board called Campus Martius, where Cohort Principes were encouraged to share ideas on how best to make an example of her.
“We have a problem,” Emiliano said as he kept digging. He shared his display on the presentation screen and conversation around the room halted in stunned shock.
He spotted Zane Colton standing with his family near the wall of windows. “Where is Miss Meyers?”
Zane started to answer and stopped short. “Right here.”
* * *
The notifications took longer than Marie expected, so she wasn’t surprised to discover the FBI team had turned the conference room to crisis central by the time she returned.
Seeing her name and face plastered across the big presentation screen—that unnerved her all over again and she hesitated at the doorway.
Zane motioned her closer. “Marie Meyers, our CDO,” he stated. “This is the FBI’s National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force.” He gestured to the presentation screen. “They just drilled through the rhetoric to this direct death threat against you.”
Despite the shock rattling through her system, she forced herself to stride forward.
The man with the dark eyes who’d studied her so intently in the hallway extended a hand in greeting. “Special Agent Emiliano Ortega.”
She grasped his hand, momentarily distracted by the calluses on his palm. “A pleasure to meet you.” She kept her eyes on him, rather than the presentation screen. His square jaw offered a much better view anyway.
His mouth tilted in a skeptical half smile before he introduced the three other members of their task force as Special Agent in Charge Selene Dashwood, Special Agent Finn Townsend and malware analyst Tristan Staller.
Despite the suits and no-nonsense attitudes, the task force was a study in contrasts, from the sleek Dashwood, tall and lean with flawless ebony skin and no accessories beyond her wedding band, to the not-quite-rumpled Staller, who seemed reluctant to tear his gaze from his monitor. She knew his type well. In between were Townsend with his curling light brown hair and friendly smile and Ortega, who watched her closely.
“We’re aware this isn’t a good day,” Ortega said.
Not her worst, either, though she kept the thought to herself. “How can I help?”
As Dashwood resumed her conversation with Fowler and T.C., Agent Ortega planted his hands on his lean waist. “Sometimes attacks like this one resemble battering rams. This attack, while large in scope, had some precision elements.” He pointed to the screen. “As you know, they took everything in order to inflict the most chaos and damage to the company as a whole.”
“Obviously,” she agreed.
“Underneath the obvious, we believe the strategy was meant to blur their particular focus on you.”
She bit back the rash of protests. It wouldn’t help to point out she wasn’t a Colton, had no connection to Livia or the horrible crimes she’d inflicted. Pressing a hand to her lips, she stifled an inappropriate and untimely laugh. This was absurd. Didn’t the Cohort see the double standard of wrecking her career and threatening her life in their quest to safeguard privacy with criminal actions?
“The language is specific, Miss Meyers,” Agent Townsend said. “The complaints target your abuse of privacy expectations and overreaching corporate authority. The Cohort is revved up and motivated against you.”
She gaped at the FBI agent as she struggled for an appropriate reply. Was he actually accusing her of doing something wrong because she was good at her job? Her gaze drifted to Zane, who was scowling at the back of Townsend’s head.
“Townsend.” Ortega silenced him with a look. The other man returned his attention to the computer in front of him.
“Miss Meyers.” Ortega pulled out a chair for her. “We need to walk you through these threats and review your options.”
Marie sat down and the agent showed her what they’d unraveled. As if broadcasting her personal details and the vicious conversation in the message board weren’t enough, the group had posted a new banner front and center where they were auctioning the stolen data from Colton, Incorporated.
Reward! Share your plan to end CDO Meyers and take a stand for consumer privacy!
The message board was exploding with real-time comments. She stared, horrified as the potential consequences drifted around her. Since when did groups like this offer rewards for real-life attacks? With every passing hour this day moved up the list, squeezing into her top five worst of all time. Not an easy feat, considering her rocky path through the foster-care system.
On the upside, if there was any credibility to the threats from the Cohort, she wouldn’t have much of a future to dwell on it. The gallows humor didn’t erase the icy rivulets of fear trickling down her spine.
Emiliano studied the Colton, Incorporated, CDO, simultaneously impressed by her composure and wondering when the dam would break. No one could hold up indefinitely to the news of being hunted, online and in real life. Whatever had incited this attack, Townsend was right; the Cohort had zeroed in on Miss Meyers and they weren’t letting up.
Why? During his work on this task force, he hadn’t seen anything quite like the vitriol they were spewing at this particular woman. She seemed nice enough. Polite and competent. Pretty, too, though that was irrelevant. Nothing he’d heard so far gave him any insight as to how she’d landed on the bad side of one of the most dangerous hacktivist groups in existence.
Yes, the core of her career was at odds with the Cohort mandate on privacy, but why were they determined to incite direct violence?
She had courage in the face of the clear, physical danger, he’d give her that, and he had to assume integrity and commitment as well, based on how the executive staff treated her. And she was watching him expectantly from those wide, intelligent brown eyes shot with gold and framed with long lashes. He cleared his throat and got on with his job. “You can see the Cohort claimed responsibility immediately,” he began.
Her gaze held his, serious and steady. “Because they think they can bring Livia Colton to justice? It’s as if they believe hacking our personal records will prove the company is hiding her.”
He’d expected the outburst, though she’d delivered it with admirable control. “It’s a better reason than hackers usually offer,” he said. “Public opinion will swing their way on this one.”
Temper flashed in her eyes. “They’ve exploited innocent, hardworking employees. I’d think public opinion would go against them.”
Across the table, Finn, one of Emiliano’s best friends in the FBI, gave a snort. “Not with Livia Colton alive and on the loose. Do you have any idea—”
He held up a hand and cut him off again, wondering why Finn was so determined to terrorize Miss Meyers. They could cover the basic information without running the risk of sending her into a paralyzing tailspin. Her expertise might prove valuable on this case, assuming she wasn’t in league with the Cohort somehow.
