Page 57 of Once Vanished
“Good luck,” Van said.“I’ll stay on the phone, but I’m muting myself so I don’t distract you.”
Riley hovered over the keyboard.What could she possibly say that wouldn’t result in immediate disconnection?The truth, perhaps.Or at least, a version of it.
She typed:We need to talk.
The response from QuantumGhost came almost immediately:You again?Persistent, aren’t you?
Riley took a deep breath.This was the moment.Either ShadowCipher would engage, or he would disappear back into the digital ether, taking with him perhaps their only chance to save Bill and Jilly.
No,she typed.This is Special Agent Riley Paige.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Riley stared at the message she’d just sent.Identifying herself to the hacker had been like shooting a flare into a midnight sky—dangerous, desperate, and impossible to take back.
This is Special Agent Riley Paige.
Would ShadowCipher even reply?
The clock on the computer read 1:44 a.m.Eight minutes until Leo’s deadline.Eight minutes until she would be forced to choose which of her loved ones would live, and which would die.She hovered over the keyboard, trembling slightly as she waited for a response that might never come.
The cursor blinked, a digital heartbeat counting down precious moments of silence.Three seconds.Five.Ten.Nothing.
Had ShadowCipher fled at the mention of her name?Had she just squandered what might have been her only chance to save Bill and Jilly?
Riley’s typed again, driven by desperation.
I believe we have a common enemy.
She hit enter, watching the message disappear into the encrypted channel.Another eternity of waiting.The wall clock’s second hand swept through a full revolution.One more minute gone.Seven minutes left.
Just as Riley was about to type again, a response appeared on the screen.
How is your daughter?
The question stopped her cold.Not a dismissal.Not a threat.A question about Jilly.Was it genuine concern, or was ShadowCipher toying with her?Either way, it was engagement—a fragile connection she couldn’t afford to break.
My daughter is in immediate danger,she typed.So is my life partner, Bill Jeffreys.They have only minutes to live unless...
Riley’s hands froze, hovering above the keys.Unless what?She had no leverage to offer, no guarantees to make.She was operating on pure instinct and desperate hope.
In the silence of her family room, with the house around her so unnaturally quiet, Riley felt her own vulnerability.Her badge, her years of experience, her reputation—none of it mattered in this moment.She was simply a mother trying to save her child, a woman trying to save the man she loved.
I don’t know what to do,she finally typed.
The cursor blinked, once, twice, three times.Then:
I can help.
Riley’s breath caught in her throat.She leaned closer to the screen, as if proximity might somehow extract more meaning from those three simple words.
Another message appeared:
Leo Dillard and I had what you might call a professional disagreement.I already planned to destroy him in due time.But your situation appears urgent, and I find I rather like the poetic justice of giving you what you need to defeat him yourself.
This was it—the break she’d been praying for.The clock read 1:47 a.m.Five minutes left.
Thank you,she typed.