Page 95 of Unexpected Hero

I shrug. “With a little time, perhaps.”

“How confident are you? And how much time?”

“It’s a theory, but I can’t think of any other reason why the logs show no disruption or signals, yet the camera footage shows the burglars accessed the home through windows that were tagged with sensors.”

“And our wiring was good? All wireless components working?”

I point him back to the second page of the report that details our quality measures. “All hardware components were tested at install, and we performed our quarterly checks on the premises, per the contract. No issues. No termite damage or other concerns either. Battery life good. The hardware was working as designed.”

“So the system was installed properly and was firing normally, but the breakdown happens in the server relay stage.”

“Exactly.”

He drags his hand over his forehead roughly, massaging his weathered skin. “Why the fuck would SECO do that? They’d know we’d be able to prove it. Wouldn’t they?”

“Could be a timing thing. Maybe they put a patch to bypass reporting while figuring out how to fix their shit.”

“And in the meantime, they employed the hope strategy. But it backfired, and our client had a break-in during that time frame, however long it may have lasted.”

My mind races through other possibilities, the same way it has for the last few days. I can’t identify any other viable explanations. It has to be shitty software, network issues, or...

“Boss, what if the burglars hacked the system? Maybe they were the cause of the bypass?”

He lets his head loll around his shoulder and grumbles, “Holy shit. That could be it.”

“Not sure why I didn’t think of it sooner.”

A twinge of guilt slips between my ribs and squeezes my lungs. That’s a lie. I know exactly why I didn’t think of it sooner.

Violet Holt consumes my every waking thought.

I’m either with her, texting her, or thinking about her. When I sleep, I fucking dream about her.

She makes mundane shit like grocery shopping and watching TV exciting and different. Everything’s better when I’m with her.

A knock at the door startles me.

“Come in,” Boss bellows.

Leo and Klein enter the room, both reeking of trepidation. No one likes being summoned to Big Al’s office in a rush.

“Peg said you wanted us,” Lionheart offers.

Big Al motions to the two open chairs at the table. “Take a seat.”

When Leo sits, his enormous frame makes the small space uncomfortably crowded. I shift away to give myself room to breathe. He can’t help that he’s a giant.

Big Al spends a few minutes bringing the guys up to speed. They already knew about the break-in but not the legal matters.

Once they are briefed, Boss leans back in his seat and crosses his arms behind his head. “We have insurance to cover our losses from the lawsuit if it comes to that, but the hit to our reputation could be catastrophic. If word gets out, we’re fucked. Current clients will fire us in droves, and we can kiss prospective high-dollar contracts like Langley S&D goodbye. Redleg will be dead in the water.”

Nobody replies since Boss doesn’t look like he’s finished.

He puffs up his reddening cheeks and groans with a forceful exhale. “I’ll be damned if we let anything like this happen again. And not just because of the impact on the company, but because of the risk it poses to our clients. It’s unacceptable. And that’s not fucking lip service. What if the family was home, for fuck’s sake? Someone could have died.” He shakes his head. “We need a plan and fast. What do you got for me, brain trust?”

While Leo contemplates a response, Klein and I trade glances. We’re both thinking the same thing.

A slow grin emerges, steadily overtaking his face. I give him a quick tip of my chin, silently green-lighting him to make the pitch.

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