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“Wait, what does that have to do with your friend who was killed?”
“We’re working to figure that out ourselves. There’s a chance that Nick might have known too much—might have seen or overheard something that his wife was involved in. Maybe evenhedidn’t realize that he knew something dangerous, but they decided he was a liability who needed to be taken out.”
Toni looked bewildered. “I still don’t see what any of this has to do with my father.”
“Nick’s wife, Natalie Matthews, is an author. One of yourfather’sauthors. You should recognize this one—she publishes under the pen name N.T. Smalls.”
That got a gasp from Toni. “The same N.T. Smalls who donated the book that’s on all the e-readers my father donated?”
Spencer nodded. “We think that book is the key to the whole thing. And your father is the one who put it on all the e-readers and provided them to you. Encoded in the file is information that SHEEPSKIN is using. That’s why we need to find your father. Do you know where he is?”
“No.” She got up from the floor and took a seat on one of the dining chairs. “I haven’t seen him since right before the explosion at his publishing house in DC.” Her frown darkened. “Wait. You guys didn’t have anything to do with that bombing, did you?”
“We’re the good guys, remember, sweetheart?”
“Even good guys do bad things sometimes. At least that’s what my father says.” She shook her head and looked away. “And don’t call me sweetheart.”
He winced. He hadn’t meant for that to slip out. Pet names weren’t usually a thing for him—there was just something about her.
“What were you looking for on my devices?” she asked.
“Intel. About your father’s whereabouts. Evidence that you’ve been in contact with him recently.”
Her posture stiffened once more. “I told you I don’t communicate with him. I have no idea where he is. Are you calling me a liar?”
“No. I’ve just learned the hard way to cover all my bases.” He stood and grabbed one of the other chairs, turning it around to straddle it, facing her, his forearms resting along the back. “Listen, I wasn’t supposed to say anything to you about my mission, but I haven’t found any evidence that you’re involved, so I’m trusting you with all this.”
She sat back and met his gaze, her expression unreadable. “Go on.”
“In addition to my job to protect you, my team and I came to Jubail looking for your father. We think he can help us clear our name. When he disappeared after the bombing? He didn’t choose to drop off the grid. He was abducted by some of the men who have been working against us. We think his actions since then, like publishing those stories about us, might have been because he was coerced. Maybe he made a deal so they’d release him. But we can provide him with protection, if he’ll just tell us the truth.”
“The rest of your team’s here too? Where?”
“They’re staying at the Best Western.”
“And you…you really think there’s some kind of dangerous information hidden in the files on my e-readers?”
“That part we’re sure of, actually,” he said, hating himself a little at the expression of pain that flashed over her face. The e-readers meant so much to her. This would be hard for her to hear. “The girlfriend of one of my teammates is a cyberanalyst with the FBI, and she cracked the code. Hidden in the file’s data is tracking software. Software that could be used by this SHEEPSKIN network to organize their attacks.”
“And you think my family had something to do with that?” She shook her head in disbelief as she pushed to her feet and began to pace the room. “My father’s no angel—I’ll be the first to admit that. But something like this? No. If you’re insinuating he’s involved in some kind of terrorism or murder plot, I refuse to believe it. He might be willing to bend the rules when it comes to his finances, but he loves his country and his ideals. Those are the only things that matter to him.”
The way her voice cracked over the last words damn near killed him. He exhaled slowly. “I’m sure he loves you. He’s your father.”
When she didn’t answer, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. She didn’t want to believe bad things about her father, which was understandable, but that didn’t make the accusations any less true. “Okay. Suppose your dad doesn’t know about the hidden files.”Yeah, right.“Maybe someone at the manufacturing facility for the devices is loading them on there. Or the person who prepared the files to send them to the manufacturer. We need to find your father so we can question him. He knows how his business operates—he’d be able to help us figure out who’s really responsible. And if you’re right about him being a patriot, he’ll want to help us find the person who betrayed our country—and murdered a Navy SEAL in cold blood. He might be our only shot at solving this whole mystery.”
Toni stood motionless, all the fight seemingly gone out of her. Spencer missed the spark of defiance in her dark eyes. Seconds ticked by, and it seemed more and more likely she’d walk out without another word. Then, finally, she sighed and looked at him again, her expression defeated. “What kind of tracking software?”
“Not sure yet. Hayley—that’s Scotty’s girlfriend—only broke through the coding yesterday. I’ve only gotten a few text updates since then. My team leader still needs to brief me on all the details. I’ll let you know when we find out, though. Will you let me take another look at your phone?”
Her gaze narrowed. “Why should I trust you?”
He rose to his feet and moved closer, as if drawn by some invisible cord. Leaning a hand against the wall beside her, Spencer felt the heat of her penetrate the crisp cotton of his dress shirt. “Because right now, I’m all you’ve got. And I made a promise to protect you no matter what. A promise I intend to keep, sweetheart.”
“I told you not to call me sweetheart.”
She looked up at him through her long, dark lashes, and Spencer’s pulse kicked higher. The spark was back in her eyes. “What should I call you, then?”
“Considering what you just told me, how about partner? You help me make this trip a success for the foundation, and I’ll help you find my father so you can try to get your answers.”
