Page 23 of Guarding Truth
“I think you both need protection—you’ve had two serious incidents in two days.”
His pride took an arrow to the chest. He moved his hand away from hers and tightened his grip around his phone. Did she think he couldn’t defend himself? Sure, he’d been an analyst in the Army, but he’d made it through basic training just like she had. “As long as we focus on keeping Ivy safe, then.”
He crossed his arms. With Ivy on Juliette’s side, it might be two against one. And Juliette’s golden-brown eyes were justpleadingwith him to reconsider. He dropped his arms. “Let’s go back to my apartment. We’ll discuss an action plan. I’d like to get off the street and be home when Ivy gets back from school. My neighbor is picking her up.”
Since he wasn’t going to the office, he sent a text to his assistant, Michelle Corbin, to see if she would bring the rest of the laptops from the office to his apartment so he could continue to inspect the software. Despite the craziness around him, he had to be diligent about keeping the bank’s systems safe.
They walked toward the car. At the light, they crossed the street, Juliette’s hand resting lightly on his bicep. While he didn’t want her protecting him, he let it go this time. She had pulled him to safety, after all.
There wasn’t a space left in the parking garage. They found his car, and Juliette inspected it, even checking underneath with a telescopic mirror.
“It’s clear.” She stood up and put the mirror into her bag. “I’ll follow you back to the apartment.”
Juliette stood by the trunk of his car and watched him get in and lock the doors. He thought for a second that she wouldn’t leave his side, but she relented long enough to get her car so she could follow him back to his place. It took all his strength to not drive to the school and whisk Ivy out of class. But Juliette was right. They needed to assess the danger level and come up with a plan.
The ride to his apartment seemed long, despite the short distance. He pulled into a space in the parking lot behind his building. The U-shaped apartment complex used to be a hospital but had been converted into twenty-two apartments. All his senses were on high alert as they got out of the car, and Caleb surveyed the area to make sure they weren’t being watched. He was on the hackers’ radar, which signaled a potential threat to all his neighbors. He caught Juliette doing her own reconnaissance of the area. They were both on duty now.
Back in his apartment, Juliette swept the place for any listening devices.
“I really don’t think this is necessary. The thief didn’t have time to plant any bugs.” But his tone of voice probably didn’t fool Juliette. The recent events added up to plenty of reasons for concern. And they couldn’t be too careful.
When her search came up empty, she sat down at the table filled with laptops. Caleb moved to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water. He placed one in front of Juliette and settled across from her, the mountain of laptops providing a nice buffer space. Despite their past friendship, Juliette’s presence jangled his nerves. An odd reaction, like something familiar mixing with the thrill of the unknown. Which, when combined, might be explosive.
Juliette wrapped her hands around the dewy water bottle. “Do you get the feeling that Ivy isn’t telling us everything? Why is she so insistent that you not go to work? It’s like she knows Cyberskies is a target.”
Her words gave credence to his own thoughts. “I’ve had the feeling she’s been hacking again. And I keep thinking about these hackers. If I were them, and I wanted to make a statement and take down a bank, I’d attack their security software. Which they are doing. But if they’re coming after me, Ivy might be on their radar. Maybe she discovered something about Rushmore.”
Would these hackers be so bold as to contact his niece in order to get to him? His heart seized at the thought. Ivy was his responsibility, and if his job brought dangerous men to their doorstep, he’d never forgive himself. It would give Ivy’s grandparents more ammunition in their quest for custody.
Juliette stood and moved to his side of the table, sitting next to him, erasing the barrier. And he didn’t mind. Her presence seemed to calm the tornado of chaos.
“You are a good parent to Ivy,” Juliette said. The smattering of freckles on her nose seemed more pronounced than he recalled.
He let out a long sigh. “I’ve lost everyone else I care about. My mom. Dad. Sister.”You.
The unbidden thought sucker punched him so hard he nearly flinched. He had lost Juliette. Now she sat in front of him, and the past three years melted away.
But would the past always keep them apart?
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and he sighed, not wanting to disrupt this moment of closeness with Juliette. “That’s Michelle with the supplies I requested from the office.” He opened the door to Michelle Corbin and Blake.
Michelle was the best hire he’d made. She kept him organized, and he honestly had no idea what he’d do without her. She strode in and laid a box of files and some additional laptops on the already cluttered table.
“I had to come over after Michelle told me about the break-in,” Blake said. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been better.”
“I see you’ve been working. Are these all the laptops that were on their way to the bank?”
Caleb nodded. No sense in prolonging the inevitable. “I took all of the laptops we were delivering to our client to make sure the software was properly installed after the first bank robbery.”
He offered Blake and Michelle a seat at the table. “I’m concerned that Rushmore is trying to infiltrate our system. I think that’s why they broke into my apartment last night.”
Blake’s face paled. “That’s not good. But sadly, my news is worse.” His partner eyed Juliette.
“You can talk in front of Juliette,” Caleb said. “She’s, um, an old friend and a bodyguard.”
“You hired a bodyguard?” Michelle’s jaw dropped.