Page 60 of Insidious Threats

From four hundred miles away, her grin lit up the room. “Sounds great. And then after that, I declare a family game night. Monopoly and popcorn!”

The twins cheered. Leo groaned.

“How about Risk and popcorn instead? Or Clue, Jr.?”

“We’ll see,” Sasha hedged. “I should go. Tell Jordana I said goodbye. I love you all. Sleep tight.”

After a chorus of goodbyes and ‘I love yous,’ Fiona pressed the icon to end the video call.

Leo turned around to find Jordana and August standing in the doorway.

“Sorry to bother you at home,” August began.

“Don’t be. I assume you’re here because you have news. Did you hear from the hacktivist?”

August shifted his gaze to the kids, who were listening intently and making no effort to hide it. “Um …”

“Hey, why don’t I help you two brush your teeth and get ready for bed while your dad talks to August? August isverrrry boooooring,” Jordana said in a dramatic voice designed to make the twins giggle.

It had the desired effect, and Finn and Fiona scampered up the stairs laughing and shouting.

Once they were out of earshot and the water was running in the upstairs bathroom, August said, “She doesn’t trust you. Because, you know.”

“No, I actually don’t know. She doesn’t know me. How could she trust or not trust me?”

August scratched his neck just under his left ear. “See, that’s probably my fault. I told her you used to work for the Department of Homeland Security, but now you work for some top-secret organization. And I couldn’t give her any details because, uh, I don’t know any.”

“Couldn’t you have just said I’m a stay-at-home dad?”

“Yeah, that would have been better.”

Leo fisted his hands and willed himself not to snap at August. It took every iota of his self-control. He’d pinned all his hopes on this red hat hacker. He needed her to help him find Mjölnir and then help him deploy the virus that would destroy it. He didn’t have any other good options. Scratch that, he didn’t have any other options at all—good, bad, or otherwise.

“So that’s it? She won’t help me?”

“Not exactly.”

August gave Leo a look that was clearly meant to communicate something. Whatever that something might be, it was lost on Leo.

“So shewillhelp me?”

“Maybe.”

“Could you be more specific?”

He cleared his throat. “She wants to meet with you in person. She said once she looks you in the eye and hears what you have to say, she’ll know whether you’re trustworthy.”

“Sure, let’s go see her.” He could be persuasive. Charming, even.

August shook his head. “Not us. Just you. There are only maybe three people in hacking circles who know her real identity, and I’m not one of them.”

“Okay. That’s fine. Where does she want to meet?”

“Idaho.”

“What?” Leo cocked his head. He must’ve misheard.

“You need to go to Idaho. She’ll be at this coffee shop at ten a.m.” August pulled a crumpled sticky note from his pocket and handed it to Leo.