Page 54 of Never Forget

“Our working theory is that both incidents are connected, yes. My guess is that the attacks were identical—drones carrying fireworks—only with very different outcomes. We’ll know for sure when we get the security footage from Mr. Carter’s security company and when I get a report about the damage to the boat that confirms if the drone was carrying the same fireworks.”

“For now, we need to figure out a more secure location for you all until things calm down and we get more answers,” Blake says. There’s some shuffling and murmuring in the background. “Hold on one second.”

The line goes quiet. No one says anything while we wait. There’s a vague sound of Cory breathing. Naz is watching me, probably waiting for me to look back, but I can’t. I can’t look in his eyes and know I might be responsible for this.

“Sorry about that.” Another pause. “Okay. Will you let me?”

“I have a theory!” Emmy says quickly, his voice too loud. I have a mental image of him reaching over Blake’s desk and shouting into the phone.

Blake sighs. “Go ahead.”

“Okay, I don’t know for sure, but it makes sense. Is this line secure?”

“Emerson.”

“Right. So, I’ve been going through everything we use to coordinate for the band. After Jesse’s cloud got hacked, we moved all of you, management, and basically anyone connected to the band off personal accounts and switched to a completely secure workspace. Encrypted messaging, calendars, itineraries, contacts, production notes—basically everything we need to keep the band organized.”

“You think the platform was compromised?” I ask.

“Either that, or…”

“Or what, Emmy?” Naz prods. I think he’s trying to be encouraging, but we’re all on edge, so it comes off a bit harsh.

“Either someone found a way into the platform that was guaranteed to be the most secure workspace available… or someone with legitimate access is leaking the information and/or possibly the bad guy themselves.” He says the second part in a rush, the words tumbling from his mouth like he’s nervous to say them out loud.

No one speaks for a long, drawn-out minute while we all process what he’s saying.

“What I can’t figure out is why anyone directly connected to the band would want anything to happen to them. All of our jobs are more or less tied to the band’s success,” Emmy muses. “But it would make sense. They knew the hotel information for the bomb threat. They knew Will and Ari were staying at Alonso Carter’s beach house, which, sure, a good detective could have connected some dots and gotten there eventually. But Jesse and Luc’s yacht? Let me tell you, Luc’s paranoid ass made damn sure they weren’t trackable.” He pauses again. “Who’s missing?”

“They haven’t bothered Naz yet,” Blake answers thoughtfully. “But why not?”

“Because I’m not at the address in the system,” Naz answers. “Since the property isn’t finished yet, and I don’t technically live here yet officially, I haven’t changed my address or anything.”

I hold my finger up, and Naz nods his understanding. Hopefully Emmy is as smart as I think he is. A wiretap might feel far-fetched, but I’m not above playing it safe. Hell, I’ve searched Naz’s trailer for bugs three times. Call me paranoid, but I’m not taking any chances.

Emmy clears his throat. “Exactly. And I never told anyone here, other than Scott, where you are. I wouldn’t even let Blake have the address,” he says, sounding a little smug about it. I hear Blake hum in the background. “Anything I’ve done regarding that location has been completely off the books and therefore never even mentioned in the system.”

“I have an idea!” Comes a scratchy shout from the background.

“Hold on,” Cory says. “I’ve had you all on speaker for the last little bit so Jesse could listen in.”

There’s some rustling, then Jesse’s voice comes over the speaker. “Yo,” he says, his voice sounding raspy and weak, like he has a sore throat. “Emmy’s theory makes sense. I talked to my mom a while ago, and she didn’t say anything about attacks at home. Which would support the theory that whoever this is, they knew where I was to be able to target me specifically.”

“So, hypothetically, if we send someone to Naz’s address, where all the records say he’s at right now, there should be signs of a similar attack?” Blake supplies.

Naz shakes his head. “If there were any issues, the building manager would have called me.”

“You live in a condo building, right? The same one that Will and Ari live in?” I don’t wait for him to confirm, it was a rhetorical question. “If the drones were pre-programmed to drop the fireworks at specific locations, there’s a good chance it wouldn’t have landed directly on his doorstep. More than likely, whatever happened did so outside the front entrance to the building.”

“Naz, can you call your building manager and ask if anything suspicious has happened today?” Blake asks.

“And I’ll call my mom back to verify nothing happened around the property at our place, we live in a condo too. Ours is set up differently, but it can’t hurt to have the extra data. I’ll call Luc’s building manager, too, just to be thorough.”

“That’s a good idea, Jesse, thanks,” Blake says.

The added tenderness in the way Blake says Jesse’s name is obvious. It’s clear he cares a lot about these guys. I know he’s beat up about the guys being in danger and what Jesse went through today.

I know I am.