Chapter 15

Alec sat at his desk the next morning and refused to look up from the file in his hands. He was trying to read the same sentence for the tenth time. The black ink blurred, not from exhaustion or eye strain. No, he couldn’t concentrate. Not after the info dump he’d unloaded on Gaige last night.

He had no idea what compelled him to go into the loft. Sure, he’d made mental excuses about needing to check on Gaige’s injury because that seemed like a non-shitty host thing to do. Other people who regularly welcomed houseguests would know the rules, but he didn’t.

But that was bullshit. Every lame reason he came up with just covered the reality—he wanted to be with Gaige last night. Not just for sex. So when Gaige asked about consent it was as if Alec couldn’t raise the shields fast enough and the sick facts spilled out.

The unbelievable thing was that for the first time in ten years the ache in his chest had eased for a few minutes. The guilt pummeled all the time, for years. Even now he couldn’t see a coed who looked even a little like Clarissa without everything inside him shriveling.

Gaige made it easier to unload. He didn’t pepper him with questions or say any of the stupid shit about her being in a better place. She should be here, working at the office. That she wasn’t would never be okay and Gaige seemed to get that.

“You had some excitement last night?”

At the sound of Finn’s voice, Alec’s head shot up. “Excuse me?”

He couldn’t mean…he couldn’t know.

Finn’s eyebrow rose. “I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but I’m talking about the accident, or what I told the press was an accident.”

There really wasn’t a way to hide the story. Pam knew and had switched into high-security mode. Alec had texted Tony and his brothers. Griff was the one to ask about Alec taking Gaige to dinner, which Alec ignored. He could only imagine the information that pinged back and forth between Tony, Finn and Griff after that. The police had been called. Seth knew.

Alec wasn’t a fan of making his personal life public, but Finn needed to know the truth. “It wasn’t an accident.”

“I’m hoping you’re just being paranoid.”

“Someone has tried to kill me before, remember? I know what that feels like.” There had been more than one overt attempt and a mysterious incident or two that Alec chalked up to ruthless business tactics.

“It’s kind of hard to forget since we were related to the last guy who stalked you.”

Their uncle. His desperation and panic to keep the business and hide his dealings. Alec would never forget any of it. He was lucky not to be sitting in prison because of it. “Let’s not—”

“Hey.” There was a knock on the partially opened door and Gaige’s face popped up in the space. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“Whatever you have to say will be a welcome distraction because we’re talking about family dysfunction.” Alec waved to Gaige to come in.

This was the most they’d spoken to each other since last night. The morning consisted of showers and a quick stop to get Gaige coffee and something to eat. Limited conversation, and nothing in depth. It wasn’t embarrassment. More like Alec not being sure how to follow up on the night’s revelations. He was the one preaching about sex without ties and then he did that shit.

Focusing on work would help. Or so he hoped. “What did you find?”

Gaige gestured toward the biggest computer monitor on Alec’s desk. “May I?”

“It disturbs me that you think you can get into my computer without me telling you the password.” But Alec pushed his chair back, making room for Gaige on Alec’s side of the desk.

“Uh-huh.” The keys clicked as Gaige typed. He stared at the screen as lines of type scrolled across the page. “I more than think I can.”

Alec couldn’t look away. He didn’t even know what program Gaige was using. It was as if he’d burrowed into some deep part of the office system and took it over. “That’s worse.”

“If it makes you feel any better it’s kind of what I do.” Gaige talked while he typed.

“You can break passwords?” Finn sounded amused by the idea.

Alec knew better. He was the one who’d walked in on Gaige in the server room. The skill and confidence were the first things he’d noticed. Exactly what had attracted him in the first place…those and that face.

He reached around Gaige, trying to ignore his ass and the urge to touch it, and pulled open the drawer by his knees.

Alec dragged out the device he’d confiscated from the break-in and put it on the desk right by the keyboard. “With this…I think.”

“Thank God.” Gaige stopped typing long enough to pick up the device. He basically cradled it. “I was worried Seth got his hands on it.”

“What is it?” Finn reached across the desk and Gaige handed it over.

“My invention.” Gaige winced as Finn ran his fingers over it. Looked like he wanted to grab it back, but he didn’t. “It still has some kinks, but it breaks computer programs by sifting through possible passwords at an unbelievable speed.”

“That sounds simple.” Finn finally put the object down.

Alec couldn’t believe Finn was that naïve. He had to know better because they dealt with cyberwarfare threats and potential leaks all the time. This had to be something else. Probably his brother’s way of testing Gaige, poking him a bit.

“Not really.” Gaige moved the black box closer to him and started typing again. “It breaks into easily accessible parts of a computer system through easily hackable external sites like email providers, or any place people share photos or private information, including social networking sites. It compiles the information and sorts through it, then picks out likely passwords and goes from there. It takes only seconds.”

“Well, I feel safer,” Finn said in a voice loaded with sarcasm.

Gaige shrugged. “You’d be amazed how many people email passwords to themselves.”

That was the part Alec didn’t get. The NSA had whole divisions dedicated to breaking codes and passwords. How did Gaige manage it all on his own? “I don’t understand how you have access to email providers.”

“Good.” Gaige winked at Alec. “All you need to know is this makes most impenetrable systems potentially penetrable.”

Alec wasn’t sure if it was the flirty gesture or the strength of his voice but something about this conversation had him wanting to throw Finn out and lock the office door. The kick hit him so hard he had to push his chair back another few inches.

Finn leaned across the desk and watched Gaige work. “How do you know how to do this?”

“Misspent youth.”

Two days ago Alec would have laughed at that answer from Gaige and let it drop, but now he needed to know more. He reached out and touched the small of Gaige’s back…and ignored his brother’s open-mouthed stare.

Alec kept his focus on Gaige. “No, really. How?”

“Years of computer gaming and coding. One day I figured out a repeating algorithm that makes millions of calculations in real time.” Gaige laughed. “It also helps that email systems aren’t as hard to crack as you’d think. You just have to bully your way in with a Trojan horse.”

As he typed, images flicked across the screen. Photos around Nymphenburg Palace, the former summer residence of the leaders of Bavaria. Marienplatz, the Munich central square anchored at the north end by the New Town Hall, the home of city government. Alec recognized the landmarks and even some of the residential streets that flashed on the upper left side of the screen.

“The government didn’t take your device?” Finn asked.

Gaige’s hands froze over the keyboard. “The government doesn’t know what it is or what it can do.”

“But you told us.” And that fascinated Alec. He wasn’t the type to give away a weakness or a strategic advantage, yet Gaige had done just that.

Gaige glanced up at him then. Made full-on eye contact and didn’t shrink back. “We’re in this together, right? You clear your company, and I get Seth off my back once and for all.”

The phone on Alec’s desk rang. He pressed a button and the noise cut off. No one would bother them now.

“What does he have on you?” Finn asked.

Gaige cleared his throat as he pointed to the street where the car veered right into them last night. “Up until recently Munich had pretty restrictive laws about video surveillance, but in light of the terrorist attacks in Germany last year more CCTV cameras are being added.”

Finn’s gaze shifted from Gaige to Alec. “Good stall on my question.”

Nothing new to Alec. “When it comes to that one you should get used to not getting an answer. I’ve tried more than once, and I tend to be more persuasive than you.”

“I bet,” Finn mumbled under his breath.

Gaige kept on talking as if Finn weren’t sending messages to Alec with his comments. “The best footage still comes from piggybacking onto private security systems.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Which, of course, you secured access to…illegally.”

“Don’t worry. This can’t be traced back to this building.”

Alec sighed at Gaige’s comment. “Yeah, that’s the only concern.”

Gaige finished typing and an image of a dark night filled the screen. “Here’s the video footage.”

It all looked familiar. Alec could almost smell the air and feel the rush of anxiety when that car ran the light. Then there it was. Gaige did something to change the speed because it all passed in slow motion on the screen. Now there was no doubt. They had clear evidence that the car didn’t just jump a curb. This was a deliberate attempt to run him down.

Finn whistled. “Well, damn. The car heads right for you.” He glanced at Gaige. “And you saved Alec.”

“I shoved him, which I admit felt kind of good.”

Finn didn’t laugh. He didn’t look away either. He studied Gaige, as if attempting to figure him out.

Yeah, good luck with that.

But the last thing Alec needed or wanted was a dissection of what was happening between him and Gaige, so he jumped in. “I’m happy I bought you dinner first.”

Gaige smiled at Alec. “I told you I’m energetic when properly fed.”

Another knock sounded and Tony stepped into the room. He glanced at his watch as he entered. “I’m stepping out for lunch.”

“Must be nice,” Gaige said.

Alec decided to ignore that. He motioned for Tony to come in. “Sorry about ruining your plans last night.”

As Tony stepped farther into the office, Alec saw movement in the hall. A second later, a woman stepped inside. Not just any woman. Caroline Masters, Tony’s girlfriend. She had dirty blond hair and shared her sister’s soft Southern accent. She’d done a short stint in the Army. Now she worked as a civilian at the NATO School, a training and education center about an hour outside of Munich. One night after a week of round-the-clock work, Tony admitted the distance put a strain on their relationship. Alec knew his demands on Tony’s time did that, too.

“Hello.” She smiled as she stopped beside Tony and wrapped her fingers around his arm.

She was shorter than her sister but just as mighty. Alec didn’t doubt her ability to set down rules with Tony when needed. Alec also suspected that if she made Tony choose between her and work, Drummond would lose. Alec hated that truth.

He had no idea what the protocol was for this situation. Did he introduce the undercover mole to his assistant’s girlfriend? Seemed odd to him, but so did complete silence.

“Caroline, this is Gaige.” Alec waited as Gaige got up and shook Caroline’s hand before finishing the introduction. “Caroline and Tony were on a date last night when—”

She smiled at Alec. “Anniversary celebration.”

This just got worse. Alec knew he’d have to come up with something to make up for this. Maybe extra time off. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” She waved off the concern. “Tony told me you had a close call. Are you okay?”

Now it was Alec’s turn to act like what happened wasn’t a big deal. “Freak accident. Gaige shoved me out of the way in time.”

“Probably a drunk driver,” Gaige said at the same time.

Caroline shook her head. “So irresponsible, but thank goodness Gaige was with you.”

Okay, enough of that. Alec hated mindless conversation even when he was in a good mood, and today he really wasn’t. “Well, have a good lunch. I promise not to call and screw it up.”

Tony laughed. “Thank you.”

No one said anything else until the door shut, then Gaige was the first to comment. “Weird.”

That’s not really what Alec expected. “What?”

Gaige stood up from the computer. He didn’t slide to the other side of the desk. He went with leaning against the wall, right next to Alec’s chair. “You don’t strike me as the type who makes friends with your employee’s girlfriend.”

“Tell him why.” Finn shifted around as if he couldn’t wait for the information to come out.

Alec exhaled, letting his brother know he was walking close to a line. “I don’t look good in this story.”

“Now I really want to hear it,” Gaige said.

“About eight months ago Tony started sneaking out for short periods during the day,” Alec explained. “Nothing big, he just normally eats at his desk.”

Gaige snorted. “I’m impressed you let him eat.”

Another topic Alec didn’t want to discuss. “Anyway, I worried he was working for someone else or feeding proprietary information to another company, and…”

Finn talked right over him. “Alec had him followed and figured out Tony was dating Caroline.”

Gaige made a hissing sound. “Ouch.”

“It was shitty and invasive. I know because Griff and Finn told me it was.” When they both started talking, Alec talked louder. “Yes, I’m capable of understanding things when people explain them to me. The truth is Tony is more than an employee, and I should have trusted him.”

“Huh.” Gaige’s head tilted to the side as he eyed up Alec. “It almost sounds like a learning moment.”

Alec had no idea what that meant. “Tony is stupid in love with her, so I figure she’ll be around for a while and I really don’t want her messing up his worth ethic.”

“Such a romantic.” Finn said something else but only the word dick came out clear.

Alec added that to the list of annoying things he was ignoring today. “Practical.”

“On another matter, how well do you know the people who run Svalbard?” Gaige asked.

Alec stammered before he got out a sentence again. “That’s quite a change in topic.”

“I was thinking about the extra shipments and how it’s hard to see this as anything other than an in-house job. Svalbard’s house, not yours.”

“The Norwegian government is in charge. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but it’s close to being correct.” Alec didn’t think a discussion about the Crop Trust and every other facet of the inner workings of the seed vault would help the discussion. He also wanted to know where Gaige was going with this.

“Alec and the woman who heads up the installation get along well. He’s helped her with other issues,” Finn said.

Gaige started to say something, then stopped and seemed to mentally switch gears. “Like?”

“A shitty husband and some of the politics she has to untangle to handle her job.” It was her business and not Alec’s story to tell, so he left it at that.

“Do we know why she thinks there were extra shipments? I know we can’t bring her in on this without pissing Seth off, but is there a subtle way to ask?” Gaige looked from Finn to Alec as he talked.

Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m better with subtle, so I checked. She thinks she did us a favor, which doesn’t really make sense.”

“It does because she thinks the request for help came directly from you in the request for a personal favor. Wait.” Gaige leaned over the computer again. The images disappeared as he went into what looked like an encrypted file of some sort. A few more keystrokes and a series of emails flashed on the screen. “Here’s your correspondence.”

Alec touched the back of Gaige’s leg to get him to move to the side, but seeing the emails up close didn’t make the situation any clearer. There they were, the back and forth between him and Astrid Larsen, his friend at Svalbard. A message trail that had never actually happened. “Where did you find these?”

“I borrowed them from Seth.”

Alec was starting to see why Seth picked Gaige out of all the tech nerds out there. “Borrowed?”

“I may have stolen his files on the plane ride over here.” Gaige didn’t look even a little sorry about that. “I know what he gave to you in the briefing file, and this wasn’t in it.”

Finn shook his head. “The fucker.”

“You know what I have?” Alec was going to ask how but he was pretty sure Gaige had just given him a demonstration of how.

“I’m guessing he got the communications through the NSA or some other intelligence agency.” That was the first hint Gaige had given about the information Seth provided.

Alec put that information aside to dissect later. “Can you track that without tipping off Seth?”

Gaige nodded. “I’ll give it a shot.”

“The question is whether we’re being played by Seth or if Seth really is trying to clear our names.” Alec had more questions but that was a big one. He looked at Gaige. “If you figure out the answer will you tell me?”

Gaige stared back. “Probably.”

Finn’s arms dropped to his sides again. “What the hell does—”

“No. That’s fine.” Alec held up a hand to stave off his brother’s anger. “It’s the answer I’d give in his position.”

Finn made a strangled noise. “I’m happy to hear you two understand each other.”

That was just it. Finn wasn’t wrong, and Gaige wasn’t denying it. That left one truth Alec didn’t know how to analyze. “I’m starting to think we do.”

And that was scary as hell.