“No, you can’t.” Ryker’s sneer even made Laney shiver. “She’s the best programmer I’ve ever met, and I know some shady bastards.”
Even though she could’ve handled herself, and her brother was justifiably angry, Ryker’s quick defense warmed her. He’d always protected her, but he’d never spoken back to Braden in such a manner.
“Who the hell are you to tell me?” Braden countered. “We may be facing a real issue here, not to mention the scrolls are who knows where. But the Feds are on our back and our system was hacked? Doesn’t take a genius to figure out we have a mole.”
The idea horrified Laney. They were so careful about who they hired. The background checks were extensive, their training and “babysitting” period was just as meticulous. Now the question was how did they narrow their search down to one office? They had branches all over the globe. Their main one, of course, was in Boston, and a year ago one opened in Miami and in Atlanta.
Could the traitor be one of the employees down South?
“We need to warn Mac,” she stated, thinking aloud. “He needs to start scouring his crew while we look at ours. We clearly should start with our US locations. I doubt the threat is coming from overseas. That wouldn’t make any sense.”
Braden nodded. “I agree. What I want to know is how someone fractured your system.”
Laney rubbed her forehead, wondering the same thing. Closing her eyes, she willed the slight dizziness to pass. Maybe she should get some orange juice or something in her stomach.
“I’m going to figure that out.” Laney eased back in the chair, rested her elbow on the arm and opened her eyes. “I took one of the laptops from the office, and I plan on looking through its history. I’ll do the same for the rest of them.”
Braden’s hardened gaze held hers. “I love you, Laney. I’m not doubting you. I’m shocked, actually. We’ve never had this kind of breach before, and the
last thing I need is the Feds sniffing around.”
Since Braden had taken over after their father’s passing, the O’Sheas had been moving into more legitimate territory—which meant staying off the radar of the law. To her full knowledge, they’d been so careful. Minus Ryker and Shane’s incident, there wasn’t anything that she knew of that would cause this level of scrutiny...well, she still didn’t know what happened to her ex.
What a mess. Having the Feds involved did not bode well for the O’Sheas.
“I promise you, there won’t be a problem. I’ll get this fixed, and we’ll find out who the snitch is.”
She risked a glance at Ryker, who looked even more menacing than usual. Those dark lashes fanned out over coal-like eyes, his hard-set jaw was clenched, his arms were crossed over that impossibly broad chest. Ryker was pissed, and she only prayed she could get to the bottom of this betrayal before he took matters into his own hands.
Nine
Laney had just grabbed a bottle of water when her front door slammed. Because she lived in an old brownstone, she didn’t have that whole open-concept thing going on. She liked her rooms cozy and blocked off into designated areas.
“Hello?” she called as she made her way to the front of her house.
She wasn’t too concerned about an intruder, considering she had alarms, cameras and an insane security system she knew her brother and Ryker had paid quite a bit for. They’d insisted on making sure she was safe the second she moved out of the O’Shea mansion.
The bottle crinkled in her hand as she stopped in the entryway to her living room.
“What are you doing here?”
Without taking his eyes off her, Ryker jerked out of his leather jacket and tossed it onto the couch. “I’m making sure you’re okay, and then I’m helping you get to the bottom of this damn mess.”
Nerves stirred in her stomach. He was here because he cared, and he was here for work. Their worlds collided on so many levels, there was no way she could find separation.
“I’m fine.”
“You were dizzy earlier, then you weren’t feeling well when you were talking with Braden.”
Laney twisted the cap on her bottle of water and took a drink. He hadn’t made a move to come in any farther, but clearly he was staying since he’d taken off his coat. This was becoming a habit...one she would gladly build on.
“I was feeling a little light-headed while we were talking. It passed.”
“You’re not driving anymore.”
Laney screwed the lid back on and cocked her head, sure she’d heard wrong. “Excuse me?”
Now he moved, like a panther to its prey. He crossed to her until they stood toe to toe, causing her to tip her head back to meet his intense, heavy-lidded gaze.