The Hack, page 10
“I’m sorry, Raya,” he eventually said.
She shrugged. “Life deals us a hand of cards. It’s our job to do the best we can with them.”
He eyed her, eventually giving a small smile. “Sometimes it’s good to steal another card or two to better your odds.”
She chuckled softly. “Why do you think I learned to hack?”
He grinned until the helicopter shuddered above them again as it flew back overhead. Their eyes turned up, but it faded into the distance until Raya could no longer see or hear it. The problem was, she didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
The traffic ahead began to clear and Ari audibly exhaled. When the car moved forward, Raya felt the tension melt from her shoulders.
But she couldn’t shake the unease that lingered like a ghost an inch behind her the entire way to the motel.
CHAPTER 17
Ari stood by the window, peering between the blinds while Raya sent the photographs she’d taken from the laboratory files and loaded them onto her laptop, enlarging them so she could read over them without squinting. They were mostly old financials and board minutes, and Raya wondered why they hadn’t been digitized and had instead been stored at HaloTech’s facility.
She was still mulling over this when a figure caught her attention. Six months prior to her mother’s death the balance sheet showed an influx of cash. Raya’s eyebrows wove together as she stilled. She quickly loaded the copies of the financial reports she’d transferred over to the cloud from Synthesis Incorporated and clicked on the same financial period. She suddenly knew why the files hadn’t been digitized. Synthesis was running two sets of books. She would’ve remembered a payment like that and she would’ve looked into it.
Raya pulled up the board meeting minutes she’d photographed. Nothing was mentioned about an acquisition or investment into the company, but the timing did coincide with the singular mention of Thomas Rossi in the minutes. Why had he attended one board meeting, but no others?
“Ari, did Rossi Enterprises acquire Synthesis Incorporated?” Raya asked, watching him carefully.
He looked to her, frowning. “Not that I know of. Why would you think that?” he asked, tilting his head.
“Because I think Synthesis was running two sets of books, and your uncle’s name appears on the board minutes for one meeting only. The meeting took place a week after a large sum of money was received—I think a payment has been deliberately left out of the financial reports I found on their server.”
“I . . .” he started then picked up his laptop and came to sit beside her. He angled his screen so that she could see what he was doing, and she quickly realized he was hacking the Rossi server using a backdoor. He ran a search for Synthesis Incorporated, but found nothing. His fingers tapped mindlessly, then he asked, “What was the amount?”
“Fifty-seven million,” Raya said as he typed the figure into his search code.
Raya couldn’t tear her eyes away as she saw a transaction for the same amount, in the same month. “Rossi Enterprises bought Synthesis Incorporated,” Raya said, her voice but a whisper. That would explain Thomas Rossi’s presence at a board meeting. However, Elio Rossi had still been in charge at that time.
Raya ran her hand through her hair mindlessly. “Why did Thomas only attend one board meeting?”
Ari shook his head. “Maybe he didn’t. I don’t think his name was supposed to be on that document—I’ll bet my life he attended other meetings and asked for his name to be omitted but someone made a mistake and included it on the board meeting minutes.”
“Why hide it, though?” she asked.
“Why run two sets of books?” he asked in response.
Raya nodded, but she didn’t have an answer for him.
“Do you have the other financials? Were there payments, dividends, paid by Synthesis over the following twelve months?” Ari asked.
Raya quickly loaded the documents and pulled up a dividend report she’d photographed at the warehouse. She angled her screen and Ari searched the bank transactions for those amounts on those dates. They didn’t have to wait long for a match.
Raya quickly checked it against the financials she’d found on the server and wasn’t surprised to see that payment amount had been omitted, but all of the others were there.
“That’s how he’s doing it!” Ari said, standing to pace the tiny motel room. “I’ve never been able to figure out his secrets because I’ve been looking in the wrong places. I’ve searched the servers of his business interests, but instead I should’ve been looking at the paper trails. I’ll bet my life that all of his dirty business interests are running two sets of books." He stopped pacing, tipped his head back, and swore under his breath.
“But hang on,” Raya said, “why is Synthesis a dirty business interest? It’s a highly profitable company—there’s good money in recycling and it makes sense why someone would want to invest in it.”
“I don’t know, but you don’t run two sets of books unless you’re trying to hide something or manipulate a report,” he said, pacing once again.
Raya agreed, but other than these financials, she’d never found anything suspicious. But perhaps she too had been looking in the wrong places. Her mind reeled as she tried to piece together the fragments of information they had.
“Can you run a search for Gregory Higgins in the Rossi files? He’s the CEO of KinTech,” Raya said, although she doubted Ari needed reminding.
Raya’s investigation into Synthesis had started because of her mother, but the dirty secrets were in KinTech. Maybe the Rossi’s purchase of Synthesis wasn’t about the recycling company at all, maybe it all linked back to KinTech.
Ari rushed to the table and typed Gregory’s name into the code. “This is going to take a few minutes,” he said but they didn’t have to wait that long.
A calendar reservation popped up on his screen.
Greg Higgins, 7 p.m., Pendry Hotel.
Ari double-checked the calendar, quickly confirming it belonged to his uncle.
What are you up to, Thomas?
“The reservation is for tomorrow,” Ari said. Raya nodded, she’d already noted that and she was suddenly confident Ari was going to have a lot more ammunition against his uncle once they got to the bottom of this. “I don’t know what he’s doing,” Ari said, sounding pained. “I mean, I think he’s dirty, but is he willing to kill to protect his secrets?” Ari swallowed hard. “I guess you never really know what someone is capable of.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“We need to get access to Higgins’s computer,” Raya said, thinking aloud.
Ari rubbed his jaw. “I know someone who might be able to help with that. If we can find out what security system he has, that would make it easier,” he said, stifling a yawn.
“You need to sleep,” Raya said, remembering he’d kept watch last night and must be exhausted.
He shook his head, adamant. “No, I need to try to access HaloTech’s lab system while I can—before they realize what you did. We might only have a small window, so we need to use it. You get some sleep and I’ll work for a few hours. I’ll wake you up when I’m done and we can swap shifts.”
CHAPTER 18
Ari grabbed his laptop and rested it on his knees, his eyes darting between the screen and the window. He couldn’t give his full attention to the dark parking lot, but he was convinced that they hadn’t been followed to the motel.
Instead, he focused on his computer. He needed to hack the HaloTech system if they were going to get out of this alive.
Ari started by loading his spyware and began probing through files, looking for information that would help him connect to HaloTech’s laboratory. He didn’t immediately see a connection, but he didn’t let that deter him.
His eyes darted between the parking lot and his laptop, feeling reenergized even though he should’ve been yearning for sleep. Ari browsed through emails, accessed company financials and reports. When he saw nothing of interest, he blew out a frustrated breath. He leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, balancing his laptop on his knees as he considered his next move.
He needed to create a bridge to the two systems, but what was the best way of doing that? Ari typed a series of code, embedding malware into an email that he sent from an employee at the storage facility to an employee at the laboratory. As soon as they opened the email and the file, which looked legit because it came from the storage facilities server, the malware would activate. He had two choices now, either choose a malware that would take longer to embed itself in the system—a slow and deadly yet powerful virus that would give him better access to the system and was more likely to go undetected—or choose a fast-acting virus that might get detected by the system, but it could give them the information they needed now. However, if the virus was detected, they’d soon figure out where it came from and they might end up being locked out completely.
Ari rubbed his fingertips between each other nervously. He decided to play the long game because they might not get another shot at this if the malware was detected—he just hoped they would stay alive long enough to find the information. As soon as he had access to the HaloTech system he could create a backdoor that would allow him to enter whenever he needed, but he needed the slow-spreading virus to enable him to do that. Ari copied the code sequences from his templates—he couldn’t memorize them like Raya did and now was not the time for mistakes. He loaded the code sequence, sent the email, and stared at the screen. If this worked, it would give them everything they needed. If it didn’t, they were back to square one. But Ari refused to think about it now. So far so good, and that was enough for one night.
He returned his attention to the Integra Security website, once again checking the file on him but no new photographs had been added. It seemed that he’d lost that tail, and if they’d lost them, it likely meant the men in suits had no idea where they were either. Ari made a note to keep checking the folder because no new photographs would be good news.
Ari poked around the system a little longer, but as always, his uncle left no trace of what he was doing. He was about to close his laptop when he decided to run a search on his mother. His heart skipped a beat when multiple folders showed in the search results.
He opened the first one, and it was much the same as his—photographs of her over the past six months. Ari clicked through them all, seeing himself in the background of some of them.
He opened the next folder, immediately noticing the date on the files. Thirteen years ago—before his father’s accident. Ari frowned, why would Integra Security have files going back this far when Fargo Security was handling his father’s security?
He clicked through the various images but nothing caught his interest until he opened an audio file. He lowered the sound on his laptop and pressed the play button. He’d been expecting to hear his mother’s voice, but instead he heard his uncle’s voice.
“I’m concerned about Fargo Security, I don’t think they have Elio’s, or your family’s, best interests at heart,” Thomas said.
“Then you need to speak to Elio,” Celine responded.
Ari frowned.
“I have but he’s not listening. You need to try, Celine. You need to talk sense into him,” Thomas pleaded.
“I will do no such thing. He is capable of making his own decisions and you should stay out of it. It is his business, not yours, Thomas,” Celine said.
A long pause followed before Thomas responded, “What do you really think is going on, Celine? Do you think Elio is making good decisions? Do you think he’s always honest with you?”
“Enough, Thomas. You’ve been jealous of Elio for as long as I’ve known you. I won’t have you talk about my husband this way. I know what you’re trying to do, and I won’t play this game,” Celine said.
Ari nodded in approval.
“You’ll see I’m right,” Thomas said.
Why would Integra Security have this recording on file, and why was it recorded in the first place? It made no sense to Ari at all.
Ari rubbed his tired eyes, tipping his head back. He had more questions than answers and didn’t know which way was up right now.
He returned this attention to the parking lot but the longer he sat at the window, the heavier his eyes grew. Tiredness quickly faded the moment he saw car lights shine into the parking lot. He looked to Raya, curled up motionless in the bed other than the gentle rise and fall of her chest, then back to the window. He reached for his gun and held it steady in his hand as a black SUV pulled up next to their stolen car near unit 11. Ari was wide awake now, his eyes peeled to the car. The lights turned off and the sound of the engine stopped, but no one got out.
Ari’s throat tightened as his eyes stayed on the car. He couldn’t see any movement inside, but it was dark out—the hotel parking lot had few lights and none of them were positioned anywhere near the parked cars.
He realized he was holding his breath and made a conscious effort to focus on breathing to keep his mind and body calm. A minute passed, and then another.
What are you waiting for?
Ari’s heel bounced on the ground as adrenaline ran through his veins. The front door was the only exit from this room. The bathroom window was too small—it was the first thing he’d checked when they’d arrived.
When the car door opened and a man in a suit stepped out, Ari stopped breathing altogether. How did they find them here? Raya’s name was on the tip of his tongue, his mind frantic, until a woman got out of the passenger seat, tipping her head back, giggling. The couple stumbled toward the door of unit nine, barely making it to the door before they began ripping each other’s clothes off.
Ari exhaled a long shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose. They’d likely been making out in the car, which was why it had taken them so long to get out.
He looked back to Raya, sleeping peacefully, her face illuminated by the dim lamp on the dated bedside table beside her.
An alert flashed on his laptop screen and he wished he’d been surprised to see the security alert for his home cameras. He opened the app and loaded the surveillance footage. He swallowed hard as four men—none of them in suits but jeans and long sleeve T-shirts—walked through his townhouse. His housekeeper was away with her daughter for the weekend and Ari was thankful for the timing.
He watched the men search his home, feeling more violated with every second that passed. His office was locked, but it didn’t take them long to get inside. The secret that he was a hacker would be out in the open if they chose to release this information. He could say he used the system for gaming, but anyone who knew computers would know otherwise.
One man stopped and looked up at the cameras. They weren’t wearing ski masks or anything to conceal their identity, which made him think they belonged to a government agency.
Ari didn’t appreciate them being in his house, nor did he appreciate being in this crappy motel with eyes so tired they were stinging. His anger dissipated when he looked at Raya, though. She didn’t deserve this either. She didn’t deserve the cards life had dealt her.
An alert on his computer stole his attention and his eyes dropped to his laptop screen.
Brian, a fastidious employee, was checking his emails in the middle of the night and had opened the email Ari had loaded with malware and clicked the link.
A grin spread across Ari’s lips.
Checkmate.
CHAPTER 19
Gentle rays of sunlight warmed her cheeks. She blinked, clearing her vision, forgetting where she was until she saw Ari sitting on a chair by the window.
“You didn’t wake me!” she said, suddenly sitting up.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You needed to sleep.”
“So do you,” she said, rubbing her eyes before throwing off the blanket. Raya looked to the window. “All good?”
“All good, and the drive did its trick. I added additional malware and it’s currently infiltrating HaloTech’s system. It needs forty-eight hours to fully optimize, but if it works, we’ll have access.”
Her jaw dropped open before she beamed a smile. “I’m . . . in awe,” she said, searching for the words. “Please teach me how to do that.”
Ari grinned. “I will, first we need food and coffee, and then we need to make a plan for today.”
“I need a change of clothes,” she added.
“Same, and I’m starving. I can’t think straight when I’m hungry. There’s a diner around the corner,” he said, his eyes back on the window. “It should be safe.”
She stood, smoothing out her clothes. “Well, we don’t have a choice. We need to get supplies, so we can’t stay here all day. Give me two minutes,” she said, moving toward the dated bathroom. For someone who had grown up on the streets, Raya was fussy when it came to cleanliness and these old pink tiles with stained grout did not impress her. But they were safe, and for now that was enough. She turned on the tap, lathered some soap in her hands, then let the hot water run over them, cleansing away any germs. She turned the tap to cold and splashed some water on her face then looked at her reflection in the mirror. Sometimes she still felt like the scared girl on the streets, but she was not the same person. The Raya staring back at her was stronger with a skillset that made her dangerous to anyone coming after her. She needed to remember that next time fear wrapped its invisible chains around her neck.
She wiped her hands on her jeans, not wanting to touch the hand towel that was stiff and crunchy and looked like it hadn’t been washed for two months.
Ari was standing by the door, casually leaning against the wall while he scrolled on his phone. The sight made her pause. Aureliano Rossi had not only saved her life, but he hadn’t—yet—abandoned her either.
