FALSELY ACCUSED!

When someone sabotages former navy SEAL Luke Baldwin’s “unhackable” software, there’s more than his reputation at stake. Faced with treason charges, Luke turns to Dani Justice, a computer expert and skilled investigator. She’s eager to dive into the challenging case…until she uncovers a devastating connection. The hacker framing Luke has a personal, deadly history with Dani. Luke’s code of honor and his growing feelings make him resolved to protect the sweet, strong woman he knows is more vulnerable than she’d admit. But what good is his training or determination against an enemy who can hack into any system and find them wherever they hide?

The Justice Agency: Family and law enforcement go hand in hand

“What are the chances that the police will have the hacked computer?” Luke asked.

“Very low, and—” Dani paused to meet his gaze to ensure he was listening “—even if we do find it, I have no proof that you didn’t use this laptop then discard it yourself.”

He fisted his hands. “Then what do you need to clear my name?”

Good question. “At this point, I don’t see anything that will clear your name short of finding the real hacker.”

His shoulders slumped in defeat. He peered at Dani, and the agony in his eyes made her draw in a breath at his vulnerability. She should probably heed the evidence or lack of evidence, but despite nothing pointing to his innocence, she didn’t think he was guilty.

Or was she just hoping that the man who sparked something inside her that she’d thought long dead was innocent of a terrible crime like treason?

SUSAN SLEEMAN

grew up in a small Wisconsin town where she spent her summers reading Nancy Drew and developing a love of mystery and suspense books. Today she channels this enthusiasm into hosting the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com and writing romantic suspense and mystery novels.

Much to her husband’s chagrin, Susan loves to look at everyday situations and turn them into murder-and-mayhem scenarios for future novels. If you’ve met Susan, she has probably figured out a plausible way to kill you and get away with it.

Susan currently lives in Oregon, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law and an adorable grandson. To learn more about Susan, please visit www.SusanSleeman.com.

Thread of Suspicion
Susan Sleeman

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

To every thing there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heavens.

—Ecclesiastes 3:1

Acknowledgments

Thanks to:

My family—my husband, Mark, who doesn’t cringe when I ask for help.

My daughter Emma for helping me plot and edit this book, and Erin for your continued support.

Elizabeth Mazer—your insight and editing take my writing to the next level.

Ron Norris—retired police officer with the LaVerne Police Department. You provide me with police, weapon and military details on a timely basis. Any errors in or liberties taken with the technical details Ron so patiently provides are all my doing.

And most important, thank You, God, for reminding me that Your timing is always perfect.

To the brave men and women of the military. Thank you for your heroic service to our country.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

DEAR READER

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

EXCERPT

ONE

Luke Baldwin’s training as a Navy SEAL warned him he was in trouble. To pay attention, be still and take precautions. But darkness clawed at his senses, keeping him from fully waking and heeding the warning.

Hoping to get his bearings, he concentrated on the sounds unfolding around him. Cars whizzed by. Horns honked. If he were home in bed where he should be, he’d hear the quiet of suburban life, not Portland’s bustling traffic.

Digging deeper, he managed to pry his eyes open and look around. He sat behind the wheel of his battered Jeep Wrangler tipped at an angle in the ditch with the hood pressed against an enormous Oregon pine. Thick underbrush had swallowed up his car and spindly pines swayed overhead in icy winds.

“What in the world?” He shook his head to clear his mind. Razor-sharp pain stabbed between his eyes. He let the lids fall, hoping to end the blinding intensity. Nausea curled his stomach and burned up his throat as the damp cold of winter seeped to his bones.

How had he ended up in the ditch?

C’mon, Baldwin, think.

He breathed deeply, letting oxygen rush to his brain and stem the nausea. Clarity tugged the edges of his mind, then suddenly it all came flooding back.

He’d been driving home in the wee hours of the morning to grab a quick shower before today’s demonstration of his company’s software. The roads were slick with rain, and fog hovered over the pavement. Driving too fast for the conditions, he’d felt his car start to slide. He’d pumped the brakes. The pedal had sunk to the floor with no resistance. His car had left the pavement, slipping into the ditch and ramming the tree. With no airbags, his head had slammed into the wheel and everything had gone black.

His ancient Jeep had failed him again. Of course it had. It was on its last legs and needed replacing. He should get a better car. One with reliable brakes and airbags. Not happening, though. He’d poured all of his money into his company.

Wait. Company. What time is it?

He glanced at his watch: 1030 hours.

No! Couldn’t be. He’d be late for the demonstration.

He released his belt and dug out his cell phone. Dead.

“No, no, no!” He pounded the wheel, the lancing pain slicing up his arm and into his already throbbing head.

Just what he deserved for failing his staff. His software company vied for a multimillion-dollar military contract today at 1100 hours. He could kiss the money and his company goodbye if he didn’t show up.

Not an option for a SEAL, even a former one.

He forced open his door, the bent metal groaning and creaking. He stumbled out. Rain spit from the gray winter skies, dampening his mood even more. He grabbed fistfuls of grass and pulled his aching body up to the winding road leading into Portland. He waved at cars, hoping to flag one down, but they sped past as if he were invisible. He’d have to hoof it down the hill to the coffee shop where he got his caffeine fix every morning. They knew him and would let him use their phone.

He hunched into his jacket to fight the wind whistling down the hill and jogged down the road. Ignoring the pain pulsing through his body, he settled into the zone he’d often found as a SEAL after silently dropping behind enemy lines. His mind floated free, and oddly, his father’s voice rang in his head.

So you screwed up again. I knew you’d never amount to anything.

Maybe his father was right. He was a screwup. He’d failed most everyone who mattered in his thirty-four years on this earth. His mother, his older sister—both of them killed in a fire set by his crazed father. His fiancée, Wendy, who’d wanted more from him and had every right to expect it before she’d bailed two years ago. And Hawk. Poor Hawk.

Luke flashed back to Afghanistan, to before he’d left the SEALs to be close to his only living sister, Natalie. Insurgents had rushed his SEAL team—guns blazing in the night, his buddy Hawk falling and never getting up again. All courtesy of an intercepted satellite phone call. Luke had held Hawk as he took his dying breath and made a promise to prevent other soldiers’ deaths because of satphone security issues. So he’d founded SatCom with Hawk’s little brother, Timothy Revello, and their dream was moments from becoming a reality.

If Luke made it to the office before he broke that promise.

He upped his speed and soon swung into the coffee shop, heat instantly cocooning him as the scent of aromatic java perked him up. The owner stood behind the long mahogany bar, a line of customers waiting for their drinks. With no time to wait in line, Luke approached Earl.

Earl placed a cup in front of a young woman, then looked up. “Man, Baldwin. You look rough.”

Luke’s chest burned from exertion, but he managed to say, “Need your phone, Earl. Car and cell dead. Need to call a cab.”

Earl grabbed a cordless phone and a laminated cardstock listing local phone numbers, then slapped them on the counter with a solid whack. “Want your usual when the line gets down?”

Luke nodded, and as he worked to bring his breathing under control he requested a cab, then dialed his partner, Tim’s, direct line at SatCom.

He tapped his foot on the floor as he waited, and caught sight of his scruffy appearance in the front window. A lump, swollen and purple, stuck out on his forehead. A cut on his cheek gaped open and blood saturated his wrinkled pants and shirt. No wonder people were staring at him. He might need to go home and change before the demonstration. If Tim thought he could handle it. A big if for the introverted geek who’d rather walk on a bed of nails than speak in public.

“Revello,” Tim finally answered, sounding out of breath.

“It’s Luke.”

“Where are you?” Tim demanded. “I’ve been going crazy here.”

“I’m sorry.” Luke took a quick moment to regroup and not let Tim’s frantic tone up his own anxiety. “I ran my car off the road on my way home last night and knocked myself out. I called a cab and should be there in forty minutes tops.”

“Forty minutes?” Tim shouted. “You better hope we’re still in business by then.”

So much for changing clothes.

“Can you stall with General Wilder? Just until I get in.”

“Probably, but Wilder’s not our biggest problem right now.”

“What’s going on?” Luke asked calmly, though his heart had kicked into high gear again.

“The procurement committee got an anonymous call late yesterday afternoon claiming our software has been sabotaged.”

“What?” Luke barked out.

“Yeah,” Tim said. “Wilder sent over a consultant to validate the program. She was waiting at the door when I got here. She’s been evaluating the software and our network logs all morning.”

“This is a joke, right? To get back at me for being out-of-pocket and making you worry.”

“Nah, man, it’s no joke.

“So let me get this straight,” Luke said, dread settling over him. “We’re minutes from demonstrating our software for the military brass and they send an independent consultant to validate it? Just because some crackpot calls and says it’s corrupt?”

“Not just any consultant, but Dani Justice.” A waver of uncertainty threaded through Tim’s voice.

“You make it sound like she’s well-known in the computer world.”

“Tops in our field.”

“And we’re sure the general contracted with her?”

“Yep. Confirmed it with his aide before I let her in the building.” Tim paused and a long sigh filtered through the phone.

This can’t be happening. “You know anything about this Dani Justice?”

“Yeah, she’s legendary in the Portland computer world. She once worked for the FBI in cyber crimes. Now she and her siblings own a private investigation company.” Tim snorted. “Working in a mom-and-pop agency seems like a waste of all that talent, but what do I know.”

“I should’ve known Wilder would hire the best.”

Earl called out Luke’s coffee order, his face creased with his usual easygoing smile.

Luke held up a finger and smiled back despite his inner turmoil. “Too bad Wilder didn’t give us a heads-up.”

“He said they couldn’t warn us she was coming or we might try to cover up the software’s vulnerability.”

“We’d never do that. If there was a vulnerability, that is.” Luke craned his neck, hoping to see his cab pulling up.

“I know, but Wilder thinks someone at SatCom is guilty. The aide said if they find even a hint of sabotage, Wilder would pursue prosecuting the guilty party for treason.”

“Treason!” Luke shouted, the entire coffee shop stilling. He lowered his voice. “That’s a pretty serious charge for tampering with software.”

“I know, right, but we both know if someone sabotaged it, they could listen in on the military’s satellite phone conversations.”

“And lives would be lost,” Luke added. His gut clamped down as he imagined how the information gained by altering their software could give the enemy an upper hand. Field operations would be vulnerable. Locations known. Soldiers under fire. A shudder claimed Luke’s body.

He had to get to the office. Where was his cab? “Before I go, please assure me that Ms. Justice won’t find anything wrong with our software.”

“We should be good. We’ve done our due diligence and hired people to validate it. We got a clean bill of health.”

Unease niggled at Luke’s gut. “But we didn’t hire Ms. Justice like the general, did we?”

“Are you kidding? We could never have afforded her.”

“If you’d come to me I would’ve found the money somewhere, Tim. You know that.”

“Where? You’re completely tapped out. You’ve already sold your house and moved in with your sister. You’ve even maxed out your credit cards and company loans. So where would this cash come from?”

“Still—”

“I know, I know,” Tim interrupted. “If you’ve told me once you’ve told me a thousand times. You’d rather our company fails than deploy anything that could put service personnel in danger.”

“It’s not just talk, you know. I mean every word of it.”

“Believe me, I got it.” Tim sighed as he usually did when they talked about commitment to honor and sacrifice that soldiers lived and breathed, but Tim had no clue about.

If a SatCom employee had actually tampered with the software and planned to put soldiers at risk, Tim wouldn’t believe they deserved to be charged with treason, but Luke did. Even if the lost contract forced SatCom into bankruptcy or if, as the owner of the company, his name and reputation would be tainted for life.

If they don’t bring you up on charges, too, and you don’t end up in a prison cell of your own.

* * *

Espionage, Dani Justice thought as she stared at her monitor in the minuscule SatCom office.

Someone had remotely hacked into SatCom’s network last week and left a gaping hole in the software. After the military deployed this software to their satphones, the hacker could access their calls and sell information to the highest bidder. And that was unacceptable.

Question was, who would do such a thing? Was it one of the owners, Timothy Revello or the conspicuously absent Luke Baldwin? She was hired to locate the problem, not prove who perpetrated it, but she couldn’t let a traitor go free.

She could track the transmission through the internet service provider, and that meant she needed Derrick’s help. She dug out her phone and dialed her twin brother.

“Do you still have that friend at Northwest Internet?” she asked the minute he answered.

“Yeah,” he replied skeptically.

“I need an address for one of their clients.”

He didn’t respond right away, and she was tempted to ask again. But while she made snap decisions, he often needed to process information first, so she waited, tapping her foot on the floor and feeling as if time physically ticked away. She glanced at the clock on her computer. The demonstration would start any minute now, and she needed to get to the conference room to tell General Wilder and his joint military committee about her findings.

“I don’t know, sis,” Derrick finally said. “Stan’s a contact you don’t want to burn. He’s helped me a lot lately, and I don’t want him to get into trouble.”

“This is important, Derrick.”

He snorted. “You always say that.”

“This time I mean it.” He’d agree if she offered details of her discovery, but she wouldn’t do that until she’d put together a comprehensive report for their family’s private investigations agency.

“You promise you won’t ask me to talk to Stan again after this?”

“Promise,” she said, but her response didn’t ring true even in her own ears.

“That didn’t sound real convincing.”

“It’s hard to make a promise like that. What if we faced a life-or-death situation and Stan could save someone’s life? I’d go back on the promise then. Or what if—”

“Enough.” He laughed good-naturedly. “I got it. I’ll call Stan.”

She rattled off the network login information Stan would need. “This is urgent. As in, I need the information now.”

“Don’t worry. I got it. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” He disconnected.

She went back to the software and started her written report for the general. In less than ten minutes, her phone chimed a text. She grabbed it from the desk and smiled when she saw Derrick had come through with the address she needed. She plugged it into a database they often used to locate people, and a name flashed on the screen in front of her.

“Really?” she whispered in surprise as she spotted the name of a SatCom associate, then sat back with a satisfied sigh.

God was smiling on her today. She’d located her first ever traitor, possessed the evidence to prove it and was only moments away from exposing him at the demonstration.

* * *

Inside SatCom’s modern two-story building, Luke rounded the corner to the conference room. The three-member military procurement committee and two of his staff members sat around a long table. Tim, wearing his usual jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt, paced at the head of the table. A tall, slender woman with softly waving blond hair stood at the side. Her back was to Luke, but he could still see her hands in motion as she spoke.

The infamous consultant Dani Justice, he assumed. And if she was attending the demonstration, their software was most likely corrupt as the anonymous caller had claimed.

Could this be the end of his company? Of his reputation? Of everything he’d worked for?

He dragged in a breath but came up thirsting for more, his heart racing.

Breathe, he told himself. Just slow down and breathe. Your team needs you. Fight the problem, but do it the right way.

Calm. Respectful. Befitting a former SEAL.

He slowed to compose himself. No point in barging in the room with a crazed glare as if he’d crawled out of a combat zone.

“Your software has been altered, Mr. Revello.” Ms. Justice’s voice, filled with passion, carried out the door. “I found a backdoor, fully compromising it.”

Luke’s feet completely faltered for a moment as shock from her confirmation washed over him. A surprised murmur traveled through the committee and several mouths dropped open. Luke had no clue what a backdoor was, but he clearly understood someone had compromised Crypton as the anonymous caller had claimed.

“Is this possible, Mr. Revello?” General Wilder asked, though his expression said he’d already decided it was true.

He thinks we sabotaged the software on purpose. Luke’s heart sank.

“No one here would do such a thing,” Tim answered emphatically.

Ms. Justice pulled her shoulders back, looking even taller than the five-ten or so he pegged her at. “The software wasn’t modified internally. It was done by remotely logging on to your network.”

“No,” Tim said again, but this time his voice had fallen to a whisper. “Our network security is top-notch.”

Tim was melting down. Luke needed to get in there. He rushed toward the door.

“Do you have proof of this breach, Dani, and can you find the person responsible?” Wilder asked.

She took a few steps closer to the table. “The best I can do until I have time to dig deeper is to give you the physical address where the transmission originated.”

Luke stepped into the room and met Wilder’s quizzical gaze. He came to his feet, his chair shooting back and hitting the wall as whispers filled the room. “Baldwin,” he said. “You look terrible. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Luke smiled, but he had to force his lips to turn up. “I apologize for being late. I ran off the road last night and was trapped in my car until an hour ago.”

Wilder let wizened eyes rove over Luke. “And you’re sure you’re fit to be here?”

“Fine.”

“Then you should know there’s a problem.” Wilder took his seat. “We were just about to start the demonstration when Dani told us the software has been sabotaged.”

“I heard her outrageous claim from the hallway.” Luke met Ms. Justice’s damning gaze, firing back with as much strength as he could muster.

She crossed her arms. “It’s not outrageous, Mr. Baldwin. I have verifiable proof that your network was remotely accessed and the software modified.” The zeal in her large brown eyes told Luke she spoke the truth.

“I will, of course, need to see the proof, but at least we now know about the issue and can fix it.” Luke faced Wilder again. “Since the sabotage came from outside the company, I hope you’ll give us a chance to correct the problem and still consider Crypton for this contract.”

“I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear, Mr. Baldwin,” Ms. Justice jumped in, her full focus pinned on Luke. “The transmission may have come from outside the company, but it originated from a SatCom employee’s home address.”

“What?” Wilder slammed a hand on the table making everyone jump. “Give us the address, Dani, so we can expose this traitor.”

She rattled off a local address, her eyes never leaving Luke’s face.

Impossible.

Shock iced over Luke’s heart and his legs felt as if they would no longer hold him upright. He hissed out a breath and searched for a response that not only wouldn’t end his career, his company, his dream, but also wouldn’t land him in jail for espionage.

Ms. Justice took a deep breath then added, “I’ll let Mr. Baldwin tell you who resides at that address.”

Luke couldn’t speak.

“You obviously know who lives there,” Wilder said after a few moments, his focus locked on Luke. “I suggest you share it with us, or the committee and I will walk.”

Luke planted his hands on the table for support, pulled back his aching shoulders and met Wilder’s penetrating gaze head on. “I live there, General. It’s my home address.”

TWO

Unbelievable. Dani stared at Luke Baldwin as she sat at the end of the table.

He hadn’t reacted as expected. No denial of the charges. No explanation. He’d simply come to his full height and snapped his shoulders into a hard line as if he were standing at attention before his commanding officer. Now he stood ramrod-stiff, looking all soldier. All Mr. Tough Guy. Still, she’d seen his face pale and those broad shoulders slump for a moment after her announcement.

His employees huddled in the corner, frantically whispering. If Luke noticed, his expression didn’t give it away. Not surprising. As a former SEAL, he’d developed the ability to hide his emotions.

He suddenly swiveled, his gaze searching the room like a heat-seeking missile looking for a target. His cobalt eyes locked on hers, and she drew in a sharp breath at the intensity. He advanced toward her with the stealth of a large cat, radiating power and demanding attention—hers and everyone else’s in the room.

She was powerless to look anywhere but at him. She took in the three-inch gash, swollen and raw, running over a high cheekbone, and a purple goose egg stretching the tanned skin on his forehead. Underneath his injuries, he was ruggedly handsome, and she caught herself staring as her heart rate sped up. At the other end of the table, Wilder paused, his finger in midair as if making a point to the stunned committee members gathered near him. His eyes tracked Luke, and the committee members followed suit.

But Luke passed them by and didn’t stop until he reached her, his nearness even more unsettling. He peered down on her from his over-six-foot height, his expression earnest. “No matter what you discovered in Crypton, I didn’t sabotage it. I’m not a programmer. Far from it. My computer skills end at knowing how to email and surf the internet.”

“Please, Mr. Baldwin. You expect me to believe you have no computer skills and yet you started a software company.”

“Call me Luke.” He squatted down, his presence filling the space in front of her. “My expertise is the military way of life and how our product is used in the field. Tim handles all of the programming.”

She fired a skeptical look at him, and he quickly held up his hands. “I get that it sounds crazy, but I lost a good friend in Afghanistan due to compromise of our satellite phones. Before Hawk died, I promised I’d find a way to solve the problem and make sure no one else lost their life from the same issue. So I sought out his brother, Tim, and we formed the company.”

Sounded reasonable. Honorable, even. Exactly what she’d expect from a former SEAL. But could she believe him? He hadn’t faked his brief response to her announcement, of that she was sure. But he’d recovered quickly. Too quickly, settling a mask of indifference over his face. Did he not know about the sabotage, or was he upset that he’d been caught? She hadn’t a clue which to believe.

“Look,” he said, his voice low as if he didn’t want the others to overhear. “I don’t even know what a backdoor is.” Looking fatigued, he dropped a knee to the floor, bringing him even closer and giving her a good look at the exhaustion etched in his eyes. “In fact it’d be helpful if you’d explain it to me. In layman’s terms, please.”

Was this claim of a lack of computer skills his attempt to cover up his involvement in the sabotage? She appraised him. His eyes were clear and guileless. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.

“A backdoor is exactly what it sounds like,” she said. “Think of it like a door to a house or building. Sometimes we enter from a back door so we don’t draw attention to ourselves. A backdoor in software is the same. It lets the person who modified the software slip in undetected to modify the program.”

Luke sucked in a short breath. “It’s true, then. Our sworn enemies could hear satphone conversations and know the military’s every move.”

Dani could tell he was thinking about the loss of his friend, but she couldn’t sugarcoat the potential damage just to make him feel better. “He’d have to hack through military defenses once the software was deployed, but after reviewing the backdoor code, I can tell you the saboteur is very skilled and it wouldn’t be hard for him to do so.”

“That rules me out, then.” He clenched his jaw and corded muscles in his neck stood out. “Besides, what motive could I possibly have to sabotage my own software?”

“If you hadn’t gotten caught, you could’ve sold any secrets you overheard to the highest bidder.”

He jerked back as if she’d slapped him. “I’d never do that, but I get that you have to suspect me.”

She didn’t want to doubt him, but what choice did she have?

“I’d like to hire you to dig deeper into this mess and prove my innocence,” he continued. “But the only way I’ll be able to pay you is if I can somehow convince the general to give us another chance and the contract goes through.” He paused and looked at the general and his committee. “Given their unsympathetic expressions, I’d say it’s highly improbable, but I hope you’ll agree to help anyway.”

Interesting. “Money aside, what if things don’t go your way and I prove you’re guilty? You know I won’t ignore it. I’ll have to turn you in.”

“I’m certain that won’t happen.” He offered her a flicker of a smile.

She had to fight not to return it with one of her own. She was so intrigued by him—by the case—that she wanted to jump up and shout, “Yes, I’ll help you!” But she knew nothing about this man other than he was a SEAL. She’d like to think that meant he was trustworthy, but SEALs were just men with razor-sharp skills. Fallible. Susceptible to greed and criminal actions like any man.

The big question was, could she help someone suspected of treason? She wanted to. His case would be the perfect chance to use her computer degree and the skills she’d learned working cyber crimes at the FBI. Skills that had been underutilized since she’d joined her family at the Justice Agency.

Right, the family. They’d have to agree. She’d fulfilled her obligation to the general, so that wouldn’t be a problem. But getting her family on board was another story.

“I’d have to run it by the agency first,” she said, wondering if her siblings would even consider working with a suspected traitor.

“Agency?” he asked.

“I haven’t properly introduced myself.” She held out her hand. “Dani Justice of the Justice Agency. It’s a full-service agency owned by my family. We handle all private-investigation needs, including computer crimes.”

“Ah, you must be the family spokesperson. Or at the very least the one in charge of commercials.” He took her hand in his and smiled. Not the forced number he’d used a moment ago, but an irresistibly devastating grin. He captivated her in a way no man had in a long time, and the heat from his touch traveled up her arm. His smile suddenly fell and he let go of her hand.

Embarrassed at her reaction, she tucked her hand behind her back. “All joking aside, I can talk to my siblings about adding you to our client list.”

He narrowed those startling blue eyes. “What are the odds that they’d agree to take me on?”

“Honestly,” she replied as she sought the answer, “not good. My brother Cole is a former National Guard member and won’t agree at all.” She paused and thought about the emotional turmoil from fighting a war that Cole had only recently healed from. “And after everything he went through during two tours in Iraq, I’m thinking the group will support him and say no to you.”

A flash of disappointment claimed his eyes before he cleared it away. “I guess I’ll have to find someone else, then.”

The same disappointment settled inside her heart, and she wished she could do something. She’d waited for the perfect case to prove her abilities since joining her siblings. Even at thirty-two, as the youngest female of five adopted siblings, she was often babied and never allowed to take charge on a case. She was desperate to do so.

There had to be a way to do it. There just had to.

He started to rise.

“Wait.” Impulse had her shooting out a hand to stop him. “I’ll do it.”

He arched a brow. “Not that I’m not thankful, but are you sure?”

“Positive. If you’re truly innocent, then someone else either used your computer or hacked your home network. I might be able to prove it by looking at your home computer. That could cast enough doubt on your guilt, and I can bring my family on board.”

He nodded. Once. Quickly. Decisively. Then he glanced at Wilder and his group. “I’ll need time to talk with the general and my staff, and then we can head to my place.”

“Great,” she said.

He slowly came to his feet, agony lighting on his face. His eyes darkened into a shade of steel that burned a path ahead, and he walked away. She imagined him in his uniform in Afghanistan, facing down terrorism. He’d be a formidable foe.

She watched him march up to Wilder, and uncertainty plagued her heart.

Had she done the right thing in agreeing to help him? Or would she soon find herself dealing with a cunning traitor who expertly knew how to use his charms to get his way?

* * *

Luke pushed from his desk and strode to the conference room. His adrenaline from the car crash and shock over the sabotage had disappeared hours ago, fatigue taking its place. As he approached the long table where Dani awaited him, he swayed and felt as if he might drop to the floor. He grabbed the edge of the tabletop for support, but when he caught Dani watching him, he let go and came to full height.

Never let anyone see your weakness, his father had warned so many times that, even though Luke had lost respect for his father long before he’d died, he often found himself living by the man’s misguided code.

Making sure his shoulders were back in military precision, he crossed the room and forced out a smile for Dani. “I’ve had a rental car delivered, and I’m ready to head to my house. I’ll meet you there, since you already know my address.”

She opened her mouth but didn’t seem to know how to respond.

“Sorry. The comment about you knowing my address was my attempt at a lame joke to lighten the mood.”

She smiled, and if he wasn’t so exhausted, he might take the time to enjoy how it lit up her face and chased the confusion from her eyes.

He held out his hand. “After you.”

She grabbed her laptop case and he slipped it from her hands. She stopped and looked him in the eye. “I appreciate the gesture, but I carry my own computer.” She took the case from him and shouldered it before striding down the hall.

Stubborn, much?

He set off, but a wave of dizziness assailed him and he had to run his hand along the wall to keep up with the clip, clip, clip of her pointy heels. In the elevator she watched him carefully. He expected her to speak at any moment, but she said nothing. They stepped into the cooling afternoon air, and he dug his keys from his pocket.

With long fingers she snatched them out of his hand. “You’re in no shape to drive.”

“I’m fine,” he said, though he clearly wasn’t fine if a slight 115-pound female could best him and take his keys. He reached for them, but she slipped her arm behind her back.

The quick motion sent his head into a spin again, and he wobbled for a moment.

She considered him with an unwavering gaze. “You should see a doctor before we go to your house.”

Not sure what to do with his hands when all he wanted to do was reach behind her and grab his keys, he shoved them into his pants pockets. “I’ve been through far worse than this, and I know when to seek medical attention.”

She lifted her chin. “And I have three brothers who would all be as foolishly stubborn in this situation. So trust me. I have plenty of skills in dealing with it.” She looked him dead in the eye. “I’ll drive and we’ll make a stop at the E.R. on the way. That is, if you still want me to take this case.”

“Fine,” he said, not liking it one bit, but knowing he needed to play by her rules if she was going help him. “Lead the way.”

She pivoted sharply and set off. Not needing to hide his less-than-optimum performance any longer, he followed at his own pace. He should be royally miffed at her, but he respected her determination, and his anger quickly subsided. He liked a woman who knew her own mind. Even better when the mind was encased in a captivating package.

He met her at her SUV and climbed into the passenger seat next to her. The subtle scent of her coconut fragrance wrapped around him. Feminine and tough at the same time.

What man could resist such a combination?

She laid her arm along the top of his seat and backed out of the space. As she returned her focus to the front, their gazes met for the briefest of moments. He got lost in her eyes, and interest in a woman that had lain dormant for years flared to life. She quickly jerked her gaze away, but before she did, he saw the same spark of interest.

You’ve got a great sense of humor, God, sending this woman into my life after all these years and at the worst possible time.

Not really expecting God to talk back, given Luke’s strained relationship with Him, Luke turned to look out the window. He caught Dani’s reflection in the glass and that little zing sparked again.

He stifled a groan and reminded himself of all the reasons why getting involved with any woman right now was a bad thing. Working with Dani Justice was going to be interesting. Maybe too interesting for his own good.

* * *

The sun was setting in glorious oranges and reds behind the West Hills by the time Dani pulled into Luke’s driveway and parked behind his rental car. After extensive testing, the E.R. doc had cleared him to drive, so they’d retrieved his car from SatCom and she’d followed him to his town house.

Long, uncomfortable silences had populated their time together, and she almost dreaded getting out of the car, but she had a job to do. She grabbed a flashlight, and as she walked toward the front door she searched through the light drizzle and thick fog blanketing the lushly landscaped property.

In one of their brief discussions, Luke had claimed to have sunk all his money into his company, and yet he lived in one of Portland’s most exclusive areas. Dani’s sister, Kat, had bought a foreclosure home in the area, so Dani knew the high price of property here. Luke could be renting, she supposed. Or maybe her initial instincts about him were totally wrong, and he wasn’t who he seemed.

“Nice property,” she said, trying not to sound obvious in her search for an explanation.

He watched her for a few moments, then grinned with that magnetic smile he seemed to flash freely. “For a P.I., you’re not very good at fishing, are you?”

Her irritation instantly flared, but she wasn’t sure if it was because he saw right through her or because her pulse kicked up whenever he grinned with boyish charm, in direct contrast to the imposing man standing before her. Either way, she wouldn’t let him see her reaction.

She gave him an innocent smile. “I’ve never been much for fishing. I’m a city girl through and through.”

“Too bad.” His smile widened, one corner crookedly tipping higher. “I could’ve shown you all the best fishing holes in the area.” He opened the door, then turned back. “Oh, and in answer to your unspoken question, the town house belongs to my sister, Natalie.”

Ugh! She’d known him for only a few hours and yet he seemed to think he was always right. So confident. Everything she was attracted to in a man. Sure, he was good-looking—fit, muscular with a swagger that spoke to his self-assurance—and she’d have to be blind or near death not to react to him. But men like him were off-limits for her. He was too much like her ex-boyfriend, Paul. She’d found his confidence attractive, too. Until six months ago, when he’d gone all controlling and stalker on her. She wouldn’t put herself through that ever again. Not for any man.

“You can go on in,” she said, trying to sound unaffected by anything he said or did. “I’d like to do a quick inspection out here.”

His brow went up in question, and he held his position.

She’d have to explain if she wanted him to go inside. “I need to see if there are signs of a break-in. If your computer was used without your permission, they would’ve had to break in or access your wireless connection from close by.”

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“That’s why I’m the private investigator and you’re the client.” She kept her voice free of the sarcasm that wanted to creep in. “I’ll be just a minute.”

He nodded but stopped mid-nod when a flash of pain darkened his face.

“You should take something for the pain,” she suggested.

He straightened his spine. “I’m good.”

Right. Mr. Tough Guy. “It’s not a sign of weakness to accept help, you know.”

“Come in when you’re finished,” he said, changing the subject. After a protracted look, he went inside and closed the door.

“Fine, be in pain, then,” she mumbled as she often had when her stubborn brothers refused to listen.

She shone her flashlight over the property, checking the windows for pry marks. She continued around the home, catching a welcoming wave of light spilling from floor-to-ceiling windows in the backyard. As she glanced into the family room, she spotted Luke leaning against a counter in the adjoining kitchen, talking on the phone. Even if he hadn’t just told her that the town house belonged to his sister, the feminine decor screamed he wasn’t the owner. She was certain he wouldn’t abide floral prints of any kind in his home, and she had to admit neither would she.

She finished circling the town house and stood in the driveway, making a quick sweep of the neighborhood. A security camera on the home across the street pointed down their driveway, which meant Luke’s place would show up in their footage and it might prove useful.

Useful if she cleared Luke’s name and if she found herself searching for another suspect, she reminded herself as she headed for his front door.

Since he was expecting her, she didn’t knock but entered the two-story foyer with an open staircase. Through the rich mahogany banister she could see the family room and the adjoining kitchen island.

“Luke,” she called out.

“In the kitchen,” he responded.

She found him still resting against the counter, his phone to his ear. He held up a finger and told the person he was talking to that he had to go.

“That was my sister, Natalie.” He stowed his phone. “I figured you’d want to look at her computer, too, so I got her permission.”

Not something a man with a secret to hide would do. Was he really a ruthless traitor and he planned to set up his sister? Or could his sister be behind the sabotage?

“Did you find anything outside?” He pushed off the counter, coming closer.

She took a step back, garnering a quirk of his eyebrow. So what if he knew she was being cautious? He was a former SEAL. He could end her life in a moment if he so chose.

“There were no signs of forced entry, but the people across the street have a security camera pointed in the direction of your house. If I determine a break-in did occur, we may have the suspect on video.”

“They’re good friends with Nat, so I’m sure they’ll share the video if we need it.”

“Good to know,” she said. “I’d like to look at your computers if you’ll show me where to find them.”

“This way.” He led her toward the back of the house.

She crossed the gleaming wood floors and shook her head as she imagined this big hunk of a guy trying to get comfortable on his sister’s dainty sofa and chairs in the family room. He stepped through French doors into an office with an ornate desk sitting in the middle of the room and white bookshelves circling the perimeter.

“The laptop is Nat’s. She lets me use her old desktop.” He gestured at an older model computer, the monitor sitting by a pricey ultrathin laptop.

Dani’s gaze flew to his face. “You don’t own your own computer?”

“No.”

She watched him carefully, looking for a hint of deception. “Kind of odd for a guy who owns a technology company not to have a computer.”

He lifted a shoulder in the briefest of shrugs. “The world needs computers, but I’d rather my life was free from things I can’t control.”

So he was a control freak like her twin brother, Derrick. Not the only one in her family, but he was the worst when it came to her. Balking anytime she did anything the least bit risky and if he didn’t get his way, losing his temper. As a result, she pushed harder. Even going into law enforcement when a career in information technology was her first dream.

She dropped onto the desk chair as Luke grabbed a straight-back chair. He turned it around and straddled the seat. “Will this take long?”

“Depends on what I find.” She booted up the computer and the laptop.

As she worked, she could feel his eyes on her. She didn’t look at him but watched the screen wake up, then called up the needed information. She ran through several screens but found she couldn’t concentrate with his piercing eyes tracking her every move.

She looked at him. “This would be a lot easier if you didn’t stare at me like that.”

“Sorry,” he said, looking sheepish. “It’s just you’re nothing like I expected for a computer guru.”

“Is that so?” She appraised him.

“I expected someone like Tim and the rest of my programming staff. You know...kinda geeky. Wearing a T-shirt with an odd saying that only computer professionals understand. Shy, not real good with people. Not someone like you with your...your...well, you know.” His face turned the color of a ripe tomato, so out of character for the charmer she’d seen so far.

She’d had this same discussion a hundred times with other people and knew he meant she was fashionably dressed and attractive. Not that she was conceited, but she’d been told enough times that God had blessed her with above-average looks. But the big, bad military man was too embarrassed to say it. Oddly this more than anything else he’d said or done since she’d met him made her believe in his innocence and made her want to put him at ease.

“Minus the T-shirts, I am that person,” she offered. “I just don’t look the part. I work hard to overcome the shyness, and trust me, if you saw my Star Wars collection, you’d know I’m a real geek at heart.”

For a moment, he didn’t seem to know how to take her response, but then he tipped back his head and laughed, an altogether pleasant sound.

When his laughter stilled, she said, “So can I get back to work without you watching my every move now?”

“I could stand to get cleaned up, I suppose.” He stood and she saw the pain light in his eyes for a moment before he cleared it. This guy didn’t want anyone to see he was weak, and yet it was his weakness that made him seem human to her.

As he left the room, she dug into his computer files. Thirty minutes later, she knew without a doubt that even an inexperienced hacker could have used his home network to access Crypton on the night in question. But what she found next threw her a curveball.

“Interesting,” she whispered as she wondered what her findings meant.

She heard footsteps heading her way, and she looked up to see Luke returning. She didn’t want to stare at him, but how could she not? He wore pressed tactical pants in a dark brown, a light tan T-shirt that molded to his toned physique and his damp hair was even darker and brought out the penetrating blue of his eyes. He was the complete physical package, and she was more attracted to him than she’d first thought. Something that hadn’t happened since Paul’s reign of terror.

Why now, God? Why him?

“Have you found anything?” he asked, oblivious to the battle raging inside her.

She forced her mind back to the job. “Yes, but I don’t know what to make of it yet.”

“Can you explain it in simple terms that I can follow?”

She swiveled the monitor so he could see it, then tapped the screen. “These entries are from your and Natalie’s computers. The entry shows you both used your wireless router to connect to the internet the day before SatCom was hacked. Notice the two IDs.”

He nodded. “Since the IDs are different, does that mean each computer has a different ID?”

“Exactly, and that lets me see who accessed the internet the night in question.” She opened another log. “This is the day SatCom was hacked. You can see one computer logged on to the internet, and the ID is different from the first two I showed you.”

He leaned closer to look at the screen, his fresh minty scent filling the air. “I don’t understand how that can be. We only have the two computers you see here.”

“What about a visitor? Did you or Natalie have a friend over that night?”

“Not at three in the morning.”

“Then the only thing that makes sense is that someone used your wireless network from outside your home. To do that your network would need to be unsecured.”

“Nat takes care of all of that stuff,” he said quickly—maybe too quickly in hopes of covering himself. “At least she did until her computer crashed a few days ago. She had to call in a friend to help her. He found a virus on her computer.” He shook his head. “Another reason I don’t like computers much. I prefer to be able to see my enemies.”

“Did the friend access your network with his computer?”

“I don’t know. Can’t you tell by looking at the logs you’ve been reviewing?”

“I can tell a computer other than your laptop or your sister’s desktop accessed your network, but without seeing the friend’s computer, I can’t tell if it was his.”

“I can call Nat and ask him to bring it over.”

“That would be great.”

As he made the call, Dani tuned him out and pondered the puzzle before her. What motive might the friend have for sabotaging SatCom? For that matter, what motive might Luke’s sister have?

Dani would need to run a background check on both of them and prove a connection to SatCom before considering them strong suspects. At this point, Luke still held top spot on her list.

Assuming his guilt, had he used another laptop to do his dirty work, then hidden or disposed of it? But then why log into SatCom from his home, where it could be traced?

Made no sense. The only other explanation was that the network wasn’t secure on the day SatCom was accessed. That she could check easily enough.

She pulled up the wireless router log and scanned the data. The settings had been altered a few days ago, well after SatCom’s hack. Maybe the friend who fixed Natalie’s computer had changed the settings to block other viruses. If Dani had been called in to fix Natalie’s computer issues, she would’ve secured the network, and she guessed the friend had done the same thing.

Luke’s conversation was coming to a close, but Dani signaled to him not to hang up yet.

“Hold on, sis,” he said, turning his attention to Dani.

“Will you ask Natalie if her friend altered the network security settings?”

Luke asked the question. A few moments later, he said, “She says he didn’t connect to the network with his computer that night, and he said something about making things more secure, but Nat doesn’t know exactly what he did.”

“Thanks,” Dani replied. “As long as he drops by with his computer tonight, that’s all I need for now.”

Luke said goodbye to his sister and stowed his phone.

She waited for him to look at her again. “When did this friend work on Natalie’s computer?”

“I don’t know. Do you need the exact date?”

“If you don’t want to go to jail, I do.”

He cringed and moved back.

“Look,” she said. “I’m sorry for being so blunt, but since I’ve cleared your computers, we can assume no one broke in here to use them. And with the current security settings, the likelihood of access coming from outside your house is minuscule. But I found a change made to the settings, so I suspect the friend helping your sister modified the settings to protect her from another virus. If this happened after the login to SatCom, we can prove the network was accessible before that day.”

He raised his head in thought. “I think it was last Tuesday. No wait...Monday. I remember because the Seahawks were playing, and her friend commented on the game.”

She checked the dates again. “That correlates with the date I found.”

“So this means someone could have accessed our network from outside the house before then, right?”

“Right.”

The tension in his expression loosened. “Is there any way to find the computer that was used?”

“Maybe. The hacker might have used a stolen computer to cover his trail and ditched it afterward. I’ve seen something like this happen when I worked cyber crimes for the FBI.”

“So if it was stolen, might the police have it in evidence?”

“Possibly, but the identifying information we need wouldn’t be in their reports. We’d have to physically look at each computer.” Her mind whirled over steps she could take to locate the computer. “My sister, Kat, is married to a Portland police detective. She should be able to get access to the computers they have in evidence.”

“What are the odds that they’ll have it?”

“Very low, and—” she paused to meet his gaze to ensure he was listening “—even if we do find it, I have no proof that you didn’t use this laptop, then discard it yourself.”

He fisted his hands. “Then what do you need to clear my name?”

Good question. “I’ll have to find the real hacker to fully clear you. But you should know, if it’s not your sister or her friend, finding the hacker will be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.”

His shoulders slumped in defeat. He peered at Dani, and the agony in his eyes made her draw in a breath at his vulnerability. She should probably heed the evidence or lack of evidence, but despite nothing pointing to his innocence, she didn’t think he was guilty.

Or was she just hoping that the man who sparked something inside her that she thought long dead was innocent of a terrible crime like treason?

THREE

Luke stared out his office window, the morning sun already high in the sky over SatCom’s parking lot. A silver SUV like Dani’s wound through the lot and pulled into a visitor’s space. He held a hand over his eyes to block the sun and confirm the vehicle belonged to her. She climbed out, but even with the early-morning chill, she didn’t wear a coat. She wrapped long, slender arms around her waist as she hurried toward the building.

Good. He’d hoped she’d arrive early so they could get to work on finding the real traitor. He eagerly made his way toward the small reception area to meet her. She’d taken a seat in a leather club chair and was looking at her phone. Her long legs were crossed and her foot swung in rapid arcs as if she were eager to get to work. She wore jeans again today, dark and pressed with a military precision that he could appreciate. Her shoes were more practical than yesterday’s and her top a vivid red that highlighted her fair coloring.

She was such a study in contrasts. Tough and determined, yet fragile. On the one hand, he found her to be sensible and grounded. On the other, she did things like not wearing a coat when the weather called for it and supporting him when the facts screamed his guilt.

She looked up and caught him watching. Her eyes, the color of rich cappuccino, locked on his, and he was riveted until she looked away and jumped to her feet. She headed toward him, and he noted a hint of concern in her expression.

Luke braced himself. He didn’t know if he could handle more bad news. “Is there something I need to know?”

“We need to talk.” Her voice held a definite edge that he hadn’t heard before. “In private.” She didn’t wait for him to respond but hurried toward the exit.

He had half a mind not to follow her, to keep from hearing another problem. But he wasn’t one to run from his troubles, so he trailed her outside. She stopped on the sidewalk and a strong gust of wind hit hard. A shiver rippled over her body. He took off his jacket and tried to settle it over her shoulders, but she stepped back.

“I’m just trying to be a gentleman,” he said, watching her carefully.

She gave him that same I-can-take-care-of-myself look she’d fired at him several times yesterday, so he shrugged back into his coat.

Strands of her long, silky hair whipped into her face, and she impatiently swatted it out of the way. “Mitch Elliot, my brother-in-law who’s a cop, came through for us. Kat and Mitch spent a good part of the night personally reviewing every computer in evidence and found the one we’re looking for.”

“That’s great,” he said, wondering why she’d felt a need to be secretive about this. “How did the police get it?”

“They picked it up during the bust of a small-time burglar. We don’t think he has anything to do with the network hack, but he might be able tell us where he got the computer. This is a perfect time of day to catch him at home, so I’m heading over to talk to him now. I thought you might want to come with me.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Then let’s go, and I’ll give you the details on the way.” She held out a remote to click open the doors on her large SUV, then flashed a mischievous smile at him. “After your accident yesterday, I’m thinking you don’t have a very good record behind the wheel, so I’ll drive again.”

Despite her adorable smile, he wanted to argue but didn’t want to admit he had a thing with letting other people drive. He climbed into the passenger seat and slid it back to accommodate his legs.

She slipped behind the wheel as gracefully as she did everything else. Not at all like he’d expect from a P.I. and definitely not from an FBI agent. He could easily see how criminals like the man they were going to talk to might subdue her.

Luke would have to keep a watchful eye on her—no hardship, that was for sure. But no matter how intrigued he was by her, that was as far as things would go. He had too many unsettled issues for that to ever be a possibility in his life.

She turned the key, and the powerful engine roared to life, then purred smoothly. “You seem like you’re in less pain today.”

“I am,” he said and waited for her to demand additional details as she always seemed to do.

Surprisingly she concentrated on winding her way out of the lot. While she merged the car seamlessly into heavy morning traffic, Luke called Tim to tell him he’d left the building and to ask him to inform his assistant so she didn’t worry. He’d already shared with Tim that they’d hoped a stolen computer was used to access the network, but despite questions Tim fired off, Luke kept the nature of this trip to himself. He didn’t want Tim to lose hope if the lead didn’t pan out.

“You really care about Tim, don’t you?” Dani asked when he’d stowed his phone.

“You can tell that from a simple phone conversation?”

“You’re reserved and cautious when you talk to people, but when you talk with Tim, your whole demeanor changes.”

He shook his head. “I need to remember you think like a P.I., assessing everything I say and do.”

“And I need to remember you’re a former SEAL doing the same thing.”

“Touché,” he said and laughed.

“So back to Tim.”

“I think I mentioned he’s Hawk’s little brother.” Mindful of Dani’s observations, Luke worked hard to keep the emotion over the loss of his friend from his voice. “I figure the least I can do for Hawk is to fill in for him with Tim when I can.”

She cast an appraising look his way, but he hadn’t a clue what she was trying to ascertain. After a quick shake of her head she said, “I should tell you that I reviewed the computer from your sister’s friend last night and I started vetting your sister.”

“And?” He crossed his arms.

“The friend didn’t use his computer to access your home network and I haven’t found anything to suggest your sister is involved.”

“Makes me sad that they’re now involved in this mess, but I get that you have to work every angle.”

“I’ll still need to dig a little deeper on your sister before I can fully rule her out.”

“Will you let me know as soon as you finish vetting her?”

Dani nodded. “I also need to tell you that General Wilder called me last night.”

Right. Here comes the thing that had her so uptight in the office.

“And?” He braced himself for the answer.

“He said they’d traced the anonymous phone call they received and it led to a disposable cell.”

“So it’s a dead end, then,” Luke said, fighting back his disappointment.

“Yes.” She braked as they approached a stoplight. “But while I had him on the phone, I got him to agree to relook at your software. Provided they haven’t signed another contract by the time it’s fixed, that is.”

Luke swiveled to face her. “He agreed? Yesterday he led me to believe that the sabotage had pretty much ended our chances with the other committee members.”

“It had, but I promised him I’d personally vouch for the software. I’ll have to review it thoroughly after your team makes the corrections, but we should be able to get it in front of the committee again.”

“I’m so relieved I could kiss you,” Luke blurted out before his brain caught up with his emotions.

She came to a complete stop at the light then looked at him, straight and long, those luminous eyes burning into his like an infrared scope. He wouldn’t have been able to pull away even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. She was one of those women you couldn’t seem to take your eyes off. Not because of her physical beauty, but because of a strength and determination that glowed from inside.

He wanted to ignore his common sense and give in to the sparks of interest. To forget everything else. To finally forget all about the hurtful things Wendy had flung at him before she’d left and think about dating again.

Wendy. Right.

Be a real man, she’d shouted at him. Let go of SatCom and get a job that can support a wife and family.

Words that sounded very much like his father’s when Luke had tried out for the SEALs. He’d thought his dad would be proud. Instead, he’d cut Luke to the quick when he’d said becoming a SEAL wasn’t honorable. It was selfish and self-serving. Only men who sought accolades as the hero followed that path. Real, hardworking men settled down with a wife and family.

Luke had worked even harder to make it as a SEAL after that, but he’d carried his father’s words as he carried his backpack, unloading a bit of the old man’s garbage with each trip. He thought he’d succeeded in ridding himself of all of it until Wendy had spit similar words at him.

Now he got it. He still let his father’s criticisms linger and he wasn’t fit for a relationship. Not fit for duty. End of story.

He jerked his gaze away. The light changed and Dani eased the car forward. An awkward silence descended on them, the air thick with tension. He’d probably offended her with his kissing comment.

He looked at her and waited for her to glance his way. “I’m sorry, Dani. My comment about kissing you was inappropriate.”

“It was nothing,” she said, but quickly darted her focus back to the front. “I could never have worked in law enforcement for as long as I did if something like that bothered me.”

Glad he hadn’t stepped on her toes, he turned to watch the scenery on the Sunset Highway fly past. Traffic was heavy this time of morning, but they soon swooped down the Sylvan Hill and into the tunnel before exiting into downtown Portland.

“So the guy we’re going to see is Freddy Eggleston.” Dani glanced over her shoulder and changed lanes. “Ring any bells?”

“None.”

“He has a long rap sheet. Served time for breaking and entering and once for assault. Nothing that would make me think he has the brains to sabotage your software.”

“I’m hoping he’ll at least be able to tell us where he got this computer.”

“Me, too, but don’t hold your breath. Criminals like Eggleston rarely offer to cooperate unless there’s something in it for them.”

A vision of Dani as an FBI agent sitting across the interrogation table from known felons flashed into Luke’s head, and he didn’t like the picture. Not one bit. “Maybe we should have the police talk to him instead of doing it ourselves.”

She cast him an as-if look. “So did you have a chance last night to think about who’d want to sabotage your software?”

Wishing she hadn’t so deftly changed the subject, he nodded. “Only thing I can come up with is our competitor, Security-Watchdog, wanting us to tank so they can get the contract.”

She clicked on her blinker, then turned the corner into a residential area. “Since we’re talking about a multimillion-dollar contract, I think that’s a good possibility. But it could also be someone holding a grudge against you.”

He hadn’t considered that this might be a personal attack. Was there someone who’d want to set him up to take the fall for treason?

He ran though his life and couldn’t come up with a single suspect. “I’m not a Boy Scout by any means, but I doubt anyone hates me enough to risk going to jail for treason.”

“Still,” she said. “You should spend some time thinking about it.”

“I will, but I think we should look into corporate espionage right away. Though I don’t know anything about the owners of Security-Watchdog,” he quickly added as he hated to cast suspicion on anyone without reason.

“Already started. Two of the three named partners are IT professionals who’ve worked in a few big firms here in Portland, and they seem credible.”

“And the other partner?” Luke asked. “Anything unusual jump out at you?”

“Before we talk about him, remember IT professionals know how software is sabotaged or they wouldn’t be able to protect their own investments. That doesn’t mean they have the desire to act on it, though. The other guy’s former military like you. That could mean he’s more likely to engage in subversive tactics, so I’ll keep digging into the company.”

So that’s how she saw him. Military through and through. But he was so much more than that. He was kind of hurt that she didn’t see beyond the SEAL, but most people didn’t after they learned about his military career. Not that he’d let her know it stung. Better to make light of it. “You don’t think I’d do something subversive, do you?”

She shot him a quick look of horror, and he couldn’t contain his smile.

She smirked. “Oh, I get it. You’re teasing me.”

“Kind of slow on the draw this morning, aren’t you, Justice?”

“If we find Eggleston at home, you better hope not.” She chuckled, and he couldn’t help but be impressed with how she maintained an even-keel temperament most of the time.

He’d been like that once. Before he’d gotten old enough for his father to bully and belittle while trying to control Luke’s future. Long before his father had lost it when his mother had threatened to leave him and he’d set the house on fire, killing himself along with Luke’s mother and older sister. Not a thought he’d linger on when he’d just managed to lighten his mood. He needed to be more like Dani. Upbeat. Cheerful.

“It’s showtime.” Enthusiasm bubbled through her voice as she turned into an older neighborhood.

He caught her mood. “You’re as excited as a rookie on her first case.”

“Actually this is the first investigation I’ve taken lead on since starting our agency.” She shot out a hand. “And before you get worried because you don’t think I can handle your case, I’ve been lead agent on many cyber crime investigations for the FBI and had no complaints.”

“I’m not worried in the least,” he said and meant it. But when he spotted the homes in disrepair and unkempt yards surrounding them, concern nagged at him.

Not Dani. Her eyes alight with anticipation, she eased slowly down the street and pulled up to a home with peeling white paint and a sagging front porch. A lawn covered in knee-high weeds surrounded the small bungalow. Just the kind of place a criminal might live. She turned the engine off, and he reached for his door handle.

“Wait.” She punched numbers on a safe bolted between the seats, then pulled out a Glock 45 and seated an ammo clip.

His mouth dropped open when she easily chambered a round like one of his SEAL team members. He didn’t know why seeing her handle a gun like a pro surprised him, but it did. “I didn’t expect you to carry.”

“You never know what might be waiting for us behind that door.” Her focus turned deadly serious, and for the first time, he saw Dani Justice, former federal agent, and his respect for her doubled.

“I feel a little naked,” he said, hoping she might have another gun for him.

“Just stay behind me and I’ll protect you from the big bad man.” She winked at him and her lips curled up in a grin.

He imagined this slender woman gracefully strolling up the walkway, his big, hulking body following. Seemed like something he’d see in a cartoon and he couldn’t stem a burst of laughter.

“Care to share the joke?”

“Just that you’re so...I don’t know, fragile-looking that it’s hard to picture you as my protector.”

She holstered her gun with a firm snap of her wrist and met his gaze, her eyes filled with disappointment. “I’m tougher than I look, Luke. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating me.” She clipped her holster on her belt. “Stay behind me, and at the door stay away from the peephole while I work my girlish charms on Eggleston to see if we can get him to come out.”

He still didn’t like letting a woman put herself at risk for him, but he followed her up the stairs and stood to the side of the door as she directed. A quick stab at the doorbell and she stood back. The soft breeze carried her fresh coconut scent his way, making the home seem not quite as dismal.

“Hello,” she called out in a sweet tone. “Is anyone home?”

Luke watched the transformation from a gun-toting, tough investigator to this very feminine woman. He suspected she’d taken down a suspect or two using her femininity over the years. He’d gladly fall for it, and he wasn’t an overly trusting guy.

She smiled at him, and that now familiar zing of interest kept his eyes fixed on her. She really was something else. He couldn’t help but think dating her would never get boring and wished that he was up for the challenge.

“Hello,” she called again.

Luke heard footsteps coming toward the door. Whisper-quiet, though, as if the guy didn’t want them to know he was home. When Luke saw the peephole in the door darken, he shot out a hand to pull her away. She deflected it, put her hand on her hip and faced the door again.

“I’m having car trouble,” she said loudly. “Do you have a phone I can use?”

Luke waited, listening for any sound, especially the chambering of a bullet.

Seconds ticked by. Slow, tense, weighty seconds.

Something was wrong.

If Eggleston bought Dani’s story, he should be opening the door by now. Luke couldn’t abide her standing in front of the door any longer. Made her too vulnerable to gunfire. He slipped his hand around her elbow and pulled her to him.

“What’re you doing?” she whispered and jerked free.

He heard a screen door slamming in the backyard.

“He’s running.” She bolted down the steps, and it took Luke a second to react.

By the time he moved, she’d raced through the weed-filled yard to a chain-link fence. He charged after her, nearly stumbling over a stump hidden in the weeds. She leaped over the fence, landing with the grace he’d come to expect from her. He hurdled the fence, all of his injuries from yesterday screaming at once, stealing his breath and stopping him in his tracks. When he could breathe again, he pounded around a building and into a narrow alley littered with trash.

Dani neared the mouth of the alley and he heard her shout, “Freeze.”

Luke kept running, clamping down on his teeth to stem the pain as he charged over the crumbling asphalt.

“Don’t,” he yelled when he saw her make a diving attempt to stop Eggleston.

She landed with hands on his shoulders and dragged him to the ground. By the time Luke reached her, she’d wrenched Eggleston’s arms behind his back and was sitting back, breathing deep. Luke dropped down beside her and tried to take control of Eggleston, but she glared at him so he backed off. Still, he stayed close by in case Eggleston tried anything.

“Let me go,” Eggleston whined, and tried to sit up. “I didn’t do nothing.”

Dani pressed his face into the ground. “Then why did you run?”

“It’s instinct to run from cops.”

“We’re not cops.”

“Right,” Eggleston said disbelievingly.

“I’m a private investigator, and my friend works for a computer company,” Dani said. “All we want is information about a computer found in your possession when you were busted last week.”

Eggleston snorted. “I tell you anything and you’ll go running to the cops.”

“We have no reason to do that. We just want to know where you got it.”

Eggleston craned his neck trying to see Dani. “Let me up and I’ll tell you.”

Luke doubted the creep was telling the truth, but Dani seemed inclined to let the man go.

“You try anything,” Luke warned, “and I’ll come after you.”

Eggleston cast an appraising eye at Luke, then nodded. Dani released Eggleston and sat back on her haunches. Luke remained crouched, ready to pounce if he needed to protect Dani.

Eggleston sat up and, rubbing his wrists, he winked at Dani. “You’re mighty tough for such a pretty little thing.”

Luke wanted to silence the guy, but Dani ran a hand over her hair and smiled, obviously using Eggleston’s interest to get the information she needed. “You didn’t say where the computer came from.”

“I bought it off a homeless dude I deal with sometimes.”

“Where’d he get it?” Luke jumped in.

Not taking his eyes off Dani, Eggleston shrugged.

“What’s the man’s name?” Dani’s tone was far sweeter than Luke’s had been, and it grated on his nerves that she’d be so nice to a man she’d had to tackle to the ground.

“Don’t know him by anything other than Smash.”

Dani looked disappointed. “Do you know where I can find Smash?”

“Nah. He doesn’t bed down in a regular spot. Likes to be free, you know what I mean? But I run into him every now and then.”

Dani pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from her pocket and waved it in the air. “This will be yours if you call me when you see him.”

“Oh, yeah.” Eggleston reached for the money.

Dani snatched it back. “Only if you call me.” She dug out her business card and handed it to him.

“Then be ready for my call, pretty lady.” Eggleston laughed as he got up.

“I’ll count on it,” Dani answered sweetly while Luke cringed.

Eggleston took off and Dani slowly came to her feet, easing out apparent soreness in her limbs as she rose.

Luke spotted blood staining her knees and elbows. “We need to get medical attention for you.”

“Later.” She took out her phone, stabbed a button, then lifted it to her ear. “Mitch, good. I stopped to talk to Eggleston, and he said the computer came from a homeless man named Smash. I was hoping someone there might know where I can find this Smash.”

She held her phone away from her ear and Luke heard Mitch’s angry response but couldn’t make out the words. Luke didn’t like the guy’s tone, but what could he do about it?

“How was I supposed to know you were on your way to question him?” Dani snapped into the phone. “If you’d bothered to tell me, I would’ve waited for you and Eggleston would be sitting at home right now.”

She listened, planting a hand on her hip. Suddenly she disconnected and shoved her phone into her pocket. “You could probably tell that was Mitch, and he’s miffed. Kat convinced him to take time out of his busy morning to come over here and question Eggleston. Mitch’s almost here and he’s mad that I wasted his time by chasing off Eggleston.”

Luke met Dani’s gaze. “Eggleston’s probably back at his house by now, so Mitch can still question him.”

“He’d better be, or I have no hope of getting my sister’s husband to talk to me again.” She gestured down the alley. “Let’s go meet him at the house.”

She limped along and Luke slipped a hand under her elbow to help.

“I’m fine,” she said and shrugged free. “I don’t need your help all the time. I’ve done just fine on my own, and I’d appreciate it if you’d back off.”

He held up his hands and let her take the lead. She had a stubborn streak a mile long, and if they were going to work together, he needed to remember not to push her. Hard to do when she rushed headlong into dangerous situations.

Rounding the corner of the house, he spotted a nondescript blue sedan in Eggleston’s driveway. A tall man whose bulky build said he took his fitness regimen seriously stood on the lawn. He’d folded his arms over his broad chest, and a scowl drew down his face. He had a gun holstered at his side and a badge clipped to his belt. When he caught sight of Dani, his eyes narrowed and Luke knew the guy was mad at her. Good and mad.

She didn’t seem to care but hobbled up to him as if approaching a sweet little baby, not an angry cop. “A simple phone call would’ve prevented this problem, Mitch.”

The glare Elliot directed at her made Luke pull in a deep breath and step up next to her. Not that she needed protecting from her brother-in-law or would even entertain Luke’s help if she did. But Luke didn’t like the look in the man’s eyes, and every defensive bone in his body sat up and paid attention.

“Look, Mitch,” she said, not at all fazed by the glare. “I’m sorry about what happened. You know I wouldn’t have stepped on your toes if I’d known.” She flashed a dazzling smile that would make Luke do just about anything, but Elliot’s face remained stony. “While I’ve got your attention, I thought I’d ask if you’d let me come down to the station and look at the computer myself.”

“Really, Dani? You think I’ll break every investigative rule for you just because we’re related now?”

She grinned again and actually took a step closer to the guy, who looked as if he wanted to lock her in a cell and throw away the keys. “Not every one of them. Just the ones I need you to break.”

Elliot rolled his eyes. “I was so not prepared to become a part of this family.”

“Does that mean I can look at the computer?” she asked sweetly.

Elliot sighed. “No, but if you give me a list of things to look for I’ll have someone do it for you.”

“Guess that’ll have to do.” Her lower lip slipped out in a cute little pout, and Luke couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her mouth. A very kissable mouth.

“Be careful, man,” Elliot said, clapping him on the shoulder and drawing his attention from Dani. “With the look on your face it’s only a matter of time before you’re as connected to the Justices as I am.” Chuckling, he headed for the house.

Luke felt Dani’s eyes on him, but he wouldn’t look at her again. Instead he watched Elliot step up to the front door and waited for him to head inside and return with information about the investigation.

Good. Concentrate on the investigation, he thought. If he could keep his focus on the threat to his company, he wouldn’t be thinking about the threat to his heart who stood just a few feet away.

* * *

Carrying her gym bag holding torn and bloody clothes, Dani wound her way through SatCom’s main room filled with cubicles. She smiled encouragingly as she passed curious workers on her way to Luke’s office. Though he’d founded the company, his office wasn’t as large and grand as she’d expected.

He was looking out the window, standing with that perfect posture she’d come to associate with him, his cell phone pressed to his ear. He didn’t turn even when she dropped her bag on the floor.

That was fine with her. She was still riled up over the way he kept trying to protect her like a helpless girl instead of seeing the abilities she’d spent many years developing.

Interfering like my brothers and taking charge like Paul, she thought as she wandered to a bookshelf filled with military photos and awards. Or maybe, she was using his behavior as a distraction from the connection that seemed to exist between them.

So not thinking about that right now.

She picked up a large photo of Luke. As she’d suspected, he was something to look at in his dress uniform. The jacket tailored to his wide shoulders tapered to a trim waist. A cap pulled low shadowed his eyes, making him look even more intriguing. Next to him stood a high-ranking naval officer who presented Luke with the Navy Cross.

So he’s a hero. She should’ve expected that. Par for the course for a man like him. Jump in. Take charge. Rescue the helpless or those in danger. She didn’t need rescuing, though he kept trying when Mitch got a little miffed. She could handle her brother-in-law on her own.

“Memorizing that?” he asked, coming up behind her.

She jerked her eyes free and set the picture on the shelf. “You’re quite the hero.”

He looked embarrassed by her praise. “Just doing my job.”

“You don’t need to be so modest. The Navy Cross is a top honor.”

“I’m not being modest. I just don’t happen to think I need medals for doing my duty. The only reason I displayed them was to impress the procurement committee.” He motioned for her to sit at the round table where he’d placed her laptop while she’d cleaned up. “While you dig into the code, I’ll arrange to have personnel files brought over. Though I have to say, since we’re working on a military project, I fully vetted everyone before they were hired.”

She wasn’t surprised to hear him defend his team. He’d likely adopted that attitude while in the military, but she couldn’t be as trusting. “People change, Luke. One of your workers could have been offered money to turn on SatCom, and we have to be thorough.” She settled on a cushioned chair near her computer. “Tim gave me network logs yesterday, but I’d like to have real-time access to the network.”

“He wants to talk to you anyway, so I’ll have him stop by when he’s free.” Luke sat behind his desk and lifted his phone.

She quickly lost track of his conversation with Tim as she reviewed software change logs for Crypton and discovered Luke had never made a change, adding credence to his claim of a lack of programming knowledge. Next, she delved deeper into network logins starting six months prior and moving forward. She found a login from Luke’s house during the time the two of them reviewed his home computers yesterday. Neither of them connected to SatCom, so the login couldn’t have come from his home unless his wireless network was hacked. With added security protocols that was virtually impossible. Which meant the log had been altered to make it look like Luke had logged in from home.

Someone had falsified the report. They wanted to make Luke look guilty.

Thrilled to have a lead that pointed to a suspect other than Luke, the next few hours flew by as she tracked the transmission through several servers. It didn’t take long for her to realize she was hunting a person who knew how to hide his tracks. As she worked, something kept niggling at her mind. The hacker’s pattern was familiar somehow. She’d seen the programming style before, but where?

“Knock, knock.” Tim stood at the doorway, holding out a piece of paper. “Here’s the login information for the network, Ms. Justice.”

She swiveled to face him. “Please, call me Dani.”

“And I’m Tim.” He handed her the paper. “Of course you’ll need to destroy this as soon as you memorize the info.”

Luke got up and joined them. “Isn’t that overkill?”

Dani shook her head. “Tim’s right. You can never be too careful with passwords. Especially since we already have a problem.”

Tim smiled his thanks at her, lighting up his face and making him boyishly handsome. “Good to talk to someone who understands tech stuff.”

“Back atcha,” Dani said. “My family would rather be hung by their fingernails than talk about computers.”

“I hear you.” Tim laughed and Dani joined him.

“I’m starting to feel like a third wheel,” Luke grumbled good-naturedly.

Tim’s humor faded, and he fired a patronizing look at Luke that Dani suspected was a normal occurrence between the partners. “Guess we could talk about the investigation instead. Any new leads?”

Luke nodded. “We found the computer I told you about earlier.”

Tim’s eyebrows went up. “Really? How?”

Dani quickly explained about Eggleston and the homeless man, leaving out her takedown of Eggleston. “I’m hoping Eggleston gives me a call and this homeless guy can tell us where the computer came from. Maybe even give us an ID on our suspect.”

“That’s good news, then, isn’t it?” Tim’s gaze drifted to her computer screen as if the talk of Eggleston had bored him and he couldn’t wait to get back to a topic he loved to discuss. “How about your work here? Having any luck?”

“Maybe. I found another login to the network that occurred yesterday. At first, it appeared as if it came from Luke’s house, but as I dug deeper, I found he’d used a proxy server in a long string of proxies. I’m tracking the transmission now.”

Tim gave a low whistle and leaned against the doorjamb.

“I’m going to pretend I understood that.” A lopsided grin flashed on Luke’s face, and now that Dani was starting to believe in his innocence, she grinned up at him. She got lost in his eyes, enjoying their obvious connection, until Tim pointedly cleared his throat.

She jerked her eyes away. She was working her dream case, and she had to let go of this hold Luke had on her. With his good looks, Tim probably had to deal with women throwing themselves at Luke all the time. She was not going to be one of those women. She focused her full attention on Tim.

“With skills like that,” he said, “it’s likely our hacker’s done this before.”

She nodded. “But why is the question. Since there’s really no financial payoff for this kind of hack, I’d say our hacker was hired to do it.”

“Hired by someone who wants us to fail.” Tim pushed off the door frame. “He’s no match for us, right? We won’t let him sink us.”

“Right,” she answered absently as his words tickled the elusive memory that she couldn’t help but feel was connected to the case. She needed to figure it out instead of standing here talking. “Thanks for the login, Tim.”

She turned back to the computer, opened Crypton and started clicking through the code while Luke and Tim chatted near Luke’s desk. She went deeper into the program. A line of code jumped out at her, sending her heart plummeting.

This was it. The elusive hint she couldn’t put her finger on earlier. Just a snippet of code but it was distinctive, like a trademark. A trademark for a ruthless hacker. A killer. Echo, the man who’d murdered Grace Waters, Dani’s friend and partner at the FBI, all because they’d tried to apprehend him for hacking a bank’s website.

And threatened to kill me if we ever crossed paths again.

How had she not seen the pattern yesterday?

“Oh, no,” Dani whispered as her world seemed to collapse in on her. Father, no. Not Echo. I can’t handle this again.

“Dani.” Luke looked up. “Is everything okay?”

Okay? her mind screamed as the two men watched her closely. No, everything isn’t okay.

Feeling as if she might be sick, Dani bolted from her chair and ran down the hallway to the women’s restroom. She leaned over the sink and took a good look at her face in the mirror.

Colorless. Fearful. Terrified.

This couldn’t be happening. Not when she’d finally given up on finding Grace’s killer and laid it to rest.

“But it is happening,” she mumbled, her mouth so dry the words barely slipped through her parched lips.

Echo was back and they were not only dealing with a ruthless hacker who worked for the highest bidder, but if she did her job right and got too close to him, he’d kill her without a second thought.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.