back. Just because I’d had a decorum tutor didn’t mean I had to follow her advice. I glanced at Ian. “This conversation isn’t done,” I whispered.
His mouth firmed into a straight line, but he nodded.
Ada entered wearing a sunny, colorful dress and a bright smile. Loch followed, dressed in his usual dark shirt and pants. “We found a way in, no meeting required,” she said. She peered at me. “You look better; you’ve got some color in your cheeks, at least.”
I very carefully did not look at Ian. “Sleep will do that,” I murmured. “Tell me about the security.”
“Let’s wait for Rhys and Veronica. They’re just a few minutes behind us and they may have suggestions. What’s for dinner?”
I shrugged, but Ian said, “Prime rib. I think I mortally offended your chef when I requested that some breakfast items be added.”
Ada winced. “Mrs. Willis takes her job seriously. She’s probably making a whole second meal. I’ll see if I can head her off.”
Ada dashed off and Loch slid into the open chair on my left. The air in the room changed, but neither Ian nor Loch gave away a hint of what they were thinking.
“Thank you for your help,” I told Loch. “I know you did it for Ada, but I appreciate it, too.”
He frowned and his eyes flickered my way. They caught the light and reflected silver for a fraction of a second. “Why do you think I wouldn’t help you?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly. It’s too bad he didn’t talk much because I found his voice soothing.
“Ah, well.” I scrambled for an explanation that didn’t give everything away, just in case I was wrong about Ian. “I did threaten you with a rusty utensil.”
“In defense of Ada, who you helped for years. You also helped me. Of course I will do the same for you.” His gaze moved to Ian. “With any problems you’re having.” The threat was subtle but clear.
Ian bristled. “She doesn’t need your help.”
Loch grinned. “That’s for the lady to decide.”
I bumped my shoulder into Loch’s. “Thank you,” I said softly.
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter 20
When Rhys and Veronica arrived, they hugged me like family and politely greeted Ian, making it clear whose side they were on. Veronica invited me to sit next to her, while Ada sat across from me with Loch next to her. It put Ian as far as possible from me, hemmed in by Loch beside him and Rhys across from him. It was some effortless, next-level hostessing, and I smiled into my tea.
Ada had not been joking about Mrs. Willis. The lady had outdone herself, serving up both breakfast and dinner. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but after six hours in a silence field, I felt okay, so I filled my plate with fruit and yogurt and a tiny slice of prime rib. I knew I couldn’t overdo it because I would feel worse and worse as the day went on.
“What did you find at MineCorp?” I asked Ada.
“Their office is on the ground floor, which is nice, but they’re in a Rockhurst building, which isn’t,” she said.
Getting caught breaking into a Rockhurst building would make me a prisoner of war, never mind that I wasn’t there for Rockhurst in the first place. Ada hadn’t lost her art of understatement.
She continued, “Loch and I found a few potential entry points. The four of us should be able to slip in, no problem.”
“Ada,” I started.
She slashed her hand through the air. “No. If I didn’t think we’d need your expertise for the system cracking, it would be done already. But if I can be patient, you can let us help.”
“How is the building security?” Ian asked.
“Pretty standard for a nice office building: chipped doors, cameras, and at least one guard on patrol,” Ada said. “Most of the surveillance is focused on the fancy glass front of the building. There’s a maintenance entrance in the alley behind that’s barely covered. Entrance through the ventilation system also seems doable, but a little more difficult.”
I’d crawled through ventilation ducts before and I wasn’t super eager to repeat the experience. A good codebreaker could get us through the door, but we still had to deal with the cameras. Without access to the system, physically disabling them would be easiest, but also the most suspicious.
“Thanks to Rhys, I got a copy of the building’s blueprint. The servers are two stories underground, so that would be tricky. But if you just need access to a terminal, the executive