Chapter 4
Theo Neville
The back office opposite the kitchen hummed with air that was distinctly Bobby ‘Bit’ Nowacki. Technology wasn’t just his profession. It was his oxygen.
A massive modular desk dominated the center of the room, barely visible under the assortment of keyboards, screens, and blinking LEDs. Even a soldering iron lay casually next to a half-assembled motherboard, a microcosm of Bit’s world where wires ruled and silicon was king.
He was playing a little air-drum solo while observing a screen full of code take on a life of its own.
His faded Star Wars t-shirt hung loosely on his thin frame, wrinkled from probably sitting in the dryer too long.
His trademark gray knitted beanie covered most of his blonde hair, though a few greasy strands escaped at the nape of his neck.
The kid looked like he belonged in a basement hacker collective, not a high-end investigation firm. Yet his technical brilliance had repeatedly proven invaluable.
“Well?”
The question didn’t come from Bit.
Instead, the inquiry had been posed by Sylvie Deering.
She was sitting in one of the other chairs, though she had rolled herself away from the monitors. Bit wasn’t too keen on people eating and drinking near his workstation, and she was enjoying her morning tea while reading over something on her tablet.
Her blonde hair was pulled back into a smooth, tight bun at the base of her neck, and her black-rimmed glasses were perched perfectly on her nose. The navy blazer made her appear more like a librarian than a field agent.
Where Bit was chaos contained, Sylvie was order personified.
They were also the best of friends.
“The search for Jacob has been officially called off,” Theo stated grimly as he leaned a shoulder against the doorframe.
The casual position gave him a clear sightline down the hallway.
He could spot anyone approaching from this angle, ensuring their conversation remained private. “Brook says she's fine with it.”
The ease with which Brook had fallen into old habits was unsettling.
It was like witnessing someone slip into a well-worn straitjacket with a smile.
She was comfortable in those familiar constraints that had once kept her vigilant and alive.
That didn’t mean the rest of them needed to approve of such a backward step.
S&E Investigations might be Brook’s company, but they all operated with a silent understanding that sometimes they needed to look after their leader when she wouldn't look after herself.
Sylvie rested her tablet in her lap so she could cradle her teacup with both hands.
Her blue eyes met his with quiet concern.
“When you say that she’s fine with it, what exactly does that mean?” Sylvie rested her elbows on the chair's arms. “Is she going to touch base with Alex DeSilva? I’m sure he has an experienced team that he can send to search those ice caves.”
“No,” Theo replied in disappointment, adjusting his position slightly to ease the phantom ache where his right eye had once been.
The pain sometimes happened at the oddest times, though he’d gotten used to them.
Fortunately, the brown leather patch was snug against his skin.
The slight pressure helped alleviate his discomfort.
“It’s almost as if she’s back in her element. ”
“That’s…not what I expected.”
“You know, there’s a good chance that he’s dead.
” Bit gestured toward a lone computer positioned on the other end of his workstation.
Theo had learned to bend at times. Bit’s tendency to blur the line of justice had saved several lives, and that particular computer was an accomplice to Bit’s rather indiscreet decisions.
“I’ve got alerts set up for any potential sightings. No viable pings have come through.”
“Jacob has been able to evade law enforcement for years. The only reason we had him in custody in the first place was because he turned himself into the FBI,” Sylvie reminded them, her frustration coming through loud and clear.
Jacob’s previous decision had been strategic, though it had backfired when one of his disciples had failed in taking Sylvie’s life.
“If he did manage to survive that collapse, he knows how to stay off the grid.”
“Has Boss asked for additional security measures?” Bit adjusted his beanie.
It was as though he were itching to return to his keyboard and implement security protocols regardless of Brook's wishes. Theo understood the impulse. After the close calls, the injuries, and the near misses over the past five years, they couldn’t afford to be lax in their awareness. “For her? The team?”
“No.” Theo could sense that Sylvie understood the reason behind his response, too. Bit, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t be able to wrap his mind around such a decision. “And she won’t, Bit. Brook believes Jacob will come for her directly this time, not target those around her.”
“She’s right, too,” Sylvie murmured as she averted her gaze to the remaining contents in her cup. “Everything changed up on that mountain.”
They fell silent upon hearing Sylvie’s opinion.
She wasn’t wrong.
Each of them carried a different shard of memory from that day. The Alaskan mountain had left scars, some visible, others buried deep.
“So…that’s it? We just twiddle our thumbs until Boss’ brother decides that it’s time for a family reunion?”
“It's not about what we want, Bit,” Theo said, his voice hardening slightly.
“It's about preparing for what might happen.
Brook's acceptance feels like she's shifted into a defensive posture. Like a chess player who's spotted the opponent's strategy and is setting up her pieces accordingly. We’ll just have to be more observant, that’s all.”
The truth they all silently acknowledged was that Brook always functioned best when operating from a position of calculated risk.
She spent her entire life searching for signs of her brother's next move.
It was her natural state. The last six months, with Jacob presumed dead, had been an adjustment. She was now back on familiar ground.
Such an environment would make most people crumble under pressure.
“Thanks for the update, Theo.” Sylvie’s expression softened as she did her best to stem her frustration over sitting on the sidelines. “Did Brook refer the Hartmans to that private detective she knows in Ohio?”
“No,” Theo replied, glancing down at his watch. “As a matter of fact, she thinks they might be onto something. She’s checking on a few things first, and then we’ll meet in the conference room.”
“Off topic, but does anyone have any idea why Gumshoe is acting like he raided my stash of energy drinks this morning?” Bit asked, his mind working at a high rate of speed, as usual.
Theo shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsure of how much to divulge.
Brook hadn’t mentioned anything about Arden and Elizabeth Elliott being a secret.
Still, Theo wasn't one to gossip. “He almost broke a handle off the espresso machine this morning.”
Sylvie narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward slightly, mindful of her tea. She had an uncanny ability to read body language, though what was even more impressive was her close-to-eidetic memory.
“You know something, Theo,” Sylvie murmured, the statement leaving no room for denial. “Your right shoulder tenses when you're withholding information. Spill it.”
Her perceptiveness had Bit swiveling in his chair, his full attention now on Theo, as well.
“Come on, man. Gumshoe nearly jumped out of his cardigan when Boss walked into the kitchen earlier. Something's up.”
Graham was the silent partner in S&E Investigations, hence the reason for the letters S&E in the company name.
His financial backing had allowed Brook to establish the firm after leaving the FBI, though he rarely interfered with day-to-day operations.
However, this was his mother they were discussing, and Theo understood the need to protect one’s parents.
“What I’m about to say stays in this room until either Arden or Brook discloses the information. Understood?”
Bit and Sylvie both agreed, although Theo had no delusions that once the cat was out of the bag, both would want to rally behind Arden.
“Arden is...” Theo paused, still uncomfortable with sharing something so personal. “He's involved with Graham's mother. Elizabeth Elliott.”
For a moment, neither of his colleagues reacted.
A smile eventually lit up Sylvie’s face, and she quickly handed off her teacup to Bit. He didn’t hesitate to take it from her, giving her the ability to clap her hands together with unexpected delight.
“Gumshoe and the Dragon Lady?” Bit asked, a lot more skeptical than Sylvie. “Who would have thought the old guy still had some game left in him?”
“Please tell me that you didn’t just refer to the General’s mother as the Dragon Lady, Bit.”
“Dragon Lady is what the catering staff called her at that charity gala last September,” Sylvie explained, though she did shoot Bit a disapproving glare. “Ms. Elliott made three waiters cry before the first course was served, but Bit won’t resort to their level. Right?”
Sylvie was dating Derek Haze, and the man’s stature among the elite meant his presence was required at certain charitable events.
Theo had only met the man a handful of times, but each encounter had left an impression.
The man carried himself with an air of confidence that demanded respect, which was earned due to being self-made and establishing himself in the pharmaceutical industry.
Most importantly, he treated Sylvie as if she were spun from gold.
“You two aren’t considering the fallout if things go south,” Theo replied wryly, having already contemplated the potential complications. “It won’t be pretty around here, that’s for sure.”
Bit's enthusiasm dimmed somewhat upon hearing such a warning. He handed Sylvie back her tea before jostling his right leg, a nervous habit that he would never break.
“You don’t think that the Dragon Lady will break Gumshoe’s heart, do you?”
“Get out of the habit of calling her that, Bit.
And you're both overthinking this,” Sylvie said as she settled comfortably back in her chair.
“Arden deserves some happiness after losing his wife.
And from what I've observed of Elizabeth Elliott, she's not the type of woman who enters into relationships lightly. Think about it. She also almost died seven months ago, so why wouldn’t she want to grab hold of what little happiness she can?”
Theo mulled over Sylvie’s impression of the situation.
Elizabeth Elliott was indeed calculated in everything she did.
If she allowed Arden into her life, it certainly hadn’t been on a whim.
And Arden, with his old-world charm and genuine kindness, might be exactly what the formidable socialite needed after her health scare.
“I'm going back to my office to read over the Hartman file,” Theo said as he pushed himself off the doorframe. He paused to shoot Bit a stern warning. “Make sure Graham doesn’t hear that nickname for his mother. We have enough problems on our hands as it is.”
Theo made his way down the hallway. A random thought occurred to him, and he didn’t like the twinge of unease that washed over him. For the first time since S&E Investigations had formed, all five of them were in healthy, stable relationships simultaneously.
He and Mia.
Brook and Graham.
Sylvie and Derek.
Bit and Zoey.
Arden and Elizabeth.
The statistical improbability of it made his skin crawl with a familiar prickling sensation, like invisible ants marching along his forearms. He rubbed the back of his neck to diminish the unease.
In his experience, when the universe arranged all the pieces this neatly—five perfect couples, five perfect fits—it was merely setting the stage for disaster.