Thread of Suspicion. Susan Sleeman

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СКАЧАТЬ 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.” СКАЧАТЬ