Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
If Stormi wasn’t so damn interested in why Lincoln wanted the information on failed rocket boosters and all the rigorous testing these companies went through, she wouldn’t bother. Not after catching the asshole red-handed in her computer system.
After they’d slept together.
What a fucking jerk.
Of course, she couldn’t say anything. If she did, she’d have a lot of explaining to do.
What made it all worse was Kara’s text message asking her—no, telling her—to stay away from Zero Gravity. All that did was make Stormi wonder what Lincoln was really up to and if she should confide in him, but when she pushed Kara into asking why, all Kara had to say was that she’d heard through her internal sources that things were happening.
Stormi didn’t have anyone in her life whom she trusted, except Kara, though trust was a strong word when it came to Kara and the FBI. Sure, Kara had made it possible for Stormi to stay out of prison. She’d also helped her start a new life. She even gave her enough rope to hang herself. But now she was begging her to take a major step back instead of turning a blind eye.
Well, Stormi wasn’t sure she could do that. For now, she’d leave the computer shit alone. At least until she learned what the hell Lincoln had installed in her system. And she’d find out soon enough.
She flipped through the pages of one of the books she’d pulled from the shelves. So far, she hadn’t learned anything new in her research. It was difficult not to focus on Zero Gravity and her father’s work on rocket boosters. But she did her best to look up every article and book on the topic.
And there were plenty.
Thankfully, the library had been quiet most of the day.
She glanced up from her notebook. “Oh, hello, Marisa. Brad. How are you two doing today?”
“Better than my little brother,” Marisa said. “He’s still grounded, which is why we’re here. The only way my folks would let him come was if we acted as chaperones.”
“That’s awfully nice of the two of you,” Stormi said, glancing around. She smiled. “I see he found Suzie already. Should I be worried that I’m aiding and abetting?”
“Oh, no.” Brad shook his head. “They are allowed to see each other. Suzie’s mom knows Chad is here.”
“We’re under strict orders to make sure they don’t sneak out.” Marisa laughed. “Because we’ve never done anything like that before.”
Stormi leaned forward and rested her arms on the counter. “Do not put me in a position where I have to be a nasty adult.”
“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Brad said. “But we were hoping we could use one of the rooms with a television to watch a movie?”
Stormi cocked her head. “Just so the two of you know, there are security cameras in those rooms and I’m going to have to ask you to leave the door open.” She waggled her finger.
“Seriously, Stormi.” Marisa shook her head. “Do all adults over twenty think teenagers are sex-starved crazy people? We just want to watch Aquaman while those two lovebirds over there try to find a corner to steal a kiss or two.”
“For the record, yes. That’s not what we think. That’s what we know.” Stormi snagged the keys to the room closest to the front desk. “I know five girls from my high school who were pregnant before graduation.”
“Ew, gross. I don’t need this lecture from you,” Marisa said. “It’s bad enough my father leaves pamphlets around and tries to have the sex talk with me all the time.”
“At least your dad cares enough to try.” Stormi unlocked the door.
“She’s right. I mean, my dad and I talk about stuff like that, but my mom?” Brad let out a long breath. “Her idea of the big talk was to tell me that if I dared knock a girl up, I could kiss the family fortune goodbye. Then she tossed a box of condoms at me and told me to check the expiration date.”
“I hope the two of you?—”
“We’re not having sex,” Marisa said with red cheeks. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Perhaps it’s not. But if you ever want a grown-up to talk to who’s not your mother, though moms know best, I’m here.” Stormi smiled. “Enjoy the movie.”
“Thanks, Stormi.” Marisa nodded.
Stormi totally overstepped a dozen lines. But she didn’t regret doing it. Marisa and Brad were good kids. And they were lucky to have parents who had open discussions about adult topics that would inevitably affect them sooner rather than later. But that didn’t mean other people in their lives couldn’t interject some wisdom.
She made her way back behind the counter and eyed Chad and Suzie, who were currently preparing for story time which would begin in twenty minutes. Suzie was gifted when it came to reading to small children. She was animated and had a way with voice inflection. Stormi had learned that one day she wanted to be a teacher. She’d make for a good one.
Chad, on the other hand, was not as good, but he was working on it, and Stormi enjoyed watching him try.
Ah, young love.
The thought immediately soured her mood. Her emotions had gotten the better of her when it came to Lincoln. His company had been hired to implement a new cybersecurity system. She’d learned that the man could write that code in his sleep.
So what the hell was he dicking around for?
Oh yeah. He was trying to find her and now that he had, what was he going to do? He had to know she’d been the one; otherwise, why go to her house and hack her system? What was his end game? Have her arrested? Did he know who she was and had been in contact with Kara?
If that were the case, Kara would have pulled her, or at least that’s what Stormi wanted to believe.
She should run.
And fast.
That was still an option.
“Excuse me.” A woman who appeared to be in her early forties approached. She wore red capri slacks with a white top. Her long brown hair touched her shoulders. It was thick and straight but had a bit of bounce to it. The woman had piercing blue eyes and flawless skin.
Stormi blinked as a tickle of recognition flowed through her mind. Shit. She was staring at none other than Jeannie Mooney, Norman’s soon-to-be ex-wife, better known as David Caulkin’s daughter.
“Yes. Can I help you with something?” Stormi had never met Jeannie before, but she had met her father and her husband when she was in high school. The encounters had been brief. A few times at company picnics and Mr. Caulkin had been to her father’s home a couple of times.
What she remembered about Norman was he never seemed to fit in with the rest of the people at the company parties and he didn’t hang out with her father. According to what she’d learned after meeting Brad, his father worked in the marketing department and had very little to do with engineering or research and development. His role was to make promotional videos and from what she saw on the internet and television, he seemed to do that well.
“I’ve been on the hunt for a certain book. I’ve tried finding a used copy of it online and in used bookstores, but I haven’t been successful. I was told at a different library that you have a copy of it.” The woman dug into her purse. “Do you have it?” Jeannie slid a piece of paper across the counter.
“As a matter of fact, we do.” Stormi closed the book and held it up. “Oddly, I was just thumbing through it.”
“Really? Now what interest would aerodynamics and spaceflight have on a librarian?”
“Oh, I’m interested in all books.” Stormi smiled. “Are you looking to check this out? If so, I’ll just need your library card.”
“I don’t have one of those. Is it really necessary?”
Stormi nodded. “All I need is a valid driver’s license and I can hook you up in no time.”
“That would be splendid.” With a delicate touch, Jeannie handed over her ID. She tapped her fingernails on the wood surface and waited, impatiently, while Stormi keyed in the information.
In these situations, Stormi would normally take her sweet time, but she didn’t want to spend a single second longer with the likes of Jeannie. Besides the stories she’d heard from Heather and Tal about the way she treated Norman and Brad, the woman appeared to be a stuck-up snob. Not to mention, her father and their company killed Stormi’s dad.
So there was that.
“Here you go.” Stormi stuck the printout inside the book. “The return date is on that paper. There are late fees, so if you want to avoid those, give us a call if you need to keep it longer. Unless someone is on the waitlist for this bad boy, I doubt it will be a problem.” Oh, she’d make sure she put someone’s name down for the book, but only because she wanted it back.
For Lincoln’s sake.
Right.
“Thank you.” Jeannie turned and gasped.
“Mom. What are you doing here?” Brad stood five feet away with his mouth gaping open.
“I should be asking you that,” Jeannie said. “You’re supposed to be at your father’s this week.”
“I am.” Brad folded his arms. “He’s at work, like he does every day, and you’re supposed to be out of town. Or at least that’s what you told us.”
“I was, but I came back a few days early.” She inched closer, reaching out, resting her hand on Brad’s shoulder.
He shrugged it away.
“I had some things I needed to do for your grandfather.” She tapped the book. “Finding this was one of them. Would you like to go grab some lunch?”
Brad shook his head. “I’m here with friends, and then Dad and I have plans.”
“All right and perhaps it’s best if you didn’t tell your father you saw me here today. You know how he gets.”
“Yeah. Sure. No problem.”
“Love you, honey.” She kissed his cheek.
Brad let out a long breath. “So, you got to meet my mother. She’s a real gem, isn’t she.” He rolled his eyes.
“I’m going to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong for the second time today, but she’s the only mother you’ll ever have. Whatever problems you’re having now, I know they seem massive, but take it from someone who lost her parents young, cut her a little slack.”
“Trust me, I’ve given her many chances. Forgiven a ton of stuff. I don’t even care that she cheated on my dad. That’s between them. My problem is she doesn’t care about me. All she cares about is what my grandfather thinks and whether or not he’s going to leave her any money.” Brad leaned against the counter. “When she found out I wanted to go to the Air Force Academy, she laughed. She told me that we could afford for me to go to any college I wanted and to forget about the military. I was too good for that.”
Oh boy. Stormi should really bite her fucking tongue. But she couldn’t. “You know, my dad and I fought like there was no tomorrow. The two things we fought about most was my boyfriend, whom I married to spite him, and my choice in careers.”
“He didn’t like you being a librarian?”
“Nope.” God, she was getting too good at lying. And to a kid no less. “He wanted me to do something big with my life. He thought maybe I should be a doctor. Or a lawyer. Or work with computers. Anything but something so traditional as what I do. He also hated my husband, although he turned out to be right about that one.”
“I didn’t know you had ever been married.”
“It’s not something I talk about,” she said. “But my point is, all my dad wanted was the best for me, but he often went about it in such a way that it made me rebel. It got so bad that when he died, we were barely speaking to each other and that’s something that I will always regret.”
“It’s hard to have a conversation with someone who is never around or constantly pawns me off on someone else.” Brad raised his hand. “Not that mind. I love living with my dad. Don’t get me wrong, he can be a pain in my ass, especially when it comes to me and Marisa. He thinks we’re too young to be this serious, but at least he’s willing to get to know her and be present in my life. My mom, on the other hand, won’t listen to anything. She’s going to be in for a rude awakening when I actually leave for the academy this summer.”
“What does your dad think about all that?”
“It’s not his first choice for me, but he supports it.” Brad squared his shoulders and smiled. “He believes it’s honorable and I’ll get a good education. He tells me what I do with it after that is up to me.”
“Well, young man, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
“That, I’m not so sure of yet.” Brad laughed. “My grandfather would like me to go work for his company. He thinks my fascination with the Air Force means I want to be a pilot and maybe an astronaut, but I’m leaning more toward a fire protection specialist.”
“That’s interesting.”
“I’ve always been fascinated by fires and the Air Force would give more than the training necessary to become a firefighter. It’s a unique team.”
“You sound quite passionate about it,” Stormi said.
“Oh my God.” Marisa came up behind Brad and rested her head on his shoulder. “You did not get my boyfriend talking about being a fireman, did you? Now he’ll never shut up.”
Stormi chuckled. “Having something that makes your eyes glow like that isn’t a bad thing.”
“Maybe not, but he left me alone in that room while he was supposed to be snagging us a couple of waters. For all I knew, he was out here flirting with some other girl.”
“That would never happen.” Brad kissed her cheek.
“None of that in my library.” Stormi waved her hand. “Now get out of my way. I have work to do.” She snagged her pencil and jotted down a couple of questions she had about the book she’d given to Jeannie. She had no idea how she was going to inform Lincoln of this tiny little detail, but he had the right to know.
Didn’t he?
Lincoln tapped his knuckles against the old wood door. It took thirty seconds before it rattled and opened.
A tall, thin man wearing a badge and a gun peeked his head outside. “I hope you weren’t followed.”
“I was not,” Lincoln said. “I sat in my Jeep across the street for five minutes and then drove around the block to make sure. I checked my vehicle for tracking devices. I’m also a computer genius, so I know there’s nothing on my phone or anywhere else on my person.”
“I’ve heard all about you from Fenmore and her husband. My wife’s sister also happens to be married to Brayden Gibson.”
“He’s a good man and I’ve met Madison. She’s sweet.”
“That she is and her husband saved mine and my wife’s lives. I spoke to him before agreeing to meet with you. He said I could trust you.”
“So, then are you going to let me in?”
“We have to agree that what is seen and said here, stays here.” Jimmy arched a brow.
“I can live with that.”
Jimmy pulled open the door.
Lincoln crossed the threshold and his heart stopped as the door slammed shut. “Of all the things I expected, seeing Dante Norris alive with my own two eyes was not one of them.”
“My daughter can’t know.” Dante stood about six feet tall. He had thin gray hair. Scars and burns lined the side of his face and snaked down the right side of his body. “I’m lucky to have survived that explosion as it is.”
“This might be one of the most inappropriate questions I could possibly ask at this time, but when did you learn she was alive?” Lincoln glanced between the two men.
“I’ve known all along. But he learned about a month ago,” Jimmy said.
“But to be fair, I struggled to believe that my child killed herself. She was a lot of things. Willful. Stubborn. And that child could hold a grudge longer than anyone I know. But suicidal? No. She was too angry for that. And not the kind of angry that led to depression, but the kind that would drive a person to seek answers.”
“What her husband did to her was diabolical,” Lincoln said. “He ruined her reputation as an ethical hacker. There was no way out for her. I’ve seen the evidence. Even though she was the one who turned on him, ultimately proving that he also played a part, he managed to put in her coding. It made her look guilty as sin.”
“You say that as if you know she didn’t do it.”
“Because she didn’t.” Lincoln smiled. “Every coder has a style. Hers is quite unique and he hadn’t mastered it.”
“Then why did she still go down for the crime even in her death?”
“Because that’s what the FBI wanted,” Jimmy said. “It was for her protection. Kurt might suspect she’s the one who rolled, but if the people he was working for knew, well, they’d be gunning for her too. It was best that they believed the FBI thought she played a role. Not to mention, it helped us force Kurt to take the guilty plea and let us go after his partners, shutting down a ring of crime.”
“Not everyone is behind bars.” Lincoln cocked his head.
“They will be soon,” Jimmy said. “Our field office in Albany is handling them. They’ve been working on it for three years and they are closing ranks. Trust me, they will be out of the picture in a few weeks. They aren’t our problem.” Jimmy flipped open his laptop. “Unfortunately, Stormi and you could be.”
“I take offense to that statement.” Lincoln folded his arms and leaned against the wall.
“You shouldn’t. Your computer skills are better than Darius described.” Jimmy eased into the chair. “I’ve been in Zero Gravity’s system since Dante over here died.”
“Now if I was so good, how the fuck did I miss that?” Lincoln didn’t like being made a fool of.
Jimmy pointed to the computer screen.
Lincoln narrowed his stare. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Does Norman Mooney know you’re using his credentials to poke around inside Zero Gravity?”
“He’s helping me,” Jimmy said.
“Well, fuck me.” Lincoln threaded his fingers through his hair. “That adds flavor to this case that puts me between a rock and a hard place. I know that man’s kid. He’s dating Tal’s daughter.”
“He’s also seen firsthand what his wife and father-in-law are capable of,” Dante said. “It’s why he left his wife.”
“I thought it was because she was cheating on him.” Lincoln’s brain filled with a million questions. The first one, and most important when it came to his role was, what the hell did his ex-girlfriend know about any of this? Because nothing made sense.
Including her reason for wanting to save face, as she put it.
“That’s what he tells people and that’s partly true,” Jimmy said. “After the explosion, Norman knew something wasn’t right. But he doesn’t have anything to do with that part of the company.”
“Neither does his wife,” Lincoln said.
Dante chuckled. “Actually, that’s not true. People forget that she has a master’s degree in physics. Her father is incredibly old-fashioned and doesn’t believe a woman could possibly run his company, much less have the brain power to develop and deploy rocket boosters. He did, however, want her to become entangled with his top scientists or engineers. He was quite disappointed when she married Norman, which I believe she did to piss off the old man and force his hand to let her be the brains when he retired.”
“How’s that working for her?” Lincoln asked with a heavy dose of sarcasm. God, he hated sexist assholes.
“Jeannie is a smart woman and her talents were underutilized for years,” Dante said. “I felt sorry for her and took her under my wing. I often argued with her father about how brilliant her ideas were. It cost me a promotion once, but I kept thinking about how I treated my little girl and I wished I had done things differently.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Lincoln asked.
“I hated her chosen career path,” Dante said. “I didn’t understand ethical hacking. I thought it was a fancy word for doing something illegal and getting away with it.”
“I’m an ethical hacker, for lack of a better word.” Lincoln held Dante’s unwavering gaze.
“I know better now and I tried making amends with Amanda—I mean Stormi. But her fucking husband is a cockroach.” Dante waggled his finger. “Now, that I was right about.”
“I won’t argue with you on that point.” Lincoln nodded. “But I’d like to get back to Jeannie, Norman, and how Stormi and I are a problem for you.”
“Your new system will make it impossible for me to poke around as Norman. He won’t have the access I need,” Jimmy said.
“I can make sure you have whatever you need inside Zero Gravity on a few conditions.”
“You’re not in a position to negotiate with the FBI.” Jimmy leaned back in his chair and lowered his chin.
“Oh, yes, I am. But we’ll get to what I need in return in a few minutes.” Lincoln shifted his stance as he collected his thoughts. “What’s your problem with Stormi?”
“We need her to back off,” Dante said. “Not only is it imperative she not find out I’m alive, but her continuing to hack into the system will put everyone who had a hand in blowing up that rocket ship on high alert.”
“They are already running scared since she leaked documents and now the current launch is on hold.” Jimmy waved his hand over the computer. “My plan is contingent on Zero Gravity moving forward.”
Lincoln pinched the bridge of his nose. “Does that mean you have proof they sabotaged the first launch and tried to kill Dante in the first place?”
“We don’t have all the evidence, but we’re close and perhaps you can help us find it with your new security system.” Jimmy batted his eyelashes like a sexy little vixen.
Lincoln laughed. “I guess I walked right into giving you what you wanted in the first place.”
“I just need to be able to find the proof and it’s somewhere in those digital hallways,” Jimmy said.
“No offense, but I also had a little chat with Darius and Fenmore about you, and while you have some skills, you don’t have the computer savvy to do what you need to. You won’t find it. Not without my help. So, why don’t you let me do it. I’m in there anywhere. David just gave me access to everything, finally.”
“He probably deleted shit if he made you wait,” Dante muttered.
“If he did, I’ll be able to see that. I might not know exactly what was there, but there will be a trace left behind, which means I’ll be able to dig.” Lincoln nodded. “I might not be the great Darius Ford, but I am the next best thing.” He lifted his finger. “Once you have your proof, what’s your next move?”
“We shut down Zero Gravity and arrest David, his daughter, and anyone else who was involved in the explosion and the cover-up,” Jimmy said.
“What about Dante’s work?” Lincoln asked, although this was more for Stormi than for himself. “I understand that you most likely did not sabotage those rocket boosters, but according to the reports, the work you did on them was suspect and subpar.”
“Not true,” Dante said behind a tight jaw. “We believe David stole my designs and will be using them on this next launch. But we need to find them to prove it.”
“That makes sense.” Lincoln should be able to find them easily enough.
“So, will you be able to keep Stormi out of the system?” Jimmy stood, resting his ass on the desk. “And what are your demands?”
Oh boy. Neither of these men were going to like what he had in mind. “They aren’t demands and the first one only came to light after speaking with you.” Lincoln pointed to the computer. “I want you to leave Norman out of this. Release him. We don’t need his credentials. He’ll end up collateral damage and his boy is on his way to the Air Force Academy. I’d hate for anything to taint that young man’s record before it even begins.”
“Norman’s not going to like it. He wants to take them down. His wife has done nothing but fuck with his kid’s life,” Dante said.
“Tell him whatever you have to, including letting him know I’m in on this plan if that’s what it will take,” Lincoln said. “But I want him and his son protected. Deal?”
“I’ll make it happen.” Jimmy nodded. “What else?”
“I need help figuring out if my boss and ex-girlfriend has anything to do with why I’m here. As in, if she’s setting me up to fail,” Lincoln said.
“Are you fucking kidding me? If that’s the case, you should be letting me inside that system with you.” Jimmy glared.
“No. Because she’ll know you’re there. She’s as good as I am. In some ways, better. Not at the coding, but because she’s a lying bitch.” Lincoln held up his hand. “What I need you to do is use your knowledge of this case and all your contacts to figure out if she’s working with David, Jeannie, or anyone else inside Zero Gravity. I can’t do it because it’s possible she’s inside the system watching me, and because she’s my boss, she’ll have access to the new code, but I’m working on a solution to that, once I find her spying on me.”
“This is giving me one hell of a headache,” Dante whispered. “Who is this woman and what’s the name of the company?”
“This is where it gets interesting. Her name is Samantha Wilkerson. She owns CyberGuard Solutions. I just learned that Samantha worked for the company that installed the current system and was on the original team that created the system.” Lincoln waved his hand. “According to my ex, David is not aware of this, but something tells me that’s not true. But for Samantha, this is her chance to save face because she’s taking this personally.”
“She worked for Ironclad Security? They are a British firm.” Dante rubbed his chin. “I think I remember when their team toured Zero Gravity.”
“Does this woman look familiar to you?” Lincoln had never been so happy to have not deleted something from his phone. He held up an old image of Samantha.
“It’s been a long time.” Dante leaned closer. “I can’t be sure, but the name does sound familiar and so does her face. My team submitted parameters for the scope of our work and the kind of computer system we needed. I might be able to dig up the emails.”
“That would be helpful.” Lincoln nodded. “Now, for my last request and this is the only way I can keep an eye on what Stormi is doing.”
“Like hell.” Dante lunged forward. “You are not using my daughter.”
Lincoln blew out a puff of air. “Look. It’s either I chase her in and out of their system, wasting precious time, because she’s determined to clear your name. Or I use her skills to help me figure all this out, all while clearing your name.”
“He’s got a point,” Jimmy said. “This way we control the narrative.”
“I don’t like it.” Dante shook his head.
“Can’t say it’s my first choice.” Lincoln smiled weakly. “But this way, I can protect her identity as well as keep you dead to her for a little while longer.” He turned his attention toward Jimmy. “You think you can help me with my Samantha problem?”
“Already on it.”
“All right.” Lincoln waved his cell. “I’ll send you a secure number you can reach me on. Don’t leave a message if I don’t answer. I’ll see that you called.” He pointed to Jimmy’s computer. “I take it that’s always secure.”
“It is.”
“Okay. We can message on that. I’ll be in touch tonight after I’ve had a fun little chat with Stormi. Let’s hope she doesn’t beat me over the head with a baseball bat.” Lincoln gripped the handle and swallowed. It was one thing to come clean about one betrayal, but to layer on a different one?
Yeah, he was going to hell.