Page 35 of Guarding Truth
This had to end. Now.
“Ivy, why don’t you head into the bedroom and pack a bag for tonight? With everything going on, we’ll probably check into a hotel for a little while.”
She nodded and raced off to her room, apparently not the least bit concerned that she might be in trouble. Caleb headed into his bedroom and opened his safe. He pulled out a stack of cash and counted out five hundred dollars.
He marched into the dining room, where Juliette was talking with Noelle at the table. He dropped the bills in front of her with a thud. “I’m officially hiring Elite Guardians to protect Ivy. Here’s a downpayment. If it comes down to her or me, you both take care of Ivy. She’s the number one priority.”
Juliette stared at the money, then at him. “I’m all-in.”
Noelle extended her hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Caleb. But what Juliette means is,we’reall in. Alana and I are available to help with security. Is there anything else we need to be aware of?”
Caleb sank into the chair next to Juliette. “Ivy’s grandparents, my brother-in-law’s family, are suing me for custody of Ivy. If they find out that she’s in danger, they could take her from me.”
EIGHT
WEDNESDAY, 4:30 P.M.
One look at Caleb’s red face and fierce eyes and Juliette wanted to hunt down all of Caleb’s enemies, including Ivy’s grandparents. How couldn’t they see what a great father he was to Ivy?
“How can they do this to you?”
Caleb shrugged, the crinkles around his eyes more pronounced from fatigue. “My attorney doesn’t think they have a case. Tessa had a will that named me Ivy’s guardian. But I don’t need terrorists kidnapping her to give them ammunition to take her from me.”
Juliette put her hand over Caleb’s. He didn’t flinch. And she knew his rules about people invading his personal space. Touchy-feely was never an adjective used to describe Caleb.
But he let her hold his hand. Until Noelle cleared her throat. Juliette had almost forgotten she was there. “We need to talk about the danger. Now that the hackers have contacted Ivy, what does this mean?”
Caleb withdrew his hand, and Juliette missed his touch. He sat back and sighed. “She not only memorized their program but realized that the code isn’t right. She can fix their ransomware.”
“So,” Noelle said, “she can recreate the program, and she can fix it so it works.”
“Not to mention that she is now an eyewitness to their crimes,” Juliette said. “Ivy knows their entire plan.”
Things had gone from dangerous to downright deadly. Juliette’s mind whirred with contingency plans for both Caleb’s and Ivy’s safety. She turned to Noelle. “If the hackers realize their error and know that a twelve-year-old girl could fix the program, Ivy becomes an asset. Caleb is a target to take out of their way, but they might find taking Ivy is more valuable to their operation. They both need protection.”
Noelle stood and nodded to Caleb. “Save your cash. You might need it, and considering your history with Juliette, we’ll figure out the cost later.” Noelle might as well have winked and nudged Juliette with the wordhistory.
“Thank you,” Caleb said. “Right now, I need to text Agent McGregor. We have a new lead, and I need to let him know the hackers tried to recruit Ivy. Maybe they can check out this supposed Layna. She probably isn’t even a student at the school.” He tucked the cash into the pocket of his jeans and withdrew a cell phone from the other pocket.
“I think we need to move now,” Juliette said. “It’s simply not safe to stay here any longer. We can crash at my house overnight and head to the safe house tomorrow morning. At least we’ll have the Elite Guardians taking turns watching the place.”
“I already told Ivy to pack a bag. We can stay at a hotel, but maybe your place is more secure.”
At the mention of her name, Ivy bounded into the room with several heavy bags in tow.
“What? I’m not leaving without my books.”
“Don’t worry, Ivy,” Juliette said. “We’ll make room for your books at our slumber party. We’ll stay up, watch movies, and eat junk food.”
Ivy squinted her eyes, as if pondering Juliette’s offer. “Can I pick the movie?”
“If you’re like your uncle, I’ll be stuck watchingStar Wars.” She made a face, and Ivy laughed.
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is aStar Trekhousehold. I mean, the originalStar Warstrilogy is okay, but the new ones…”
Juliette tuned out Ivy’s highly opinionated movie review and took in Caleb’s rigid shoulders and the hard-as-steel determination in his eyes. These hackers had awoken the warrior in him, and he was gearing up for a fight. She’d seen Caleb go toe to toe with a man twice his size in a basic training exercise. Caleb had a fierce side to him that rarely saw the light of day.
Until someone messed with his family.