The closer they got to Jace’s place, the more beautiful the scenery became, drawing him into an automatic peacefulness. Between Aaron’s driving pace, Brody’s voice, and the water churning in the distance, Kreed relaxed, paying less attention to Masters and more to the tropical paradise surrounding him, only tuning back in when Brody got to the last point that seemed to frustrate the boys at the bureau as much as anything that might have happened with the case.

For the first time since the call had started, Kreed turned away from the breathtaking view outside his window and spoke directly to Aaron to relay the new information they had.

“Some group took over the church’s website today. They redirected it to a website with the words ‘God hates no one,’ before then redirecting it to a human rights group. There’s a big video posted, already received millions of views, and this one got a lot of public help. It’s fucking everything up for Connors.”

“How so?” Aaron asked, and Kreed lifted a single finger as he continued listening to Brody before he spoke.

“Okay, call me in the morning,” Kreed said and lowered the phone, swiping a finger to end the call before turning to Aaron. “Right now, the FBI thinks that for the time being they’ve managed to downplay the arrests to the media. You know, to keep status quo—at least their considered normal state of affairs. But everything with the bureau has a spin. They feel like the church has a solid following, and they wanted to control how all this information got out to the public, swing the propaganda in their favor, make the FBI look like heroes instead of an agency that refused to even consider all this evidence for a good solid year. Now that the national news has the story, everything will slowly be leaked. The media keeps doing breaking news reports over and over, reporting on the case. To Connors, he’s saying it’ll stop the progression of the case, and Masters said the bureau’s already preparing for damage control.”

“Huh,” Aaron said, seemingly unaffected. He was a young techie, so he’d probably agree with the hack, maybe even wish he’d been able to take part in it all instead of flying to Hawaii. “I wondered how long it would take. I bet it was Protector. They can’t stand stuff like this. They hate Redemption Apostle Tabernacle Church. They’ve targeted that church for years. They’ll probably track the hack down to a farmhouse somewhere in Nebraska.”

“Yeah, I guess. I get what they’re doing in trying to keep society informed, but they’re a giant pain in the ass. They always pop up at the worst possible times. I just can’t figure out how they know shit so quick. They’re on it, and don’t hesitate to jump right in there. Sometimes they do it before we even know,” Kreed said as he turned back in his seat, taking in more of the picturesque view of the ocean. The water seemed to go on forever.

“The deal about Protector… It’s really anyone who wants to be involved. Sure, it’s organized by a few, but we can all jump in and clog up the different systems,” Aaron explained casually.

“You and I both know that statement’s a load of crap. There’s a small cell of people orchestrating the attacks, guiding the outcome,” Kreed shot back.

“Regardless, it wouldn’t work if it weren’t for everyone playing a part. I was reading on the marshals’ internal network that a couple of those guys in Protector made it to the top fifty most wanted list. They think it’s two or three guys that started it. But they don’t really know who they are so it’s real open-ended. No name, no face, not even a clue as to how to find them. How’s that gonna work for those in the field?” Aaron asked, appearing somewhat distracted by the traffic forming on the road.

“It’s more about the reward that gets attached to each person. Somebody’ll turn them in. Somebody in that inner circle knows what’s going on and will eventually get greedy,” Kreed said, but on a happier note, he turned back to Aaron. “Then, I’ll go get ’em. Keeps me employed.”

Aaron gave a humorless laugh, but didn’t comment. Kreed decided to keep it light where Protector was concerned. Now wasn’t the time for a discussion on such a monumental difference in point of view. Protector had fucked up many a raid he’d been on over the last few years. They were absolutely a huge pain in the ass, and Kreed had to make a mental note to remember to tell Aaron not to show his support out loud again if others were around. No division in the Justice Department appreciated those hackers or their so-called social conscience. Better that no one knew Stuart was a Protector sympathizer. “Do you know any of them?”

“Not that I know of, but there’s a possibility. Those hacktivists that orchestrate all that, they keep that shit quiet. I could see it just being one or two people and no one else knowing,” Aaron said. GPS sounded off and Aaron followed the instructions off the highway.

“It’s just a matter of time. It always goes bad,” Kreed said absently, looking out over the ocean again. “It’s beautiful here.”

Work wasn’t even on the top million list of things he wanted to be thinking about right now. He’d been impressed with how easily he’d been able to keep work back on the mainland and mentally move on as a man on vacation. Kreed would receive daily updates and worst-case scenarios. He might even have to head back to Dallas or DC if something broke, but that just meant he needed to make the most of every single day.

Man, it felt good to get away and completely relax. He wasn’t in a frame of mind to let that easily slip away. Months of intense stress had made being on this island with Aaron that much more appealing. After Aaron made the turn onto a sand-covered road into a residential area, Kreed reached over to entwine Aaron’s hand with his. The act of holding this man’s hand balanced him. Aaron made him feel lighter, and that thought settled inside his heart. It might have been years since he’d experienced this much inner peace, and Aaron seemed to be clueless at the power he held.

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