Jeb

Chapter 10

Before Skylar could gather her thoughts into words, she was saved by the bell—or rather by Jeb’s phone vibrating again. A look of annoyance swiftly crossed his face, but he reached for the phone, giving her a reprieve. She was glad for the temporary escape, allowing a brief pause in the unfolding emotional narrative she had been considering.

He listened, nodded, then said, “Give me five.”

He disconnected, but his intense gaze never wavered from her, locking her in a moment thick with uncertainty before he spoke. “It seems there’s a connection that you might know of between Alastair Montague and Colonel Robert Spelling.” His words came out in a growl but carried an edge of urgency.

A heavy, resigned sigh left her lips, the sound carrying the weight of unshared secrets. While the urge to lie was strong, she pushed it away. She might hide things from Jeb, but she never lied to him. Filled with a sense of inevitability, she nodded. “Yes, there is. And hence the real reason I’ve been banished.”

Jeb’s jaw hardened, determination filling his face. Gone was the easy demeanor of earlier. “Skylar, we need to know everything you’ve discovered.”

She hesitated, but he jumped in, his tone now harder. “If you think you’re in danger with what you know, you’re in more danger by not telling me. I can’t protect you fully if I don’t know what we’re up against.”

With weary resignation, she replied, “Everything you know, Jeb, is just going to put you in more danger.”

“More danger?” His scoff was a brief, bitter sound. “Skylar, you’re in about as much danger as somebody can be. Don’t worry about me. The Keepers know how to take care of ourselves. We know how to cover our tracks. And we know how to bring down someone who seems untouchable. You need us, and we need you.”

A long-lost desire caused his words to send a shard of pain through her heart. I need them, and they need me. I used to long for those words. Only they were slightly different. It would’ve been Jeb saying he needed me, and I needed him.

She swallowed her sigh, knowing those were not the words she would hear from him. Dragging her thoughts back to the subject, she steeled herself for the revelations to come and the consequences they might bring. “Okay, I’ll give you everything.”

“Grab a jacket because we’re going to go outside.”

“Outside? Why?”

“We both need some fresh air. I’ll get my people back on a secure line.”

She followed him downstairs and grabbed her jacket from the small closet next to the bathroom. Walking toward him, she halted as he stopped and turned toward her. His gaze moved from head to toe, and he reached forward to grab the edges of her jacket. Fitting the zipper in its slot, he zipped her coat, and she felt the material hug her. A flood of memories poured over her, from when they were young and how he had always watched out for her.

Darting her tongue out to moisten her lips, she mumbled her thanks, then led him outside. The sun was shining, and even though there was a breeze, they walked to a small clearing that held wide rocks that the sun”s rays had warmed. Sitting down, she lifted her face to the sky and, for a moment, pretended that she and Jeb were anywhere other than where they were. Hearing him speak into his phone dragged her wandering thoughts back to the matter at hand.

“Okay, Skylar. You’re on the line with my coworkers, boss, and our FBI liaison. We need to know what you discovered about Alistair Montague and Colonel Robert Spelling.” He leaned closer. “Remember, I can’t keep you safe if I don’t know what you’re up against.”

Glancing at Jeb’s serious face, she nodded as her shoulders slumped. Leaning down, she picked up a small pine branch that had fallen on the rocks and began plucking pine needles out. “When I realized I wasn’t leaving here, I started searching for leverage, foolishly thinking that I could try to gain someone’s attention to get me back home. I had no doubt that Montague Industries was into illegal dealings, but I had no idea what I might find. It took a while, but since I had become so adept at using the dark web for my job, I knew how to search deeply without leaving a trace. What I discovered had to do with the Arbors tank hulls.”

“What the fuck?” Jeb asked, his brows lowered.

“A factory in Montana makes the military tank hulls. The hulls can be retrofitted onto older model tanks. It’s a much cheaper alternative to scrapping the entire old tanks and manufacturing new ones. Colonel Robert Spelling is in charge of the Army’s requisitions of the tank hulls. But when I dug into what I might use for leverage against Montague Industries, I discovered that Alistair has a hold on Colonel Spelling. And like so many others, Spelling dances to Alistair’s tune.”

“What tune is that, Skylar?” Jeb prodded.

“They steal from the stocks and then sell to bidders… anyone with money… even to countries that aren’t our allies. And to some who are arming our enemies. Colonel Spelling signs off on contracts, and then Montague Industries provides the shipping of the products to whoever buys them, all under false shipping, of course.”

“You have proof of the colonel selling on the black market?”

She wasn’t sure of the speaker but thought it was Jeb’s boss. “Yes. At first, I was just curious as to why Montague Industries was doing so, but the more I searched, the trail wasn’t as hidden as they thought. I had to develop a backup program to save information that I was stealing as I gathered evidence of them stealing. The only reason Montague Industries… or my superiors don’t know what I’ve discovered is that I haven’t left a trail for them to follow. But I know I’m on borrowed time. Eventually, it’ll catch up to me.”

“Jesus, Skylar,” Jeb cursed, dragging his hand over his face, then pinching the bridge of his nose.

She continued, “There are checks and balances that should be part of any military acquisition. But so often in the military, someone of lower rank won’t take the time to question higher-ups.”

“How did you discover what was happening?”

“In all honesty, it wasn’t me. Or at least, it wasn’t all on me. As I dug behind some of the various Montague Industries, I was surprised to see the Arbors since it was listed as military. Alastair Montague doesn’t have any companies that actually make a product. So I could only imagine what he had going with the military was some kind of computer program he had sold them. I kept coming up on information that had to do with the tank. After a bit more digging, I realized that something was going on at the military base. Since it appeared that a man named Colonel Spelling was signing off on requisitions that ended up in Montague Industry requisitions, I started looking into him more. Honestly? He was easy. He was ridiculously naive when trying to hide his correspondence.”

“And what did you find?”

“Two years ago, a lieutenant sent an email to Colonel Spelling asking about the discrepancy in the requisitions. His reply to her surprised me. It was curt, unprofessional, and downright rude. I know sometimes military personnel can be brusque by the nature of their jobs, but his reply surprised me. It didn’t take long to see that she followed up with an email to the base commander. Only that email never got received. The reason? It was trapped in one of the programs I wrote for Montague Industries. The program searched for various words and halted their progress so they wouldn’t be delivered until someone had a chance to review it. At the time, I was told that the program would be used to make sure certain threats were identified and neutralized.”

“So when creating some of these programs, you had no idea how the result would be used?” Landon asked.

She winced. “I was given tasks, and then I wrote computer code to make the parameters of those tasks. It wasn’t my place or, at that time, my interest to question. It wasn’t until later that I had a problem with one of my codes, and while searching for a solution, I discovered how some of it was being used.”

“Could anyone else tell what you were doing?”

“It would”ve been possible when I first began checking on things. I wasn’t trying to hide the fact that I was attempting to see where my coding might’ve gone wrong. But the more I found, the more questions I had. That’s when I started digging into the backend of my cybersecurity. What was it being used for? How was it being used? And I very quickly realized that I needed to hide what I was doing. But by then, my superiors must’ve figured out that I was looking.”

He nodded as he listened, and she remembered how he always gave his full attention to whatever she was saying. She twisted her head to stare at him as they sat side by side on the wide, flat rock with the gentle breeze and the sunshine warming them. How many times did we sit together and just talk? Or even remained quiet but enjoyed each other’s company with the distant noise of the neighborhood in the background and the other foster kids running around the house.

“Skylar?”

She blinked and was dragged back into the present, shoving the past behind her where it needed to be. Sucking in a deep breath, she pushed beyond the desire just to sit and remember the time long ago when he was her best friend. She let out her breath and continued.

“My direct boss would come into my office and ask why I was looking into things. I might’ve been naive at that time, but I could see a hard glint in his eyes. I made sure to keep my face as neutral as possible while I told him that questionable responses were coming back to some of my programming. He would know if I was giving him a bullshit answer, so I showed him a more generic version of what I was looking at. He seemed mollified, but it wasn’t much longer that I was told I was being given special privileges to look into their most private programs.“

“And you don’t think they’ve caught onto what you’re doing now?“

“I haven’t been searching on any of the computers they provided. And the codes written for my own are completely secure.”

Carson came back on the line. “We’ve taken everything you’ve given us and have sent it to the FBI’s programmers. Landon is in contact with them, and they are gathering all the evidence they can from it.”

“Is that when you decided to try to reach out to me?” Jeb asked.

She was surprised he asked her while on the phone with his coworkers. She tried to think of what to say that would skirt around their former personal relationship.

“Um, yeah. I knew that I needed help. There was only so long that I could gather information to buy back my freedom and would instead be signing my death warrant.” Holding his gaze, she forgot about the phone between them. “You were the only person I could think might be able to save me.”

Silence filled the space between them, leaving the birds twittering and the wind in the trees as the only sounds. Her words held such meaning, and from his expression, she wondered if he remembered hearing them before.

“We need to work on obtaining that evidence, Ms. White,” Carson said. “Jeb will give you the details, and we’ll start working immediately. But we need you two to be careful. The last thing we want to do is tip off anyone at Montague Industries that you are on to something bigger than what you’ve been assigned to work on.”

“Yeah… I know,” she agreed. She looked down, seeing the stripped bare pine branch, and had no memory of decimating it. Tossing the twig to the side, she wiped her hands on her thighs before looking at Jeb again. “Jeb can tell me what you need, and I’ll be happy to give you everything I have.”

“I’m sure he’s already warned you that you are placing yourself in more danger by giving us this information.”

“Mr. Dyer?—”

“Carson, please.”

She smiled at his offer of familiarity. “Carson, I can’t imagine I’ll be in any more danger than I already am. By now, it’s obvious that this rustic prison would be where I’d spend many more months. If my life is threatened, then I’d rather go down having stopped someone who I truly believe is evil.”

“We’ll keep you safe, Skylar,” Jeb said, his voice low but full of promise. So much so she almost believed him.

After Jeb had disconnected his call with his coworkers, they continued to sit on the sun-filled flat rock. Her fingers twitched, now missing the mindless task of obliterating the small pine branch. In an effort to do something besides stare at him and wonder what he was thinking, she leaned back with her palms on the warm, smooth stone surface and closed her eyes once again while lifting her face to the sun.

“We were interrupted before you had a chance to answer my question,” Jeb said.

She replied honestly, “I was hoping you’d forgotten.”

“Not a chance.”

“Does it matter why I thought of you? All that matters is that I did reach out. And you’re here, and we’re trying to figure out our next move.”

“Look at me,” he urged, his voice a gentle command.

The pull of his soft demand stirred something deep within her, his words filling a need that she begrudgingly admitted was still there after all these years. She angled her head as she opened her eyes, and just as she knew he would be, her vision was filled with only him. He dominated her vision, a reminder of past and present intertwining.

Seeing both the familiar and the new, it was surreal to look at him as an adult. Once worn longer in his youth, his hair was now cropped close, illuminating his mature face. He was taller and certainly more filled out. The last time she’d seen him, he was muscular but lean. Now, his body was sculpted as if carved from the dreams of artists. He could have graced a magazine cover, yet she knew he would have scoffed at the idea of such vanity.

But it was his eyes, deep and brown, that captivated her. They had not changed. Intelligent. Seeking. Analyzing. Cautious. He’d been all those things when she’d known him as a child and teenager, but now, he was more so. The warm chocolate-brown orbs pulled her into a depth of ease that was achingly familiar.

Their gazes locked, and neither spoke as if words weren’t necessary. It was a moment meant to be treasured, not sullied with meaningless words.

Finally, the spell was broken when a cloud passed over the sun just as another breeze kicked in, and she shivered. He reached out and took her hand, drawing her upward as he stood. “Let’s get you in where it’s warmer.”

At that moment, she would’ve followed him anywhere. As they approached the old lighthouse, her gaze moved over the crumbling exterior. Her mind flashed back to the first time she’d seen it. A cascade of doubt crept in, questioning her past choices and compliance. Maybe I am just a compliant follower. Maybe I should’ve fought harder when they first brought me here. Maybe I never outgrew the little girl who just wanted to be accepted.

Shame moved through her at that thought. After years of considering herself smart and making the most of her intellect and education, the idea that she had been a follower cut deeply into her identity.

They entered the small room, and she looked around, no longer filled with fear or dread but now with anger that threatened to explode. Her feet came to an abrupt halt, and with their hands intertwined, he was also jerked to a stop. His brow lowered in silent question.

“Why did I just accept this? Why didn’t I fight harder? Why didn’t I try to run when I was first brought here?” Her voice cracked as her tear-filled eyes sought his.

His fingers tightened before leading her to the bed, where he let go of her hand. “Please, sit,” he begged. Her legs gave out, and she plopped unceremoniously onto the bed.

He turned and moved to the kitchen, then began a simple ritual of boiling water, a tea bag, and a spoonful of sugar. The task was filled with a care that spoke volumes. Once finished, he brought the tea over to her.

As her fingers wrapped around the mug and the scent of orange blossom and cinnamon tea wafted past, she felt the band around her chest ease. Uncertain what to do next, she noted he didn’t have that affliction. He grabbed the kitchen chair and placed it in front of her before lowering his body so that his knees bracketed hers and his face was dangerously close.

“Drink,” he ordered gently.

She blew over the surface and then took a sip. The warm brew’s restorative powers were just what she needed to chase away the chill she’d felt, both outside her body and deep inside. Sipping again, she sighed as the tension in her shoulders eased.

He waited quietly as though he had all the time in the world. And the years faded away, leaving only memories that seemed as though they were yesterday.