her frame. “We’ll take a couple hours and go shopping.”
Olivia glanced at the dark leggings and skintight shirt. All three outfits she had with her looked exactly the same. “You think I need a makeover?”
Sasha shook her head. “I was more concerned about your condom supply.”
It felt good to laugh.
Sasha pushed through a door into a room filled with floor-to-ceiling monitors. “Welcome to MacBain Security and Solutions.”
Claire was sitting in a chair. She jumped up the second they entered the space and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
Olivia looked at Sasha and mouthed . . . Help!
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
For the first time in Olivia’s adult life, she felt as if the skills Richter had taught her were being used for the greater good.
The first week after returning, Sasha, Claire, and Olivia worked together to build a network of websites and email addresses. Two weeks in, Jax returned from Europe and joined them. Between the four of them, they were able to create legitimate-looking FBI and federal marshal websites that would fool the top hackers in the business.
The plan was to give Friedrich something to follow.
The London team kept Friedrich in sight, and when the opportunity presented itself, Sven, the top hacker on that team, infiltrated Friedrich’s room and programed the man’s computer to pick up what they were laying out when they were ready.
Isaac tried twice to handcuff Olivia to a chair before he finally conceded. The sparring between them reminded her of her early years at Richter, when fighting was for points and fun . . . and never really meant to hurt someone.
Lars didn’t actually cry when he saw her, but he was pretty quiet and went out of his way to ask her if she was okay almost every day. Olivia put him at ease the best she could, and gave him a good ribbing about Pam, who he apparently called on occasion.
At night, Olivia and Leo would either work together on the plan at Neil’s headquarters or snuggle on Leo’s sofa in front of a fire in his small Glendale home.
And she belonged.
If it wasn’t for the fact that Neil’s team had eyes on Friedrich, she’d be concerned that they were being watched.
But for now, the only spidey sense crawling up her spine was how quickly she was assimilating into Leo’s life. Feeling him lying beside her at night had helped chase away some of the hellish landscape of her nightmares. She knew there was no way to erase the demons of her past, but maybe in time she could achieve some kind of balance.
Once the decoy protection program home that was housing Marie had been secured, and the trail of bread crumbs was in place, it became a twenty-four-hour game of dodge and weave.
Olivia sat in front of one of Neil’s computers late in the evening, when it would be morning where Friedrich was in France. Patiently she waited until the man logged in to his computer before accessing the hacks she’d designed and Sven had placed.
“You sure this is going to work?” Claire asked at her side.
Leo was leaning on a table behind her. Sasha and Neil were close by.
“He thinks I’m invested in Marie. The smart thing for me to do would be to find the girl and move her . . . or protect her. And since I’m shacking up with Mr. FBI over here”—she looked over her shoulder and smiled at Leo—“I would eventually infiltrate Leo’s system and find a database. But not right away. Friedrich will know this. Even if he doesn’t follow my path to fake Marie, we will make sure he stumbles upon the intel.” Olivia itched to press buttons when she saw that he’d logged in. But before she put the plan in action, she needed to watch what he was doing.
“There is still a chance he could know we’re watching.”
Olivia shook her head. “He was good. I was better.”
Friedrich’s computer powered up completely, and he put in a password.
Claire leaned forward to type. Olivia stopped her.
“We should get his password,” she suggested.
“Not needed.” Her eyes stayed glued to the monitor. Sasha and Neil walked up behind her. “I changed mine every day.”
Friedrich pulled up a Gmail screen.
Hope flared in Olivia’s chest.
Leo leaned forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Less than a minute later, Friedrich was in Leo’s email.
“Holy shit,” Leo cursed.
His hand tightened on her shoulder. She reached up to squeeze it. “This is what we want.”