Page 86 of Healing Conviction
“It’s password protected,” Drake pointed out, and she nodded.
“Ain’t no thang, though. I designed a handy-dandy phone app that utilizes Bluetooth so I can download a hard drive within two terabytes of memory without having to be logged in as long as there’s not any legitimate spyware installed. The computer just has to be on.” At his confused look, she sighed. “I’ve got a stick thingy that can copy everything from here…” She pointed to the computer below the desk to where the flash drive was connected. “To here. As long as there isn’t a program installed that says I can’t, aka spyware.”
His forehead wrinkled in thought. “How do you know there’s no spyware?”
She lifted a shoulder and checked her app to make sure the computer was successfully downloading, proving there wasn’t anything blocking the transfer. “I don’t. But most people are cheap, lazy, and arrogant. They think their free virus scanner is as good as a program subscription, worth hundreds of dollars monthly. Looks like we’ve got all three at this company. That, or it’s a front.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, ifIwere an evil empire, I’d set up a front that looked semi-easy to hack into. That way, it’d deter people from delving deeper once they got to what theythoughtwas the good stuff. But then real files would be well hidden behind tons of security.”
He narrowed his eyes before giving her a resigned sigh. “I can see why my team has used you so much.”
“Yeah, I’m a pretty hot commodity.”
His uncharacteristic snort made her grin. “Can’t argue with you there.”
Her cheeks warmed, and she blushed until a green check mark appeared on the screen, signaling the download was complete. Back on track, she ejected the device before returning it to her pocket to retrieve for the next room.
“Okay, ready to keep moving?”
Drake nodded, and she joined him in closing the drawers before going on to the next room, Gail Haynesworth’s office.
“You know Snake’s girlfriend? Naomi?” Nora continued without waiting for Drake to reply. “She used to work for Gail Haynesworth. Naomi was convinced that Gail didn’t know anything about what was going on, but if Gail was hiding anything, it probably would be in plain sight… just not in Naomi’s view. I think she’d keep things here instead of back at the Ashland office since Naomi couldn’t travel much without her daughter.”
“Same thing then? Drawers, pictures of files, and your ‘stick thingy’?”
“Works for me, handsome.” Nora repeated the same routine she had in the COO’s office, this time using her knuckles to twirl the sound bar knob all the way off before turning the computer on.
By the time Drake had finished, he was standing guard near the door, so quiet she nearly forgot he was there. His silence made her slow her movements until they were soundless too.
She opened the drawers in Gail’s desk, looking over the odds and ends, but her eyes caught on a picture of Gail and what Nora assumed was her family: a husband, two children—a boy and a girl—that were the spitting image of both of them, all in their Sunday best in front of a hydrangea bush. The daughter held a dog that weirdly looked like its owners with its brown eyes and curly russet and cream fur.
They looked… happy. Not like those portraits where everyone looks like they’re being held at gunpoint to give a fake smile. Everyone seemed like they’d heard the funniest joke, and from the adoring way Gail was looking at her husband, it might’ve been the love of her life who’d delivered the punch line. The only thing off about the picture were her eyes.
The small creases around them tugged down, and even while she was looking up with a wide smile, those tiny muscles looked tense. Of course it could’ve all been her own imagination, but Nora always believed that like recognized like. She could have identified that painted mask anywhere. It’s the same one she’d seen every morning in the mirror, right up to the day Drake finally woke up.
A click made Nora snap her head up.
Drake’s entire body was tense as he spoke, with his cocked gun trained in between theactualGail Haynesworth’s sad eyes.
“Don’t. Move.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
The command wasn’t necessary. The woman seemed shocked with her hand clutching her closed laptop bag against herself. He would’ve felt bad for holding her at gunpoint if he hadn’t seen her picture posted everywhere as the head of this godforsaken sham of a charitable company. Gail Haynesworth deserved no leniency from him.
His hand was steady despite the fact that having this civilian practically sneak up on them had him vibrating with fury inside. Once he’d finally heard her, it’d taken too long for his tired mind to register what he was listening to. He was too damn out of practice. If she’d been carrying a gun, Nora could’ve been hurt or worse, and fuck, that would’ve been on him. Again. Hawk’s words about his civilian status echoed in Draco’s mind.
He pushed that reality out of his mind and focused on his target. “Put your bag down—slowly.”
Gail shook as she freed the bag from her grip, the strap sliding down her arm as she bent at the knees in her skirt.
“Hands up. You alone?”
“Y-yes.”
When she raised her arms, he patted her down with one hand, the gun still pointed at her with the other as he ran a weapons check down her body. He’d doubted the fifty-something woman in a skirt suit was carrying a firearm, but it was the South and they could never be too careful.