Page 22 of Unbreakable Connection (Connections Duet)

“Yeah, I will be. Go in and sit with Ellen; she’ll wake up soon.”

“When?”

“Soon, I promise,” I watched him walk away, and I took a second to get under control. I don’t know how that happened back there. I felt rage and reacted. The need to be with Ellen was strong, and I couldn’t wait another second. I walked in, and the sight of Ellen in a hospital bed horrified me, causing my heartto constrict. Ellen had a padded white bandage on her head and scratches and bruises on her arms.

“Fuck! Whoever did this is dead,” I said aloud, and then I saw her body shift slightly, but she didn’t open her eyes to me. I grabbed a nearby chair and sat by her bed, taking her delicate hands in mine. “Oh, baby, I am so bloody sorry for not protecting you. I should have never allowed you to go into the clinic, but instead of trusting my instinct, I trusted my team to keep you safe. I will never fail you again as long as I have air in my lungs. Never again.” Time ticked on to a slow crawl, and I was going out of my mind sitting here and feeling powerless to help Ellen. Finally, Kyle returned after giving me some time with her, and he assured me her vitals were strong. If she doesn’t wake in the next hour, he will do another scan, but he said it shouldn’t be necessary since she’s been stirring in bed. I stepped outside to take a call when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked to see it was Patch.

“What do we know?” I didn’t bother with a greeting and got right down to business.

“I pulled the footage surrounding the clinic and didn’t see any infiltration.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting off the fury coursing through my body.

“How can that be?”

“Edric, the car,” he hesitated momentarily and then said, “An unknown person moved Ellen’s car. I narrowed the time frame from when it was moved first and then returned. It has to be when the unknown assailant planted the bomb.”

“Where were you?” I enunciated slowly, trying my best to maintain my control.

“I never left my post, and if I had, I would have been smart enough to have it covered until I returned. It’s not easy monitoring this remotely, but my eyes have never left my screens. I gave you my word and have not broken it. This wasdone right in front of our eyes using what I suspect was a backdoor software to override ours to make it appear all was well when we were probably on a delay by a few seconds. When our systems caught up, everything looked back in place.”

I couldn’t think, and whatever he said was not connecting with my brain. I ended the call knowing I was about to explode, and he was smart enough not to call back. Before making my next call, I checked on Ellen, who had still not awakened. Kyle was watching Ellen closely, so I left the clinic and returned to my truck, which held everything I needed to make my next call. I hit a button on the center column, and my laptop rose from the hidden compartment. I checked and double-checked all my lines were secure and then dialed his number. He had to be expecting my call since he answered on the first ring.

“Bonjour, Edric, I have what you need,” he said quickly, knowing there was no time to waste. “The hacker left his signature calling card before erasing his digital map. He does this to gain new business and to increase his opportunities throughout Europe. I’ve seen the work from this hacker before, but he never used the same move twice until today. He tested this new way of concealment two years ago for a low-ranking mob enforcer in Italy, who is now dead. I’m only to assume since the first client is dead, he probably improved what failed the first time and tried it again on Patch’s system.”

“Okay, tell me how,” I questioned.

“It’s called a ‘Trap door,’ also known as a virus. The virus acts as a secret entry point into a program that allows the hacker to be aware of the trap door to gain access without ever going through the usual security access already in place. And here is how he made it happen by using what is called remote attestation. He took his temporary system to make our system appear to be running smoothly, but he had remote access to authorize our information. As soon as the hacker gainedentrance, he could put our system on delay. I’ve reviewed it several times and concluded it was a delay of ten-second loops until he accomplished what he needed. Once he got the green light from the operation's physical side, all he would have to do was hit delete on his end, and we would have never known he was even there. However, he didn’t anticipate Patch installing a back-up alert that shows him that the time-stamp changed.”

“Are we back online and protected?”

“We are, and all the new security protocols I put in place for the island are secure and untouched. Edric, I know you don’t want to hear this, but it has to be said. Due to his limited time, Patch could only set up the bare necessities one would use in, let’s say, an American stake-out.”

“Are you saying that this is my fault that some asshole could override Patch’s system and blow up my woman?” I roared into the phone.

“Edric, you are the best at what you do, and so is every member of this team who contributes their unique expertise. Unfortunately, Patch worked with what he had under the circumstances and the timeframe he was told to work under. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”

Deep down in my gut, I knew Pierre was right. I rushed and made mistakes instead of taking the time to plan out what I knew would be unbreakable for any hacker to get through. I made decisions using my feelings instead of relying on my training and instinct. And because I can’t think straight in Ellen’s proximity, my mistake almost got her killed tonight.

“Edric, are you still there?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m here. What is the state of the system now?”

“It’s secured, and I have the new system running. I can monitor from here, and with everything I see, Patch can also see. The system monitors Ellen’s property and the island.”

“Thank you, Pierre. Have you been in contact with Bourne? Does he know about this?”

“If he does, he didn’t hear it from me, and you also have to take the considerable time difference.”

“Thank god for small miracles; okay, I want 24/7 on this, no more misfires, and find me the fucker who did this.”

“As I said earlier, I have his signature card. He goes by Arun Kumari and is closer than you think.” After Pierre gave me the hacker's location, I sent a team to extract and place him in one of the safe houses we used here. It was close enough for me to get to, and as soon as I could, I would be having a conversation with Kumari. However, he wasn’t my priority now; my woman was.

As I approached Ellen’s room, I heard voices, and one of them was hers. I let out a breath and thanked God for bringing her back to me. The moment Kyle saw me, he stepped around to the other side, and I rushed over to pull her into my arms. I felt her fingers digging into my back as she clung to me, and I clung to her, never wanting to let her go. Kyle made his exit and left us alone. I couldn’t hold back my emotions and fear.

We broke apart for a second for Ellen to wipe them away and tell me she was okay. “I’m here and not going anywhere,” my woman said. I kissed her hard until she let me inside, tangling our tongues with each other. Ellen moaned as we continued to kiss and breathe each other in.

“I love you, baby, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t here,” I said, and then she placed her forehead against mine and told me it wasn’t my fault.Yes, it was. I should have been there, and I wasn’t.“Please, let me at least feel this because if I don’t, I’m going to go crazy,” I said, wanting her to hold me accountable for being hurt and in this clinic bed. However, she surprised me with what she said next.

“Edric, take me home,” she whispered against my mouth. I wanted to give her the world if I could, but I was scared, and once was enough for a lifetime; I couldn’t risk her safety again.

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