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“Are you fat shaming the pictures?” Dax asked, his eyes narrowed. “Why does the file size matter? Aren’t pictures big files?”
Her hands were moving, flying across the keys because she knew what she had now. “They are big, but these are enormous. These took up almost all of the available space on my hard drive and there is a very good reason why. There’s something hidden in here.”
“Hidden how?”
She pulled one of the photos onto Connor’s computer. His system wouldn’t have the same capacity issues hers had. Again, she wished she’d left the card tucked into her laptop. She would have been able to remotely download everything to Connor’s laptop. “It’s called steganography. You bury important information under something that seems innocuous. Typically, the culprit codes their hidden material in a photograph. A huge file size is always the tip-off when someone tries that. And there it is.”
The photograph morphed and became something different.
“Whoa. What did you do?” Dax took the seat beside her. “Is that Russian?”
A thrill went through her. “I cracked the code. I can do it very easily now that I know what’s here. And that is definitely Russian. It’s all in Cyrillic. Unfortunately I have no idea what it says, but it looks like someone scanned it in. Those are handwritten pages.”
“I don’t know a ton of Russian, but I do know the alphabet. Zack is fluent and we used it almost like a code.” He pointed to the screen. “That’s a name. Do you see how it almost looks like an entry and then it’s signed. Over and over again. Like a diary. That’s feminine handwriting, I think. She signed her diary entries.”
Everly stopped. “So this is a woman’s journal. Dax, please tell me her name is. . . .”
“Natalia.”
“Oh god.” She still didn’t understand it all, but she knew one thing: She had to get back to those other photos. “We have to go to my office. The rest of this journal is on that SD card. That’s what Valerie was looking for, I’ll bet. She must have been involved or they used her as a patsy. This will lead us to the mysterious Natalia who hopefully knows a dude named Sergei.”
“Agreed, though I’m not sure what this has to do with embezzlement of Crawford funds used for the galas. I feel as if we’re still missing pieces of the puzzle.” But he was putting his boots on.
“I do, too, but we have to grab that SD card before Scott and whoever else is helping him does. That might tell us what we’re missing. If they steal that information, we’ll lose any chance we have to figure out what really happened to Maddox.”
“Gabe’s going to kill me.” He pulled out his cell and dialed a number. “Shit. I got his voice mail. Gabe, get your ass to Crawford. We think we’ve figured out a big, missing piece of this puzzle. It’s the package the informant sent, which is in her office. I’m taking Everly because she has access to the building and I don’t, but hustle there as soon as you can. Call me.” Dax frowned as he hung up. “All right. You lead the way.”
Everly practically raced out of the building and into the night.
• • •
I feel naked without my cell phone,” Gabe grumbled as they worked their way around the crowd.
“You know why Roman does it,” Connor said.
Because there had been one too many scandals involving people taping speeches that were then played out of context or showed the politician in a bad light. Those tapes of politicians speaking to their bases had unhinged more than one campaign, so Roman had declared cell phones out of bounds inside the banquet halls for fundraising events, even the ones Zack wasn’t supposed to attend.
“I know, but it’s a pain in my ass.” He strained to see through the crowd as they were finally allowed into the ballroom. A familiar face caught his eyes. “Hell. Is that who I think it is?”
Connor followed his gaze until it caught on a pretty blonde. “That’s Liz. Shit. Why wouldn’t he tell us?”
If Liz Matthews was here, then it followed that Zack was here as well.
Gabe’s gut twisted. Roman had lied to them. “I guess we should be happy he didn’t ban us from the ballroom.”
Connor held a hand up. “Stop. Those are our best friends. Give them a chance to explain.”
He scoured the crowd, looking for Roman. Now he understood all the security he’d been forced to go through.
“Mr. Bond?”
Gabe turned to find one of the Secret Service men he’d met a few days ago. Shit. “I need to see Zack.”
He stood his ground and wondered if they would haul him out kicking and screaming or if they would simply quietly tase him and dump his body somewhere.
“He would like to see you both. He and Mr. Calder are waiting in a private room upstairs. They saw you come in on the security cameras. I’m supposed to tell you that speaking to the tabloids about any incidents that might or might not have resulted in him earning the nickname ‘Scooter’ is an offense punishable by time in Guantanamo Bay.”
“Is he joking?” Gabe asked.
Connor’s lips had curled up. “I don’t think the Secret Service is allowed to joke.”
They followed the big guy in the dark suit to a private elevator.
“I think that was Zack’s way of telling you he knows you’re going to be pissed,” Connor whispered as the elevator started up.
“Yeah, well, no amount of joking is going to stop me from being pissed, but I’m not stupid. I’m not going to punch the fucker until he leaves office.”
“He’s joking,” Connor said, rolling his eyes as he turned back to Gabe. “They really don’t joke about threats to the president, man.”
The doors opened, and Roman stood inside, wearing a perfectly pressed tux. He held his hands up. “It’s not what you think.”
Gabe thought seriously about throwing a punch anyway, but the Secret Service guard stood with his sunglasses on, looking badass, and Gabe decided to keep his head on his body. “Then explain what’s happening. I want to know who shut down the FAA investigation. I want to know why Mad was really on his way to see Zack. I want the truth this time because someone is coming after the woman I love and I won’t let Zack’s politics get her killed.”
After a short ride, they reached their floor. Connor followed Gabe out, and the guard took up a place in front of the elevator doors as they closed again.
Roman started talking. “First off, I was trying to keep Zack’s appearance tonight a secret. That’s why I didn’t tell you. The tabloids have been following you and Everly everywhere.”
“Not an
ymore.”
“I’m glad to know that plan worked.”
“Roman, bring them in. I think we should tell them everything.” Zack’s weary voice sounded from around the corner.
Gabe strode into the suite’s large living area. Zack sat on the plush sofa, and it looked as if he hadn’t slept the night before. Though he was dressed to the nines, an air of exhaustion hung around him.
Zack looked behind Gabe and Connor, then nodded. At once, the Secret Service retreated. “Is Dax with your girl?”
Gabe nodded. “Yes.”
“I was so sorry to hear about the harrowing incidents. I’m glad neither one of you was hurt.” Zack reached out and picked up a glass of what looked like Scotch. He downed it, then got up to make another. He glanced back, offering them a glass. “Anyone else?”
