And that danger was exactly why Daniel couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t risk her unwittingly divulging classified information. Not only would it put this case in peril; it could possibly put Samiah in danger as well. He didn’t care how tenuous the link between Mike Epsen and that bicycle accident was; the possibility of Samiah suffering the same fate was enough to solidify Daniel’s decision to keep her in the dark. It was better this way.
He closed his eyes again. Sucked in a breath.
He reached for the purse and slowly released the teeth on the zipper one by one, pausing several times to listen for any sounds coming from the bedroom. His heart thumped like a drumbeat within his chest as he angled the purse toward the moonlight streaming in from the large windows. The soft glow glinted off the gold chip that ran along the left edge of the green-and-white access card. He slipped the card out and went over to his jacket. He pulled the scanner from the jacket’s inside pocket and inserted Samiah’s keycard. A green light blinked methodically as the device accessed the information on the card.
In less than two minutes, it was done. The scanner beeped and the green light went from blinking to solid.
Daniel held his breath, waiting to see if she’d heard the beep. There was no stirring coming from the bedroom. Not a sound.
He shoved the scanner back into his jacket pocket and slid Samiah’s access card back into her purse. Then he returned to her bedroom and removed the sweatpants, climbing back under the covers naked and wrapping his arms around Samiah’s waist.
But Daniel knew he wasn’t falling asleep anytime soon.
Even if she never discovered his betrayal, he knew he would never be able to get past it. With that one move, he’d shattered the trust between them forever.
He closed his eyes.
What good would regret and recriminations do him now? He’d had a choice to make and he’d made it. He would just have to learn to live with it, and hope there was some way that Samiah could eventually forgive him. Some way he could learn to eventually forgive himself.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Samiah paused on the sidewalk across the street from the Austin History Center and watched as a team of three carried an enormous framed portrait of lavender fields through the building’s side entrance. It was reminiscent of the sights she’d encountered on a drive through Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country last year, the colors so vibrant she could practically smell the fragrant blooms.
She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Her nostrils met with the aroma of grilling meat from a food cart fighting with the Drakkar Noir one of her fellow Austinites had apparently bathed in before leaving the house. Instead of standing in a field of lavender, she felt as if she were back at her sixth-grade dance, holding her breath as Terrance Johnson sprayed on more of the cologne he’d snuck from his dad’s bathroom cabinet.
She continued up Guadalupe, the brisk wind blowing off Lady Bird Lake and the warm rays from the early-morning sun making for an invigorating contrast. Normally, on a chilly morning like this one, she would drive the five minutes to work, but when she caught sight of the brilliant blue sky outside her bedroom windows, the thought of confining herself to a car was untenable.
The gorgeous day matched her gorgeous mood, and she wanted to soak up as much of it as possible. Which was why, despite the fact that she was already a half hour late for work, she’d decided to take a long detour and visit the Italian bakery on Congress Avenue near the golden-domed state capitol. All was forgiven at the job when you brought pastries.
Samiah turned onto Ninth Street, walking past one of the famed moonlight towers. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was one of only fourteen antique towers that remained in the world, all of which were located in Austin. She stopped at the corner of Ninth and Lavaca Streets, and waved at a chubby-faced toddler strapped in the back seat of a minivan waiting at the light, laughing when he waved back.
It’s when she found herself smiling long after the car with the adorable kid had driven away that Samiah recognized that there was something different about today. Something special. There was a giddiness in the air. A lighthearted exuberance that caused the leaves on the evergreens to appear greener, the brilliant morning sun to seem brighter. Everything she encountered amplified her blissful mood.
She dipped into the Italian bakery and, after waiting in line for ten minutes, emerged with two dozen zeppole, a dozen biscotti, and a loaf of their signature panettone. Armed with enough food to feed the entire R&D Department, Samiah started down Congress back toward the river and Trendsetters’ offices.
After six blocks, she turned the corner and stopped short at the sight of all the activity swirling around her building. A crush of bystanders loitered on the sidewalks, their clamorous rumblings accounting for the discordant din she’d heard as she’d approached. She continued toward the building, but her steps faltered when she saw two of Trendsetters’ cybersecurity analysts, Bianca Moody and Doug Spade, being led away in handcuffs. They were followed by Owen Caldwell, the HR director, showcasing his own set of cuffs.
“What in the hell?” Samiah nearly dropped the pastries.
She spotted Jamie standing near the receptionist for the law practice on the floor just below theirs. She walked up to the two women.
“Jamie, what’s going on?” Samiah asked.
Trendsetters’ receptionist, who looked as stunned as Samiah felt, shook her head. “It’s crazy. I came down to sign for a couple of packages that had been left at the security desk, and the next thing I know, a bunch of men in blue windbreakers stormed into the building. That was a half hour ago.”
“Are they not letting anyone up to the office?”
“They are, but everything feels weird up there right now, so I’m hiding out down here.”
Samiah spotted Daniel, but before she could take a step toward him, one of the men wearing a blue jacket withDHSin thick white block letters on the back walked up to him. Her heart stopped beating. For a second, terror, true and gut-wrenching, rushed through her as she waited for the man to make him turn around so they could cuff him. Instead, the man in the windbreaker began conversing with Daniel as if he knew him.
A second later, Quentin Romero joined in.
Samiah took a stunned step back. An uncomfortable chill raced along her skin as she tried to process exactly what was going on.
Why was his roommate here? And why was Quentin wearing one of those dark blue jackets? And why did Daniel look as if he was running the show instead of being questioned by the law enforcement officer? The sense of authority emanating from him seemed both out of place and weirdly appropriate.
Confusion intermingled with the panoply of emotions scattering through her brain. Unsure what to make of any of this, Samiah turned in the opposite direction and entered the lobby. As she approached the elevators, she switched both bakery bags to one hand and flashed her green-and-white Trendsetters’ badge with the other, explaining to another set of jacketed DHS personnel where she worked. They allowed her to board the waiting elevator.
