Wired (Buchanan-Renard 13)

After going over the details of the suspected leaks, he handed her a folder that contained all the pertinent information she would need to get started on her search. He then told her he would check in on her in a couple of hours. As he headed for the door, he turned back and asked, “Is there anything I can get you?”

She didn’t answer him. She had already gone into her zone. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard, her eyes locked on her monitor.

With Liam out of the room, Allison was finally able to think. It was too difficult to focus with him next to her. Every nerve in her body reacted when he was near. She couldn’t seem to put on her mask of indifference and ignore him. She never should have kissed him. All she wanted to think about was kissing him again, and that just wasn’t at all normal. She certainly couldn’t concentrate on such matters as the security of a major government agency when he was standing so close.

Starting with the facts in the folder she had been given on the people who had received the sensitive information, she began to work her way backward. She concentrated on the four who seemed to be the most obvious leaks. All of the people had received information through e-mails. As she suspected, the origins of the e-mails were obscure, but she eventually found the source for each one of them. The problem was, each source led to another source, and then another, and another. She completely lost track of time as she tried to navigate the maze.

Liam looked in on her a couple of times, but she was so engrossed in what she was doing he didn’t disturb her. When he stopped by to ask her if she’d like to take a break for lunch, she didn’t look away from the monitor but stared straight ahead, her fingers still working the keyboard, and said, “No, thanks. I’ll catch something later.”

Hours later, as employees were filing past her office on their way home for the evening, Liam returned. “How’s it going?” he asked.

Her concentration broken, Allison looked up at him and shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this. There must be hundreds of proxies. Whoever sent these e-mails sure knows his stuff. Each e-mail is coming through a different route, but it’s pretty obvious to me it’s ultimately the same source.” She sat back in her chair and stretched her arms over her head to release the tension in her shoulders. “I’m not there yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” she assured him.

“It’s getting late. You need to stop for the night.”

“I’d like to keep going, if that’s all right. This guy has created a massive labyrinth, and I just know I can find him.” Her eyes lit up at the thrill of the hunt. “I want to try a little longer,” she pleaded.

Liam swiveled the back of her chair around and turned her away from the desk. Taking her hand, he gently pulled her to her feet and said, “Come on, Allison. It’s time to take you home.”

She didn’t realize how stiff she was until she walked to the door. She wanted to rub the kinks out of her lower back, but she wasn’t about to moan and groan in front of Liam. She wasn’t a frail old lady. She was feeling out of shape, and no wonder. It had been over two weeks since she had worked out, and her muscles were protesting her sitting for so long without moving.

During the long day, Allison had downed several bottles of water, but she hadn’t been hungry. She’d been too busy—and too excited—working through the massive, convoluted puzzle to think about food. She was thinking about it now, though. As if on cue her stomach grumbled. Did she have a granola bar in her purse? Probably not. She glanced at her watch and was shocked. It was already half past seven. The time really had flown by.

As though reading her mind, Liam asked, “Have you eaten anything at all today?”

“I was busy.”

“You’re going to get sick,” he scolded. “From now on you eat lunch. I don’t want you to keel over.”

He sounded worried about her, and she couldn’t hide her surprise. She wasn’t used to anyone showing concern or even noticing when she ate or what she ate . . . except for Aunt Jane when she was monitoring her calorie intake.

“Did I mess up your plans for tonight?” she asked.

“No. You’re the priority.”

She realized he was still holding her hand when they stepped into the elevator. She didn’t feel inclined to pull away.

There was a different guard on duty at the desk. She introduced herself and shook his hand, much to his surprise. As he retrieved her laptop and purse, he told her his name was Lawrence, and he would have given her his life story if Liam hadn’t dragged her away.

He had just opened the car door for her when his cell phone rang. He saw who was calling and said, “I’ve got to take this.”

After fastening her seat belt, Allison decided she might as well check her messages while she waited. There were two voice messages. Both were upsetting.

The first was from Giovanni. He had called at ten in the morning to report that her aunt had left word for him that she would be by that afternoon to pick up a check for twelve thousand dollars he owed for work Allison had done.

“Don’t worry,” Giovanni said. “I won’t be giving her any money. I won’t even open the door. I do have your check ready, and I’d love it if you could drive up and spend the evening with me. My guest room’s always ready for you, but if you can’t work it into your schedule, let me know where you want me to mail the check. And, darling, let me say one more time how thrilled I am that you finally got away from those vipers.”

The second voice mail was from her housemate Mark. He called at four o’clock to let her know that her uncle was parked in front of the house, obviously waiting to ambush her as soon as she returned home.

Liam finished his call and came around the car. He looked serious as he removed his jacket and placed it in the backseat before getting in. She wondered if his call was good news or bad news. His expression wasn’t giving anything away.

“I’m starving,” he said. “Let’s go to dinner.”

She didn’t have much of an appetite after listening to the messages, but she knew her uncle was waiting for her and she wasn’t in any hurry to go home. “I’m not really hungry now,” she said. “If you don’t mind dropping me off at the library, I think I’ll do some work.”

One look at her and Liam knew something was wrong. She was so easy to read, and he liked that about her. She couldn’t hide what she was feeling.

He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. “You have to eat,” he urged. “I have just the place in mind. I think you’ll like it. What do you say?”

“Thank you for the offer, but it’s been a long day and I’m not really in the mood for a crowded restaurant.”

“Then I know you’ll like this place,” he assured her.

“Where is it?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” he said with a sly grin.

Curious, she relented. “Okay.”

She sat back and closed her eyes, letting the day’s work fade to the back of her mind. She didn’t want to think about it or anything else right now.

A half hour later, Liam turned toward the Charles River and pulled into a small parking lot. Coming around the car, he opened her door, took her hand, and led her down a path to an area shaded by large trees. A green wooden park bench sat before a cluster of tall forsythia bushes, and in front of it a long grassy area sloped down to the river.

Pointing to the bench, he said, “Have a seat and I’ll be right back.”

Allison was a little puzzled, but she trusted Liam and did what he said. After a few moments of sitting on the bench and watching the river, she felt an increasing calm, as though her worries were flowing away with the current. In the distance she could see people walking and biking along the river path, some exerting themselves for exercise, others simply enjoying an evening stroll. A row team out for practice drifted past in their long, sleek boat, the smooth, rhythmic strokes gliding them across the water. The e

ntire scene was hypnotic, and once she allowed it to take over, the noise and commotion of the city faded into the background.

A few minutes later, Liam appeared carrying two cans of soda in one hand and two hot dogs wrapped in foil in the other. “I hope you like mustard,” he said as he handed her a can and a hot dog.

“Of course,” she said, smiling. When he had taken his seat beside her and opened the wrapper for a big bite of his hot dog, she remarked, “You were right. I do like this place.”

He popped the tab on his soda. “My favorite spot in Boston,” he said, taking a big swig.

They sat quietly enjoying the view and eating their hot dogs. When they were finished, Liam stretched his long legs in front of him and folded his hands behind his head. Sitting there with him in this place of perfect tranquillity, Allison felt stress-free for the first time in days. She didn’t want to talk about or even think about problems, so she asked Liam to tell her about some of the places he’d been assigned. He began with London and worked his way around the globe. Each city or country he mentioned seemed to have a story attached to it, and each story was either heartwarming or hilariously funny. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. When he smiled, she felt a little catch in her pulse. The more he talked, the more she wanted to hear. Contrary to her initial assessment of him, she could see he had a wonderful sense of humor.

She especially liked the fact that he didn’t have any trouble making fun of himself. Eventually their conversation turned to other topics, and they discovered a number of mutual interests, everything from baseball to ocean life.

When Liam told her about a near miss with a shark, she rubbed the goose bumps on her arms and asked, “How could you ever get into the water knowing that some of the most dangerous predators are right there, waiting for a snack?”

Liam laughed. “And I’m the snack?”

“Yes. Haven’t you ever seen Shark Week on television? Guess where some of the most dangerous sharks are.”

“Australia.”

“That’s right.”

“I grew up swimming in the ocean.”

“Is that how you learned to swim? In the ocean?” She sounded appalled. “I can’t imagine . . . with all those waves and undercurrents. It can be very dangerous.”

“We had a pool in our backyard, and that’s where I learned. My father taught me. I was three or four. How old were you when you learned to swim?”

“Around seventeen, I guess. Giovanni taught me.”

“The guy you model for? How did that happen?”

“We were on a photo shoot. It was a beautiful location with this infinity pool that seemed to drop off the side of the world. I was modeling a bathing suit, and Giovanni wanted to get some shots of me coming out of the water.” She laughed as she added, “I didn’t want to disappoint him.”

“So you jumped into the water?”

“And almost drowned. Giovanni had to come in after me. He pushed the photo shoot to the next day, and right then and there he gave me my first lesson.”

“You must have shocked the hell out of him.”

She laughed again. “Oh yes, I did.”

Liam could tell she was having a good time. So was he, he realized.

“Here’s a question,” he said nonchalantly as he reached for her empty can and wrapper. “Swim in the ocean where you know there’s a great white, or walk across a lawn where you know there’s a poisonous snake—which do you choose?”

She drummed her fingertips on the park bench while she thought about it. “Swim,” she finally said.

“My brother and I played that game all the time. Drove our parents nuts.”

“What was it like, growing up in Australia?” she asked.

He described his family and their home on the Australian coast with its aquamarine waters and white sand beaches. It sounded like an idyllic childhood. He clearly was very close to his family, especially his younger brother. The two boys had been daredevils, and from some of the escapades he told her about, she suspected they had given their parents some sleepless nights. Allison was captivated by his stories and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners just before he was about to tell of some mischievous prank. She still couldn’t figure him out, but she was definitely intrigued. His sense of adventure and the need to do something that mattered had obviously led him to the work he was doing now. By comparison, she was a boring nerd. While she hid in her room writing code, he was out in the world experiencing life.

When there was a lull in the conversation, she looked around. It was night and the river was dark, the only light coming from the moon’s reflection off the water and a distant streetlight on the path. She glanced down at her watch. It was almost eleven. They had been talking for three hours. She had been so caught up in their conversation she had completely lost track of time. She had forgotten about her worries for a while, but unfortunately they came rushing back when, as they were walking back to his car, Liam asked her if she had gotten bad news in the messages she had checked earlier.

“Why would you think . . .”

“You’re easy to read,” he said. “You checked your messages and you were upset.”

“Not upset,” she corrected. “Irritated.”

He hadn’t started the engine yet and turned toward her. “Tell me.”

She knew he wouldn’t let up until she explained, so she quickly told him about both messages.

He didn’t hide his disgust. “Your aunt thought she could sign your name to your check and deposit it in her account?”

“She’s done it before.”

“But you’re not going to let her do it again.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Why do you think your uncle was sitting in front of your house? The money?”

“I don’t know. Maybe to try to get me back under his thumb. He’s got a bad temper,” she added. “And when he drinks, he can be . . . unreasonable.”

Frowning, he asked, “Has he ever hit you?”

“Almost. Once. Will stopped him and told him to leave me alone,” she answered. “From then on I pretty much stayed out of his way. For the most part we ignored each other . . . that is, until he needed the money I could bring in.”

“You had a hell of a time growing up, didn’t you?”

She stiffened. “Don’t feel sorry for me. It wasn’t all bad, and I got away with a lot. As long as I didn’t bother them and I stayed out of trouble, I could do whatever I wanted. And as long as my sister was around, I was okay.”

“What about when she wasn’t around?” he asked quietly.

“I was more cautious,” she said. “I took care of myself,” she added before abruptly changing the subject. “How soon will my aunt and uncle find out that Will is going to get probation?”

“Tomorrow or the day after. What happens when he screws up again, Allison?”

“You’ve already asked me that question.”

“I’m asking again.”

She knew he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t waver. “He’s on his own if he messes up. I haven’t changed my mind. I’m done. I promise.”

They were just a couple of blocks from her house when Liam said, “If your uncle is still sitting out front, I’m going to talk to him.”

“No, I’ll handle him. You don’t need to fight my wars for me.”

“Yeah, well, I’m talking to him,” he insisted. “And if he’s behind the wheel and has been drinking, he’s going to be spending the night in lockup.”

The set of his jaw indicated he was going to be stubborn, and when they turned the corner to her street, she was relieved. Fortunately her uncle had left. She was thankful there wouldn’t be a confrontation.

Liam walked her to the door and once again held most of the contents of her purse while she searched for her house key. As soon as she got the key in the lock, he turned t

o leave.

“I’ll pick you up at eight,” he said.

“I can drive myself. I have GPS. I won’t get lost.”

“I’m still picking you up at eight.”

Thoroughly confused, she asked, “Why?”

He walked back to her. “Because I want to.”

The mood changed the closer he got to her. They stood in the shadows staring at each other, and Allison wondered if he would kiss her again.

Liam was wondering how he was going to keep away from her. Did she have any idea how seductive she was? He couldn’t stop staring at her mouth, remembering how soft her lips were and how sweet she tasted.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said without taking her eyes away from his.

“You’re welcome.” His voice was gruff.

He told himself to turn around and walk away, but he couldn’t make himself do it. What was happening to him? He’d never had any problems with women before. Allison was different, though. She was messing with his head, and he doubted she even realized it.

“Are you going to kiss me?”

“No.”

His abrupt answer should have embarrassed her, but it didn’t. “You looked like you were about to kiss me.”

“No.”

“Why not?” She sounded disgruntled.

The blunt question made him smile. “I’m trying to keep my distance.”

“And I’m making that difficult for you.”

“Yes.”

“In my defense, you’re making it difficult for me, too.”

“Yeah? How’s that?”

“Mixed signals,” she said, nodding. “You say you don’t want to get involved, and the next minute you’re grabbing me and kissing me crazy.”