CHAPTER FIVE
Thursday, September 7th
A Texas hurricane blew into the SAI offices, and it was Ivy Bellows Cordell. Hurricane Harvey had been hell for the folks down south, and Ivy might prove to be equally disruptive if she stayed for more than a few days. Which thankfully wouldn’t be the case, Lucky thought as she watched Ivy move toward her on her sky-high heels. “Is that red fringe decorating your shoes?”
Ivy let out a loud laugh, kicked up her heel, and grinned. “Yes, aren’t they fab? I grabbed them the last time I was at the Neiman Marcus outlet, and I’m not ashamed to say that I beat out a red-haired hussy who was trying to steal them from me.”
Ivy’s husband, Ryan, followed behind her and shook his head. “It’s true. I made her give me the gun before she went in, so I don’t have to spend the first year of marriage with my wife in the big house.”
“Honey, don’t be spreading fake news. I have never once thought of pulling my gun out to settle an argument over a pair of shoes.”
“And I plan on keeping it that way.
Lucky watched the two of them and wondered how opposites managed to cohabitate and make a happy life together. Ivy was a smart, fearless woman who had more than a bit of colorfulness in her personality, and Ryan was a laid-back former sniper who was ruffled by nothing, least of all his wife. Which proved logic had nothing to do with love. The heart wanted what the heart wanted, damn the consequences.
When Ivy got close, she enveloped Lucky in a big hug and then let her go. “Should we go to the conference room or down to the kitchen?” Lucky asked as she stepped away.
“Depends on where the muffins are.”
“Kitchen it is,” Lucky responded. “Ryan, the guys are down in the gym, and Hank asked me to send you over when you got here.”
“Roger that.” He bent over, kissed his wife, and then walked toward the staircase.
“I swear that man is poetry in motion,” Ivy said with a sigh as she watched Ryan walk away.
Hearing her name, Lucky turned around and saw Grif walk out of her office. “What’s up?”
“Found the bank number that was attached to the ransomware.”
“Where’s it located?”
“In Brussels,” Grif replied.
“Is that about the client that’s been hacked and jacked?” Ivy asked.
“Yes, and before I forget all my manners, let me introduce you to Griffin. We went to school together and he’s the second-best hacker I know.”
Grif smiled at both women and then shook Ivy’s hand. “I’m actually the better hacker; Lucky just can’t admit it.”
“Please tell me that Lucky has offered you a job and you’ve accepted.”
“She has about a dozen times, and as interesting as it is, I’m not ready to give up my independent ways.”
Lucky turned to Ivy and shrugged. “I’ll get him eventually.”
“The way he’s looking at you tells me you already have and he’s just stringing out his acceptance.”
“I wish my powers were that good, but they’re not,” Lucky replied. “Come into the office for a second, and I’ll show you what we’ve been dealing with.”
“Griffin, I want you to know that I’m a determined woman and I don’t plan on giving up until you’re working with us on a permanent basis,” Ivy said as she followed Lucky into the room.
“If you’re half as determined as Lucky, then I guess it’ll just be a matter of time.”
Standing in front of her keyboard, Lucky typed in a series of commands and brought up a view of what was on her monitors to the large Microsoft hub screens that dominated the wall. “We’re both thinking that the package that was delivered to the client no longer matters, but the hack does. Whoever found a way into the network and disappeared has exposed a vulnerability that we have yet to identify. A backdoor has been established, and we’re assuming it’s not a short-lived one, and as far as we know it’s up for sale on the black market.”
“What’s the strategy for this sort of thing?” Ivy asked as she set her bag down on a chair.
“We’re slowly working our way through the data and trying to determine what the goal of the intrusion was,” Lucky responded. “Being in the internet business means you’re going to get hacked and it’s best to figure out what someone is after before you make a move. We’ll soon know, and that will give us an answer as to what our next step should be.”
Griffin collapsed into a chair. “Most networks have a weakness in their defenses, and at some point, they’re going to get hit with an exploit.”
“Which is usually a piece of zero-day software,” Lucky added. “Which in English means a vulnerability in the network has been detected and is being exploited. Attackers either release malware or put it up for sale on the Dark Net.”
“When will you know and what can you do to prevent it from happening again?” Ivy asked.
“That’s the question we can’t yet answer,” Grif replied.
“If we rush, then we might miss an important piece of information that could lead us to the real reason for the breach,” Lucky added.
“We have approximately a dozen clients that require these services and the total for those contracts is well over the twenty-five-million-dollar mark,” Ivy said as she sat down and crossed her legs. “If we want to grow this part of the business, then we have to make some changes and create a team solely dedicated to it.” Swinging her leg, she looked around the room. “Actually, that’s why I’m here.”
“Let’s go down to the kitchen and find the muffins,” Lucky said as she swiped the images off the big screens. “I feel like this convo is going to need some sugar.”
Ivy stood and grabbed her bag. “Life always requires sugar.”
“Grif, come get me if you need anything.”
He gave her a salute and then hunkered over the keyboard.
Lucky sat next to Ivy on the couch in the kitchen and crossed her legs. “How much am I going to hate the changes?”
Ivy let out a snort and sat back. “You are the director of the department, so together we’re going to decide what the changes are going to entail.”
“Paint the big picture for me, so I know where we’re headed.”
“As you know, we’ve grown like crazy over the last year, and for it to be manageable, we have to work smarter so we don’t burn anyone out. What Max, Rory, and I have identified as a major area of growth is your department. Ultimately, we’d like to replicate what you’ve created here in Chicago in every office. Having the guys call you for every little request doesn’t make sense because it’s a waste of your valuable skills.”
“I have a team of twenty-five people. Isn’t that enough?”
“Not even close. Ultimately, we’d like to have a person who is solely responsible for clients and their network security needs in each office with the appropriate support personnel. Since I stole Phoebe away from you, the Texas office already has one. We still need seven more.”
“So, what is my role in all of this?”
“Selfishly, I’d like you to oversee the intelligence operations company-wide, but I’m not sure if you’re interested in that.”
“You want me to be more of a manager?”
Ivy tilted her head and nodded. “How horrible does that sound?”
“I can’t decide yet.”
“There’s more.”
Groaning, Lucky laid back and closed her eyes. “Rip the Band-Aid off and tell me everything at once.”
Hearing a deep chuckle, Lucky opened her eyes and saw the last person she wanted to encounter standing in the doorway…Sam Barton. “Please, shoot me now,” she mumbled.
“No shooting, Lucky. Maybe just some hugging,” Sam called out as he walked into the room. “Ivy Bellows, how the hell are you?”
Standing, Ivy slung her hands on her hips and laughed. “You never called me.”
“Because Ryan got to you before I could,” he replied as he wrapped her in a tight hug.
Groaning inwardly, Lucky tamped down the ugly streak of jealousy that coursed through her veins and realized her feelings made no sense. There was no reason for her to concern herself with who Sam hugged or flirted with, and the best thing she could do was leave them to it. Shoving herself off the couch, she smiled at Ivy and then stepped around her. “I’ll let you two catch up.”
Sam released his hold on Ivy and stepped back. “I don’t want to interrupt your meeting. I just stopped by to see Hank.”
“He’s in the gym with my husband and the other guys, so go on back,” Ivy said as she smoothed down her dress.
Tipping his head in acknowledgment, he stepped closer to Lucky and tried to take her hand. She shook him off and crossed her arms and tried to act like it was no big deal. “You should go.”
He crossed his arms as well, then leaned forward. “I’m not running, Lucky, so you better get used to having me around.”
“We’ll see about that,” she replied airily.
“Yes, we will.” He stepped away and then gave them a smile before walking out of the room.
Ivy turned slowly toward Lucky and blew out a breath. “The tension between you two is as thick as my Aunt CeCe’s pudding, and given the fact that the stuff could be used to hold a house together, that’s saying something.”
“We don’t get along well.”
“Because he has a major crush on you and has no idea how to behave. His hungry eyes were crawling all over you, while his mind was coming up with ways to devour you.”
“No such thing was happening; he’s only just decided to start being friendly. Before this, he made it a practice to insult me in some form or fashion every time we were in one another’s company and, as far as I can tell, that doesn’t indicate someone’s attraction or affection.”
“Honey, that’s not always true.”
Collapsing back onto the couch, Lucky stared at Ivy and wondered if she’d lost her mind. “If someone likes me, then I expect them to be nice. Call me crazy, but I don’t want a man who doesn’t know how to behave.”
Ivy sat down next to her and shook her head. “I have a theory that alpha men act like jerks when they first meet the woman of their dreams.”
Snorting, Lucky crossed her arms. “And, why would that be?”
“Because for the first time in their lives, they’re confronted with someone who makes them feel out of control, someone who, given the right circumstances, could destroy them. It brings them to their metaphorical knees, and so they behave badly until they accept it.”
Staring across the room, Lucky reluctantly saw a small grain of truth in Ivy’s theory. Granted, a lot of men didn’t fight the initial attraction and simply embraced it, but she’d seen more than a few who had done exactly what Ivy had just described. “What did you think of Ryan when you first met?”
“I thought he was a pompous jerk with absolutely no charm and, before you ask, he thought I was an uptight woman without a sense of humor.”
“How long did it take for things to change?”
“A couple of weeks. We snarled at one another for a while and then when he dropped his jerk façade, I saw a man who I wanted to kiss.”
“There was a time that I wanted to kiss Sam, but it didn’t last long.”
“Maybe he’s done behaving badly and ready to show you his true self. Who knows? You might like what you see and decide you want to kiss him after all.”
“I doubt his alleged interest will last the week and, before we know it, he’ll be on to the next shiny object.”
“Doesn’t seem possible because, by the looks of it, he’s accepted his fate and is getting himself ready to do something about it. Which means you’re in for it, girl.”
“I’m confident that’s not the case and any civility Sam is displaying is because he wants to get his hands on my intel.”
“He wants his hands on you, alright, and it’s nowhere near your intel.”
“Let’s not talk about Sam anymore and get back to work.”
“Is there still a nugget of a crush left, or did his snarling kill it dead?”
Lucky stood and walked over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water and then returned. “I’m not interested in someone who doesn’t like me or feels comfortable insulting my clothes and skills. Call me crazy, but I want to be with a man who finds me irresistible.”
“Sam is a charming man with impeccable manners and a good-sized brain, so I’m thinking his insults are the result of him feeling insecure or scared. And since you’re the only person he acts that way with, I’m guessing my original theory is absolutely, one-hundred-percent correct.”
“That circular logic makes my brain hurt, and even if you are correct, it doesn’t matter because I’m not wasting my time on a man who can’t positively express his emotions.”
Ivy held up her hand and grinned. “Totally agree. I’m just noodling with this because I find human nature fascinating and I like to figure out why people do what they do.”
“But knowing doesn’t always change the outcome.”
“True, but I can’t rest until I know the full story.” Ivy uncapped her water and drank some down.
Lucky didn’t want to think about Sam anymore, so she decided to find out what else Ivy had in mind. “So, beyond creating a cyber-security team, what else is on the horizon?”
“We’d like to create a team that exclusively supports the men when they go out on missions. Max wants to mimic what they had when they were on the Teams more closely, which means body cams, better access to aerial surveillance, and live support that can be fed to them as intel develops.”
“You want to replicate what the Defense Intelligence Agency provides the operatives in the field, then?”
“Pretty much. You’ve acted as the mission coordinator for some of the ops, and if we want to become the best in the business, then we need to have at least five coordinators throughout the country and someone to oversee the team.”
“Makes sense because we’re getting more and more cases that require live intel updates each week,” Lucky responded. “The best places to have the mission centers located would be San Diego, Florida, Texas, and San Francisco.”
“All port cities, as well as the locations where snatch and grabs are weekly occurrences,” Ivy responded.
“The person who oversees it ideally would be someone who’s been in combat and has commanded a platoon.”
“I think you’re right because field experience would allow them to make the appropriate call about what intel would be useful for the team.”
“Sam Barton would be perfect for the job,” Lucky admitted reluctantly. Seeing Ivy’s shocked expression, she let out a laugh. “I may not like his behavior, but it doesn’t make me blind to his attributes.”
“I’m assuming you’re not talking about his beautiful face and very fine physique,” Ivy responded with a straight face.
“You would be correct.” She slid her eyes over and saw Ivy waiting for more. “He was on Delta and then the HRT teams, so his combat and field experience would make him a perfect choice. Add to that the fact that he may not be as happy as he pretends to be at the FBI. I’ve always had the impression that being the head of the organized crime task force is not his dream job, and I know Hank has asked him several times if he’d like to join the team and Sam hasn’t outright refused.”
“He’s too twisty for the FBI and probably doesn’t like all the rules and regulations.”
“I’d have to agree with you because every time I’ve worked with him, he’s colored outside the lines with impunity.”
“So, you do like him?” Ivy asked.
“I respect his professional skill set, but truthfully, he’s never shown me a side of him that’s worth liking. The crush I harbored was all about his physical attractiveness and not his personality. Once I spent time with him, the infatuation died a slow and horrible death.”
“As is so often the case when reality intrudes.”
Hearing the men coming down the hall, Lucky decided not to say anything more. “Let’s go up to my office and sketch out an outline of what we want to accomplish and then prioritize it.”
Ivy stood and held out her hand. “A woman after my own heart.”
Lucky took Ivy’s hand and heaved herself off the couch. “What did you expect? I’m a mathematician at heart and embrace linear thinking whenever I can.”
“Which makes love hard to understand because it’s the opposite of that.”
Leading Ivy out of the room, Lucky waved to the guys as they passed and knew truer words had never been said. Noticing the warm smile Sam gave her as he walked by her made her wonder if she would ever understand how things worked between men and women.
So far, nothing in her life indicated it was possible, but who knows…miracles happened every day.