Page 8 of Player CEO (Billionaire Secrets #4)
Theo
I step off the elevator, bracing myself for Mackenzie’s wrath. After yesterday’s argument about her half-brother’s presence in the office, I’m ready for the verbal lashing she’s likely prepared overnight. But instead, she surprises me.
“Morning,” Mackenzie says when she looks up, her voice void of the anticipated ire. “Your morning appointments have been canceled. You and Austin are meeting with Clear Security at their offices. Rhys will be on the call.”
“Wait, what?” My brain stutters to catch up. I squint at her, searching for a sign that this is some kind of ruse, but her face is all business. Mine probably should be too. Appointments canceled for a meeting with Clear Security doesn’t happen for no reason.
“Here.” She thrusts a steaming cup into my hand. “I just called Phillip, and he’s waiting for you downstairs.”
“Thanks,” I manage, still surprised as I pivot back toward the polished chrome doors.
She follows me out the door, pulling her coat on. “I’m taking the morning off to get Levi settled, but I’ll be back before lunch. Your day is canceled until two.”
Downstairs, I slide back into my car, and Phillip maneuvers into the flow of traffic. My thoughts race as we drive. Could they have found Justin? Has Crystal left Paris? I hate that they’re still missing, and that I’m responsible for the company and everyone who depends on it. With Rhys away, every choice I make feels bigger, and every mistake could hurt even more. The CEO position is involved in every damn thing, and I have to make so many decisions every day that I’m bound to get some of them wrong. How much sodium-ion will we need next quarter? Should we expand our workforce? Add a factory shift? Try a new marketing campaign? It’s maddening, truly.
I look down at the cup in my hand. Mackenzie got me coffee. It’s nothing. Just coffee. Or perhaps it’s an olive branch, an unspoken acknowledgment that we’re in this together.
“I’ll be in the parking garage until you’re ready to go.” Phillip says as we pull up in front of the repurposed warehouse that houses Clear Security.
“Right.” I straighten my back and exit the car, preparing to face whatever Clear Security has unearthed.
As soon as I step off the elevator inside, I can see that Austin looks just as confused as I feel. We give each other a quick greeting before Jim Adelson walks up to offer us a strong handshake. “Good, you made it,” he says.
My head swivels, taking in our surroundings as we follow him down the hall. The outside of the building looks old, with red bricks and signs of age, but inside, it’s full of high-tech energy. We head up to the second floor.
The elevator doors open once again, and we step into an enormous room full of movement. Screens cover the walls, showing data and live videos. In the middle of the room, standing above the busy group of workers, is Gage Easton, Jim’s right-hand man. He’s giving directions, making sure everyone knows what to do. It seems to be a cyber manhunt unfolding in real time, and Gage is the conductor of this high-stakes symphony.
“What’s going on?” Austin asks.
“Just part of the job,” Jim replies. “But I have some updates for you. Come on into our Justin Capriotti room.”
We’re ushered into the conference room they’ve dedicated solely to Justin. His face stares back at us from photographs and timelines taped to the walls.
We find seats, and then Rhys’s face fills the screen, his relaxed posture and sun-touched skin looking decidedly out of place. Italy has been good to him.
I raise my hand in greeting. “Looks like you’re enjoying your honeymoon,” I tell him.
“We’re having a great time,” Rhys says with a smile, and I can see the truth of it in his eyes. But then he shifts gears, professional once more. “But I’ll be back home the night before the board meeting. Theo, since you’re up to date, I’m hoping you will take the lead on this one.”
“Understood.” I nod, pushing aside the jolt of surprise. “Keep enjoying your trip,” I add, finding a smile. “We’ve got things under control here.”
“Thanks. I know you do.”
Bash Pontius and Mason Sullivan stride in, and our meeting comes to order.
“We’ve found the person behind all of Justin’s messages and emails,” Jim announces. “Her name is Kerrie Bailey, and she is a hacker for hire.”
“Dark web freelancer,” Mason adds.
My mind races. Kerrie Bailey… That name means nothing to me. Not familiar at all.
“Let me show you what we’ve got cooking,” Jim says. “Rhys, we’ll feed what we’re seeing to your computer.” He walks back out to the large room, and we follow him.
Gage now towers over a nest of workstations, his presence commanding as he directs the team on computers.
“Here.” Jim points to the large screen dominating the space, its glow casting an eerie light. Via their body cams, we can see four figures moving with military precision through shadows.
“Insertion team,” Bash’s voice booms. “They’re closing in on Kerrie’s location.”
“Where?” I ask, my throat tight.
“Abandoned industrial site in Brazil,” Gage responds, his eyes never leaving the screen. “We’ve got her cornered.”
Onscreen, the team fans out, silent signals passing between them. My pulse quickens. We’re moments away from the pounce. Austin leans forward, every muscle taut with anticipation.
“Breaching,” comes the terse command from the speakers.
The screen flashes as the team bursts into the building, the green tint of the footage painting a surreal picture. I can almost hear my own heartbeat over the soft rustle of tactical gear and the distant, muffled sounds of entry.
“Kerrie’s there,” Jim assures us, his confidence unshakeable.
“Let’s hope she leads us back to Justin,” Austin murmurs.
“Exactly,” I whisper, hoping against hope that this thread we’re pulling will unravel the mystery that’s consumed us for far too long.
Gunfire erupts from the screen, quick and sharp. My stomach turns. On the screen, the team moves so fast it’s hard to keep up, and watching them makes me feel dizzy, like I’m the one spinning.
“Easy,” Austin mutters beside me, his gaze fixed on the action.
I try to stay calm as a door bursts open on the screen to reveal a young woman typing as fast as she can. “Get her hands!” Bash commands, his voice crackling through the speakers. The team listens and quickly secures her hands behind her back with zip ties. “Collect all the hardware,” he continues. “I want everything she’s touched.”
Onscreen, the operatives move like clockwork, dismantling Kerrie’s setup piece by piece, cables and drives disappearing into bags. Within minutes, they lead Kerrie out of the building in handcuffs. Her face is set, showing no fear, only stubbornness.
“Boat’s ready,” someone says, and the scene shifts as they hustle her outside.
My head spins as we watch them navigate the dimly lit docks until they reach a vessel bobbing on the dark water. Kerrie’s silhouette is stark against the night as they board, the boat’s engine rumbling to life.
“Is this even legal?” I ask, turning toward Jim. The question has been nagging at me, a splinter of doubt among the adrenaline.
Jim’s expression is unreadable for a moment, and then he nods. “We informed local authorities of our plan. Kerrie’s an American, and they had no objections to her being brought back stateside.”
“Bringing her to justice,” Austin adds.
“Exactly,” Jim affirms. “Once she’s in FBI custody, we’ll work to uncover who hired her for those voicemails. It’s a link back to Justin.”
“Let’s hope so,” I say.
The feed cuts out not long after that, and after a short debrief, Austin and I are on our way.
“We’ll talk soon.” Jim extends his hand, and we shake.
“Thanks,” I reply, feeling a little overwhelmed as the rush of the mission starts to fade.
“Let’s talk more back at my office,” Mason suggests as we return to the ground floor.
Austin and I share a look. We’re in the middle of something big now. “Sounds good,” he agrees.
We make our exit, and our drivers take us the few blocks over to SHN’s offices.
The SHN space has that familiar scent of success—leather, rich mahogany, and a hint of arrogance that comes from years of sealing deals over handshakes and scotch. It’s a world I’m part of, yet sometimes it feels like I’m watching it through a pane of glass.
Mason leads us into his office, a room that’s as much a statement of power as it is a workspace.
“I’m grateful that Clear Security found Kerrie and for everything SHN has done to support us,” I tell him as we sit down.
“Of course,” Mason replies, nodding. “We’re one step closer now. That’s what matters.”
One step closer to figuring out the mess around EnergiFusion, around Justin, and around Crystal. I just want things to go back to the way they were before Justin disappeared. “Here’s to being one step closer,” I echo.
“Rhys didn’t sound too eager to jump back into the fray,” Austin says, breaking the silence with a contemplative frown.
“Can you blame him?” Mason asks, leaning back in his chair. “I’m pretty sure that man hates being CEO.”
I hate the job too. “Things at EnergiFusion will be a lot easier once Justin comes out of hiding,” I say, determined to hold on to a little hope.
“Kerrie will be brought here to the local FBI office, and they’ll get her to tell them what she knows,” Mason says. “But Gage and his team will probably copy everything from her hard drives first. She’s been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for more than five years. She’s done some really ugly hacking and fleeced a lot of people.”
“How does she sleep at night?” I shake my head.
“I wonder that too,” Austin says. “Do you think Justin could have hired her?” he adds after a moment.
“She’s the one who can tell us,” Mason replies.
The three of us speculate for a few minutes, but what we really need is answers, so there’s not much we can do until the FBI gets information from Kerrie.
“I think you’re going to get there,” Mason assures us as we all agree to get on with our day, despite the morning’s excitement. “EnergiFusion will be whole again, and this mystery is going to be solved.”