Chapter 19

Undertow

Author's note: I had hoped to post my favorite chapter next, but in reviewing it, this content needed to be separated into its own individual chapter as the tone is very different. There is a lot going on just under the surface with the characters that needed to be explored - hence the title. The good news for you (I hope) is that this meant I could finish my edits before the weekend.

One question for readers that I hope you'll answer in reviews: Do you listen to any of the song choices listed for chapters? Music was, to me, a big part of the series & setting the tone in episodes & I wanted to carry that forward into the book. However, I don't have any idea if that works for you, the reader. Would love your thoughts.

Intro Song: Going Under, Evanescence

Mick acknowledged to himself that, despite his best efforts, he was still tense and preoccupied as he drove with Beth through the pleasant evening toward their mystery destination. The the top was down on the old Mercedes so that they could enjoy the cool breeze. He desperately wanted the evening he'd planned to be uninterrupted fun for the two of them. They needed it. Try as he might, though, his thoughts kept circling back to the unsolved mysteries in New York. Before Beth got home from work, he'd received an update from Gabby and immediately passed the information along to Josef, who was, predictably, jumpy after hearing the details.

"So, is this Judy Albert at the bottom of all this?!" he had snapped at his friend. "If that's it, just say the word, and she's toast!"

"Don't do anything yet, Josef! I really don't think she did this; I just didn't get that feeling from her. Gabrielle is going to go see her this afternoon and lay all this out for her - we'll have a better idea once we see how she responds. Just give us some more time, okay? We need to get this right." Kostan had reluctantly agreed.

Mick had just ended that call when Beth walked - or rather, fell - in the door to the penthouse. Since his proposal for a night out, she had peppered Mick with questions and guesses about where they were going, but he had responded to them all with no more than a smile. It was driving her crazy. He knew it - and he was determined to enjoy it.

Mentally shaking himself, he doggedly focused on the evening ahead. It had taken a real effort of will to turn off his cell phone so that they wouldn't be disturbed, but he felt he owed that to Beth. Glancing over at her now, he put all of his considerable charm into his smile. "Is anything the matter?" he asked innocently.

Crossing her arms, Beth turned to him and opened her mouth to blast him for not telling her where they were going - but when she looked into those eyes, the words died on her lips. She lost her train of thought for a moment. Damn! Why does he have to be so gorgeous?He was also obviously having a good time teasing her and she didn't want to spoil it for him. She sighed loudly for his benefit and threw up her arms to grab double handfuls of her hair in frustration. "Arrgghh! Okay, I give up! I'm just going to sit here and enjoy the drive until you decide to tell me where we are going."

"I think that's a great idea. By the way, have I told you how beautiful you look?"

"Yes, twice actually. But please don't stop on my account!" Beth glanced down at her outfit, a short, sleeveless black dress with a plunging neckline, trimmed in hot pink around the hem. It had been one of her purchases from that memorable excursion to Stella McCartney's store. It fit her like a glove, thanks to the expert tailoring the store had provided. Other than dangling earrings, her only accessories were the killer, hot pink heels she had purchased that same day. She just prayed that there wouldn't be much walking – or dancing – involved in this mystery excursion…or 'killer' may be accurate. Wearing brand new shoes was never a good idea if you were going to be on your feet for a whole evening. She could potentially pay a big price for her bow to high fashion, but she'd decided to live dangerously. It seemed like it had been many weeks since they'd had fun together, just the two of them, and like Mick, she was determined to enjoy it.

"It is amazing what money does for clothes! You have Josef to thank for this."

"Beth, your looking beautiful has nothing to do with your clothes. As a matter of fact..." He paused, grinning wickedly. "As a matter of fact, I think you look best with no clothes on at all."

"Yeah, well, right back at you - although I do like that getup." Beth eyed her driver appreciatively. His charcoal grey v-neck sweater and black wool pants were partially covered by the soft leather of the black blazer he was wearing. With the light shadow of beard and his long hair blowing in the breeze, he looked devastatingly handsome, even by the standards of vampire perpetual coolness.

"Maybe we can wear our best outfits later, then." He leered at her suggestively.

Beth laughed with delight, love for him welling up inside her, threatening to choke her. She swallowed hard, pushing down the tears in the back of her throat. I am so blessed... but why do I keep feeling like it could slip away from me at any moment? Impatiently, she shook off the thought. Come on, don't be morbid. Feeling the need to touch him and reassure herself that he was real, she reached over to caress the back of his neck and gently play with his hair as he guided them to their destination.

"Dammit!"

"Trouble, sweetness?" Leo's gaze met Gabby's in the rear view mirror. Since the promise of a substantial tip on top of an enormous fare, Leo had become very solicitous of Gabrielle Sinclair's well-being.

"No, I'm okay, Leo. Just trying to get hold of somebody."

"Well, chill out child. I don't want you havin' a heart attack and me havin' to try to 'splain to someone how it is you owe me this big tip!"

"Leo, there's not a whole lot in my life that I'm certain about right now, but I can definitely assure you that I am not going to be dying of a heart attack - or anything else for that matter." Trust me on that one.

"Okay, darlin'. I'll hold you to that. Where to next?" He looked at her in the mirror expectantly, clearly hoping that this gravy train wasn't going to end anytime soon.

"Home, Leo. Nothing more I can do tonight." She gave him the address and sat back. Given the time difference between New York and California, she suspected that Mick wasn't answering his phone because he was either in his freezer - or spending time with his human girlfriend. Either way, I envy you, Mick.

Judy Albert sat, head in hands, for several long minutes after Gabrielle Sinclair left her office. After you threw her out, you mean. The commotion had even been heard by her assistant, who rushed in when Gabrielle left, to make sure she was all right.

In all her years, she had never lost her cool like that - and certainly never thrown anyone out of her office. But, in her defense, she had never dealt with such a mess, in all those years. An employee - and the patient she was caring for - were dead. Another employee was missing, her credentials - and possible involvement in the accident - in question. Outsiders hacking into their intranet system and stealing personnel information. Allegations of a bizarre IT security system...

"God, I've got a headache," she groaned aloud. Her office, normally such a peaceful oasis, with it's cozy seating area, tasteful modern art, and soft lighting, suddenly seemed to close in around her.

Judy had not gotten to her current position by indecision and inaction, however. She went back over the strange conversation with her visitor and honed in on Gabrielle Sinclair's accusation of extreme security firewalls within the Renaissance intranet system. Making up her mind, she reached for her phone. "Sean. Listen, I know it's late - and Friday to boot. You're probably ready to head home, but I need to talk to you before you leave...OK, thanks! I'll see you in a few minutes." At least I can sort out this much...

She was still sitting, head in hands, when Sean Reynolds stuck his head in her office. "You needed to see me, Judy?"

The director lifted her head. "Yes, thanks, Sean. Come in - and shut the door behind you, please."

With a puzzled look, the young man complied, sliding his pudgy body into the seat closest to the door. Judy locked eyes with him for a long moment, then asked dryly, "Big weekend, Sean?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well...like you said, it is Friday. I apologize, Judy. I wasn't leaving early or anything like that, but I do have plans later. What can I do for you?"

She picked up her pen and poised it over the lined legal pad on her desk. "What can you tell me about our intranet security, Sean? In layman's terms, please."

He looked puzzled. "Well, in layman's terms...we have firewalls in place to block any unauthorized people from accessing our system. I have dual security set up, actually. There's a Cisco system firewall in place and then behind that, I have what's called an 'Iron Box'." He hesitated. "Do you know what that is?"

Seeing Judy shake her head, he explained. "It's a special environment set up to trap anyone logging in illegally long enough for them to be traced. I even have 'bait' files designed to keep anyone interested and logged on long enough to figure out who they are. I have to tell you, though, I've never had anyone 'bite' on that. We've had more trouble with our own staff trying to do stuff they shouldn't than we have from outside sources. I can go into more detail if you like..." He trailed off, waiting for direction, as Judy made notes.

She shook her head and massaged her temples as she spoke. "No point. I can barely comprehend what you've already told me. How would this compare with what other companies like us would use? Companies with personal information about patients...and employees...to protect."

He frowned. "Well, it's pretty comparable, I would think. I have done my homework, so I know what's out there. I chose the programs I did because Cisco is a very well-respected company, with great tech support. I'm aware of the need to protect confidentiality - that's why I put in the 'Iron Box'." His brown eyes were curious behind his black-framed glasses. "Can I ask what this is about, Judy? Is there a problem I'm not aware of?"

"No, I don't think there is, Sean." She sighed, dropping her hands to her desk. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to seem so mysterious. I had a disturbing visit today from a private investigator who is working on the accident. Among other things, she accused me of having unusual security systems in place for our intranet. She went so far as to say that they were on a par with the Pentagon system."

"What the hell..." He half-rose out of his chair.

The director held up her hands in front of her, gesturing for him to sit back down. "I know, I know, I don't know why I listened to her at all. I guess she caught me in a weak moment. Quite honestly, I'm still pretty shook by what happened to Paula," she confessed.

"Judy, did she threaten you?! Because, if she did..." This time, he did get up, moving over to stand in front of her desk.

"No, Sean. Nothing like that. She's representing the family of the patient who was killed and is doing an investigation of the circumstances surrounding the fire. She and her associate seem to think it wasn't an accident."

"There were two of them?!"

"No, not this time. But, they both came to see me earlier in the week - she and this other P.I... Mick St. John. I think he said he's from L.A."

"Wait a minute, Judy." His brows knit in thought. "You said she accused us of having some unusual security system setup? How the hell did she know that... unless she tried to hack into our system?!"

Albert ran her hands through her perfectly-styled silver hair. "That's exactly what she did try - well, her IT people did, that is." There was a long pause. "That's when I threw her out of my office."

"Good for you!" he exploded. "Good for you! That's exactly what you should have done! Did you call the police?"

"N-no, not yet. I threatened her with it though, told her I was calling the police to report her... and then she implied that the police would be just as interested in us. I guess I should, though."

She appealed to him. "What do you think I should do, Sean? I don't think - no, wait - I'm sure that Renaissance is completely innocent in all this, but the publicity..." She trailed off, looking away. "I know that shouldn't be the most important thing and I'm ashamed that I'm even thinking about it with Paula and Ms. Whitley dead. But the livelihoods of so many people are tied up in this company - and publicity like this would be devastating. We would lose most of our wealthy clients."

There was silence for a long moment, then Judy looked up, tears in her eyes. "What should I do, Sean?' she implored again. Normally a decisive, take-charge woman, she felt lost and frightened with all that had happened.

He leaned over the desk toward her, putting his hands on hers. "Don't do anything right now, Judy. You're upset. It won't make any difference if you sleep on this over the weekend. In the meantime, I can check into this from my end. If someone hacked into our system, the Iron Box should show me who it is. Then maybe that will help us decide what we should do."

She sniffed and a tear coursed down her cheek as he repeated, with emphasis, "Don't...do... anything... right now. Okay? You don't want to do something that can't be undone."

She nodded, looking up at him. "You're right, Sean. I need to think this through."

"Yes you do." He released her hands and straightened. "And, I need time to investigate all this from my end. For all we know, this could be a competitor of ours trying to create a situation they can capitalize on."

"I never thought of that!" She brightened considerably, wiping at her face. "Do you think that could be it?"

"I don't know yet, Judy, but I need time to find out. It would be disastrous if you went to the police and then we found out that it was something like that. Give me till Monday, okay?"

"All right. Monday, Sean. Let's plan on meeting at nine."

"You got it. Now, go put this out of your mind and try to have a good weekend, Judy. Let me work on this - and I'll do the worrying for both of us, at least for this weekend. Okay?"

She smiled. "Thank you. I hope this doesn't ruin your weekend plans."

"Nope, it won't. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna go hook up with my friends this evening, and I'll start on this tomorrow. It'll be okay, Judy." He smiled down at the older woman.

"Well, I'd better let you get started then. I'll see you Monday, Sean...and thanks again."

"No problem, boss!" With a wave of his hand, he disappeared.

Judy Albert sighed and began gathering up her things for the long commute home. Maybe it's time to start thinking about retiring.

Reynolds strolled down the hall to his office, pausing there only long enough to grab his laptop bag and cell phone before heading to the bank of elevators. He joined several colleagues in chatting casually about the upcoming weekend as they rode slowly down to the lobby level.

Hurrying out to the employee parking lot, he called a number as he walked. "Hey, it's me! Yeah, change of plans. Meet me at my place instead. Yeah...nope, not at the bar... okay, see you in a half-hour." Ending the brief call as he reached his car and unlocked it, he tossed his laptop into the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel. He sat there for a moment, lost in thought, then cranked the engine to life and drove off to start his weekend.

"So, it's all going according to plan?"

"Yes. The hackers have focused on Renaissance. Our man tells us that they have been digging around in their files, looking for any clues. They've only found what we wanted them to find." Giles let a little too much smugness creep into his voice as he reassured his boss, and Durand immediately pounced.

"Superbia praecedit ruinam, my friend."

This particular Latin phrase Giles knew well. Christophe used it often. He bristled at the implications even as he acknowledged the translation. "Pride goeth before the fall."

Durand nodded to himself as he spoke on the old-fashioned landline phone. "Very good, John. I'm happy to see that my tutoring has taken hold. But it's more than just a saying, you know. It is a cautionary tale. See that you take it as such."

"I will." What else could he say?

"You still feel that the Albert woman doesn't suspect anything?"

"I'm sure she doesn't, Christophe. Rebecca did her usual excellent job and Judy trusts her. She was falling all over herself to accommodate her request to take time off in the hopes that she'll come back to work there."

"What about the hacking? That hasn't raised her suspicions?"

According to Sean, she's not the least bit sophisticated about technology so she would have no way to know. He has done a very good job as well. I wish..." Giles trailed off. Dammit, he was his own worst enemy, just as Rebecca often told him!

"You wish…"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything." Damn, damn, damn.

"That's not possible, John. Let me guess. You wish we didn't have to let Sean go when this phase of the plan is finished. Am I close?" Durand smiled to himself as he leaned back in his massive chair. He knew exactly what his underling was thinking. Now, he would see if the man told him the truth.

John saw the trap – and the only way out of it was to be honest. Even though Durand was almost certain to extract a pound of flesh for it… "No, you aren't close, Christophe, you are exactly right. He's really done a good job for us and I can't help but think he could be useful in Chicago." He held his breath, waiting for the scathing response he was sure would be coming.

Durand surprised him.

"I do too, John. He has his whole future ahead of him and having reliable employees who are well-versed in modern technology, distasteful as it is, is always desirable." After a long silence, he continued, "but we are about to close this chapter of our operation. We just cannot afford to bring him along at this point. There isn't the time to properly vet and indoctrinate him and one personnel mistake at this stage could be catastrophic." His tone clearly said that the matter was closed.

"You're right, of course. Sean is out."

"I do worry, John…" Durand trailed off with a smirk that Giles couldn't see.

"What, Christophe?" Here it comes….

"I…worry…about you. I know you believe in our mission, if for no other reason than that your lovely wife does. But you seem to let your emotions rule your thinking. I have seen this on multiple occasions now and it is troubling to me. You must work harder to rein yourself in and stay focused on our imperative. Remember, 'Imperare sibi maximum imperium est." Do you know that quote, John?

"No, Christophe, I don't." Giles knew he was about to find out – and there was almost always a threat of some sort associated with the translations. I really should learn Latin.

"It means 'To rule yourself is the ultimate power.' I rule myself. I believe Rebecca does as well. You, however, I'm not sure of. Make me sure of you, John. Rule yourself." On that final note, he ended the call, drumming his fingers on the heavy receiver of the old-fashioned phone. Giles was integral to his plans, but there were troubling signs. He would definitely bear close watching…

End Song: Dangerous, Seether