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CHAPTER TWELVE

Gibson Global was off Ponce De Leon Boulevard on a large section of land with plenty of trees, a small marina, and a few small businesses sparsely scattered, all of which worked to their advantage.

Since the company’s cargo ships and containers were located at Connolly Maritime, and the investigation was ongoing, the modestly sized one-story building was empty.

Even without an investigation, the company would likely be closed while the family dealt with the repercussions of Gibson’s death.

Jack parked the smaller surveillance van on a side street several yards away and took care of the security cameras around Gibson Global using his laptop.

“Gibson’s personal computer is offline,” Jack said, stuffing his laptop into a black backpack. “We need to get in there to access his files.”

“What kind of security are we dealin’ with?” Ryden asked, smiling when Chip slapped his paw on Ryden’s leg and stared at him, making Ryden chuckle. “Your dog is not subtle.”

Joker snorted. “Not when scritches and you-know-whats are concerned.”

“The system is nothing I can’t bypass,” Jack replied.

“Can you disable it from here?” Ryden asked, giving in to Chip’s demand for ear scratches.

“For the most part, but I’ll need to disable the alarms manually from the security panel. I’ll let you know once it’s done. Comms in.” Jack pulled the black baseball cap low and stepped out of the van.

Ryden secured the tiny earpiece in his ear. “Comms check.”

“Loud and clear,” Jack replied.

“Loud and clear,” Joker echoed. He playfully flicked Chip’s ear, chuckling at Chip’s impressive side-eye. “So, you and Jay.”

Rydan glanced at Joker. “Really? You too?”

“What?”

“Why’s everyone so interested in what happens between me and Jay?”

Joker leaned back in his chair. “Well, for one, Jay’s like the little brother we never had. Also, you two have been dancing around each other for years now. It’s like the most frustrating dating show ever. Will he? Won’t he? What’s he going to throw next?”

“You watch datin’ shows?”

Joker arched an eyebrow at him. “Do I look like I watch dating shows?”

“How should I know? I can never tell with y’all. Ace watches Hallmark movies.”

“Because Colton loves them.”

“And Jack watches The Great British Bake Off .”

“Because Fitz loves it,” Jack replied through their earpiece. “He and Red nerd out about it. It’s also very relaxing.”

“See?” Ryden shrugged. “Why’d it be such a stretch that Gio might watch datin’ shows and, by extension, you?”

“Gio watches documentaries and quirky whodunit shows.”

“Really?”

Joker nodded. “Yep. And don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to distract me from my question.”

“You Bridgerton ladies done spilling the tea,” Jack teased.

Joker rolled his eyes and shook his head.

They secured their black baseball caps and blended into the shadows, wearing black T-shirts, tactical pants, and boots.

Chip silently trotted alongside Joker as they made their way to the back of Gibson Global.

A small light blinked twice, and they hurried to the open door where Jack waited. Gloves on, they got to work.

Inside, the building was dark, with just enough light coming through the windows to prevent them from bumping into things. Joker and Ryden removed their flashlights from their pockets, quickly and carefully scanning the doors for the right office.

“What’re we lookin’ for?” Ryden whispered as they passed the reception area.

They headed straight for the door with Gibson’s name on it.

Jack removed what looked like a keycard from his pocket and tapped it against the reader.

How Jack had gotten his hands on a keycard so quickly was beyond Ryden, but that was why Jack was the head of Cybersecurity.

The office was sizable but neat, with the usual office furnishings. Shelves lined one wall, a leather couch sat against the other, and Gibson’s sizable executive desk and chair faced the door. Thankfully, his laptop was still there.

“Look for any connection between Gibson and these guys,” Jack replied. “I’m going to the security office to cross-reference the access logs against any footage of Kyle scanning his card. I could only remotely access a month’s worth of footage.”

“Ry, check his laptop,” Joker said, motioning to the desk. “I’ll search the desk drawers and the filing cabinet.”

Ryden opened the laptop and frowned. “Um, I don’t have the password.” Just then, the screen changed, and the desktop appeared.

“You’re welcome,” Jack said through their comms.

“Show off,” Joker muttered, his lips quirked at the corners. They moved quickly and efficiently while Chip sniffed around the office or guarded the door. Just because the building was closed didn’t mean someone wouldn’t show up, especially if they weren’t careful with the flashlights.

Yikes. Jay would break out into hives if he saw this desktop.

Dozens of vaguely named folders were scattered haphazardly across the screen.

The man’s computer was nowhere near as neat as his office.

So far, nothing struck him as weird. The folders primarily contained commercial invoices, pro forma invoices, packing slips, certificates of origin, waybills, customs forms, and other documents typically found in an import/export company.

“Nothing’s jumpin’ out at me,” Ryden said as he moved on to the next folder. “Y’all got anything?”

“Found his agenda.” Joker flipped through the pages. “There are several meetings on his calendar, but none of the names belong to any of our guys. Here’s his lunch meeting with Colton.”

Ryden found the accounting software and opened it. Maybe he’d find something there. A quick scan revealed an alarming picture. “Holy shit. Gibson is in the hole for almost twenty million dollars.”

“What?” Joker hovered over Ryden’s shoulder, and Ryden pointed to the red numbers. Clicking on a link opened a spreadsheet containing several file attachments, including one from an insurance company.

“Damn. Two months ago, an entire cargo ship’s worth of shipping containers sank, and the insurance company denied his claim.”

“Why?” Jack asked from the other end.

“It says Gibson Global’s policy doesn’t cover defective ships or owner negligence, but Gibson argued that the ship had undergone rigorous inspections and denied any negligence on his company’s part.”

The screen flickered, and numerous documents flashed rapidly across the screen.

“Really?” Joker grumbled. “Micromanage much?”

“I know,” Jack sighed. “It’s a problem.” The screen stopped, and a copy of the insurance claim Gibson had filed appeared on the screen.

“Looks like there was an explosion that caused damage to the hull. The ship didn’t sink, but the containers of costly cargo did.

All of them. That’s why the insurance company doesn’t want to pay. They’re claiming owner negligence.”

Ryden shook his head. “This is makin’ less sense. Why would these guys want to be involved with a shipping company over twenty million dollars in debt?”

“This is why.” Joker showed Ryden a letter he’d pulled out from the back of the agenda.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

“It’s an offer,” Ryden replied as he read the letter. “From Bullard to buy Gibson Global, and they offered a hell of a lot of money. Way more than the company is worth even without the debt.”

Joker hummed. “Not suspicious at all.”

“Do y’all think this is what Gibson refused?

” Ryden asked, thinking out loud. “But why would he refuse this much when he was so far in debt? He couldn’t’ve known what these guys were up to.

As far as he was concerned, it was a legitimate offer.

So he refuses to sell, and what? They kill him, and any chance of buyin’ the company? I don’t get it.”

“We need to talk to Colton,” Joker said. “The letter is dated the day before Gibson died, which is also the day he had lunch with Colton.”

Ryden nodded. “Agreed. Jack, any luck on your end?”

“I found something odd. Two months ago, Kyle scanned his card to get into Gibson’s office, except at that time, Kyle was out on the loading dock. Whoever it was, they knew where the security cameras were. They got into Gibson’s office and accessed his laptop.”

What the hell was going on? “So someone else used Kyle’s card, or a copy of his card, to access Gibson’s office. Where was Gibson?”

“It was after five, so he and the rest of the office employees were gone for the day.”

“Wait. Two months ago? As in, around the same time the explosion happened?” Ryden asked. They were on to something here.

“As in, the week before,” Jack replied.

Man, the coincidences were piling up. “Do we know what they were lookin’ for?”

“Checking now,” Jack replied. “They downloaded several files onto a flash drive, including a bill of lading for…shit. It was for the ship with the cargo that sank.”

Joker straightened. “Okay, we need to get out of here.” He gave Chip the command.

Ryden left the desktop exactly how he’d found it, then powered down the laptop.

He closed it and quickly followed Joker.

They met Jack in the hall and headed for the door they’d come in from when Chip stopped. Everyone froze.

Sniffing the air, Chip moved to the door. He stuck his nose against the base of the door and then sat. Ryden’s blood turned to ice.

Oh fuck.

“Move, move, move!” Joker grabbed Ryden, spun him, and shoved him.

The four of them hauled ass through the building toward the main entrance, with Chip leading the way.

They’d just burst through the front doors when an explosion rocked the world around them, a cloud of heat and smoke enveloping them.

The next thing Ryden knew, he was soaring through the air.