Page 80 of Code Name: Atticus
“Great. The access codes will be in your hands first thing,” the other man replied. “Everything you need for the system architecture.”
“This partnership is going to be very profitable—for both of us. And your country thanks you for your service.” The words dripped with irony I could hear even from twenty feet away.
We watched Liu squeeze the other man’s shoulder as he stepped out where we could finally see him.
“My God.” The words on Brenna’s lips came out strangled. “That’sLuke.”
BRENNA
My hands shook as I fumbled with the key card. It slipped from my fingers and hit the stone path with a soft click that might as well have been a gunshot in the silence.
“I’ve got it.” Atticus retrieved the card and unlocked our cottage door. Though his hands were steady, I could see the tension in his shoulders and the way his jaw clenched.
Inside, I started rationalizing. “Access codes could mean anything. Demo codes, API codes for their software…”
“System architecture is standard investor terminology,” Atticus agreed, though his voice was strained. “I’ve heard it in a hundred pitches.”
“But Liu said, ‘Your country thanks you for your service.’ The way he said it…” My voice trailed off.
“Like it was a joke.” Atticus’ jaw tightened further.
“The ten million could be a legitimate investment,” I said, grasping for explanations. “Series B funding is often in that range.”
“It is,” he agreed, but doubt crept into his voice. “The timing, though, that Liu called him an asset, the location, the secrecy…”
He pulled out his phone and texted someone while I paced, still trying to find innocent explanations.
“Kodiak and Emma are on their way here now,” he said, pocketing his phone. I wanted him to say something—anything—to tell me we’d been mistaken, that the man we’d seen wasn’t my brother or that there was a reasonable explanation.
But we both knew what we’d seen. Who we’d seen. And what we’d heard.
The knock came sharp and quick. Atticus checked the peephole before opening the door. Emma and Kodiak entered, both breathing hard from running.
“What’s the situation?” Kodiak’s sharp gaze swept between us, immediately reading the tension and the barely controlled panic radiating from me.
“We were on our way to our cottage when we saw Luke coming out of Liu’s.” I hesitated, then added, “And we heard them talking.”
“Talking about what?” Emma asked.
“Access codes. System architecture. A ten-million-dollar transfer.” The words felt like glass in my throat.
“Could be legitimate business—” Kodiak started.
“That’s what we’re hoping,” Atticus said, but he provided the exact quotes we’d heard.
Emma’s expression grew serious. “In context, that sounds...”
“Bad,” I finished. “But it’s Luke. There has to be an explanation.”
Kodiak carefully asked, “You’re certain it was him?”
“The path lighting was clear. We were maybe twenty feet away,” I said. “It was him. No question.”
“I’ll check the resort’s parking records, see if he’s still on the property or if he’s already left,” Emma offered. Seconds later, something appeared on her screen and she scrolled through thedata. “Silver Audi sedan, rental plates. He left through the main gate fifteen minutes ago.”
The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet. The leather felt cool under my fingers when I gripped the arm of a chair to steady myself. Luke had been here, at this resort where intelligence brokers—Morrison, Liu, and Castellano—recruited people to betray their country for money. Luke, who had a security clearance from his Air Force days that he’d maintained through his company’s government contracts. Luke, whose company, Redpoint Technologies, worked with federal data management systems that interfaced with classified networks.
My phone buzzed with a text from him.Great seeing you this week, Bug. Hope you and Atticus are having fun. Love you.
