Page 74 of Guarding Truth
“I’m going with you. And we’re doing it my way and involving the police this time,” she said, hands on hips.
He nodded. “We’ll do it your way.” He sat back at the desk and pulled up a map. “Ivy didn’t have an exact location, but check this place out. She mentioned hearing trucks and saw a sign about loading docks.”
Juliette read over his shoulder. “This place is a warehouse facility that ships goods all over the southeast. We can go stake out the place and see if she’s there while we wait for the police.”
Caleb stood. “We’ve got to go. I’ll drive. You drive like a grandmother. No wonder you kept the Lincoln Town Car.” He snatched the keys from the desk, and before she could protest, he headed out the door.
“I don’t drive like a grandmother,” she muttered, then chased after him. Had Caleb just made a joke? No, he really must think she drove like an old lady.
She texted Alana and Noelle for backup. They’d both left to get some rest.
He hopped in the driver’s seat. “Just so you know,” Caleb said as he slid behind the steering wheel and moved the seat back from Juliette’s short-person position, “I sent the data to the FBI so their cybersecurity analysts could get to work stopping the program. They have the same information we do.”
At least they’d be on the up-and-up this time. She used the speaker on her phone to apprise Matt of the situation so the police could set up a perimeter to catch these guys.
“I’m at the scene of a car accident,” Matt said over the phone. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I need to get a warrant, and I’m not sure the judge will approve it without more evidence. But do not approach. Wait for the police.” He hung up before they could get a word in.
“They must have convinced Ivy to finish their program,” Caleb said. “Her code tried to warn me that the marina was a trap. She probably had no choice but to comply in order to get that message out to me. I just hope we get there in time to stop them from…from…”
“Yeah,” Juliette whispered. “I know.”
Caleb navigated the Savannah backroads like he’d lived there his whole life. If only he’d talk to her, open up and let her in. But they drove in silence.
When this ordeal ended and Ivy was safe at home, would she and Caleb at least go back to being friends? Or had that ship sunk like an exploded yacht?
He turned onto a road that headed to the warehouse district. A massive building complex spread out over the property with rows of garage doors stretched out for what seemed like a mile. Caleb cut the lights and pulled the car into the wooded area on the side of the street before the entrance to the warehouse. They’d have to stake out the place from here. He pulled off the road as close to the trees as he could for concealment, while still allowing them to watch the activity below the hill leading to the facility.
“We really should wait for the FBI and the police,” Juliette said as she texted Matt.
Matt texted back, the three little dots indicating that he was writing a novel.
Getting a search warrant approved. SWAT team is assembling but Decia and I are stuck at the scene of a five car pile-up. Waiting for backup and we’ll head your way. ETA fifteen minutes. FBI is also on the way, but it takes time to mobilize. Do not do anything stupid. This means you, Montgomery.
Caleb shook his head. “The hackers are going to kill her. Ivy’s only bargaining chip was the program. Now that they’ve launched it—verified it’s doing what they want—they won’t need her and will assume that she can identify most if not all of the hackers.”
“I know,” Juliette repeated. Ivy was expendable. Her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
“Alana and Noelle are a few minutes behind us. Let’s at least wait for them.” She’d learned her lesson about teamwork. They needed all the manpower they could get.
Caleb unbuckled his seat belt and shifted to face her. “I meant what I said earlier. I’m not leaving you, Jules. Not now or in the future. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I’m so sorry I hurt you with my words. The truth is, I love you. I think I always have. You’re worth all of the risks in the world, whether we’re together on this planet for an hour or the rest of our lives.”
“I love you too, Caleb. I just didn’t realize it all those years ago. But we can make up for lost time, right?”
“How about right now?”
The fake leather seat squeaked as he leaned over the center console of the aging Town Car. She mirrored his movements. Her hand entwined with his. His eyes burned with an intensity she’d never seen. The car smelled like her grandmother’s perfume mixed with ten years of dust. Their view out the windshield overlooked a warehouse dumpster.
But this moment was as perfect as it could get.
Their lips met over the cracked plastic divider, and her surroundings faded into a blur. Years of longing were satisfied through the taste of his lips. He ran his hand through her hair, drawing her closer to him. She melted against him as he deepened the kiss. Electricity shot from her toes to the tips of her hair.
She didn’t have an eidetic memory, but every detail of this moment would remain etched in her memory forever. From the contours of his face to the way his stubble tickled her neck when he kissed it.
She wanted to live in this moment forever. Until a knock on her window nearly sent her through the roof.
Noelle and Alana stood outside the car. She hit the unlock button, and the two jumped into the back seat.
“To be continued,” Caleb whispered, still holding her hand.