Katherine looked up from the laptop she had been given by Sherlock at the group gathering for dinner. Her heart beat an erratic tempo in her chest and her face flushed cold. She suddenly felt very much like a Trojan horse. She had made a monumental miscalculation and if she didn't do something about it, all of these wonderful people could be in grave danger.
Sherlock, Molly, their parents, Fil and Leem had no idea what was going on. The lines of code that Mycroft had sent for her to decipher had her vibrating in her seat once she recognized their significance. She had thought she was dealing with above average terrorists who had come up with an ingenious way to communicate. Instead, she had uncovered something much more sinister. It appeared as if the encryption algorithms they used were also employed by several large corporations and various world government agencies.
The code itself was like its own language, one that Katherine spoke fluently because the sequences used were derived from her mentor's teachings. She hadn't made the connection earlier because she had only seen bits and pieces of it, but with this new information, its origins were glaringly apparent. It boggled her mind. Dr. Ross should have recognized his own work. Maybe he had. Maybe he was the primary target in this all along.
She glanced up and made the mistake of eye contact with Sherlock Holmes. She knew from the look on his face he had deduced her inner turmoil. He mumbled something to Molly and came directly towards where she sat.
"What is it?" He asked in a low tone. "What have you uncovered?"
Katherine shook her head. "I've been so blind. What we've been chasing, it's all based on Dr. Ross' work. Whoever is behind this had to be a student of his or closely worked with him."
Sherlock's eyes narrowed. "There's more, isn't there?"
She nodded. "These sequences are everywhere. I've found it in all manner of sensitive systems such as the German Tax authority, our own NHS, and Kessel Defense which is a US government arms contractor. Sherlock, you should see some of the information I've been able to access. Whoever wrote all this software has been double-dealing by selling the same tools to criminals and terrorists. You know how I was able to find everything? It was a simple search for a key code and I could tell who had the bogus security ware. The people who made this software built in ways to illegally enter into these systems wherever their stuff is used. This tells me it was no mistake and it's not just a vulnerability. Their actions were deliberate and predatory."
Sherlock's lips pressed together a moment. His nostrils flared.
"Sounds like the modus operandi of someone I used to know," he grumbled. "Mycroft will want to know about this."
She closed the laptop with trembling hands. "This is so much worse than I ever imagined. This could change the course of history. They've infected countless systems. It's no wonder they wanted Dr. Ross and I dead. This could be a massive scandal once exposed. Not to mention, there has to be a lot of money riding on this. Data is currency and we're talking a lot of data. I thought I was dealing with terrorists motivated by religious zeal but those kind of nutters don't terrify me half as much as people motivated by money."
She looked across the room again to where Molly joked with Leem and Fil. She gulped down a lump that had risen in her throat.
"Sherlock," she whispered. "You need to get me out of here and away from your pregnant wife and parents as soon as possible."
His eyes followed where her gaze had been. She watched a ripple of emotion cross his face; he too had just felt an icy blast of fear. Her foot began dancing under the writing desk. Her pulse skyrocketed as she felt panic turn her stomach. The feeling was the same plummeting, breathlessness she had experienced as a teenager when her dog Andy had yanked his leash from her hand and chased a rabbit into traffic. She could almost hear the screeching of tires.
Sherlock's fingers wiggled at his sides. "Yes, you are right, you cannot stay here. I'll arrange for you to leave as soon as possible."
Her eyes prickled. If she didn't already want to vomit, she could burst into tears. She might be a virtual stranger, but she loved these people. They represented everything good and worthy in this world. She didn't want to go. She had felt like she was part of a family for the first time in years but she knew she must leave. However, she wasn't going to run and hide anywhere else. She could do something. She could find the people responsible for this software and expose them. It was the only way to protect everyone.
"I need to get back to Cambridge," she said with determination. "I'm done hiding, Sherlock. If they come for me, so be it. I'm tired of living in fear. They want to fight? I'll give them a fight."
"You're leaving."
Katherine hear Leem's voice from the entrance to her room. She didn't look up. She couldn't. She was still mortified from his flight from the study days earlier. Again, they had gone days without speaking.
"I am," she replied. "Tomorrow morning."
"Where are you going?"
"Back to Uni. Back to my flat in Arbury."
She finally raised her eyes from her packing to look at him leaning on the door jam. Dangit! He always had to look so good. He wore a light blue shirt that deepened the darkness of his green eyes and he'd left it unbuttoned at his throat. Her eyes travelled the strong column of his neck before flicking downwards to take in the way the fabric pulled across his chest. She chewed her lip as she admired his exposed forearms where he'd rolled up his sleeves. She was irritated to feel her resolve slip.
"Why leave, Kat? You're safe here."
She huffed in exasperation (more at herself for wanting to jump him than anything).
"No, I'm not safe. No one else is either. I have to leave. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to Molly or the Holmes or Fil or y-you."
He frowned. "What's changed?"
She blinked back tears. "Everything! Look, Leem, I appreciate what you and your brother have done for me. I am grateful, truly, and it guts me that you were injured on my behalf but please don't ask me questions about this and don't lecture me. I-I've made up my mind. I'm not just going to sit back and let others do the heavy lifting."
"But you won't last ten minutes," he growled.
She ran her tongue over her teeth as the hairs bristled on the back of her neck. He was probably right but he wasn't going to convince her with that type of argument. The surest way to get Katherine Adams to do something foolhardy was to tell her she shouldn't or worse, couldn't.
She twitched her brows. "Oh, I'm certain Mycroft Holmes will have some sort of plan. Maybe I'll be assigned a fresh new pair of agents!"
She couldn't resist poking at Leem with that remark. She peaked up at him. It had the intended effect. His eyes went almost black. He pushed himself off the door frame and came in her direction. She backed up against the small bedside nightstand, almost knocking the lamp off. It teetered and wobbled back to a standing position. Butterflies swirled in her tummy as she gazed into his eyes. His eyelid twitched.
"They won't be as good," he muttered. "I'm the best, Kat. You'll never have better than me."
Again, a whole swarm of flutters roiled through her abdomen.
"Oh, um, well . . . you are definitely good at the covert, spy stuff," she murmured as she looked up at him. "You're like, super talented at disappearing."
His nose wrinkled and a look of guilt flashed across his face. "Kat, what I did the other day . . . that was chicken shit of me, I'm sorry . . ."
She shook her head. "Whatever, Leem, you were right. There's nothing deep or meaningful about what we've been doing. W-We just . . . f-fucked, right? Let's just leave it at that. We'll part as friends, okay? I'll go do my thing and you can relax and recover."
He scoffed. "Don't think to use my injury as an excuse ta leave me behind. You of all people know it hasn't affected my performance. Not even a little bit."
Her face warmed.
"That's not the whole reason and you know it," she replied shakily. "I am not worried at all about your, erm, fortitude."
Her face felt so hot she swore it radiated heat. He jerked a sweater from her grasp and threw it down. Her insides quivered as he reached for her with a stormy look in his eyes. However, he stopped short; his hands hovered in mid-air until he curled them into fists and dropped them to his side. His shoulders lifted with a deep inhalation.
"Kat, I know the kind of girl you are," he muttered. "I know you're pissed at me and have every right to be. I'm sorry, alright? I'm not used to dealing with women like you."
She raised a brow. "Like me? What am I like?"
His lips twitched. "Like . . . a horny squid."
Her mouth fell open. "What is that supposed to mean? Oh, never mind! I don't even want to know."
She went to stomp by him but he caught her wrist in his vice-like grip and spun her into his chest. She made an 'oomph' sound as she slammed into him. His hands slid around her in an instant and he dipped his head. He paused with his lips just brushing the corners of hers. His warm breath puffed against her chin and cheek.
"Don't be mad, I happen ta like cephalopods," he murmured.
"I still don't get it!" She balled her fists on his chest.
He chuckled. His fingers danced up her spine. Her skin tingled along the path his hand travelled.
"I think the horny part is self-explanatory. As for squid? You tried to convince me you were just looking for fun but I never believed that for a second. Kat, you're not a good-time girl at all. You'd suck my soul out if I let you."
His nearness had her mind spinning. "You make me sound h-horrible, like I'm clingy or something."
He kissed her cheek and the tip of her nose. "No, I love it. It's fuckin' intense. I want to give in, really. I want to be yours."
Katherine's brow furrowed. She opened her mouth to retort but his lips stifled her words. He took advantage of her surprise and plunged his tongue into her mouth. At first she was caught off guard but then his tongue flicked against hers, causing pulses of frenetic energy to shoot through her belly. Her frustrated whimper was swallowed by his eager exploration. She couldn't resist the persuasion of his tongue stroking along hers and with a muffled sigh, melted along his body like warm butter.
He broke away with a groan. "I'm going with you tomorrow."
She dropped her forehead to his chest. She tried to slow her breathing and calm down. Every inch of her pleaded for more.
"Leem," her voice trembled. "I don't want you to get hurt again and they are going to try to hurt me. If something happened, if you were killed . . . I would d-die."
She felt his chin move against the top of her head as he spoke. "And I would lose my mind if you left here without me, so we're kind of at an impasse. Now, seeing as I'm bigger and meaner than you, I think we dispense with the argument 'cause you're not going to win, hmm?"
She raised her head and glowered at him. He laughed.
"Okay, okay, maybe not meaner but definitely bigger. Nah," he shook his head. "Nope! Don't argue wit me or I'll make a scene tomorrow."
She tilted her head as her frown deepened. "What kind of scene?"
He wagged his brows. "You just try ta leave without me and I'll throw myself down in the garden while everyone is watching and blubber like a fool. I think I could even manage a few tears. You don't want that ta happen, do you?"
"You'd make a laughing stock of yourself over me?" She suppressed a grin; her inner squid wanted to wrap itself around him for that.
His smile faded as he studied her face. "Kat, I find myself wondering what I wouldn't do."
Her breaths shallowed. His hold tightened.
"And that scares the hell out of me."