Page 26 of Avenging Angel

When the laptop pings with a search hit on our mystery man, all joking stops as we rush over to find out his identity.

Daisy is the first to reach the computer. “His name is Kenneth…. What? No! Where did it go?”

Vinny nudges her aside and starts pecking away at the keyboard. When that proves futile, he presses the power button. “It’s a shutdown virus. It can be triggered by accessing a web browser or a specific file. This shouldn’t have happened while using my credentials or with the antivirus software we have running.”

“Can you remove it?” I ask. Vinny isn’t the most adept with computer systems, and neither am I. Our skills are useful when it comes down to tracking a target and neutralizing a threat. We leave the spycraft to the spies, while they leave target acquisition to us.

Vinny gives up when nothing happens. “No, not if it’s the kind of shutdown virus I think it is. This one has turned our laptop into nothing more than a paperweight. But that’s not what concerns me at the moment.”

Daisy leans forward and looks for any sign of life, pressing the power button again as if her touch were magic. It’s not, and no amount of her banging on the keyboard is going to change our situation. “What could be more concerning than losing access to our system?” she asks. “Will the virus spread and shut down the servers at the Shining Knights HQ in New York?”

“No,” I tell her. “I’ve seen this method employed before. We sometimes use it at the CIA when a person is of interest to us and we don’t want interference because the person could be an asset, an informant, or a target.”

Vinny rubs his chin. “This particular virus not only powers the computer down. It logs the IP address and sends an alert to whoever embedded the malicious code. It doesn’t spread. However, it won’t be long before someone comes knocking on our door. Daisy, did you happen to see Kenneth’s last name before the screen went dark, or anything else that may be useful?”

Frustration wars with despair as Daisy drops to her knees and bows her head. She murmurs one word. “Johnson.”

I do a quick Google search on my phone, then understand why Daisy is dismayed. “There are an estimated 5,200 Kenneth Johnsons in the U.S. alone. That’s like finding a needle in a needle stack.”

“I’ll give Owen a call. If anyone can fix the laptop and retrace the virus to its source, it would be him,” Daisy says.

Vinny and I glance at each other. We both know that whatever happens next, we’re going to be stepping on toes. This has CIA written all over it. I tilt my head toward the door in a silent offer for my mentor and uncle by choice to bow out. With only a few months left until retirement, he has everything to lose.

He shakes his head and turns toward Daisy. “Don’t just call your brother. Call your entire team.”

Chapter ten

Daisy

Suffice it to say, I didn’t sleep last night knowing that Kenneth Johnson is on the CIA’s radar. At a minimum, he’s a person of interest to them. That’s more than enough for me to know we are looking in the right place. Having run into him twice since my abduction and now here at Crater Lake before the next abduction occurs makes him a person of interest to me as well as my prime suspect. However, the lack of sleep has me running on fumes, caffeine, and a prayer that I don’t do anything stupid the next time I see him.

“Stupid is as stupid does,” I murmur.

“What was that?” Angel asks when he rolls over on the sofa bed and cracks open one eye to peer at me.

“Nothing,” I tell him. I’m not ready to admit that I might have been in the wrong yesterday. He was right. Chasing after someone who was armed and dangerous without a plan other than paralyzing the guy with a simunition round wasn’t my finest moment. As a sharpshooter, staying calm and being patient are a must for me. Yet, when Kenneth shot down Vinny’s drone and took off, all sense of reason flew from my brain. I couldn’t let him get away. I needed answers.

Instead of telling Angel all of that and reopening that can of worms, I walk over to him on the bed and show him my phone. “Owen and Scott texted that they are on their way here. Your sister, Jaxon, Jeremy, and Jack will arrive within the next couple of days, while Roger is heading to D.C. to meet with Director Finnegan. They’re going to put pressure on Ludlow to share information.”

“He’s not going to share anything,” Angel says as he wipes the sleep from his eyes and sits up. At least this time he’s wearing a shirt.

My lips turn downward. “He might. Ludlow gave the FBI the green light in Colombia and allowed Vinny to share about the CIA’s plan to put the cartel into power.”

Angel gives a humorless laugh. “He didn’t have a choice. The cartel leader kidnapped my sister. Since Faith was an American citizen, Ludlow didn’t have a leg to stand on. All he could do was try to contain the fallout.”

I point at him and shout, “That’s exactly why he’ll share now! These girls that are being taken are American citizens too!”

Cringing from my volume, Angel gets up and heads toward the coffeemaker to pour himself a cup from the pot that just finished brewing. He takes a sip and leans against the counter. “While I think it’s too early to have this conversation, you’ve been up for hours and seem raring to go.”

“I haven’t slept a wink. I’m on day two without any shuteye. Hey, did you know that you purr when you sleep?”

“Men do not purr. We roar.”

“You roar like a kitten,” I tease.

“Anywaays,” he drawls. “National security trumps domestic kidnapping. That’s how Ludlow will see it.”

Before I can argue further, he raises his hand to stop me. “I’m not saying I agree. It’s just how the CIA operates.”