Once in a lifetime, p.17
Once In a Lifetime, page 17
John’s gaze sharpened. “I don’t imagine he was. Why did you tell him?”
“I didn’t want him to find out from someone else. He trusted me with the program and he feels as though I let him down.”
“Did you tell him the Department of Defense told you to install the virus?”
Sam shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how it happened or that it wasn’t my virus that destroyed the program. I went behind his back and added something to the program that he didn’t know about.” After leaving Sapphire Bay, the only thing she knew for certain was that Caleb would never trust her again. So many people in his life had let him down, and now she was one of them.
John didn’t ask any more questions about Caleb. Instead, he handed her a folder. “I spoke to a friend in the Department of Defense this morning. He was impressed with your work on the EMP project. It looks as though we’ll be doing a lot more work for the government.”
Sam opened the folder. Inside were the schematics for a new surveillance drone her team had designed. “Does this mean what I think it does?”
John nodded. “They liked your team’s presentation. They want to finance the development of the prototype. If it meets their requirements, they’ll approve the second phase of the contract.”
“Full production?”
John’s smile gave her the answer she was hoping for.
Her team would be super excited. They’d spent months developing a camera that was no bigger than a pea. Sitting on top of a drone the size of a wasp, its range, accuracy, and picture quality was unbeatable.
“That’s the best news I’ve had for a while.”
John’s smile dimmed. “It will get better, Sam.”
“I know. It just takes time. Thanks for taking care of Caleb in Polson. I’m sure he appreciated everything you did.”
“He was more worried about you.” John’s eyes softened. “I know I always talk about keeping our emotions out of our work, but sometimes it’s hard. From what I saw of Caleb, he’s a good person.”
Sam nodded. He was more than good. He was the best person she’d ever met.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself or him. Once the FBI has finished their investigation, I’m sure they’ll find a number of security issues with the EMP project.”
Sam sighed. John knew more than he was telling her, but that was okay. After today’s meeting, she would leave the fate of the EMP project in someone else’s hands.
Caleb gave Sherlock, Gabe’s large German Shepherd, a big hug. “What would I do without you?”
“It can’t be that bad,” Gabe said from the doorway. “What’s happened? You sounded stressed on the phone.”
“I gave the terrorists a copy of the EMP program.”
Gabe’s hand froze on the zipper of his jacket. “You did what?”
“It was the first version I sent through to the Pentagon. I hid tracking software inside the coding. It shows the location of the program, no matter where it’s sent.”
“Are you crazy? You could have been arrested or killed.”
“Someone had to stop the terrorists.”
“But did it have to be you?”
“No one had a better plan.” Caleb headed toward the kitchen. Sherlock and Gabe followed. He knew he’d taken a huge risk, but he’d made sure no one would be able to use the program. “After the terrorist cells were located, I was supposed to destroy the program.”
“What happened?”
Caleb handed Gabe one of the toasted sandwiches he’d cooked a few minutes earlier. “The FBI took me into Polson for questioning. I was being interrogated and couldn’t upload the virus.”
“I’m almost too scared to ask, but what happened to the program?”
“It was destroyed. But not by me.”
Gabe patted Sherlock’s head. “Was it Sam?”
Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “Why would you say that?”
“She works for one of the best security companies in the country. If she thought there was any chance you’d hand over the program, she would have taken steps to stop you.”
“It wasn’t Sam. It was my boss, Richard Lee. If I couldn’t release the virus, I needed someone I could trust to do it.”
“If Sam didn’t harm the program, why are you so upset?”
Caleb frowned. “Because she tried to destroy the program with her own virus. It didn’t work because Richard had already launched his.”
Gabe bit into one of the sandwiches. “Did you expect anything else? She’s ex-Army. Most of the people I’ve met from the military have a sixth sense when it comes to trouble. That’s what makes them good at their job. Sit down and eat something. You’re making me nervous.”
Caleb sat beside his friend. “I thought I could trust her.”
“What are you more upset about? The fact that she planted a virus in the program or that she didn’t tell you what she was doing?”
“If she was worried about the program, she could have talked to me.”
“Would you have told her what you were doing?”
“Probably not. I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
Gabe stopped chewing. “I thought you’d sent the program over the Internet. What actually happened?”
“I met three of the terrorists at the ranger’s house. I copied the program onto an external hard drive and gave it to them. I didn’t realize they had a hostage with them. I still don’t know how Anthony was kidnapped.”
Gabe’s eyes widened. “You aren’t joking, are you?”
Caleb shook his head. “I wish I was. I’m visiting Anthony tomorrow. Hopefully, he can tell me what happened.”
“So where does Sam fit into all of this?”
“Nowhere. She went back to Bozeman.”
“And?”
“And nothing.” Caleb refused to believe that Sam had created the gateway into his program out of concern for him. There had to be more to it than that.
“I thought you liked her?”
“I did. But feelings can change, especially when you realize the person you fell in love with doesn’t exist.”
Gabe pushed away his plate. “Sam is human, just like the rest of us. Have you talked to her about what happened?”
“No.”
“Well, while you’re thinking about whether that’s a good idea, I’ll make coffee.”
With Gabe on the other side of the kitchen, Sherlock turned to Caleb. His big chocolate-brown eyes pleaded with him for a treat. Before Gabe came back, Caleb took some melted cheese out of his sandwich and gave it to him.
“I saw that,” Gabe said with a smile. “It’s just as well your arm is healing. Otherwise, Sherlock would be pulling you outside for a game of fetch.”
Caleb looked through the kitchen window and sighed. A game of fetch was exactly what he needed, especially after the last couple of days.
“Don’t worry about Caleb.” Shelley draped her arm around Sam’s shoulders. “We’ve got each other and that’s all that matters.”
“Oh, please,” Bailey said. “That’s what everyone says and it makes no difference.”
“Of course, it makes a difference. It’s good to know that someone cares.”
Bailey picked up a bowling ball. “Talking about people caring, I saw your ex-fiancé last week. He looked remarkably unscathed for someone who was dumped at the altar.”
Shelley sat ramrod straight. “I broke off our engagement the day before we got married.”
“The night before you got married.”
“It’s better than calling off the marriage on the day of the wedding,” Shelley said with a sigh. “It wasn’t the best timing I’ve ever had, but at least I didn’t marry him for the wrong reasons.”
“Exactly,” Sam said. “You made a decision and followed through. That’s all anyone can ask.”
Shelley and Bailey looked at each other.
“Is that what happened to you?” Bailey asked.
Sam wanted to tell her sisters exactly what had happened, but she couldn’t. She was paid to help Caleb with his program, not tell her family what he was doing. “You’d better hit the pins,” she said to Bailey. “Shelley is still ahead by four shots.”
With more skill than half the people around them, Bailey pulled back her arm and fired the bowling ball down the alley.
Within seconds the ball slammed into the front pin. Flashes of white filled the alley as all the pins flew into the air.
Shelley held her hand over her mouth. “Oh my, goodness. Where did you learn to do that?”
“Boyfriend number four. He was the state tenpin bowling champion three years in a row.”
Sam frowned. “I didn’t know you’d dated a bowler.”
“That’s because you were too busy building gadgets in your workshop. He was a nice guy, but he spent most of his life at the bowling alley. It’s hard to compete with a set of pins.”
“There are worse things in life,” Shelley said dryly. “Try living up to a potential mother-in-law’s standards.”
Sam looked closely at Shelley. “Is that what happened?”
Shelley picked up her ball. “It was only part of the problem. The other part was me.”
Bailey patted her sister on the back. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting something more. Too many people settle for what’s comfortable.”
Sam smiled at her sisters. “And the Jones family don’t settle. Ever.”
Shelley slid her fingers into the ball. “You might regret saying that.”
Bailey groaned. “She’s going for a strike. You could have talked about settling when it was your turn, Sam.”
“But it wouldn’t have had the same effect.” Shelley did her unique seven-step shuffle toward the alley, pulled back her arm, and gracefully spun the ball toward the pins.
“She’s going to do it,” Bailey screeched. “There goes my winning meal at Charlie’s Bar and Grill.”
When the pins went flying, Shelley threw her arms in the air and danced a happy jig. “I did it. I did it. That’s two games in a row. Who is the champion?”
Sam dropped her head to her chest. “You are the champion. But it wouldn’t hurt to have a little humility.”
“I agree,” Bailey said. “Especially if your opponents are paying for your meal.”
“Sisters are never on the opposite team. They’ve always got your back, even when you don’t think they’re there.”
Sam looked at Shelley. Something she’d read in the report about the EMP project stuck in her mind. Richard Lee, the chairperson of the project, had two young daughters. What if they were the missing link?
“Are you okay?” Bailey asked. “You’re a million miles away.”
Sam looked at the time. “I need to make a phone call.”
Shelley sighed. “Why do I have a feeling we’ll be ordering takeout?”
“Maybe because that’s what always happens,” Bailey said unhappily. “The phone call turns into a quick meeting, and the quick meeting turns into a three-hour ordeal. By that time, no one wants to go anywhere.”
Sam studied her sisters’ disappointed faces. “Okay. I get it. None of us are settling for second best. But this is really important.”
Shelley held out her wrist. “You can make the call, but I’m timing you. You have two minutes.”
Two minutes was all it would take. Sam pulled out her cell phone and called her boss’s number. John still had people he could speak to in the FBI. At least if he told someone, they could make sure Richard Lee’s daughters were not in danger.
As it turned out, it took less than a minute to tell him what was worrying her.
After she ended the call, she smiled at her sisters. “I told you it wouldn’t take long.”
Bailey frowned. “Why are you worried about someone’s daughters?”
Sam’s smile slipped. “It’s part of a case I was working on. John will make sure they’re okay.”
“Are you sure?” Shelley asked. “Because we could get takeout if you need more time.”
“They don’t live in Bozeman but thanks for understanding. Does anyone want to play another game?”
Bailey’s worried frown turned into a grin. “No, but I know somewhere that sells the best spareribs in Montana.”
Shelley rubbed her hands together. “Charlie’s Bar and Grill, here we come!”
Chapter 16
Three weeks later, Sam sat at her desk, staring at her computer screen. Even though Fletcher Security wasn’t officially involved in the Al-Nusra case, she was curious about what had happened after the raids.
With the approval of her boss, she’d called the FBI’s field office in Polson. They wouldn’t tell her anything about the terrorist group. She did, however, discover that Special Agent William Parker was still on assignment. She hoped that meant he was with Caleb’s sister, but she just didn’t know.
She opened another tab on her computer screen and searched for news articles about the raids on the buildings in Iraq and Chicago. Nothing. It was as if a big black hole had split the world in half and no one was saying anything.
Hailey, her personal assistant, stood in the doorway. “Caleb Andrews is here to see you. He’s not listed on your meeting schedule.”
Sam’s eyes widened. Caleb was the last person she’d expected to see.
“Sam?”
She blinked, then focused on Hailey. “Sorry. It’s okay. I’ll go and see what he wants. Is he in the lobby?”
“He is. Are you feeling all right?”
If you didn’t count a pounding heart and sweaty palms, she was fine. “I’ll be back in about twenty minutes. If anyone wants me, they can call me on my cell phone.”
As she walked downstairs, Sam tried to imagine why Caleb was here. He wouldn’t have come to Bozeman unless it was important. Something must have happened to his sister. It was the most logical explanation for his unplanned visit. But if that were the case, he could have called Fletcher Security instead of driving for four hours.
Before she stepped into the lobby, Sam took a deep breath, straightened her skirt, and walked calmly down the main staircase. The Jones family didn’t settle for second best. And Caleb Andrews, for all his wonderful qualities, would always be second best if he couldn’t trust her.
While he waited for Sam’s personal assistant, Caleb flicked through a magazine, hoping it would calm his nerves. He wished he was feeling as confident as the receptionist who’d greeted him. Even though what Sam had done was wrong, he’d acted like an idiot. Being angry with her wouldn’t make any difference to what had happened. And staying angry at her wouldn’t achieve anything.
When he’d booked his flights to Washington, D.C., stopping in Bozeman had seemed like a good idea. Now that he was here, he wasn’t so sure.
He would understand if Sam didn’t want to see him. She had staff who depended on her and work she needed to do. But two months ago, despite her workload and her sister’s wedding, she’d traveled to Sapphire Bay to help him. If nothing else, she deserved an apology and his thanks.
Caleb’s gaze was caught by the woman walking across the lobby. It had only been three weeks since he’d last seen Sam, but it felt like a lifetime. He’d missed spending time with her. It didn’t matter whether they were working through the complex code he’d created or enjoying dinner together, her kindness and sense of humor made him feel complete.
Her eyes locked on his and he could have sworn he felt the earth move.
“Hi, Caleb. I didn’t expect to see you again.” Sam clasped her hands in front of her skirt.
Her steady gaze worried him. He must have really hurt her. “I’m on my way to Washington, D.C. I wanted to apologize for what happened. For how I treated you.”
Sam stared at him with wary eyes. “Apology accepted. Are you meeting the EMP team?”
“I am. We’re working through different deployment options.”
“You still have a copy of the program?” Sam seemed surprised.
“The virus didn’t destroy the latest version. Our team was back at work the next day, making sure the virus hadn’t spread to other software.”
“Did it?”
He shook his head. “No, we were lucky.” Caleb was sure Sam was getting ready to leave. Not that he blamed her. He wouldn’t want to spend time with a person who’d yelled at him, either. “Would you like to go somewhere for coffee?”
For the first time since he’d met her, Sam seemed lost. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but I can’t leave. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“It wouldn’t need to be a long coffee break. I have to be at the airport in an hour.”
Sam bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know if having coffee with you is a good idea.”
“I could update you on what’s happened since you left Sapphire Bay.”
Sam’s eyes connected with his. “I’ve been trying to get an update from the FBI. But because Fletcher Security isn’t involved in the project anymore, no one will speak to me.”
“I know as much as anyone else. I’m happy to tell you what’s happening.” He felt like a fraud. Using the EMP project as an excuse to spend time with Sam wasn’t only unethical, it was plain stupid.
To his surprise, Sam nodded. “If you’re happy to use one of our meeting rooms, we could talk there.”
The room Sam took him to wasn’t far from where they were standing.
She turned on the coffeepot and sat at a round table. “Have you heard from your sister?”
“She’s still being looked after by the FBI. She called me a couple of days ago. She sounds like a nice person.” He took off his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. “Anthony was discharged from Polson Hospital a few days after you left. He’s recovering at home.”
“That’s good. He must be feeling overwhelmed by what happened.”
“Having his wife with him makes a big difference.” Caleb had visited Anthony twice since he’d left the hospital. It would take him a long time to recover, but he was strong.
