Chapter 22 #2
“The Knight became more aggressive in twenty-eighteen, which was when the FBI was surveilling Cyber X,” Roman spoke up, “which would be the opposite of what Felix would do if he were on the Feds’ radar.”
“Well, you’re thinking like a normal person and not like a psychopath,” A.J. remarked.
“Yeah, but if Felix is our man, why start attacking his own clients this past week?” Wyatt asked.
“Well, I, for one,” Chris started, “don’t think it’s Felix, but The Knight might want us to believe that.” He stood and tightened his arms across his chest.
“From my experience, whatever game The Knight’s playing, Felix is most likely a pawn.” Natasha’s gaze moved back to the man capable of making her heart skip beats.
“And I’m still not convinced the dude in the house in Romania was even The Knight. Hell, maybe your source set you up.” Chris peered at Natasha. “No offense.”
“We could bump into the fucker today and not know it,” A.J. griped.
“It’s possible,” she confessed. “But as for whether or not Jasper set me up and lied about Romania, I don’t think so.
It wouldn’t make much sense unless you’re suggesting he is The Knight, and he just wanted me off his back.
And just so we’re clear”—her eyes went to Chris—“Jasper has been under MI6’s thumb for years.
He was thoroughly vetted by the CIA before we began sharing him as an asset as well.
He has an alibi for many of The Knight’s hacks, and I’m one of them.
We were working side by side at the time of The Knight’s very last hit in twenty-nineteen. ”
Chris’s rationale behind throwing Jasper’s name out there as a suspect made sense, especially since Jasper ghosted Natasha and MI6 after Romania, but she wasn’t a rookie, and she’d done more than her fair share of due diligence when it came to anyone connected to her case over the years.
“I get what you’re saying, and I respect that.
But the fact is that Jasper and The Knight both came out of hiding at the same time.
” Chris clearly wasn’t ready to let the idea go that Jasper could’ve fooled the CIA and MI6.
“I just think we need to consider all possibilities given how manipulative this Knight asshole is.”
“I don’t know. Chris might have a point.” Harper grimaced with apology Natasha’s way. “Pretty much everyone in Montreal with hacking skills should be a suspect.”
“I agree that Jasper lied to me about why he’s really here. He wouldn’t come out of hiding just for money, and the timing . . .” Natasha gave a hesitant nod. “At the very least, we surveil Jasper in case he’s in danger. I don’t want anyone else dying because of this case.”
“There’s, uh, one more person here we need to keep an eye on.” Wyatt’s deep voice carried her attention his way, and he dragged a palm across his jaw, his nervousness showing. Their conversation earlier raced back to mind.
“Yo, brother, you okay?” A.J. cocked his head.
“Yeah, but you all might want to sit for this.” Wyatt’s words had the room zipping so quiet you could actually hear the virtual needle dropping in that virtual haystack A.J. had mentioned.
“Normally, it’s one of our two lady geniuses that gets my skivvies all twisted up, but shit, man,” A.J. said, breaking the silence as he dropped back onto the couch next to Finn.
“Want me to step into the hall?” Natasha asked softly.
“No.” His response was immediate, and when she peered at him, his eyes were focused on her as if he were attempting to draw strength to speak.
She gave him a tight nod of approval, sensing he needed it, then he looked around at his teammates who were all sitting again.
“One of the names on the competition list is someone I know,” Wyatt confessed.
“Gwyneth Montgomery?” Roman was a quick study.
“The woman who had you hightailing it out of the room at the office after you saw her photo yesterday?” Finn’s brows drew together. “She’s a bit young for you to be”—he looked at Natasha for a brief moment before peeling his focus back to Wyatt—“you know.”
“God, no.” Wyatt shook his head and looked to the floor. “She, um . . . I’m pretty sure she’s my daughter.”
“You’re gonna have to run that by me again,” A.J. said in disbelief.
“Daughter,” he repeated slowly as if bracing for impact, his hands wrung tight at his sides.
“But you’re not certain?” Harper held on to the chair arms like she was preparing for takeoff.
“Her mother, Charlotte, thinks it’s possible.
And then there’s the small detail that Gwen looks just like me.
” Wyatt pulled at the skin of his throat as if working to get the words out.
“According to Charlotte, Gwen wasn’t a fan of taking on the lifestyle or duties expected of the nobility.
She left London like I did, and now she attends school in Toronto. ”
“Have you made contact since you’ve been here?” Harper asked, still clutching the chair arms.
“No, I haven’t seen her yet. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all before, but I was still trying to wrap my head around it.”
“So, are we saying congrats and pulling out our long guns to scare the piss out of any man that tries to date her?” A.J. was back on his feet, ready to throw down with any of Gwen’s future dates.
“A.J.,” Harper hissed.
“What?” A.J. shrugged. “I mean, we all knew the dating thing would be hard when Bravo’s kiddos became teens.”
“Are we all believing it’s a coincidence that Gwen is also in Montreal and entering this hacker competition?” Finn asked.
“And wow, your daughter is a hacker.” Chris scrubbed a hand over his blond beard and stood.
“Daughter,” Wyatt said, the word a whisper of disbelief again. “No one knows she’s my daughter. So, Gwen being here, competing in this competition, is just a wrong place, wrong time, kind of thing.”
“Or the universe’s way of letting you know you have a daughter,” Finn commented. “I mean, would you have found out otherwise?”
“I don’t know.” Wyatt’s shoulders slumped, the conversation obviously uneasy for him. “But I’m not sure if I should work this mission. The personal connection and all.”
The guys all exchanged looks except Roman. He kept his focus steady on Wyatt. “You shouldn’t surveil her, but you should stay.”
“And I agree,” Finn was quick to say, and the rest of Echo fell in line with him.
“I should probably run it by Luke and Jessica.” Wyatt focused on Harper as if waiting for her input.
“Want me to talk to them?” Harper finally spoke up, and was that her way of saying Stay?
“I should talk to them,” he said, “but I might need some air first.”
Natasha never gave Wyatt that air he’d needed earlier, so she wouldn’t stand in his way now.
Wyatt looked her way. “Come with me?” He motioned for the door, and Natasha followed him out into the hall.
They stood in silence as the elevator took them to his floor where they’d wait for Harper to alter the security cams and hide the fact they’d been in Harper’s suite.
Once inside Wyatt’s room, she grabbed her white North Face jacket, and he put on his black winter coat.
“Thank you,” he said as they stood by the door waiting for Harper’s all clear to move out. “For this morning. For now.” A smile eased onto his lips. “Thank you for helping me when I couldn’t figure out my left from my right.”
“It’s always easier when you’re not the one dealing with it.” That’s what her therapist had once told her, at least.
He glimpsed the text on his phone that came in from Harper.
“We’re good to go.” He opened the door, and she followed him down the hall and back into the elevator.
He leaned against the wall, hands in pockets, eyes set on her.
A million thoughts appeared to cloud his mind. “What are you thinking about?
“The Dallas Cowboys and if they’ll make it to the Super Bowl this year.” Her awkward joke seemed to work since he returned her smile.
“American football . . .” He followed his words with a playful grumble.
“You are American now. Isn’t it time you fell in love with our version of the sport?”
He pushed away from the wall and took one step closer, which was enough to have her searching for a deep breath of air.
The sports topic had been meant to diffuse the tension before they suffocated in the small space of the elevator, but now?
“English football—soccer—is not my cup of tea.” Not that she drank tea. She was a coffee addict through and through. “I’m also from Texas, so basically, it’s in my blood to love football.”
He tipped his head to the side but remained quiet.
“My brother played football at West Point, so I’m a big fan of their team as well,” she went on when he’d yet to speak.
The doors dinged and opened, and he motioned for her to exit first. Her tall brown boots carried her quietly across the tiled floors, and she kept the quiet going once they were on the street. She allowed him to take the lead, and they made their way to Victoria Square across from the hotel.
The ground was covered in freshly fallen snow, but the sky was now crystal clear. They walked to a nearby row of benches surrounded by foliage, and he brushed the snow off one and motioned for her to sit. “Thank you, sir.”
When he threw a My lady back at her with his sexy English accent, it was a reminder that he was, in fact, a lord.
Not that the man seemed to care about peerage.
He didn’t fit the stereotypical mold of nobility either, but hey, with the setting and the snow, could she for five minutes pretend she was living inside a Christmas movie special?
They sat and observed the people passing by in silence. She’d started people watching when she’d first joined the Agency to sharpen her profiling skills, but it’d become ingrained and was merely a habit now.
The ring of her phone disturbed the quiet ten minutes later. “It’s my brother. I can call him back.”
“No, you should answer. He’s probably worried about you.”
“Really, it’s okay.”
“Please. If I had a sister . . .” And the I now have a daughter line hung in the air between them, and she nodded in understanding.