Page 93 of Unbound

“I’m fucking frustrated.” She curls closer to me. “Why can’t just one thing work out?”

“Because it’s not just one thing you’re dealing with. It’s a lot of things all at once.” I’m silent for a minute, weighing whether or not I should bring up my earlier thoughts. I don’t want to push her down another wrong path, but I also feel like it’s important she has any information that might be relevant. “More things than you probably fully know about.”

But she should know about them.

So I tell her about where it all started. Way back when Mariah first came here and someone attempted to hack into our systems and breach our safeguards. I’m sure Titus could explain what happened better than I can, but for now I’m able to provide the basics. Then I fill her in on the first Dead Dan and how he came to us under an assumed name then attempted to destroy our servers, nearly killing Mariah and Maren in the process.

I tell her about Brooke’s ex and the second Dead Dan—the one she has photographs of—and how Heidi was able to make a connection between him and Ruth’s ex. Which leads me to Ray and his betrayal.

Finally, I explain the break-in at Maren’s home. Her stolen work computer. And finish off with the one event she already knew everything about because she was there.

By the time I’m done, Sybil is sitting up straight in my lap, her attention glued to my face. She stayed silent the whole time, absorbing every word, but the second I’m finished, she has a list of questions ready.

“So we genuinely don’t know who that guy was aiming for in the parking lot?”

I shake my head.

I can almost see the cogs of her brain working as she nibbles at one finger nail. “Did you ever figure out why the first Dead Dan tried to take out your servers?”

“No. Even with Heidi’s help, we haven’t been able to find much information about anything.” I blow out a long breath, trying to keep my own frustration tamped down. “She was able to form a few connections, but like what you found, it never led anywhere.”

“Do you still have all the information? Did she send it to you?” There’s no hiding the excitement in Sybil’s voice. The eagerness that’s got her practically vibrating in my lap.

I tip my head in a nod. “Titus has everything.”

Her cheeks have pinked up, and all signs of her earlier upset are gone. “Do you think he’d let me see it?”

“If he won’t, Heidi will.”

I wouldn’t normally go around my cousin like this, but he doesn’t know Sybil the way I do. He doesn’t understand how trustworthy she is, and I don’t have time for him to figure it out.

Proving we’re on the same wavelength, Sybil says, “Maybe I’ll just ask Heidi for it.”

I don’t respond, because she’s already shimmying off my lap. I help her to her feet then get to mine, staying at her side as she types out a message to the hacker from Alaskan Security.

In a few short minutes, they’ve started a video call. When Sybil explains what she wants, Heidi’s eyes come to me, looking for permission.

“Give her anything she wants.”

I know Titus is talented and good at what he does, but his time is limited. Same with his team. I know they tried to figure out what was happening, but because of McKinley Security Systems, they had to work well within the constraints of the law.

Heidi and Sybil don’t have that issue.

But, like Titus, Heidi’s time is limited. First and foremost, she’s an employee of Alaskan Security. Plus, she’s got kids and a significant other who deserve her attention. I would never ask her to dedicate the sort of time required to solving a mystery that doesn’t really affect her.

A slow smile spreads across Heidi’s face. “Brace yourself.”

Sybil sits back, watching as Heidi remotely adds file after file to her computer. It’s fucking dizzying, but Sybil’s eyes follow every new window that pops up.

After what feels like way longer than I would’ve expected, Heidi smacks her lips. “There you go. That’s all of it. Hopefully you have better luck than I did.”

They end the call with promises to talk again soon. Once Heidi’s face disappears, Sybil stares at her screen for a few seconds, and I can’t tell if she’s overwhelmed or plotting.

“I think I need to start by digging through all the identities she’s been able to collect. See who connects to who and how.” She scoots her chair closer to the desk. “Then I want to go through every relevant date and see if there’s anything tying them together.” Her fingers go to the keyboard. “Once I have all that, I’m gonna line those two things up and see what I have.”

Plotting it is. I should’ve known a wealth of information would be the last thing to overwhelm the woman now moving files into folders according to her plan of action.

Deciding what to eat for lunch or remembering where she put her coffee? That’s a different story.