Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
She’d been on her first date in a year that day.
A CIA analyst had asked her to dinner. It’d been a casual Hey, neither of us have dates, so what do you say?
kind of night. She’d happily left the overpriced restaurant and returned to the safety net of being forever single to focus on her career.
But she never imagined she’d wind up in a five-year relationship with a hacker.
A five-year commitment to take down not one, but apparently, two people.
One of the most valuable lessons she learned at the Agency was situational awareness—be cognizant of your surroundings at all times, practice the art of reading people until you can anticipate their every move, and examine your environment for oddities, things that don’t add up.
To do that, you need a baseline to go off of.
You need to memorize every inch of your home to ensure nothing has been tampered with.
Pay attention on your route to work, to the baristas at your local coffee shop, to the grocers at your store .
. . make sure everything is as it should be, and you can usually keep yourself safe.
And for CIA officers and FBI agents, it helps to solve crimes if they can identify any interruptions to that baseline: the man with the coat and backpack in a crowded tourist area on a July day, the flower vase in your home two inches off from its normal spot, the man who maintains your pace when walking, which is not natural for people to do.
But Kate Ward hadn’t raised any flags for anyone at the Agency.
She hadn’t done anything to prompt Natasha to believe she was the mastermind.
Good grades in school, stable home life growing up, steady relationships, brilliant coder, a savvy businesswoman.
Her baseline had remained constant. No abnormalities. No deviations.
Kate had fooled the CIA. Tricked the FBI. And manipulated Alexander Balan, one of the best hackers in the world.
So, as Natasha sat in the audience at the convention center that Sunday, waiting for Felix and Kate Ward to announce the three finalists in the competition, she was questioning herself and her abilities as a CIA officer.
With every passing second she waited for Felix to talk, she questioned every decision she’d ever made, every course of action she’d taken during this five-year-long case.
She drew up images in her mind, played scenes out in her head over and over again, trying to figure out how she’d missed the truth.
Why hadn’t she seen the pattern that there’d been two hackers rather than one?
She momentarily closed her eyes as her stomach rumbled, her nerves pinching and squeezing.
Anxiety could manifest itself as physical pain in the human body.
It wasn’t always deep panicky breaths—it could be teeth grinding or tension in the shoulders and neck.
And right now, her pain was nearly unbearable.
You couldn’t have known, Wyatt had said earlier today.
Stop blaming yourself. She replayed his words in her head, hoping they’d comfort her.
Today is the day we nail both of them. It’s finally going to end.
He’d held her cheeks and dipped in for a kiss after he’d spoken before they’d left for the auditorium.
She sought out Wyatt in the room of over a hundred people.
He was sitting in the second row from the elevated stage, four rows in front of her.
Chris, who had on a baseball hat, was parked on the other side of the aisle in the back of the auditorium.
And the rest of Bravo and Echo Teams were in their designated positions.
Unfortunately, Gwen had also shown up. She was in the front row next to her mother, who’d dressed in all black like she was attending a funeral. Nobles probably weren’t used to events like these.
Wyatt hadn’t spoken to either Gwen or Charlotte since he’d left their hotel last night, so they weren’t sure what Gwen had decided to do about the competition, and at this point, Natasha wasn’t so sure if it mattered. The team was pretty confident whatever Balan had planned would go down today.
“We’d like to call to the stage the three people with the best scores.” Felix was at the podium, motioning with a flick of the wrist for the contenders to stand as he called their names.
Jasper, Gwen, and a third guy climbed the three steps to get to the raised platform. Kate stepped alongside her husband and directed the three hackers to the chairs lined up off to the right of the podium.
Kate’s long black hair was in a tiny ponytail, her eyes covered in heavy dark makeup. She had on a silver-gray pantsuit, whereas Felix was in jeans and a pressed white button-down shirt. Two criminals on stage. Jasper made three. But where was Balan?
“I’d like to say something.” Jasper remained standing in front of his chair.
“Can it wait until we make the announcements?” Felix looked to the crowd, plastering on a fake smile, but Jasper ignored him and strode up next to the podium, forcing Felix to step aside.
“I am withdrawing from the competition,” Jasper said, his voice shaky. His eyes moved straight to Natasha, and she shifted in her seat, worried about his game plan.
Something had to have happened since she spoke to him in the limo last night.
Balan got to him.
Jasper reached into his pocket, his hands trembling as he produced a notecard. “In good conscience, I must withdraw from this competition, and I will not accept blood money.”
Blood money. Natasha’s pulse jumped, and she gripped the blue chair arms.
“I think that’s enough!” Felix attempted to take the microphone from Jasper, but he wouldn’t relent.
“I’m known in the hacker world as The Smoking Gun, but I failed to reveal evidence that would put our hosts, Felix and Kate Ward, in jail.
” Jasper had spoken fast and frantically, trying to get the truth out quickly before someone stopped him.
“I kept it hidden for my own financial benefit, and I intend to rectify that here and now. The Wards are responsible for destroying their competition—other security companies, as well as—”
“Stop!” Kate lurched forward and grabbed Jasper’s arm, and that was when Natasha saw the gun.
Jasper had traded his notecard for a Glock, turning his back to the audience and aiming the firearm at Kate.
The Knight’s hired men must have given it to him.
The people in the audience screamed and rose from their seats in a panic.
“Turn on the fire alarms,” Wyatt’s voice popped into Natasha’s comm, an instruction meant for Harper. He was on his feet, his gun still concealed, as he started for Jasper.
“No one on stage move!” Jasper’s voice boomed through the microphone. “It’s rigged to blow with any change in weight.”
Wyatt immediately stopped in front of the steps of the stage. “Everyone, hold your positions,” he ordered to Echo and Bravo Teams over comms.
The audience continued to scatter, and the alarms began shrieking overhead. Natasha rushed toward the stage, maneuvering through the terrified people filing out in disarray.
“Gwen!” Charlotte stood near the stage steps, her eyes on her daughter.
“Mum.” Gwen remained frozen on the stage, her palms up in surrender, same as the others up there.
“Move, and you all die.” Jasper shoved Kate to the ground and used his gun to nudge Felix to sit next to her on the floor.
The third hacker remained standing next to Gwen, sweat dripping down his cheeks. Panicked. Probably on the verge of pissing his pants.
“I’m sorry,” Jasper said, eyes on Natasha. “He has my parents and sister. I-I have no choice.”
Wait . . . if Balan planned to eliminate all of his targets here, why rig the mill with explosives?
She tried to control her heart rate, to maintain a steady hand. To think clearly. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out.” Natasha came up alongside Wyatt, the 9mm he’d provided in her hand. “What exactly does Balan want you to do?” she asked Jasper.
Jasper wiped the back of his free hand across his brow. “I’m sorry,” he said again, but his apology was directed toward Gwen and the other innocent hacker.
Gwen set her focus on Wyatt. “Get Mum out of here. Please!”
“I’m not leaving you.” Charlotte started for the steps, but Wyatt grabbed hold of her and yanked her back.
“Get her out of here.” Wyatt turned Charlotte over to Chris, ignoring Charlotte’s continued protests as Chris forced her toward the exit.
The rest of the auditorium was empty now, and the alarms had been shut down, probably remotely by Harper.
“Police and first responders are en route,” Harper announced over comms. “They’ve been ordered to stand down once they arrive and wait for the bomb squad and a negotiator to arrive, but wait . . . shit, I have two officers in tactical gear on the security cameras already inside the building.”
Wyatt eyed Natasha, his 9mm in hand, and he shot a grave look her way. “Change of plans,” he mouthed, and she nodded in understanding. She hid her gun from view, and Wyatt focused on his daughter. “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”
“Put your guns down!” Natasha turned at the sight of two officers shouting in unison. “Get on your hands and knees.”
“This stage is rigged to explode!” Jasper called out.
“You bastard,” Kate roared Jasper’s way. “I should’ve killed you. Loose ends are . . .”
“What in the hell is going on?” Felix worked the top two buttons free of his shirt as if he couldn’t get a decent breath.
“You,” one officer said as he neared Wyatt, “Gun. Down. Now.”
Wyatt glimpsed Natasha out of the corner of his eye, and he gave her a quick nod. She followed his lead and lowered to her knees. Palms behind her head.
Natasha tracked Wyatt’s gaze, his eyes on his daughter up on the stage, tears cutting down her cheeks.
“He’s trying to help! He’s innocent,” Gwen came to Wyatt’s defense.