Hard and Fast (21 page)

“I was shot.”

Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

“What? When?”

“In Chicago, when we had a lead on who was hacking your systems,” he explained.

Alex looked down, then back at him with sharp fear in her eyes.

“Oh my God! That’s when you decided I needed protection, right? Lucas, why didn’t you tell me?”

He reached to cup her shoulders reassuringly, hating to know she was scared. “Alex, it’s going to be okay,” he insisted. “All of this is still just a precaution, okay? We have no indication that anyone is after you directly. But these people are dangerous, and I will continue to do everything and anything to keep you safe.”

She looked back at him with those deep, golden brown eyes.

“That’s why we’re here,” he continued. “Out of harm’s reach, remember?”

Her shoulder seemed to relax just a little. Such a small change yet he felt so much lighter as a result.

“Come, let’s head back before Ned comes looking for us.”

“Wait, Lucas,” she stated, grabbing his arm. “Did I make a mistake? Is this all worth it? Should I just walk away before anyone else gets hurt?”

Lucas felt her frustration and understood what was driving it. It was really hard to be a catalyst without feeling responsible for all the change it brings. He urged her forward so that they were walking again.

“I started attending college at sixteen years old,” he told her softly. “I was this weird, awkward, skinny kid who spent way too much time in front of a computer.”

He chuckled at her doubtful expression. It was hard for him to believe also, sometimes.

“My two older brothers had always been the athletes in the family. Lead rushers in football, highest scoring points in basketball. That sort of thing. At some point, I figured out that I would never have their abilities. But I was smart, at least with math and computers. It all made sense to me. I started writing my own programs, focusing on cryptography. The next thing I knew, I was seeing encryption vulnerabilities everywhere, and it became a game to see how far I could go to break through them.”

Lucas paused. It was very rare that he reflected on the decisions he had made as a young man.

“By the middle of my freshman year at MIT, I could access several government networks undetected. I had built an application, a malware or Trojan horse that gave me undetected access to whatever system I targeted,” he explained with a neutral tone. “I wasn’t after anything, I just wanted to prove that I could solve the problem.”

“What happened? Did you get caught?” she finally asked.

“No. My professor contacted one of the cybersecurity agencies in the government after I handed it in as an assignment. I was pretty naïve about the whole thing, obviously,” he admitted. “Thankfully, because of my age and the fact that I hadn’t tried to access anything of value, they decided not to press charges. Instead, they convinced me that my programs could help the government tighten their security. Or maybe coerced is a better description.”

He let out a deep breath. Only a small number of the men he worked with knew these details about his life. And now, Alex.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to tell you is that the hacker that Hernandez hired to steal your design used my Trojan software to do it. It was over fifteen years ago, and my intention at the time was just to challenge myself and build something noteworthy. I didn’t take into account the possible ramifications. Like someone stealing my malware to use for a crime, which is exactly what happened. It’s still happening.”

“Lucas, that’s unbelievable,” she whispered. “But, you were just a kid.”

“I know that now. But it took me a long time to understand that I can’t own other people’s evil actions or the tools they use to commit them,” he continued. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You can’t be responsible for other people’s actions, Alex. Only your own.”

They had reached the cottage and walked up the steps and to her shed in silence. Inside, Alex walked over to the large worktable and stood looking down at the various machine parts strewn there.

“Are you okay?” Lucas finally asked since he could accurately read her mood.

“Yeah,” she replied firmly. “I’ll be fine.”

“Good. Then, I’ll leave you to get some work done.”

“Lucas,” she stated as he opened the door. “Thanks. For earlier.”

He nodded, giving her a brief smile before he headed back to the house.

CHAPTER 21

For Alex, the days went by in a blur of work. She awoke each morning by seven o’clock, and was in her workspace before eight with a cup of coffee and a light breakfast. Lunch was a quick break to eat whatever Lucas or Ned had made, and dinner was much the same. It should feel difficult or stressful to focus on one specific task for twelve to fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, but it didn’t. For Alex, it felt like a rare opportunity to get away from all the other aspects of life in order to complete what may be the most significant accomplishment of her career.

When Lucas told her that they wanted to keep her in upstate New York for the next three weeks, until the engine was rebuilt, she immediately sent a bunch of e-mails to Noelle, Shawn, her dad, and her brothers with a story about signing up for a series of European conferences on emerging technology, and it was just boring enough to be believable. She should have been upset about the situation, but Alex had actually felt relieved. The effort to rebuild the entire Cicada drivetrain by herself was going quite smoothly at a pace that would have it completed well within the time frame they had before the road tests in Vancouver. Returning to Toronto and reengaging her team in the process at this stage could be more disruptive than beneficial. She had the design specs that Niles, Randy, and Bobby had recorded, all the necessary parts and equipment, and the autonomy to tweak things as she wanted in the process.

The one welcome interruption to her work was the daily walks with Lucas. They only lasted about an hour, but provided an opportunity for her to relax and clear her mind. Most of the time, they talked about everyday things. Lucas would keep her updated on the news, and they would discuss the details. He would also provide details on the case, though as the weeks passed there was less and less to tell. Sometimes, Alex would bounce ideas off of him about various configurations to the Cicada drivetrain. He was sharp and knowledgeable enough about cars to ask the right questions and ultimately help her make a decision.

They rarely talked about their personal lives, other than when Lucas told her about his freshman year at MIT. And they never discussed that evening when Lucas had come to her room.

Alex had been very tempted to bring it up on several occasions. She wanted to know why he had kissed her, then made love to her after insisting it shouldn’t happen again. And why had he made no move to touch her again? Was it just an impulse that he later regretted? As much as she wanted to ask, Alex wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer. It would hurt too much to hear once again that she was cool to hang out with, but not the type of woman he was into for a relationship. Not that she wanted a relationship right now with him, or any man. The tenuous friendship they had established was just fine, despite the awkward and consistent undercurrent between them of something unresolved. So, Alex suppressed her natural urge to confront a situation, and for once left it alone.

It was Wednesday evening, over three weeks since they had arrived at the cottage, when she hit a major speed bump. While testing the power output of the new electric motor, Alex discovered that the stranded copper wiring used in the stator was defective. She wasted four frustrated hours that evening trying to figure out the problem, then another two hours after a quick dinner in an attempt to rethread the wires before she gave up. There was no other option but to order another supply. And this time, it would be from a manufacturer she trusted.

Alex sat slumped on the work stool with her iPad and went through the design documentation for the original motor, hoping she could track down the details of the wiring used. No such luck. She was racking her brain, trying to remember the name of the brand when the message indicator for her e-mail in-box caught her eye. There were new e-mail messages since that afternoon after the daily walk with Lucas.

Needing a mental break, Alex opened up the e-mail application, expecting another response to one of the ongoing message threads from Noelle, Adrian, or Shawn asking when she’d be back from her European adventure. Instead, it was a note from Jean Renaud, the Indy car driver she had dated for over a year, and hadn’t spoken to in over eight months. It simply said:
Hi Alex, will you be at the Sea-to-Sky race next month? It would be nice to see you. Maybe for dinner?

She stared at the note for a long moment, trying to decide how to respond. Jean was a nice guy who had been great fun while they dated long distance. Until it stopped being easy.

Last summer, about eighteen months into their relationship, he was in Toronto to race in the Honda Indy. After the event, Jean planned to stay for another few days with the expectation that he could meet her friends and family, and ultimately make their relationship more committed. Suddenly, her glib, generic comments about her life, job, thoughts, and opinions weren’t enough for him. By the time he left for Chicago, their communication became strained and Alex knew they had hit a wall. It was time to move forward to the next level in their relationship, or end it.

Alex already knew she wasn’t ready to reveal her full self to Jean. He liked the carefree girl with manicured nails who wore pretty dresses and sexy shoes. That’s who he wanted to be with and get to know more about. Unfortunately, that wasn’t who she really was, and it would be too complicated and uncomfortable to try to explain all that. So Alex ended it.

Though hurt and confused by her sudden decision, Jean had been a gentleman about it, only reaching out a few times to see if she would reconsider. His invitation to meet again now left her with mixed feelings. Jean was an attractive guy, fun to be around, and it would be nice to see him again. But, after the kind of intensive, all-consuming experience with Lucas, could Alex now settle for just casual but enjoyable sex?

She stared blankly across the work shed trying to find some answers. Maybe Jean was exactly what she needed after this whole Fortis case was over and Lucas was gone and back to his own life. Jean could remind Alex that relationships weren’t her thing. That men ultimately wanted pretty, feminine girls by their side, not the assertive, ambitious, and sometimes competitive bitch she could often be.

Before she could change her mind, Alex sent Jean a reply, confirming she would be at the race and dinner would be nice. Then she went back to work until she finally found the name of the manufacturer for stranded copper wiring used in the original Cicada electric motor. She didn’t enter the house until after eleven thirty. Ned was sitting at the table on the computer as she went through the living area toward the kitchen to get some water.

“I was about to check on you, Alex,” he stated casually. “You’re working later than usual. Is everything okay?”

Alex gave him a wry smile as she filled a glass from the tap.

“I’m fine, but I’ve run into a problem,” she admitted, then explained the situation with the wiring. “Can you get me a new supply of a specific brand? I’m dead in the water without it, and we don’t have any time to waste with another defective batch.”

“Okay. Give me the details and I’ll get the order placed,” Ned stated.

She walked over to the table and sat beside him, then pulled up the details on her iPad. Ned launched a Web site for a distributor called DaCosta Solutions and typed in the specifics in the search window.

“This distributor supplies parts and equipment to the U.S. military and military contractors,” he explained. “It looks like they have several grades of copper wiring by that manufacturer. Any preference?”

Alex looked at the search results, amazed at the options listed on the page.

“Is this site available to the general public? Can I use it in the future?” she asked.

“Unfortunately you can’t, it’s only available for approved organizations,” Ned explained. “But, Fortis is well connected within DaCosta. I’m sure we could pull some strings to get you an account.”

She looked at him speculatively, then back at the Web site. The name DaCosta did ring a bell—

“Isn’t that the name of one of your owners? Evan DaCosta?” she asked. “Any relation?”

Ned grinned.

“He owns it.”

“Ahhh,” she mumbled, suddenly understanding their ability to get her equipment so quickly. “Let’s go for that one.”

She pointed to the option noted to have the lowest voltage drop, ideal to support high speeds and maximum horsepower from the motor. It was expensive, but worth every penny if it produced better results.

“You got it,” confirmed Ned as he made a few clicks on the site. “Hopefully, we’ll get it by tomorrow. Friday morning at the latest.”

“Wow, that would be fantastic,” she mumbled, standing up. “Thanks so much.”

“No problem at all.”

“It’s late,” she added, noting the time on the laptop. “Where’s Lucas?”

“He’s out for a run.”

“Now? It’s after midnight,” she questioned with surprise.

Ned shrugged.

“He’s out every night these days. Says it’s the best time for him to clear his head,” he explained. “I prefer mornings myself. But he should be back any minute. It’s been over an hour.”

Alex took a sip of water as she absorbed the information. Since Lucas was usually in the house when she returned from the shed, he must head out as soon as she went to bed.

“Okay. Well, I’m off to bed then.”

“See you in the morning,” Ned replied.

In her room, Alex headed right into the bathroom to take a long shower. Exhausted, she bathed, washed her hair, then stood for an extended period under the warm, beating spray of water. The decision to meet Jean at the race wasn’t sitting well with her. The more she thought about it, Alex realized it was only an attempt to prove that she would be able to walk away from Lucas as easily as he would at the end of all this. That she could forget how good it felt to have been completely real and transparent with a man, and return to the preference of casual relationships that didn’t interfere with her real life. Forget the feel of his hands and the imprint of his hard body against hers.

It now seemed like wishful thinking, made more foolish by that fact there was absolutely nothing between her and Lucas. Judging by his obvious lack of interest over the last three weeks, whatever had sparked his fleeting attention had faded, just as she knew it would. Unfortunately, she still struggled to contain her own attraction, and seeing Jean again wasn’t going to change that. Only time and reality would.

Alex turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to dry off. She softly squeezed her wet hair with a towel and wrapped a second one around her body before brushing her teeth.
Maybe I should cancel with Jean now before he gets the wrong idea?
she debated while applying body lotion.
Or just wait until we meet?

She was going back and forth in her head, trying to decide which approach would be less awkward, when she walked back into the bedroom and came to an abrupt stop. Lucas was standing in the dark, across from the bathroom door with his arms crossed at his chest and an unreadable look on his face. In the dim light, she could see that he was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt.

“Lucas,” she gasped in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t react for about ten seconds, until the pause became tense and Alex became worried that something was very wrong. She tentatively stepped forward, looking around.

“Is everything okay?” she finally asked.

He didn’t move, nor did his intense stare waver from her face.

“Why are you meeting him?” Lucas finally demanded in a low, silky voice.

“What? Who?” returned Alex, completely confused.

“Renaud! Why are you meeting him in Vancouver?”

Her heart stuttered, then started pounding with a fast, heavy rhythm.

“Excuse me?” she stammered. “How do you know about that?”

He just looked back at her stone-faced.

“Are you spying on me? Reading my e-mails?” she demanded, striding toward him.

“Of course I’m reading your e-mails, Lex. How else am I supposed to make sure your communications are safe and within protocol?” he said dismissively. “Answer my question.”

“Are you serious? It’s none of your business,” she told him, trying to keep her tone neutral, without any sign of her mounting anger.

“I’m making it my business. Fortis business,” he clarified. “How do we know he isn’t involved with trying to steal your Cicada technology?”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Alex, now standing directly in front of him, forgetting for a moment that she was only wearing a fluffy white towel. “I told you that Jean doesn’t even know I’m an engineer. And you ruled out his involvement from the beginning.”

“Maybe we were wrong. He lives in Chicago, he’s connected to the same racing club as North and his wife, and the Optimal Racing driver the wife approached to sell the battery tech. Maybe
Jean
was involved the whole time,” he shot back, uttering the name like a dirty word.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Alex scoffed back at the suggestion with a dark laugh.

He leaned down toward her much shorter level, suddenly looking menacing.

“You have no idea how many ridiculous things are actually true,” he growled. “Why else is he reaching out to you now to meet? According to you, it’s been months since you guys broke up.”

Alex sucked in a deep breath. Is that what he thought? That the only reason a man like Jean would want to see her again is if he was after something? She stepped back, too angry and hurt to respond immediately. Then, she turned to walk over to the dresser in the middle of the room and slowly removed underwear and a clean oversize T-shirt.

“Is that what you think, Lucas? That he’s using me for information? For access to my hybrid design?” she finally replied in a deceptively soft voice. “Maybe he just wants to use me for something much less complicated. And maybe I want to be used.”