“Meeting up at the motel?” Delilah asked, and Cal nodded.
“The moment you have everything cleared out, get out of there. I don’t want to be there when Mr. McCarthy shows up. He’s worried because no one under his employ is in charge of the center, but I’m worried he will accuse us of something far worse. Mina will keep you posted on when he’s expected to arrive. You should be long gone before that time.”
“Ten-four. It won’t take us long to pack up the computers and get out. She didn’t bring much in,” Delilah said.
Cal turned to Iris. “While she’s packing the equipment, I want you to grab everything from Bec’s apartment. Once we get her released, there’s no telling when she’ll be able to return to the center for her things. I’d prefer it if she didn’t have to at all. Can you do that for her?”
Iris nodded quickly, her gaze darting to the street again, where Bec was still in the car. She’d turned away and stared out the windshield, tears on her cheeks. “She doesn’t have much there other than her clothes. She told me most of her personal belongings were in storage. I won’t let you down, Cal.”
“More importantly, you won’t let her down. Now go. Time isn’t on our side.”
Iris darted after Delilah, her drop foot braces barely allowing her to walk fast, but thankfully, Delilah was used to it and didn’t push her to move faster than she could. Zac pulled up in Cal’s SUV, and they piled in before he did a U-turn and headed back toward the highway. Iris couldn’t get past the tears on Bec’s cheeks, and one fell down her own, which she quickly swiped away. Now was not the time to fall apart. She had to keep it together for Bec. Cal was right. She was safe, and at least in jail, no one who had a grudge against Walter could get to her.
“There has to be another vault app,” she muttered, staring out the window.
“What now?” Delilah asked, waiting for her to respond. “Another vault app?”
Iris turned to her. “Walter had to have used a cloud vault. One that he could access from any of his devices. A hidden computer isn’t always convenient.”
“That’s true,” Delilah agreed. “I didn’t look for cloud-based vault apps on the laptop because I was so busy with the one already on the computer.”
“A red herring?” Declan asked from the front seat.
“Could be,” Iris said. “Either way, that’s the first thing we look for once we have the computer again.”
“I have the computer,” Delilah said, a cheeky grin on her face. “I stuck it in my bag when we headed to Walter’s. I didn’t want to risk someone else coming in and taking it when the place wasn’t under our protection.”
“I should have thought of that.” Iris grimaced. “Thank God you did.”
Delilah patted her back. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. You had other things on your mind. As soon as the guys clear the space, I’ll pack up your equipment while you pack Bec’s stuff. We can be in and out in under fifteen.”
Zac nodded from the front seat as he put the car into Park next to the loading dock. “We’ll send you two in the SUV with Lucas as soon as you’re ready to go. Declan and I will load up the UTVs and be right behind you. Lucas, stay with them while we go clear the place?” Lucas nodded, and the two men in the front piled out and headed toward the building, which looked completely innocuous. However, as she had learned the hard way, it was anything but.
* * *
IRIS SAT DOWNat the computer and stared at the screen, the words swimming before her eyes as they filled with tears. She couldn’t do this today. She couldn’t spend another shift pretending she could help people solve their cyber problems when she couldn’t even help the womanshe loved. Despite spending more than twenty-four hours searching Walter’s computer and finding proof that he was the mastermind behind the plot, it hadn’t been enough to get the woman she loved out of jail. The simple reason was that she had no evidence to prove that Bec hadn’t been part of the plot. Guilty by association, Cal called it, and while no one had given up, Iris was out of ideas.
Since Bec was remanded to the FBI, Iris couldn’t see her or even get a message to her. She hadn’t seen her in over two weeks, and it weighed more and more on her as each day passed. She walked out onto the Secure Inc. grounds as dusk settled over them. Now that autumn had arrived in full swing, it got dark early, so as the hour approached
4:00 p.m., the sun was low in the sky as she sat on the bench that overlooked the manmade pond on the back of Cal’s property. It was one of her favorite places to sit before or after a shift when she wanted to find a little Zen in a world that was often overwhelming. It was more like always overwhelming, but some days were worse than others.
That was one thing that had changed over the last few weeks. Since returning from North Dakota, she had been better able to manage her anxiety. She wanted to stay strong for Bec and dedicate herself to finding the evidence they needed to prove her innocence. When she couldn’t do that, she allowed herself to fall apart but found it easier to pick herself up and start again. She kept telling herself that she would see Bec again, but each day that passed, it got harder and harder to believe. Innocent people had spent life in prison for less than what they accused Bec of doing.
Her phone rang, and she saw Mina’s number on the display. With a sigh, she answered, “I’ll be right in. I just needed a minute.”
“I’m not rushing you,” Mina said. “I was just warning you that people will be on the grounds out there, so you don’t get scared if you hear someone. Why don’t you take the night off? You can try again tomorrow.”
“I can’t keep doing that, Mina. You need me to work.”
“No, I need you to feel ready to work. Until you do, we’d have to double-check your findings, and there isn’t much point in that.”
“You sent me out there to do a job, and I’ve let you down. There aren’t enough ways for me to apologize for that.”
“Stop, Iris,” Mina said. She had the patience of a saint, in her opinion. “You don’t need to apologize. You did the job we asked you to do, and you went through a lot to do it. The very least we can do is support you for a few weeks until your feet are under you again. Okay? Now, stop worrying. Enjoy the sunset and then come in and enjoy a nice dinner.”
“I will. Thanks, Mina.”
It was nice to work with people who understood her. Iris couldn’t deny how wonderful they’d been to her since returning to Secure Inc. Somehow, she had to find a way to get her life back on track and return to work. She wasn’t sure how to do that when the woman she loved wasn’t by her side. In a way, she felt like she was abandoning both Bec and Secure Watch.
