Wired (Buchanan-Renard 13)

Allison used the map on her phone and gave directions. They stopped in front of a single-story dilapidated house with a battered and faded FOR SALE sign in the front yard. It was partially obscured by trash and weeds. The place looked deserted. Liam put the car in park and Allison stared past him, trying to see if there was movement in one of the windows.

“Liam, I have something to tell you, and I’d like you to try to be reasonable.”

“Reasonable about what?”

She took a breath and, knowing he was about to be extremely unreasonable, said, “This is a house where one of Will’s friends lived. Will could be inside.”

Before she could explain her plan, he said, “He isn’t. Agents checked for me. Went through the house, room by room. It’s empty, and no one’s been there for a long time. See? I can be reasonable.” He smiled after making the statement of fact.

“How did you . . . ?”

“The names were on your screen, and I checked them out.”

She shrugged. “It was a long shot. Will knew them years ago when he was in high school. I remembered them because they were really mean, and they scared me. They were the kind of guys who would easily become violent.”

“What were you hoping to accomplish here?”

“I thought one of them might be hiding Will. If I can find him and get him to surrender peacefully, Phillips assured me the court would take that into consideration.”

His patience was quickly vanishing. “Are you still hell-bent on helping him?”

“I don’t want him to die in a hail of bullets.”

“A hail of bullets? You watch too much television.”

“If he has the opportunity to surrender, then that’s what I’m hoping he’ll want to do.”

He looked at her for a long, silent moment and then said, “Do you know anywhere else he could be?”

“No,” she said. She was emphatic. “And if I did know, I would tell you.”

Convinced, he nodded. “Okay, then. Is our scenic drive over?”

“Yes.” She thought he looked relieved. “I’m beginning to get the feeling you can’t wait to get rid of me.”

He laughed, but she noticed he didn’t contradict her. They didn’t talk much on the way back to her apartment, each lost in thought. She was dying to ask him where he was going or if he would be back, and her determination not to was making her crazy.

His farewell didn’t warm her heart. He grabbed her, gave her a quick kiss, and said, “See you later.”

She wanted to hit something. She finally understood what Liam had meant when he said frustration and pressure built up. Hitting was a good release, he’d told her. She was about to find out for herself.

She called Dan. An hour later she was being destroyed on a racquetball court at the gym. The only time she hit the ball was during practice before they started a game. Dan was proud—and loud—announcing to anyone who would listen that he had wiped the floor with her. He couldn’t just say he’d won?

Even though she had been humiliated on the court with at least twenty men watching, after all was said and done, she did feel better. Liam had been right. Hitting something—or in her case, trying to hit something—helped get rid of tension and stress.

Dan, still gloating from his victory, walked her to her car. “Have you been aware of your surroundings?” he asked, now reverting to his brother mode.

“Yes,” she answered.

“Then you know you’re being followed?”

“Yes, I do know. He’s an agent temporarily assigned to watch over me.”

“Why?” he asked, his concern obvious.

She didn’t want to go into a lengthy explanation about Will or even the trouble over Bale’s resentment, so she simply said, “I’m an asset as long as I work at the cyber unit.”

He nodded, accepting her half-given explanation. “Where’s the guy you’re usually with?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

“I don’t know.” She sounded disheartened and knew he noticed.

Dan opened her car door for her. “You fell for him, didn’t you?” Her silence told him everything he needed to know. As pragmatic as ever, he said, “Maybe it’s a good thing you’re going to California pretty soon. A new start,” he suggested. “I personally wish you weren’t going, but I—”

She interrupted. “I’m not going. I want to start my company here in Boston. I can take on the Silicon boys from here.” She smiled as she added, “And annihilate them.”

Dan couldn’t have been happier and wanted to celebrate. “What are you doing tonight?”

“I have absolutely nothing planned.”

That wasn’t exactly true. If she followed past Saturday and Sunday night rituals, she would have eaten a salad and worked on her laptop until the early hours of the morning. Six months ago that routine would have sounded pleasant to her, almost fun, but now she realized how dismal her life had been . . . and maybe still was. Everything had changed, she realized, when she met Liam. He had opened her eyes to the world around her. He’d also opened her heart, and she wasn’t at all happy about that.

“I’ll pick you up at seven, and we’ll get a beer. Mark will probably come, too. Our womenfolk are out of town this weekend.”

“‘Womenfolk’?” she repeated, laughing.

“I’ve got a stack of mail for you. Mostly catalogs. I’ll bring it all tonight.”

She didn’t want to go out. She wanted to stay home and wallow in misery. As soon as she realized that sad fact, she told Dan she was looking forward to going out.

“It’ll be fun,” she said cheerfully.

Her statement turned out to be true. She ended up spending the evening at the Dead End Bar and Grille with Dan and Mark and two other seniors she’d helped out a couple of times in their computer classes. She drank a little and laughed a lot.

Dan was the designated driver. He drove Allison home, handed her the mail he’d collected, and cuffed her shoulder as a sign of affection before she got out of the car. If she had any doubt that he considered her one of the guys, his good-bye clinched it.

TWENTY-ONE

The day of Brett’s Armageddon finally arrived.

Monday morning Allison was happy to be back at the cyber unit. She was going to bury herself in work and then go to the Adams Harbor Hotel and bury Brett. She left work early and went home to change clothes. Black seemed to fit the occasion. She slipped into a pair of slim ankle pants, a black silk blouse, and a pair of black flats. She transferred a few of her things into a black cross-body bag and was ready to go.

She really didn’t need to be there to watch Brett’s downfall. The computer program would take care of that. She knew she wasn’t being very charitable and would even say it was wrong to deliberately humiliate him. Maybe she was being vindictive, but after everything Brett had done, she wanted to watch him crash and burn. She could be contrite tomorrow . . . maybe even go to confession.

Someone was knocking on her door. She looked through the peephole and took a hasty step back. Liam was there . . . again. He had said he wanted to go to Brett’s presentation, but she hadn’t expected him to be in Boston. She opened the door and moved aside to let him in. She wanted to say hello, and she would do that just as soon as her brain started working again. She was so surprised, and yet so happy, to see him.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Go where?”

His smile widened. “The Adams Harbor Hotel.”

“Yes, of course I’m ready. Don’t I look ready? I think I look fine. Just fine,” she rattled on.

He slowly looked her up and down. “You look a whole lot better than fine.”

Great. Now he was giving her goose bumps. It was his voice. It had turned husky and very sexy.

As she

brushed past him, Liam got a whiff of her perfume and whispered, “Ah, come on.” Her scent was light and subtle, but to him it was an aphrodisiac that wreaked havoc with his vow to keep his distance . . . a vow he, thus far, hadn’t been able to keep.

He couldn’t get her out of his mind, and he knew both of them were getting in too deep. What he thought he wanted to be a casual affair had quickly turned into much much, more. Who was he kidding? It had never been casual, and he didn’t know what he could do about it.

“I’m driving,” she said.

“Okay, sure.”

The moment Allison stepped out of the elevator in the garage, she understood why Liam had been so accommodating. His car was blocking hers. He opened the passenger door and waited. His grin was telling. He liked getting his way.

She slid into the seat. “Maybe you should drive,” she suggested.

They made the short drive to the hotel. An hour ago Allison had been so sure of herself, but now her nerves began to surface and she questioned whether it was a good idea to confront Brett. She knew she had to stop him from selling her program, but there was no way to predict what the aftermath would be. Fortunately her feeling of self-doubt lasted only a minute, and then she got her gumption back. One look at Liam and she realized she was acting like a wuss. She didn’t want him to watch her crumble, if in fact that was what she was going to do. It was time to take action. She was, as Jordan told her, now ready to kick some ass.

Feeling stronger and more determined than ever, she decided she should do this on her own. She didn’t need anyone at her side.

“Why are you coming with me? You don’t need to,” she insisted.

“Yes, I do need to.”

“Why?”

“I protect what belongs to me.” It wasn’t until the words were out of his mouth that Liam realized what he was saying, and he grimaced inside.

She nodded. “I understand. Because I’m the asset. Phillips keeps telling me that.” She sighed. “He says I can be dangerous with a computer.”

“Yeah, sure. You’re the bureau’s asset. That’s why.” The woman was clueless, and he was thankful for that. Otherwise, he’d have to explain what he’d meant, and he wasn’t ready to do that. He didn’t know his own mind anymore. He was thinking one thing and doing another. He couldn’t stay away from her, and the thought of any other man touching her infuriated him. He wanted her to belong to him and only him. Liam knew he was acting like a caveman, but that didn’t matter.

Damn, he really needed to get it together.

Allison leaned forward and took a good look at Liam’s face. “Are you all right? You’re frowning. Are you worried about tonight? Do you think Brett will cause trouble? Do you—”

He stopped her before she could get more worked up. “It’ll be fine.”

“You can’t possibly know that.”

“Sure, I can,” he replied. “Noah’s meeting us at the hotel. He promised Jordan and Alec he’d see that there was a recording of the presentation so he could e-mail it to them. He’s already checked with security to make sure their cameras are working. He even checked out the ballroom. It’s not a real big space. A platform has been set up at the far end of the room and serves as a stage. A large screen covers the wall behind it, and there are folding chairs facing the platform with a podium in the center. Brett must have a little educational film for us to see on the screen.”

“On what? How to steal and get away with it?” Her voice was filled with hostility.

“But he isn’t going to get away with it, is he?”

He sounded a little too reasonable to suit Allison. “No, he isn’t.”

“And when you prove he’s stolen your property, you aren’t going to cheer or gloat, are you? At least not there.”

“Oh, all right,” she agreed grudgingly.

“No fighting, no tackling him to the floor, no biting . . .”

“I can’t promise no tackling.”

Liam flashed a smile. He couldn’t imagine her hurting anyone. She was so soft and feminine. And gentle and kind. Too kind for her own good. The longer he’d known her, the more he’d learned about the little things she’d done to help others get through school. She was even trying to help that worthless cousin of hers. “Just behave yourself.”

“My sister raised me to be a lady,” she said.

“You had just started sixth grade when Charlotte left for college. You were on your own from then on, weren’t you?”

She shrugged. “Lots of people are on their own.”

“When they’re twelve?”

“I’d rather not discuss my home life now.” Or ever, she added silently.

He agreed with a nod. “Like I said, behave yourself tonight.”

“What exactly do you think I’m going to do? Don’t worry. I won’t punch him in his phony tan face. I may want to, but I won’t.”

He laughed. “That’s my girl.”

He pulled into the hotel’s circle drive and parked to the side. The attendant came running, but when Liam waved him off, he turned around and hurried to assist another driver.

“The ballrooms are on the lower level,” Liam said as they stepped out of the revolving glass door and into the lobby.

“I know. I pulled up the schematic.”

He wasn’t surprised. Allison liked to be prepared. “You didn’t hack into the hotel’s private server, did you?”

“No, of course not. I didn’t need to.” She hastily added, “And I don’t do that anymore.”

Noah was waiting for them in a hallway off the lobby. His attire was casual. Nothing in his appearance said FBI agent. He smiled as they approached. “Are you ready for this?”

“She’s ready,” Liam said.

They turned and walked toward a service elevator. Allison led the way and the two men followed.

In a low voice Noah said to Liam, “I thought you were supposed to be on your way to San Antonio.”

“I gave the assignment to someone else,” Liam answered.

“How come?”

Liam didn’t respond.

Allison pretended she wasn’t listening to the conversation, but she wanted Liam to tell why he was still here. He didn’t seem to have an answer for Noah. Would he get into trouble for turning down an assignment? Probably not, she decided. He was too important.

Noah pushed the button for the elevator. “They expect trouble,” he told them. “There’s a guard at the double doors. He doesn’t work for the hotel. Brett must have hired him.”

Allison was shocked, but Liam wasn’t surprised. “There’s a lot of money at stake.”

“He’s going to extremes,” Allison said. “What must his guests think?”

“Brett’s hoping they’ll think he’s important,” Noah suggested.

“You can watch the presentation from the security room,” Liam said to her.

She shook her head. “No, I want to walk into the ballroom. I want him to see me.”

The doors opened and they stepped inside. Allison assumed they had agreed with her plan to confront Brett, and it wasn’t until Noah pressed the UP button that she realized they were ignoring her wishes.

“The ballrooms are on the lower level,” she reminded him.

“Security is just above reception,” Noah explained. As they ascended, he remarked, “We have to be cautious. We don’t yet know who’s involved with his scheme. I understand your wanting to be there to stop him from profiting from your work—”

She interrupted. “Oh, he won’t be successful.”

“You said the program wasn’t complete, but couldn’t he have finished it on his own?” Liam asked.

“No,” she replied. She thought for a second to come up with an analogy that was simple to understand. “Think of it like a giant jigsaw puzzle made up of thousands of tiny pieces,” she said.

“When you put the puzzle together you have a picture of a beautiful flower garden. Anyone who looks at it sees the entire picture, but you know one of the many pieces that make up a petal on a rose has no backing underneath it. Since you’re the one who removed the backing, only you know where it is and how to replace it. Even if someone studies the puzzle with a magnifying glass, the garden will look complete and perfect, but that weak piece will disintegrate very quickly.”

“Couldn’t someone with enough time and knowledge figure out how to add what’s missing?” Noah wondered.

She shook her head. “Not likely,” she answered. “They won’t be able to find it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it isn’t on the computer.” She smiled and tapped her finger on her head. “It’s here.” The doors parted, and she stepped into the hallway. “Besides, it won’t get to that point.”

“How do you know?” Liam asked.

“Let’s just say it’s possible that my computer recently made a visit to his computer.”

“How recently?” he asked as he followed close behind.

She shrugged and increased her pace.

“Then you did in fact hack into—,” he began.

“You should have more faith in me. Don’t you know me at all?”

Liam caught up with her at the door to the security room. “Yeah, that’s the problem. I do know you.”

Ordinarily guests wouldn’t have access to the security center, but Noah had notified the manager. He hadn’t asked for clearance. He’d simply told him they were coming.

Allison felt as though she had just walked into one of the rooms at the cyber unit. There were monitors along two walls with security personnel watching each area of the hotel.

“I want to confront Brett,” she reiterated. “I want him to see me.”

“That’s not a good idea,” Noah said.

Liam wasn’t as diplomatic. “You’re not going in there. Don’t even think about it.”

“I am thinking about it,” she insisted.

She saw Noah smile, and that irritated her almost as much as Liam’s high-handed tactics. Don’t even think about it? She let Liam know she wasn’t happy they were ignoring her plan. Her frown was hot enough to scorch him. He didn’t seem bothered. He winked at her.