Page 68 of Tides of Discovery
“I need to get back to my apartment, access my secure network. It’s going to take time to track him down properly.”
Cooper nodded grimly, his jaw set in determination. “Then go. Do whatever you need to do.” He paused at the door, his fingers on the handle. “You’re the only one who can save my business, Jack. I’m counting on you.”
The weight of his trust settled on my shoulders like a lead blanket. As I watched him walk out to the main shop and slip seamlessly back into his role as the calm, capable owner, I made a silent promise. Shaw had made this personal the moment he’d targeted Cooper. Now I was going to make him regret it.
I sat at the desk in my home office, fingers flying over my keyboard. The ceramic mug beside my monitor held the cold remains of my untouched coffee, a thin film on its surface, the bitter aroma long since faded. A half-eaten sandwich from lunch lay forgotten on a paper plate, its edges curled and stale. Lines of code and network logs filled the screen and swam before my eyes in an endless sea of data, but I barely registered them individually anymore. My mind raced ahead of my fingers. My heart pounded against my ribs in a rhythm that had nothing to do with caffeine and everything to do with the sick certainty building in my gut.
After hours of combing through the traces left by the breach attempt, my eyes burned from staring at the screen. With my muscles stiff from sitting too long in one position, I found it: just a thin thread, nearly invisible among the legitimate traffic, but unmistakably there. I spotted a digital fingerprint that was obviously Shaw’s—signature coding I’d seen countless times during his months as my contractor.
Adrenaline jolted through my system and made my fingers tremble as they hovered over the keyboard. My mouth went dry, and the metallic taste of fear coated my tongue. I didn’t have hard proof yet. No signed confession. But I knew the sloppy way Shaw worked because he thought he was smarter than everyone else.
Cooper.The thought of his vulnerability sent another wave of fear washing through me, cold and paralyzing.
My fingers fumbled on my phone as I pulled up Garrett’s number. The call connected on the second ring, and I was already talking before he could finish his greeting. The wordstumbled out in a rush as I filled him in on the cyberattacks and what else I’d found. A location.
“You’re sure?” Garrett’s voice was steady, professional, but I could hear the tension underneath it.
“As sure as I can be without watching him type.” I ran a hand down my face in frustration. “He’s at a motel just outside of town. I pinged a device registered under his name.” I swallowed hard and tried to keep the emotion out of my voice, to sound like the security professional I was supposed to be instead of a man terrified for the man he loved.
Garrett didn’t hesitate, and the decisive jingle of keys in the background told me he was already in motion. “I’m on it. Stay put, Jack. We’ll bring him in for questioning.”
I ended the call and dropped my phone onto the desk with a clatter. I leaned forward and buried my head in my hands. I pressed my fingers into my scalp as if I could physically push away the fear, willing my pulse to slow down, trying to breathe through the vice grip of anxiety squeezing my chest.
Shaw wasn’t just targeting Cooper from some distant city—he was here, in our town. Why? What would require his proximity? Garrett had to find him before Shaw made his next move.
“Stay put,” he’d said. Easier said than done when every cell in my body screamed to move, to act, to find Shaw myself and make sure he could never hurt Cooper or anyone else again.
I retrieved my phone and typed quickly.
Found Shaw at a motel outside of town. Garrett’s heading there now to bring him in.
My finger hovered over the send button for just a moment before I pressed it, knowing this update would both relieve andworry Cooper in equal measure. His response came back almost immediately:
Keep me posted.
I could picture him at the coffee shop, probably cleaning the same surface for the third time, channeling his nervous energy into familiar motions while he waited for news.
The minutes crawled by like hours. I paced my living room in restless loops. The old hardwood floors creaked beneath my weight, the sound amplified in the silent apartment. Each step felt like treading water, getting me nowhere. Every distant car door slamming, every voice carrying up from the street, every creak of the building settling sent electric jolts of anticipation through my nerves. I checked my phone more times than I could count. The screen lit up with each anxious glance, even though I knew Garrett would call the moment he had news.
When my phone finally rang, the sudden vibration against the coffee table made me jerk. I snatched it up so fast I nearly dropped it, my palms sweaty.
“Tell me you got him,” I said without preamble, my voice rough with tension.
Garrett let out a frustrated breath, and my heart sank before he even spoke. “He was there. The motel manager saw him leave about twenty minutes before we arrived. Left in a hurry—didn’t check out, didn’t take anything but his laptop and a backpack.”
“Damn it.” The words felt inadequate for the storm of emotions crashing through me. Disappointment, fear, and rage all swirled together into a nauseating cocktail.
“I’ve issued a BOLO to all units in the area.” Garrett’s voice took on a determined edge. “We’ll find him, Jack. I promise.”
I thanked him and ended the call. My hands shook as I typed a message I didn’t want to send.
Garrett got to the motel, but Shaw was gone. They’re expanding the search.
I stared at the screen for a long moment before hitting send, dreading Cooper’s reaction. His response came back almost instantly, a single word that perfectly captured my own frustration:
Shit.
I could feel the weight of disappointment and fear in that one expletive.
