and forth, betraying more of her inner turmoil. “The paycheck was lucrative.” Her eyes sought Jeb, and she whispered, “You know where I came from. I was proud to have a job and career that paid me well. I had no idea I was being… groomed to be the perfect tool for their schemes.”
Jeb’s grip on her hand tightened involuntarily. Her intense gaze searched his. He internally cursed, hating that he revealed his emotions so easily in her presence. Just like so long ago. He had no idea where his ironclad military training had fled to. As a SEAL and recently as a Keeper, he’d maintained professionalism in the face of all missions and assignments. But hearing her use the word groomed had his blood racing through his veins. “Groomed?”
Tension radiated from her shoulders, and his fingers twitched to reach over and rub the crinkle from her brow.
“Groomed to do the work they required.” Her mouth twisted. “I had no family. Few friends. No coworkers who I hung out with. I was an ideal candidate for manipulation. I was lured into doing whatever was asked of me. I never suspected that anyone wanted me to do anything wrong… until it was too late. By then, my name was all over everything I’d worked on. I”d go down if I stopped or reported what was happening to anyone. Only me.” Dropping her chin to her chest, she slowly shook her head. “God, I was so stupid.”
“And this place? How did you get out here?” Jeb prompted, his tone deliberately neutral. He had a fuck-ton more questions he wanted to ask but was finally letting his cautious demeanor take over, willing to guide her to keep talking.
“I was told that someone needed to be willing to separate from everyone else to work on a critical project. I thought they just meant I would be in another room or building with no one else around. When I asked for more details, I was told that I would be staying on a remote island in a place all my own.” She snorted and looked around. “Here’s my great resort location.”
“How did you get here?” Jeb probed further.
“I was brought out by a boat and then shown to this location. I couldn’t believe it, but I was told it was only for a couple of months.”
“And you agreed?” Rick asked, his voice managing to mask his incredulity.
Her gaze jumped over to him. “I didn’t have much choice.” Her composure crumpled, and she blinked rapidly, then swiped under her eyes. “I know it’s hard for you all to imagine what it’s like for me. I’m not six feet tall and built like a tank. I don’t know how to fight. What could I do? I was told this was where I had to be. They had the computer equipment necessary and brought plenty of supplies.” She looked away and sat straighter, stiffening her spine before bringing her gaze back to Jeb. “I once went to a summer camp as a kid… it looked kind of like that, so I figured I could handle two months.”
Jeb sucked in a quick breath. He remembered the camp. And he remembered her at the camp, awed by nature and thrilled to sit by the campfire to toast marshmallows. Their gazes held for a long moment as memories slid between them.
“And they helicoptered in food and supplies?” Chris asked.
She nodded. “When the supplies were running low, they sent more.”
“How long have you been here?” Jeb asked.
Her lips pressed together again. “Almost six months.”
“Fuck,” Jeb cursed, anger once again running through his veins. “Six months in isolation,” he muttered.
“Skylar, haven’t you been able to talk to the ones who hired you? Ask them to get you out of here?” Chris asked.
She slowly shook her head. “After numerous supervisors over the years, I now just have one contact. I’m sure the reason is to keep me working here until the end goal is met.”
“What are you working on?” Jeb asked.
She hesitated, pressing her lips together before taking a deep breath through her nose and slowly releasing.
“My initial job was to build and maintain websites that disseminate information that can’t be traced. At first, my job was working for government contracts. Slowly, I moved to the private sector, yet the information appeared to be coming from government sources. Then when I came here, the job was to create programs that could change various orders. Later, I realized I was being used to change government or military requisition orders.”
“And you’re trapped here?” Poole asked. “I mean, I realize that you are physically stuck, but with your knowledge, couldn’t you have sent a signal to someone for help?”
“That’s what I was attempting with Jeb,” she said, her gaze once again on him. Her hands trembled. She pulled her hand from Jeb’s and, with her elbows on the table, dropped her head into her palms. Her fingers dragged along her scalp as though in agony.
He cast a hasty gaze at the others but could tell by their concerned expressions that they were just as mystified as he was.
She lifted her head, her face now filled with fierce determination. “I need just to blurt it all out and stop beating around the bush! I was brought here under false pretenses by my employer, and when you called it a prison, you were right. But why haven’t I tried to contact someone? Get out? Because I’m being watched. My communications are being monitored. I have no phone. I only have the computers upstairs, and they’re surveilled. And who would I tell? As I said… no family, hardly any friends, and no one to wonder where I’d gone.”
“What about me?” Jeb asked, his soft inquiry breaking through her impassioned revelation. “Why did you start trying to reach me?” His voice was tender, tinged with a regret that had simmered for years. They hadn’t seen each other since she was seventeen years old. And they’d fallen into a silent chasm between them. He’d searched for her long ago, only to resign himself that she’d moved on with her life. There was so much that he’d given up by not talking to her years ago. Now kicking himself, he hated that she’d had no one to miss her. And he wasn’t about to have that conversation in front of the other Keepers. The history they’d shared and how he’d fucked it all up was a discussion that would have to wait. Again.
“I had followed you over the years,” she admitted with candor. Hefting her thin shoulders in a shrug, her intense gaze held him captive. “Even though you stopped… um… we lost contact over the years… I knew you’d left the Navy and started working for a private security firm.” Shrugging again, she averted her eyes. “That’s when I got the idea. I couldn’t contact you directly, so I hacked in and tried to mess with your systems just enough to catch your attention without drawing undue attention to those watching me.” A little snort slipped out. “It finally worked.”
Jeb absorbed her words, recognizing the depth of their shared past and her current situation. There was a lot to unpack with what she’d confessed, but now was not the time. The room fell into a tense silence. When it seemed she wasn’t going to volunteer any more information, Jeb leaned closer so that his face was just in front of hers. “Skylar… with all this incredible story you’ve told us, you’ve never mentioned who you work for. What are we up against?”
Her pale eyes dimmed slightly as her pupils widened. He could smell fear oozing from her and hated she felt trapped.
She cast her gaze about the room, looking into the faces of the other Keepers before turning her attention back to Jeb. Swallowing deeply, she replied in a barely audible whisper, “Alistair. Alistair Montague.”
The name hung in the air, casting a shadow over the room. The Keepers barely contained their looks of shock and disbelief as the gravity of her revelation sank in.