Death Echo

45

DAY FOUR

ROSARIO

3:04 P.M.

Good work, Lane,” Faroe said over the phone. “Thanks.”

“I told you I’d be more useful if I-”

“Get a degree,” Faroe cut in. “Your mother and I both agree on that. Emphatically.”

Lane groaned or growled. It was hard to be certain.

“I’ll let you know if I find anything else useful,” Lane said.

Grumbled, actually.

Faroe was glad he wasn’t on visual. He didn’t have to hide his smile. He’d felt just like Lane when he was young.

And Faroe was determined that Lane wouldn’t make the same mistakes his daddy had.

“Just don’t tell Steele that I whispered through a couple of his databases,” Lane added.

Faroe came to a point. “You did what?”

“I’ll make a patch before class tomorrow. When I give it to Dwayne, I’ll tell Steele. No one will be able to use that route again.”

“I’m impressed. Frightened, actually.”

Lane snickered. “I had help.”

“Your ‘swarming’ buddies?”

“One of them. She’s über.”

Faroe hesitated, but couldn’t help saying, “She’d damn well better be über quiet.”

“I didn’t tell her anything that would point to St. Kilda Consulting. We give each other puzzles all the time, then race to see who gets there first, and how. If it will make Steele feel any better, she found the same way in that I did. Usually there are two or three paths, at least.”

“You’ll be the first to know Steele’s mood. Get that patch made yesterday and talk to him yourself.”

Faroe hung up and rubbed his eyes. “This ‘vacation’ is going to be the death of me.”

“What now?” Grace shut Annalise’s bedroom door behind her and hoped their cranky daughter would take a nap. Her sleep schedule was all over the place.

Sort of like her parents. “Lane hacked into one or more of St. Kilda’s databases,” Faroe said.

“Mother of God.”

“That’s one way of looking at it,” he agreed dryly. “Father of Satan is another. But Lane’s making a patch to keep other hackers out, so I’ll give the honors to Mom rather than Dad. Lane sent the information he got to Emma’s computer. And mine.”

Grace sat down next to him on the couch and sighed. “Have I told you lately that I love you and don’t know how I would have handled Lane alone?”

Faroe set aside the computer, pulled Grace into his lap, and nuzzled her neck. “You would have done fine, but thanks for sharing him with me. And Annalise. If we survive them, we can conquer the world.”

Laughing, she settled closer, letting her husband’s warmth sink through to her bones. “Flip you to see who talks to Steele next.”

“Tails,” Faroe said as he smoothly flipped Grace out of his lap and onto her back on the couch. Head up. “You lose.”

Her arms tightened around his neck. “Two out of three?”

“Think she’ll sleep that long?”

“Let’s find out.”