Page 10 of Fatal Conspiracy

Chapter Six

Alayah’s heart was pounding. Everything was happening so quickly she couldn’t wrap her head around any of it. Not for the first time in her life, she wished she was braver and wasn’t afraid of the things the guys at Secure One faced daily without fear. Or at least, that’s what it seemed like to her. Maybe, just this once, she could be brave. The ringing stopped, and she swore she heard Derek let out a relieved sigh from the back.

“He probably checked the GPS and noticed I was stopped,” she explained.

“You should have answered,” Derek said as she put the SUV in Reverse and turned it back down the gravel road. It was no easy task, but Cal would start to worry if she didn’t get the vehicle moving.

“He’ll call back, and I’ll have to answer,” she said, pulling into the cabin’s driveway. “You have two minutes to get what you need or I’m out,” she said through gritted teeth. He grasped the door handle when something occurred to her. “Wait.” She put the vehicle in Park and opened the console, coming up with a gun. “Take this. Just in case. It’s loaded. No safety. Point and shoot.”

“You’re giving a possible murderer a gun?” he asked,accepting it carefully before he grabbed the door handle again.

“If I had any serious concerns that you were a murderer, I wouldn’t have picked you up in the first place,” she answered. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“As the kids say, BRB.” Then he was gone, his shadow stealthy as he slid along the side of the cabin.

She noticed it was less a cabin and more a log home, which was probably gorgeous in the daylight. Tonight, though, it was ominous. It was a good reminder that she was a cybersecurity tech, not a security guy. She was about as effective in an emergency as a mouse, and fear mixed with the acid in her stomach as she watched Derek peek in several of the windows on his way past them. He must be headed for the back door to make sure no one was waiting for him there. She braced herself for the retort of the gun but heard none. Before long, the light went out in the kitchen, and she held her breath, hoping he’d been the one to turn it off. The phone rang again, and she jumped at the sudden intrusion to her thoughts. On instinct she hit the button to answer.

“Secure Watch, Alpha,” she said, using their greeting code. If anyone ever answered without using the greeting, the caller knew there was a problem and would send help. She always thought her code name was hilarious. There was no one less alpha than her, but maybe tonight was her chance to be one.

“Secure One, Charlie. Alayah? Are you okay?” Cal asked, concern lacing his words. “You should be back by now, but when I checked the GPS, you weren’t moving.”

“Sorry for the holdup,” she said, as though she couldn’t prevent it when she very well could. “I got turned around when I took a side road to avoid hitting a deer. ’Tis the season in Minnesota. You know how October is on the roads.”

“Especially out there,” he agreed. “Do you need an assist?”

“Nope, I’m headed back to the highway as soon as we hang up. Gotta use the hand controls.”

“Call me if you need help. Otherwise, I’ll see you in twenty.”

“You got it, boss,” she answered.

“Charlie out,” he said, and the line went dead.

She hated lying to Cal, and she’d make sure to apologize when she got back to Duluth. If Lady Luck was on her side, their little adventure tonight would help solve the case they were partially on the hook for, at least the way it stood now. If the jump drive Derek was trying to retrieve could clear him, then it would be that much easier for her to clear Cal. She had to admit the idea of an unknown murderer got her investigative juices going. She yearned to put her hands on a keyboard and dig deep into Hugo Victor’s life.

“Just because Derek hasn’t hurt you, doesn’t mean he didn’t hurt Hugo,” she muttered to the empty car. “But apparently, you’ve already decided he’s innocent. Is that because you don’t think he’s capable of murder or is it because his handsome face, great sense of humor and kindness have lulled you into a sense of safety?”

If she were honest with herself, it was mostly the latter. She didn’t know him well enough to say with all certainty that he hadn’t planned the murder of his boss. But if she listened to her gut, which she’d done since she was old enough to understand how to, Derek wasn’t a threat. It was far more likely that he was being threatened, and if she didn’t get them back to Duluth soon, the guys who beat him might return.

Movement caught her eye and she glanced up to see Derek hoofing it back to the SUV. She hit the unlock button,and he dove in, slamming the door behind him. Alayah was backing out of the driveway before he was even upright.

“Did you find it?”

“Yes,” he said, his voice breathy. “All was quiet, but as I suspected, they had taken my computer bags. Unfortunately, my car key was in one of them.”

“You didn’t want to drive the car anyway,” she reminded him.

“Not until they catch whoever those guys are,” he agreed. “Now that they know my car, it will remain in the driveway. Sure, the dealer could cut me a key, but I’d rather not be caught dead in it right now.”

“Which is what you might be if you drive it,” she said grimly. “They’ll be back once they discover you lied to them about what they wanted.”

“It’ll be too late,” he said, holding up a can of soup and shaking it.

“Soup? You’re going to fix this situation with chicken noodle soup?” she asked incredulously.

“Nope,” he answered, popping off the bottom and holding up a black jump drive. “I’m going to do it with this.”

“That’s what they were after?” she asked as she slowed for the stop sign.