Chapter 22 #2
“Sorry to screw up everyone’s plans, but this is urgent,” Casey began.
“I’ll start by telling you that Hutch is on the warpath.
He exploded in here earlier this evening, and it wasn’t pretty.
He’s not flexing, not this time. We’ve been warned to stay off these investigations or he’ll get a court order forcing us to do so.
I’m not sure how far he’d take this—he even threatened to have charges brought against us—but I’m not willing to find out. ”
“Shit,” Marc muttered. “This is going to limit us, big-time.” He paused, eyeing Casey. “We’ll tackle our strategy in a minute. First, are you okay? No prying, but I’m guessing you’re not going home tonight. And it’s been a brutally long day.”
Casey’s lips thinned into a grim line. “I’m fine. I even took a nap a little while ago. And I plan to sleep in my old bedroom, at least for tonight. Other than that, it’ll be business as usual.”
“And what will that entail?” Patrick tactfully avoided asking any personal questions about Casey and Hutch, instead focusing on his ofttimes worry when FI pushed the legal boundaries just a little too far.
“The Bureau has our hands tied. If we blatantly ignore Hutch’s command, we can wind up arrested and in jail, with FI shut down—undoubtedly for good. ”
“I realize that.” Casey’s jaw was set. “So we’re going to have to get very insular and very creative.
We’ll bandy ideas around in a few minutes.
First, you have to hear Ryan’s update. A lot has happened since we last spoke.
Everything’s changed. Our entire focus has to change with it.
Ryan, go ahead. Fill them in on the bomb you dropped on me right before this Zoom meeting. ”
Ryan nodded. “Steel yourselves, guys. We’re going to be making a one-eighty.” Without pause, he told the team everything: from the suspicious fire at his parents’ house, to the threat to Kennedy, finally leading into his talk with Caitlin and everything she had revealed.
Marc let out a low whistle. “So we’ve been chasing our tails, looking in all the wrong places for all the wrong reasons.”
“Wow,” Emma breathed. “This is terrifying stuff—in some ways bigger than our original suspicions.”
“Yes, and the FBI knows nothing about it,” Patrick felt obligated to add.
“Nor are they going to,” Casey responded adamantly to Patrick’s second pointed comment.
“Patrick, I know this is going to go against the grain for you. It won’t be the first time.
But remember, you’re part of FI. If you want to be our kite strings, go ahead.
But we’re seeing this investigation through, Bureau or no Bureau.
Do you want to sit this part out, or are you in? ”
He didn’t hesitate. “You know I’m in.”
“Good. So let’s get into it. Ideas, anyone?”
Ryan cleared his throat. “I’ve had more time than the rest of you to think about this.
We know we’re on the FBI’s radar, and by now we’re on Scott Security’s, too—just by virtue of the fact that we’ve visited my parents’ house repeatedly, especially me, and the fact that my folks and Kennedy are now staying here, obviously for safety purposes.
We’re in everyone’s sights, and that sucks. ”
“So we’re further limited,” Casey said.
Ryan nodded. “Yeah, we are. Add to that the fact that Scott Security has tentacles all over the world—an international reach. So maybe we’re better off lying low and letting a different expert handle this—an expert we know and trust.”
Marc didn’t have to think. “Aidan,” he said.
“Absolutely, and, in this case, Terri, too,” Ryan added.
Terri Underwood was Aidan’s right-hand at the Zermatt Group.
She was also a former NSA analyst and now a sought-after computer security consultant.
Anything IT-related she could handle. Further, she and Ryan had worked together on previous cases, international as well as domestic, when FI and Zermatt had joined forces.
She was brilliant, which was the highest of compliments coming from Ryan.
Casey’s nod was enthusiastic. “That would be the ideal solution. We’d be off the radar, and hiring a team who are far more experienced than we are about handling international spy cases.” She glanced at Marc. “Do you think Aidan will do it?”
Marc grinned. “A chance to break open a criminal organization using Zermatt’s own creative methods and, in the process, paying for their efforts with the bad guys’ money? Hell, yeah. Zermatt is as good as in.”
“Is Aidan still in New York City?” Casey asked. “Because I want this to be an in-person, one-on-one talk between you two.”
“Yup,” Marc replied. “Aidan’s in Manhattan and, actually, so is Terri. Whatever they’re working on can obviously be run from Zermatt’s home base. So it’s no problem for me to set up a one-on-one meeting with my brother.”
Ryan’s brow furrowed, telling the team he was deep in thought.
“All our in-house FI communications are encrypted, as I’m sure Zermatt’s are,” he said.
“But we need to ensure complete encryption between our teams, not to mention giving Zermatt a way to connect with Caitlin.” A quick glance at Marc, then at Casey.
“I’ll find a way to get another System76 overnighted to me.
It’s after midnight, so it’ll take some arm-twisting and a shit ton of money. Is that okay, boss?”
“Use whatever resources you need,” Casey replied.
“Great. Then I’ll handle it. Marc, give me the okay after you talk to Aidan. Once the computer arrives, I’ll need less than a day. I’ll clone the new System76 so it’s identical to the ones I programmed for Caitlin and for me. We’ll communicate solely through that channel.”
“Done.” Marc glanced at his Apple Watch. “Not quite one a.m. Aidan is like the city—he never sleeps. I’ll make arrangements as soon as we end this Zoom meeting.”
Business concluded, Casey turned her gaze to Ryan, who, despite his on-point ideas, looked haggard. “How was Kennedy’s reunion with her mom?” she asked gently.
Ryan swallowed hard, a muscle working in his jaw.
“Incredible. Emotional. Exuberant. Painful.” His eyes misted over.
“They shared the pain of losing Shane and the joy of being together. I got pretty choked up. I stepped away, because they needed time alone. To keep busy, I did some weight-lifting while they talked. And afterward, when Caitlin and I were through and she signed off, I went upstairs. Kennedy was waiting, sitting in the kitchen with Claire. She sobbed in my arms for a long time. The entire experience pretty much gutted me.” He broke off at that.
“I’m sure it did.” Casey’s expression was rife with empathy. “What about your parents? How much did they overhear?”
“Nothing, as planned. Kennedy stayed in the kitchen. It was just her, Claire, and me.”
“I’m glad Claire was there.”
A shaky nod as Ryan squeezed Claire’s hand. “So am I. She helps me stay centered, to use her words. Plus, she and Kennedy have a great rapport.”
“It all worked out,” Claire assured Casey.
“Kennedy finally went to sleep, a lot more peaceful than she has been. I talked briefly to Maureen, who somehow contained herself from blurting out the dozens of questions she was dying to ask.” A small smile.
“But I’d be lying if I said she didn’t look both eager and curious. ”
“She’ll handle the rest of the family,” Ryan assured them.
“All good news,” Casey said. “In which case, I suggest we all catch some sleep.” Her gaze shifted to Marc. “Not quite yet for you. You have a meeting to set up.”
Ryan’s Apartment
Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York
Saturday, March 18, 2:30 a.m.
Ryan lay on his side on the bed, his arms wrapped around Claire, holding her tight as he listened to the even sound of her breathing that told him she’d fallen asleep. After the endlessly long day—and the two hours they’d spent making love—it was no wonder she was wiped.
So was he. But, despite how depleted he was physically and how much Claire had taken him down mentally, he was on major sensory overload.
And that sensory overload stemmed not just from the investigation, but from the beautiful woman lying in his arms—the woman who, over the past hellish week, had stepped up to give him her strength, to be his support and his constant since this nightmare had begun.
Ryan’s mind returned to his previous thoughts for the future—thoughts that tonight had only intensified.
Loving Claire was a given. Since the day they’d committed to each other, spoken those three life-altering words aloud, their relationship had deepened, grown.
It wasn’t just explosive sex anymore, nor was it only playful banter, biting debates, bouncing things off of each other, and tender moments.
It was something bigger, richer, and definitely more all-encompassing.
And that reality had struck him like a blow to the chest tonight, in a more powerful way than it ever had.
Claire was his perfect counterpart, ethereal and instinctive to his grounded and scientific.
Yet through this tragedy, the roles had subtly reversed.
She’d been his rock, strong and take-charge as she guided him through the pain, the loss, and the solutions.
She’d also become part of his family, and, most of all, she’d come to be his other half.
Which changed everything.
This was no longer just about his objections to their separate living arrangements. Not anymore. It was more than that. Much more.
He’d wait until this case was solved and the healing was underway. But after that, he and Claire were going to have a very different and life-altering conversation.