“Not that she’d be able to,” Zeke chuckled. “So far no hacker has the skill to get past our NanoT Cyber Technology.”
“I know, but I’m not prepared to take a chance. I’m taking the chopper. That way Danton won’t need to rent a charter boat with the equipment and we’ll be back here quicker. The hull is big enough for transport.” He turned back at the door and saluted. “I’ll see you in two days. Take care of Ava, please, Stone.”
“I’ll protect her like she’s my own, little brother.” Stone watched him close the door. “Well, well, I never believed he’d fall in love so quickly.”
“Love? He met her four months ago and she’s been here three weeks. Isn’t it a little presumptuous to believe he’s in love?” Hawk said with raised eyebrows.
“I happen to agree with Stone. That boy is head over heels,” Kane said with a broad smile. He glanced at Stone. “All your doing.”
“Me? What do I have to do with it?”
“You struggled showing emotions and closed yourself off emotionally since your mother left you and him as children. You were the older, wiser one and mature enough to realize the impact it had on you as a man. You raised him to be comfortable with his feelings and emotions. You taught him the value of trusting his own instincts and morals. That’s why Parker has never fully committed to a woman before. In his heart, he knew what he was searching for, and now that he’d found her, he’d committed his heart and soul to her.” Kane smiled at Stone. “He’s more like you than you realize, Stone, except he’s the softer version of you.”
“Don’t tell him that,” Stone chuckled. He glanced at Zeke. “Back to Yale. We have his current location. Is he using the internet at all?”
“Yes, there’s been a lot of activity on his IP address.” He scoffed with a smirk. “He has a bounce off router but it’s very basic and child’s play to crack.”
“Did you happen to hack into his computer?” Ace shifted in his chair as he paged through the folder Zeke had handed to them at the start of the meeting.
“We only cracked his firewalls this morning. The team is working through his communications and internet browser. If there’s anything of consequence, I’ll let you know.”
“What about the secret organization? Have you found anything yet?”
“Nothing. We’re still battling with their firewall. Someone must have tipped them off because there’s a second phase of security that was added … Fuck! Now that I think about it. It was directly after your meeting with the President,” Zeke exclaimed.
Stone sat down. He looked at Hawk.
“That’s disturbing if it’s true, Zeke. Except for the two of us and Parker, only the President, Madam Secretary, and the Secretary of Homeland Security were in the Oval Office.” He rapped his fingers on the desk. “I find it hard to believe that either of them would be corrupt.”
“So far both prior Secretaries of Defense, first Gary Sullivan and then Chad Nesser surprised us as well, Stone. You said it yourself not so long ago. We don’t know who can be trusted at this stage,” Hawk rasped with anger underlying every syllable. “It seems everyone is out on their own fucking power trip.”
“We’re ready to install the upgraded security protocols at the White House.” Stone made a note on his iPad. “Zeke, make sure the team scrutinizes every nook and cranny of the property. For all we know, there might be a hidden camera or listening device in the Oval Office.”
“That’s possible, since the security we installed was aimed at keeping people out. Don’t worry, if there’s something there, we’ll find it.”
“It’s so fucking frustrating that we’re running into walls all the time. We need to find out more about that secret organization. They’re the key to this entire coup,” Shane said, frustration rife in his voice.
“Parker and I believe Yale is the link to get to them. We have to get closer to Yale. It’s the only way we’d be able to gain an advantage.” Zeke looked around the room. “We need to get someone in that house. Undercover … I don’t know, maybe a housekeeper. Someone who will have the freedom to move in and around the property.”
“That’s a brilliant idea. Do reconnaissance on all the staff currently on the property. Once we have the intel, we can decide on a strategy to get an undercover operative inside.” Stone got up and stretched lazily. “That’s it for now. Zeke, please keep me in the loop with everything you find.”
“Will do.”
“Let’s have lunch. I’m starving.”
“It seems your PA is slipping, Stone. She didn’t even bring us anything to snack on,” Shane said in a surly tone.
“You’re annoyed because you love playing cat and mouse with her. When are you gonna reel her in, old timer? Or do you need some tips?” Zeke teased as he gathered his laptop and files.
“Fuck off, pup. What I’ve forgotten about women, you still have to learn,” Shane graveled as he stomped out of the boardroom.
Ava stretched her legs and leaned back against the side of the hull of the helicopter. It had evened out and she could feel they were flying at top speed. For the first time since she’d hid in the back hull compartment, she relaxed.
“Thank goodness,” she whispered as the sharpness of the light broke through the pitch blackness surrounding her as she switched on the flashlight on her cell.
She’d stomped off in a huff when Parker had refused to allow her to accompany him on the trip. Where he was going, she had no idea apart from giving her the opportunity she’d been looking for—to get off the island so she could go to her apartment—pronto. Since he’d told her about Hewitt, she feared that someone might breach her firewalls or crack the redirect links to keep her actual location secure. She had to get there to increase the security and go to the roof of the Manhattan apartment building to check the routers. Apart from keeping her real identity a secret, she couldn’t afford for any of her systems to fail and expose the Sinclairs. She was all too cognizant that the security systems in and around the island were much better than hers, but since her laptops were linked to the IP address of the Manhattan apartment, the Sinclairs could very easily be exposed if they failed or someone cracked her security.
She glanced around. The seven bags in one corner tickled her curiosity and she crawled closer to peek inside.
“Holy shit! I guess Parker wasn’t kidding that they’re geared up to take care of stuff.” She quickly closed the bag, not at all comfortable to be in such close proximity to guns, knives, and what she identified as hand grenades.
Playing stowaway on the chopper had been an impulsive decision. One she hadn’t given a second thought to. She shifted uncomfortably on the hard surface beneath her buttocks.
“My ass is going to be stiff and sore by the time we get there.” she puffed as she moved around searching for a more comfortable spot. Eventually, she gave up. It was no use. She had to suffer from her own impulsive nature.
“Shit! How am I going to get to my apartment or New York for that matter, since I have no idea where we’re going? I didn’t even take my purse.” She dragged her laptop bag closer. It had been instinctive to grab it when she’d stormed off. Now, she was glad she did. She rummaged through the side pockets. At least she was somewhat organized, she praised herself as her fingers closed around the credit card she kept in the bag in case of emergencies.