Chapter 4
Alistair Montague. Alistair fucking Montague.The name reverberated through Jeb’s head with a sinister echo, a sentiment he was certain his fellow Keepers shared.
Alistair Montague—a name synonymous with wealth and influence. A billionaire several times over if the press was to be believed. While he’d never sought a political career, he was the money behind many politicians in the country, ensuring that legislation would always go his way. And his way appeared to be simply making more money. He was rumored to stir up political unrest, use resources to plant false stories and theories, and manage to sway voters in the way that he wanted. The fact that he’d been born in France was probably the only reason he didn’t run for president himself, but then, as the ultimate puppet master, even the president danced on his strings.
It was rumored that he also interfered in the elections in Canada, France, and several other smaller countries. His pockets were deep, allowing him to float above the common man, easily skipping over having to abide by the laws that govern everyone else.
Nothing had ever been pinned on him, although after the last major election fiasco, he had come under more and more scrutiny. And if Skylar were caught in his web, then extricating her would take more than the four of them could accomplish in one night.
She excused herself and disappeared into the bathroom. The Keepers huddled near the tiny kitchen counter.
“What the fuck do we do now?” Chris’s question cut through the tense air.
Jeb scrubbed his hand over his head, his mind racing for answers.
Before he had a chance to respond, Rick shifted into personal territory. “Look, man, I’m only asking this if it pertains to what’s happening now, but what’s the story between the two of you?”
Jeb shook his head, filled with reluctance. “I haven’t seen her in years. This situation has nothing to do with me, but for transparency, we were close as kids. Close until I graduated and joined the Navy.” His reply was guarded, keeping unspoken memories hidden—the ones he wasn’t ready to face.
“You two must have been more than just close for her to keep up with you.” Poole’s voice held a softness that cut through the steel wall Jeb was trying to erect around his mind.
Jeb’s gaze shot to Poole, but no twinkling eyes indicated mirth or teasing from his friend. “We were close. But when I left for the Navy… I walked away from my past.” It was only a partial answer, bordering on untruth, but close enough that he felt it was sufficient for now. At least until he had a chance to talk to Skylar more. Preferably alone.
Carson’s voice came across their ear radios, keeping Skylar from hearing anything. “I have to get ahold of Landon about this situation. But this is way above his fucking pay grade.”
Jeb winced, knowing what his boss said was correct. Landon Summers was their FBI liaison, but dealing with someone like Alistair Montague would take LSIWC into a dangerous zone that could have far-reaching implications.
Carson continued, “It’s taking all of our resources to keep your presence on the island under wraps. And Ms. White is correct. If she were to leave suddenly, then it would be noted by the computer programs set up.”
“I’m not leaving her here alone,” Jeb said. “Chris, Poole, and Rick can get back to the boat, and we can work on what we need to accomplish.”
No one disputed his claim, and the tightness around his chest eased slightly. The bathroom door opened, and Skylar emerged. Her gaze shot to the group, and her arms wrapped around her middle again.
Stepping away from the others, Jeb moved to her. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied, her head jerking up and down. “I just needed… a moment.”
“I’m sure.” His hands itched to reach out to pull her into a hug, but battling the desire, he remained in place. “We’re going to get you out of here?—”
“You can’t! It would be too dangerous?—”
“We’ll worry about that. But I agree that it won’t happen right now.”
Her chest heaved, and her arms tightened even more. “I understand. That makes sense. I’ll see what I can do on this end, and if there’s anything you can do on your end, then that’ll be good?—”
“You don’t understand. I’m staying here with you, and the others will go back to see how we can get you out of here undetected.”
Her eyes widened for a few seconds, then narrowed as she shook her head. “But?—”
“No buts, Skylar. I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“How can you do this? How can you hide out here without detection?” she pressed, stepping closer, her gaze never wavering from his face.
“It won’t be for long,” he promised, not knowing if it was a lie. “You’re here alone and only get supplies from a helicopter drop. No one will know I’m here.”
She glanced around the tiny room, nerves pouring off her. “There’s no room, Jeb?—”
“I’ve slept outside, in the rain, in the desert, and on rocks, so believe me, the floor will be fine.”
Pressing her lips together, she sighed. “I don’t know how to help us get off. Hacking into some of your programs on the side flew under the radar of the person using my programming. But setting up something so I can escape… I have no idea how to do that.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it. Plus, you’re not alone anymore.”
Her gaze leaped to his as her breath caught in her lungs. Memories threatened to assault him, and from her wide-eyed expression, she was hit with them, too. After holding his gaze, she glanced at the others, a blush rising over her cheeks.
“Before we do that, we need a bit more information from you to help my people get started.”
Wondering if fear would keep her from agreeing or if she would protest, he smiled at her encouragingly when she easily acquiesced with a simple, “Okay.”
They settled around the room again, and Carson came over the speaker. “Ms. White, I realize everything that’s happened today has been a surprise to you, yet something that you hoped would happen. We have many unanswered questions, but most can wait until another time. Right now, I need to let you know that you were also on speaker with an FBI liaison of ours, Agent Landon Summers.”
A quick intake of breath hissed, and Jeb carefully watched as Skylar’s expression morphed from interest to terror.
“Mr. Dyer, Agent Summers, I just hoped to be able to contact Jeb. I had no other thoughts beyond wondering if he could help me. But FBI? You have no idea what Alistair Montague is capable of?—”
“Ms. White, this is Agent Summers. I can tell you that the Department of Justice, the FBI, and even the CIA are looking into Alastair Montague. What he has you working on has been suspected for several years. Believe me, agents are chomping at the bit to be able to finally nail him.”
“And you need me to be able to provide the proof.”
Skylar’s words were a statement, not a question. Yet as Jeb looked at her resigned expression, he recognized strength mixed in with her fear. If he could help her harness more of the strength, she’d be able to escape whatever tentacles Alistair Montague had out toward her.
“I won’t lie to you, Ms. White,” Landon said. “You have inside knowledge that could be key to taking him down.”
Her top teeth worried her bottom lip. “What do you need from me?”
“For now, give us as much detail as possible about what you’re working on and how someone can monitor your actions. All of this will help us know how to reroute the signals going out so that it appears nothing has changed on your end, but the reality is that you and Jeb will be backing up any files that you have.”
Skylar began to talk hesitantly at first, almost as though fearful that someone would break into her abode, guns blazing. Except for the lack of weapons, Jeb supposed that was exactly what did happen today. He was one of the good guys, and she knew that. The past two hours had shocked him, but the more he stared at the adult version of Skylar White, the more the memories threatened to pull him back. Shaking his head to dislodge the musings of the past, he focused his attention on what she was saying.
“I received instructions on what to code but wasn’t told what it would be used for. It took a while for me to build these secure networks and systems. I eventually realized that some of it was to hide Alistair’s hand in politics… or rather, the back door of politics. Suffice it to say, it has taken what I thought was a dream job and turned it into a nightmare.”
“So let me get this straight,” Landon said. “Various political and non-political groups rely upon Alistair Montague for untraceable information and misinformation?”
“Yes. But as I built the links to some of these groups, I realized how dangerous he is. Some of these groups are on the FBI hate list. Others are neo-Nazi groups operating here in the United States. Others are white supremacists, and I sometimes wonder if they don’t hate women as much as they hate anyone who doesn’t look like them. There are criminals on the Interpol lists, as well as on the FBI lists.”
Jeb noticed how her fingers tapped on the table, and his mind flooded with memories of how she would tap her fingers when overly nervous. Something was off, but he hesitated, uncertain if he should question her further in front of everyone.
Carson interjected. “If we can get this information from Skylar, then that would be the link between Alister Montague, the politicians he funds, and the people already on the FBI wanted list, right?”
“That’s exactly right,” Landon said. The spark of interest he’d expressed was easily heard to have flamed.
“I have the evidence of his tie-in to these groups and the politicians,” Skylar said. “On the outside, everything is well hidden, but the connections are there at the deep level that I function in.” She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. “Of course, by the time I got in this deep, I was told that if I ever tried to get out or let anyone know what was happening, my life would be worth nothing.”
A growl erupted from deep in Jeb’s chest at the threats made toward Skylar. He might not have seen her in years, but a relationship like theirs transcended time and distance.
“Here’s my plan,” Jeb said. “Rick, Poole, and Chris can swim back to the boat where Dolby waits. I’ll stay here with Skylar. I can protect her and coordinate with you all on getting the information from her computers to a safe backup location without detection. But I have to let it be said right now that my number one concern is getting her to safety.”
“Completely agree,” Carson said.
“Absolutely,” Landon added. “Alistair Montague has politicians, judges, and probably federal agents in his back pocket. With his billions, that’s easy. Whatever we do, we want to ensure Ms. White is safe. Everything else is icing on the cake.”
Jeb was thrilled and relieved to hear the Keepers” agreement.
With a final burst of strategic planning, they were ready to begin the next phase. Clapping Rick on the back, he turned to Chris, repeating the gesture of camaraderie. Again, with Poole, they pulled together for a bro hug, fists thumping each other’s backs in a rhythm of solidarity and strength.
He turned just in time to see Skylar gazing up at the three Keepers. The soft light cast a glow on her delicate features. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and her voice trembled. “I can’t thank you enough for coming. I can’t begin to repay you for what you’re doing for me.”
Poole stepped forward, reached out, and took her hand in his much larger one. “Believe me when I say it’s our pleasure.” The sincerity in his tone caused her to blink rapidly as she nodded her appreciation.
With a smile that reached his eyes, Chris said, “The next time we see you, you should be in California with Jeb, and you can meet the rest of the team, including our wives.”
Rick threw his head back and laughed before focusing his gaze on Skylar. “Believe me, when my Abbie gets ahold of you, she’ll be thrilled to have someone else to talk computer programming with. The two of you will get along immediately.”
With a final meaningful glance between the Keepers, they offered a quick two-fingered salute toward Jeb, then slipped back into the night. The door shut behind them, and Jeb double-checked the lock. For a long moment, he and Skylar said nothing, their gazes simply staring at the closed door. Then slowly, they pivoted toward each other, their eyes meeting. The world seemed to pause as the only sound came from their whispered breaths.