Page 82 of Insidious Threats
He scrunched up his face. “You make it sound so dramatic. Really, we’re just strolling into Petra’s office, where she has every right to be, while she pops a USB into a drive for, what, ten minutes?”
“Tops,” Petra told them. “And that includes getting in the back door, loading the worm to the FTP server to infect it, and getting the replications started.”
“See? Easy-peasy,” Connelly said.
Sasha shook her head. Maybe she was just out of sorts, but it didn’t feel easy-peasy. It felt heavy and hard. “I guess. I’m gonna take a walk and check in with Ellie. I could use some fresh air. When I get back do you want to call the kids and do a video chat?”
“Sure thing. Enjoy your walk.”
She leaned over and brushed a kiss across his lips. “I will.”
* * *
When Sasha rushed backinto Petra’s apartment twenty-five minutes later, Leo could tell something was wrong. Her mouth was set in a thin line and her shoulders were stiff.
“Is everything okay with Ellie and Cinco?”
Sasha glanced over at Petra.
The hacktivist was still staring at the television, playing with Landon’s virus. Unlike August, her fingers didn’t fly over the keys. She worked surprisingly slowly for a hacker. Not that he had a lot of experience watching hackers at work. But she was methodical and precise. Every keystroke seemed to be measured and considered. She was also lost in her own world. She hadn’t responded to anything Leo had said beyond the occasional grunt.
“She’s in a trance,” he told his wife. “We’re not going to bother her by talking.”
All the same, Sasha pulled him into the hallway.
“What’s up?”
“There’s someone watching the house.”
“Are you sure?”
She gave him an unamused look. “Go see for yourself.”
Petra lived on the first floor of an old Victorian that had been turned into three separate apartments, one on each level. She used the room in the front of the house as her living room. It had a bump out with a big bay window complete with a built-in window seat. Leo returned to the living room, crossed behind Petra on the couch, and pushed the curtain to one side. He eased himself down onto the seat.
Sasha was right. A statuesque woman with long, shiny blonde hair was leaning casually against a wrought-iron fence across the street, pretending to scroll on her phone. But her attention was locked on Petra’s front door.
“Crap.”
Sasha appeared at his side. “Told ya.”
“Is she alone?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure. I circled the block twice and didn’t see anyone else. But, if she’s working for Delone, we have to assume she has backup.”
“How would Delone know we’re here? There’s no way we’re on his radar. I mean, right?”
“I would think not. But nothing else makes sense.” Sasha groaned. “I could make up an excuse to call Delone’s lawyer. Just to see how she reacts to hearing from me. I’ll make sure to mention the weather in Pittsburgh or something stupid.”
It was weak sauce, but it was better than his idea, which was nothing. “Yeah, there’s no harm in it.”
She snorted. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to talk to ATJ.”
She pulled out her phone and pressed the contact card for Amanda Teale-James. Leo kept his attention on the striking blonde. She wouldn’t have been his first choice to do field surveillance. She didn’t exactly blend.
“It’s ringing,” Sasha told him.
Across the street, the blonde looked away from her phone and reached into the pocket of her scarlet winter coat—another interesting choice—and removed a second cell phone. She looked down at the screen, and he saw her forehead crease. She seemed to be trying to decide something.
