Page 15 of The B-Team

Ryan looked around the room at what remained of his team. “Do we know any other hackers? Or computer whiz kids like Harry?”

There was a round of blank stares.

“We need more hackers,” Julia said solemnly. “Good ones.” She blushed. “As in, ones with a good moral code.”

Ryan wasn’t sure such a thing existed: hacking was addictive and could tempt a saint. “There has to be someone we could try. We need help digging up dirt on Fitzwater—if there is any.”

“Face like that,” Beast said, “there has to be.”

That smug smile was annoying all of them for sure.

“I’ve got an idea, but I’m not sure how smart it is,” Claire said hesitantly.

“We’re brainstorming here.” Ryan signaled for her to continue. “There are no dumb ideas.” Although, as soon as he said that he remembered he was talking to Megan’s sister. Dumb ideas were pretty much the only kind the twins had.

“Okay.” She shrugged, and Ryan marveled again at the differences between her and her identical twin. Megan was all black leather and hidden weapons, while Claire was flowery dresses and headbands. Megan would have shot anyone who suggested she wear a headband. “My cousin’s kid is good at computer stuff. I say we give her a call and see what happens. I mean, it can’t hurt.” She made a valiant effort to look innocent. And there was something about the Scottish accent that made you feel you could trust the person talking.

But Ryan had been bitten on the backside more than once after falling for that weird Scottish quirk. “You’re talking about Katy Boyle, aren’t you? Flynn’s kid.”

Sometimes, the wily Scots amongst them forgot he’d earned his stripes working out of the Highlands office. He’d played football on the Invertary team alongside Flynn and his brother, Harry, long before Harry worked with Benson Security.

“I forgot you know her.” Claire beamed at him, but there was a trace of panic in her eyes.

As well there should be. “Oh, I know Katy. She’s a deadly combination of Harry’s brains and Megan’s recklessness. And she’s what? Fifteen, sixteen? The kid’s a loose cannon. Always has been. Hell, I remember the way she ran rings around Flynn when he first met her mum. What did he call her? Oh yeah, the terrorist.” He shook his head. “Asking Katy to help is a very bad idea. Plus, I’m not even sure she has the skills.”

Claire straightened in her chair, suddenly looking almost as scary as her twin. “I’ll have you know that she hacked FIFA and tried to influence the draw for the last European Championship. And she’d have done it, too, if Flynn hadn’t caught her.” She beamed proudly. “She was trying to ensure that Scotland got a fair group.”

Ryan slapped a palm to his forehead. “You just made my point for me.”

“No, I didn’t.” Claire’s voice began to rise. “I mademypoint. Katy can hack. She’s smart, and she’s never been caught—officially. If she can get into the football federation, she can get into the Metropolitan Police database.”

Beast put a hand on Claire’s arm. “How about we ask her to look into Fitzwater and see what she can find, but we don’t ask her to hack the Met? Instead, we could ask your brother to tap his cop contacts to see if there are any rumors about the commander that way?”

Claire looked deflated. “You want my straitlaced brother to ask around about another cop? The same guy who locked me and my sister up? The guy who made Katy spend the night in jail after she harmlessly hacked FIFA? I mean, seriously, if he can’t bend the rules for family, he isn’t going to do this.”

“You were never charged with anything.” Ryan wasn’t impressed by her drama and felt the need to set the record straight. “He just locked you two up when you got out of control. We’re talking a night or two in Invertary’s local jail. Not the big house. And Katy could have ended up in serious trouble for hacking FIFA. Plus, knowing her, I’m fairly certain a stern lecture wouldn’t have had any impact.”

“Can we get back to the issue at hand?” Julia said more firmly than he’d ever heard her speak. Pregnancy made her formidable. “Beast’s idea is a good one. How about we try that? Plus, your brother might know who else we can contact for help because everyone we know with the skills we need has been arrested. I don’t have the kind of contacts Lake, Callum, or Elle has. None of us do.” She glanced at Ryan. “Right?”

He shrugged. “I was just the muscle, not a wheeling, dealing security specialist or soldier. I followed orders. So, no contacts here.”

“One of us could call your brother if you don’t want to do it,” Belinda offered, returning Ryan’s attention to Megan’s stubborn twin.

“No offense, but if an Oscar-nominated actress calls my brother, he’ll pass out and be of no use to anyone.” Claire let out a weary sigh. “I’ll do it. But I’m talking to Katy first.” She pulled out her phone and dialed.

“Put it on speaker,” Ryan said. “I don’t want you talking in code with your protégé.”

“No trust,” Claire muttered as she tapped the screen.

“Aunt C,” a perky voice answered. “What’s up?”

“I need a favor,” Claire said. “Aunt Megan, Uncle Grunt, and Uncle Dimitri have all been taken in for questioning by a horrible policeman who’s determined to shut down Benson Security for good.”

Ryan almost laughed at the ‘horrible policeman’ description. Claire would always be a preschool teacher at heart.

Katy sucked in a breath. “He’s got Lake too?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. Of course Lake Benson was her hero. The man seemed to attract females who flaunted the rules. His octogenarian sidekick, Evil Betty, was a case in point.