Page 17 of Secret Revenge

“Good day, Jonathan.”

“Good day.” He looked up from his pages and nudged his head. “I take it you have something for me since you’re here?”

He smiled slightly. Jonathan was a kind man with sad eyes. He was nice but not in an overly welcoming way. I returned his smile before speaking.

“Ah yes. Well since the last time I filled you in, we have managed to crack the information on the phone, however some accounts needed more than decryption, we needed his biometrics to get in. Michael was able to get me into Calypso and we managed to get a glass with Travis’s fingerprints. Michael is currently working on lifting the prints so, we can get into his cloud account and retrieve the information we need.”

“Thank you for filling me in and for your work so far. Will that be all?” he said after he quietly took in the information I just gave him.

“Well, I was wondering if I could ask a favor.” His brows raised in a questioning expression. “My stepdad broke his hip and is currently in the hospital. I need to get some money so he can have hip replacement surgery. I know it’s not really for the case, but I need to be able to send something home. You could make it like an advance,” I said desperately, hoping he would give me the money.

I watched as he thought about it, his chin resting on hand.

“I wonder if my Amelia would have been anything like you…” He smiled sadly. “Alright, fine. I will have some money wired into your account. But you need to make sure you crack this case and open up the account real quick.”

“Of course, I’ll go right over to Michael’s as soon as I leave here.” I was grateful. Sometimes I wondered if he rarely refused me because I reminded him of his daughter. He made a gruff sound and waved me off before returning to his work, signaling that our conversation was over.

8

EMILY

As I expected, my mom gave me a hard time for helping her out with some money.

Seconds after I made the transfer to her account, Mom called. “Emily darling, you really didn’t have to. Her voice was shaky. “I told you we were going to handle things here.”

But I couldn’t stand the thought of her and dad going through that whole situation on their own, and at their age. While she protested my help, I could hear the gratitude in her voice. That was enough reason for me to ignore her persistent requests that I not get involved, and extra motivation to gather some dirt on the slimy Ross brothers.

“It’s alright mom,” I replied as I rode the elevator down to the ground floor. “I’m chasing a huge story, and I was able to get an advance. Trust me, everything’s fine on my end.”

“But are you okay?” she asked, her concern clear. “Are you sure you don’t need the money you sent? I mean, it’s not like you’re rolling in money yourself, you know?”

“I will be fine, mom. I replied. “I promise. Just take care of dad. Take care of yourself as well. I’ll call you soon. I love you, mom.” I hung up the phone, tucking it into the pocket of myjeans. I felt good about myself in that moment, grateful that I could help.

I walked out of the cool lobby into the bright glare of the sun shining furiously in the sky. I had several errands to run, but none of them were as important as seeing Michael and finding out how close he was to cracking into the cloud. I crossed the street and got into my car, thankful for the respite from the sun.

The drive back to Michael’s apartment took longer than I expected. Jonathan’s words echoed in my mind as I drummed on the steering wheel, inching pathetically slowly through late morning traffic.

While Jonathan was a kindly old man who saw his daughter in me, I didn’t see him as someone who gave free handouts. I had not expected him to help me with money for my father’s hip replacement surgery, but he had. I had to come up with something juicy and tangible, and I had to do it fast.

I stopped in front of Michael’s building, knocking and waiting patiently for him to poke his head through the door. There was no reply, so I tried knocking again. I tapped my foot impatiently while I waited with growing concern. I had called Michael before I left Jonathan’s office and I knew he was home.

Worried, I knocked again, this time louder than the first two times. Michael rarely left the house, unless it was terribly important. A sense of dread flooded me, the hairs at the back of my neck stood on end.

The people we are dealing with are pretty dangerous. If they catch us sleuthing, it could be a quick end to me and Michael.

I was about to bang on the door again when it swung inwards.. I jumped in shock, letting out a pathetic yelp. Michael stood in the doorway, and I would have felt a sense of relief at seeing him, if he didn’t look so livid.

Without saying a word to me, he scanned the hallway behind me with an unusual intensity. Satisfied that I was alone, he dragged me by my arm into the apartment and shut the door behind me. I took exception to his rough-handling.

“Hey,” I said in annoyance. “Are you alright? What the hell is going on?”

Michael walked into the living room, speaking over his shoulder as he went. “No, Emily! I’m not alright, and neither are you. This is war…” he slumped onto the couch, covering his face with both hands.

What was he talking about? I walked up to him, hoping he could help me understand what the hell he was going on.

“War?” I asked, sitting on the coffee table close to the couch he lay on. “What do you mean ‘war’? What in Pete’s name are you talking about?”

“Travis’s security just threw me out of their systems and fried my computer!” Michael threw his hands into the air in exasperation, and I flinched at the motion. “I knew I shouldn’t have worked this hack on my main computer. I’m so glad I didn’t. It would have been an absolute disaster.”