Page 72 of Guarding Truth
Her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes showed that grief had wrapped its clutches around her, too.
More fire engines rushed to the scene, and fluorescent lights were set up around the area so the police could comb for evidence. He sat on the back of the ambulance bay, wrapped in towels. Even though temperatures weren’t freezing, his plunge into the water had chilled him to the bone. At least his toes and fingers were tingling, a good sign that he didn’t have frostbite.
Alana walked up to the ambulance and slid down next to him on the edge of the bay. Several firefighters raced by with hoses. The shell ofThe Rushmorestill smoldered, sending black smoke into the air.
“The FBI wants to question you, but I told them I wanted to take a stab first.”
“I just lost my niece in a fireball. Can you grill me later?”
“No.”
Okay then.
Alana continued. “I don’t think Ivy was on that boat. You think you’re in these hackers’ heads, but they’re in yours. You walked right into their trap. They see the value in Ivy. Have hope that she’s still alive.”
Her words softened the calloused edges of his heart. “Thanks, Alana.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’ve watched you and Juliette dance around each other, pretending not to be madly in love with each other like a couple of middle-school kids.Youneed to think with your heart, not your head. Andsheneeds to stop letting her emotions get the best of her. You two are made for each other, but you’re both stubborn. And you have to take a chance on love. It’s worth a thousand risks if you’re with the right person.”
Caleb gaped at Alana. The woman was a formidable force, but somehow her words made sense in the midst of the chaos all around. Between sirens blaring, officers yelling orders, and the media crews scrambling for the best vantage point, Alana spoke directly to his heart.
He loved Juliette. She was worth the risk.
He gave Alana a sad laugh. “Anything else?”
Alana sprang to her feet as a man in an FBI blazer approached, then she tossed Caleb a wink over her shoulder. “Yeah. Don’t hurt my friend, or I’ll kill you and make it look like an accident.”
He had no doubt Alana meant that.
Caleb answered all of the FBI’s questions. His fingers itched, wanting to be at a keyboard, searching for clues to Ivy’s whereabouts.
Because until he saw Ivy’s body, he would not give up hope. She could be out there. And he was wasting time at the marina when he could be online tracking these hackers and flushing them out into the light of day. He would bring them to justice.
Once the interrogation ended, Caleb found Juliette sitting in her grandmother’s car. He slid in the passenger’s seat, unable to face her. If he did, he’d melt into a puddle of shame over the way he’d treated her.
“Please don’t shut me out,” she whispered as she started the car. “That’s all I’m asking. I’m all-in on your hunt to bring these men down, and then we can go our separate ways. I can’t let these men win. And I believe Ivy’s alive.”
He sank back in the seat. “I’m not in my right mind. I can’t process things correctly right now.”
“I understand that. But just know this isn’t a no-win situation. There’s always a way out.” She put the car in gear and drove out of the lot.
He stared out the window as the world whipped by and wished the wind would carry away his grief. He wanted to apologize to Juliette, tell her that he loved her and that everything was going to be okay between them. But silence remained his only response.
At the Elite Guardians office, he sealed himself back in the room he’d been in, searching online for any sign of the hackers. These guys wouldn’t give up. They’d be desperate for ways to launch their malware against his security system at the bank.
If they were successful, they could access the bank’s systems. Consumers would panic, and the bank could potentially go under. If people couldn’t access their accounts, it would be pandemonium. Sure, the FBI was monitoring the situation and would work to prevent any kind of cyberattack.
But this was personal. He’d never been a fan of vigilante justice—until they’d destroyed his life. Now all bets were off.
A new idea worked its way through his mind. What if the way to beat these guys wasn’t to think like a hacker but to think like a hacker’s enemy? These guys had factions all over the United States. There had to be some people out there that wouldn’t mind spilling the dirt on Rushmore.
He got to work, checking the dark web for any evidence these hackers had left behind. If he got lucky, he might find someone with a vengeance against Rushmore that would testify against them. He left a trail of breadcrumbs everywhere he went with a message that he wanted to talk.
Why, God, why?
Why would God allow him to lose Ivy, too? After losing his father and sister. Not to mention his mother abandoning him.
Alana’s words echoed across his soul.“Love is worth a thousand risks if you’re with the right person.”