Sealed with a Kiss - Leeanna Morgan (most interesting books to read TXT) 📗
- Author: Leeanna Morgan
- Performer: -
Book online «Sealed with a Kiss - Leeanna Morgan (most interesting books to read TXT) 📗». Author Leeanna Morgan
“Safer?” Grant’s gaze shot to his brother.
John stopped chewing.
Rachel looked between the two brothers. John hadn’t told Grant about the death threats. She thought fast, trying to come up with something that sounded logical. “The weather. Driving on the roads isn’t safe. It made sense to stay here.”
Grant pushed his plate away. “What’s going on?”
John clenched his jaw. “Nothing.”
“Are you kidding me? You’ve got extra guards around the house, Rachel is living here, and whenever Bella goes outside she has a bodyguard with her. Something has happened and I wouldn’t call it nothing.”
Rachel cleared her throat. “Do you want me to leave?”
John shook his head. “You might as well hear the whole story.” He glanced at Grant. “Someone found out about a surveillance project my team was working on. A group called the Oracom Corporation contacted me through their lawyers. They offered me a lot of money for a prototype of our security drone.”
“When did you start making drones?” Rachel thought Fletcher Security specialized in keeping people and their property safe, not designing surveillance equipment. When John told her he’d been sent death threats, she’d assumed it was because he was rich. She couldn’t have been more wrong if she’d tried.
“About four years ago. We haven’t told many people about our technical development program, but somehow Oracom found out. I turned their offer down and created a new set of enemies that I don’t need. A few days ago they sent me an email. It explained just how far they were prepared to go to get their hands on what we’ve developed.”
Grant’s face became a blank mask. “Where’s the drone now?”
“We sold it to the Department of Defense. The technology we used is more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen.”
Rachel looked at John. “If you’ve already sold the drone, why are you getting death threats?”
Grant’s mouth dropped open. “Death threats? Why the hell didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
John ran his hand around the back of his neck. “I didn’t want you to worry. You’ve got enough happening in your life without me adding to your problems.”
“You’re my brother,” Grant hissed. “The only one I’ll ever have. It’s my job to help you.”
John scowled at Grant. “If I’d told you sooner, you would have left the ranch and camped in my front yard. I don’t need you getting hurt.”
“So that’s why you’ve got extra security guards around Bella and Rachel all of the time?”
John nodded. “I’m not taking any chances.”
Grant didn’t look convinced and Rachel had to admit that she agreed with him. If the drone was important enough to kill someone over, there’d be no stopping the people who were after it.
John looked between Rachel and Grant. “The chance of Oracom getting anywhere near the drone is almost zero.”
“What about near you?” Grant growled. “You know as well as I do how easy it is to kill someone. If that’s what they’re intent on doing, a few extra bodyguards won’t help.”
“I’ve got more than a few extra bodyguards in place.”
“What about the people in your technical team?” Rachel asked. “Are they okay?”
“They have round-the-clock surveillance and bodyguards with them. I’ve done everything I can to minimize the danger everyone’s in.” John glared at his brother. “You might want to consider letting me send a security guard out to your ranch.”
“Like hell,” Grant muttered. “If I can’t look after myself, there’s something seriously wrong. Is anyone looking for the people behind the threats at Oracom?”
John took a sip of water from his glass. “The CIA and the FBI are working on it. We’ve told the local police department. There isn’t a lot we can do except keep everyone safe and wait for Oracom’s next move.”
“Or beat them at their own game,” Grant said. “Who’s in charge of the case?”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” John warned his brother. “We’re not in the military now. There’s a process that needs to be followed and it doesn’t involve you going off on your own to stop Oracom.”
“Someone needs to. Who do I speak to?”
John stared long and hard at his brother. “Dan Carter is my first point of contact. But I’m warning you, if you so much as interfere with what’s going on, I’ll never trust you again.”
Grant pushed his chair back. “It’s better than being dead. Mrs. Daniels mentioned that she’d made cheesecake for dessert. Does anyone want a slice?”
John shook his head.
Rachel’s stomach was churning so much that she couldn’t have eaten another thing. “No, thanks. I’m going upstairs to check on Bella.” She picked up her dinner plate and headed toward the kitchen.
“Are you okay, Rachel?”
John’s voice cut through what she was thinking. “I’ll be fine.” But she wasn’t. Hearing what was actually behind the death threats was scarier than assuming she knew. If the people behind the threats weren’t stopped, the risk of something happening to any of them could go on for a long time.
And that wasn’t something she was looking forward to.
The next afternoon, John looked across his desk at Samantha Jones, his Technical Development Manager. “Did Harry get back to you?”
Sam shuffled through the folders in front of her, then passed him a stapled set of papers. “He’s looked at the financial records and reports that Oracom has made public. They’ve got a diverse portfolio of interests, ranging from rice production to solar power technology. There wasn’t a clear reference to military weapons or equipment, but they did have an emerging technologies sector with a large multi-billion dollar budget.”
“Were you able to identify who manages that particular sector?”
Tanner stepped forward. He’d been leaning against the back wall, watching the small group in front of John share what they knew. “That’s where it gets interesting. Their organizational chart shows someone called Darshive Fredericks as being in charge. Except Darshive Fredericks died six months ago in a car accident. The executive secretary from another team told me they were in the process of recruiting for the role. What she wouldn’t tell me is who’s temporarily doing the job while recruitment takes place.”
“Has anyone got anything to add?” John looked at Martin and Sebastian, two of his longest-serving staff. Both men had been in the military. They were loyal and reliable, two qualities that John never took for granted.
Martin looked John in the eye. “The CIA won’t confirm anything, but we think they’ve planted an undercover agent in the recruitment process.”
“Maybe two,” Sebastian said in his usual deadpan way. “I’ve tried hacking Oracom’s digital network, but I’m not getting very far. The firewalls they’ve designed are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
“Did you see Dan Carter?”
Sebastian nodded. “He’s increased police security at the airport and they’re keeping a close eye on what’s happening around town. It’s not easy. The heavy snow has brought all of the skiers and snow bunnies out to Big Sky Resort. The population around Bozeman has almost doubled over the last month.”
John tried not to be disappointed by the slow progress they were making. His brother wasn’t the only person convinced that the government wouldn’t find the people responsible for the death threats. The Department of Defense’s main concern was keeping the design of the drone safe from unwanted eyes. Death threats weren’t high on the National Risk Register, unless you were the President of the United States.
He turned to Tank. “Did you find out who the ice-skater was on Emerald Lake?”
“Mallory Fraser. She’s a distant cousin of Tess Allen.” Tank passed John a folder. “She’s been working in Orlando as a physical therapist. According to the people I spoke with, she’s heading home in another month’s time. No prior convictions. Nothing that would throw a red flag in the air.”
John opened the folder and looked at the picture of the pretty blond woman. “Is she staying with Tess and Logan?”
“No. She’s boarding with the McFallon sisters in town.”
John closed the folder and handed it back to Tank. “What’s next?”
“I also did a background check on Franky Smith, the kid with red hair that’s become Bella’s friend.” Tank waited for John to nod before continuing. “His family has had a tough few years. His dad hit a rough patch a couple of years ago and dropped out of sight. He lost his job, left home, and didn’t contact anyone. There was talk about him living in the mountains, but nothing was ever confirmed. When he came back, his wife left him. He eventually got a job pumping gas.”
“Does Franky have any brothers or sisters?” John asked.
“A younger sister. She goes to Bozeman Elementary School.”
Comments (0)