Calculated Extortion Read online

“Of course you were.” Mike’s smooth voice reassured her.

  “Of course! I would never steal from my employer. It was just, wrong that I was the reason she couldn’t get help. We tried everything else we could.”

  “So that’s why Emma wanted to hack World Partners for Peace?”

  Jen’s eyes went wide at that. “God, no. She had no idea. I told her it was a project. That Martín knew all about it.” The final missing link in the chain of motivation finally clicked into place. While Emma was their hacker, she was also likely an innocent bystander. That was easy enough to prove and it made all of the disconnected pieces finally make sense.

  “Why don’t you come with us? Let’s go clear this up with Mr. Vásquez. He needs to understand you weren’t trying to steal from him. Then, you can come talk with us a little more and help straighten this out.” Scarlett didn’t say, on the record. After we read you your Miranda rights. Nothing they’d talked about would be admissible in court, but once they had Jen’s official confession, they could hand the case over to local authorities. They just needed to get her back inside. While they’d been talking, Scarlett and Mike had inched closer. Scarlett reached out a hand. “We don’t need to put you in handcuffs, do we?”

  A tear rolled down Jen’s cheek. “I’ll come.”

  Eleven

  Ten minutes later, Emma Moore was sitting at a conference room table, wondering at the turn her life had taken. Her Auntie Jen had turned from her predictable and steady friend into a desperate woman she didn’t recognize. She’d urgently whispered at Emma to leave with her before she was interrupted by the consultants flashing badges and chasing them. Emma had watched in horror, trying to help calm Jen down until the one named Alexis had stopped her and shown her a FBI badge. She was escorted to a conference room where she waited with Alexis. A few minutes later, Mike the consultant and another guy in a hoodie and jeans named Jordan showed up. After too many minutes of silence, the redhead, Scarlett, reappeared with bright red cheeks and mercifully began to speak.

  “Emma, do you want to tell us your side of the story?”

  Emma scratched her arm. “What do you mean? Am I in trouble?”

  “That depends on you,” Scarlett said. “Why don’t you tell us what happened. You were the one who hacked World Partners for Peace, weren’t you?”

  The guy in the hoodie was leaning forward, waiting for her answer. “Yeah. It was a project. I was supposed to hack the system so they could find the weaknesses. You know, like those hacking competitions. Tricking Mr. Vásquez worked for a while before they figured it out. I’ve documented it all in reports on my laptop. Aunt Jen said I was supposed to send them to her when I was done.”

  Scarlett got a funny look on her face. “And what about the threatening messages you sent to Mr. Vásquez?”

  Emma quirked an eyebrow. “What?”

  “You sent the CEO of the company multiple threats.” Scarlett read from a piece of paper. “About how you have particular set of skills? Skills that would make you a nightmare for someone like him?” She put the paper down and met Emma’s eyes. “You know it’s illegal to make threats, right?”

  Emma laughed until she realized the people in front of her were deadly serious. Emma sunk in her seat. She whispered, “It was a joke. It’s from the movie, Taken. Liam Neeson?”

  Scarlett put her head in her hands and Jordan grinned. Jordan said, “Scarlett, I think Emma is one of the good guys.”

  Scarlett reached across the table and put a hand on top of hers. It was then that Emma realized her finger was tapping and she was chewing on her lip. “It’s okay, Emma. This is the only thing in this whole investigation that has made any sense.”

  Jordan leaned back in his chair. “I’m impressed, actually. You make one hell of a white hat.”

  “Thanks.” Emma ducked her head in embarrassment.

  The big linebacker-looking one, Mike, asked, “Jordan, what’s a white hat?”

  Emma twisted her hands in her lap. “It’s the kind of hacker that hacks for good. It was my whole goal while I was recovering—to take my second chance and use it to help other people. I…I thought Mr. Vásquez knew. I thought he was in on it.”

  Jordan pressed his index fingers together before reaching into his pocket. “Yeah, lesson learned for next time. Might want to talk to your target in person rather than taking someone’s word for it. Especially before hacking their system and sending them threats from a movie they may have never seen.” Emma’s stomach roiled, but the people in the room began to visibly relax.

  When no one spoke for a few seconds, Jordan slid a business card across the table. “Emma, I want you to consider coming to work with me. We’re the good guys. The real ones.”

  “I’m only sixteen.” Emma’s checks reddened. Jordan was treating her like an equal, evidently unaware she wasn’t even an adult.

  “I’m aware. And if you can swindle this many people now when you didn’t really mean to, I can’t imagine what you’ll be able to do in a few years. We offer some paid internships and I’d be happy to give you my personal recommendation when you’re old enough to be eligible. You have a gift. Spend a couple of years developing it and then come work for us.”

  “What about my aunt? What’s going to happen to her?”

  Scarlett pressed her lips together. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “I…need you to be sure. My family was in deep with my medical bills and Aunt Jen said she found a charity willing to help us. I’d bet my life that she stole the money to cover us. And I’d also bet that if you check her records, she’s started paying it back. Auntie Jen has never even gotten a parking ticket.”

  Mike nodded. “You’re right. We checked the records and she recently made a big donation to the charity. About half a paycheck’s worth. Jordan here just figured out that she’d set up a regular overpayment to the insurance company in the company’s system in the same amount. Never seen that before.”

  “See?” Emma’s voice cracked. “If you can help her…just stay out of prison or whatever, we’ll pay it back. Every penny.”

  Scarlett’s face was apologetic. “Honey, it doesn’t always work that way. Even if she did the wrong thing for the right reason, it’s still a crime.”

  Emma’s eyes began to burn and one tear fell down her cheek without her permission. “It’s just…so unfair.”

  “I know it feels that way. For what it’s worth, we’ll see what we can do.” The team took turns shaking her hand and thanking her for her cooperation. Emma walked out of the conference room back to her desk, unsure of what to do next. Should she stay at work? What, exactly, was she going to tell her friends? And apparently, she just got an invite to go work for the FBI. She wanted to hate them for trying to ruin her family but it wasn’t their fault. It just…sucked. Everything about this sucked. It was all just wrong. And Jordan offering her a chance at an internship? It was classic computer programmer bad timing. But maybe, if her aunt didn’t end up in jail, she could take Jordan up on his offer.

  Finished with one of the stranger meetings she’d ever had, Alexis went to provide back-up to her partner. Parker stood outside of Martín Vásquez’s office, next to a big guy wearing a shirt labeled SECURITY.

  Alexis whispered, “Why don’t you have Jen in custody and why are you out here?”

  Parker fisted his hands and spoke through his teeth. “Martín asked for five minutes with Jen before we took her with us, since there was nowhere she could go if we blocked the door and he wanted an explanation. I deferred to the Chief, expecting a hard no, but he didn’t have a problem with doing someone like Martín Vásquez a favor.”

  “What do you think?”

  “That it’s not my job to overrule my unit chief’s orders. But I don’t know why you’d let them talk alone when things are this volatile. If I hear one noise, I’m going in.”

  The office door opened and Martín stood just behind Jen. Without preamble, Martín said, “I’ll make it right. Jen’s a good person who made
a bad choice. If I pay the insurance back personally, she won’t be prosecuted, will she?”

  Alexis shrugged. That was the prosecutor’s job, not hers. But if Martín had a decent lawyer and was able to put up the money for the insurance company, it’d be hard to prove someone came to harm. She said, “I can’t promise that, but you’ll sure make the prosecutor’s job a lot harder.”

  Jen turned slowly, tears streaming down her face. “Why? Why would you do that for me?”

  Martín took her hand. “Jen, I believe in second chances. You did something stupid, but you already started to pay it back. You don’t need me to tell you it was wrong. I also don’t think you would have done it if you weren’t desperate. Also, I expect you to pay back every penny. With interest. From your wages. As you already intended to do.” Jen nodded furiously. “And I’m going to have to kick you out of the finance department.”

  “Without a job, how can I pay you back?”

  “You’ll help my personal assistant. I’ll take a percentage of your pay until your debt is paid off. And you’ll be close. If I see any signs that I got duped, you’re fired. And I’ll hand over all of the evidence to my lawyer to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

  Jen wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “That won’t be necessary. I don’t deserve this.”

  “Jen, I’m a good judge of character. Always have been. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have employed a thief that was hell-bent on giving the money back as soon as possible.”

  Parker crossed his arms as he watched the scene unfold. He cleared his throat. “You’re still going to need to come with me for formal questioning.”

  Jen nodded. Martín said, “She’ll go with my lawyer. Just give me a moment to locate him. From what I understand, she has not yet been read her Miranda rights or formally arrested.”

  Parker glared in response. If the lawyer came along, she’d say nothing. Mike and Scarlett arrived and they led the team of agents and one suspect out of the building.

  A few steps back from Mike and the suspect, Alexis asked Parker, “So, do we charge her for a crime?”

  Parker said, “We’ll fill out all of the paperwork, but I have a feeling that Martín will make sure it’s not worth their time to actually do anything about it. He isn’t a stupid man and I’ll just bet that from now on, she’ll be the most loyal employee he’s ever had. If he’s wrong, we’ll be hearing from him again.”

  Twelve

  “Well, that’s a first for me,” Scarlett said, after getting caught up with the rest of her team. They had just returned from questioning Jen and Martín. Martín’s lawyer made sure she said nothing to incriminate herself. “Never had the victim bail out the criminal before.”

  “Don’t want you to get bored, intern,” Mike said.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself now. Maybe finally finish working on my new-old coffee table this evening. Or maybe I’ll have a long bath. I’m not used to sprinting up staircases to make sure my perp doesn’t jump off a building,” Scarlett said.

  “Don’t worry. There will be a fresh case for you to work on as soon as the S.A.C. finds out we cracked this one.” Mike leaned back in his chair and instead of getting back to work, seemed on the cusp of saying something. “Maybe we can hit the gym or something.”

  Scarlett grinned. Alexis and Parker were eavesdropping from behind Mike and she decided to spare him from any friendly teasing. “Maybe later, Moretti. If you can handle it.”

  Scarlett beat a hasty retreat to her office. The footsteps following Scarlett were most likely Alexis. Parker had a heavier footfall and Mike would never be so obvious as to follow her. As soon as Scarlett settled behind her desk, she began to scribble a note. Alexis leaned against her doorjamb and said, “That’s the most I’ve ever heard Mike talk. To anyone. And he asked you to do something. Socially. He doesn’t do that.”

  Scarlett continued to write a sequence of numbers on the paper and dropped it into a confidential envelope, sealing it and signing her initials across the seal. “Alex, can you take this to Moretti, please?”

  Alexis eyed her critically. “Are you asking me to pass notes for you in class? Hitting on a coworker isn’t something my friend Scarlett would do. You’re very interested.”

  “The envelope clearly states that the contents are confidential.”

  “I suppose I owe Mike one for letting him embarrass himself in front of you.” Scarlett shrugged to appear disinterested, and Alexis snatched the envelope out of her hand. “Fine. But if this works out, I better be a bridesmaid.” Scarlett laughed and got back to work. If he wasn’t interested, Mike wouldn’t mention it. End of story. Two minutes later, her phone rang.

  “How’s tonight?” Mike asked, through the line.

  “That was quick,” Scarlett said.

  “Yeah. Some decisions don’t take long. How do you feel about Italian food?”

  “Yeah. That sounds just right.” Scarlett smiled and hung up the phone.

  When Mike arrived at Scarlett’s office door at the end of the day, she looked up from her work and raised an eyebrow. “Dating a profiler comes with a certain set of risks, you know. I’m going to try and read your mind every once in awhile.”

  “Good. I don’t like to waste words. Sounds like your way saves time.”

  Scarlett rose to put on her jacket. “How do you feel about dogs? And home projects, like remodeling?”

  “Big dogs are great. Home projects are fine, but I won’t remodel the same room every few years.”

  Scarlett tapped a finger against her lips. “Seems fair.”

  Mike grinned. “How about dinner before we figure out how to buy a house and a dog to tear it up?”

  “That sounds like a good plan.” As they left the building to walk a few blocks to the restaurant, Scarlett threaded her hand through Mike’s elbow.

  Mike pulled her a little closer. “It’s the best plan I’ve had in a long time.”

  Note from the author:

  Thank you, dear reader, for joining my characters and me on this adventure! If you enjoyed this book, please leave a rating on your favorite book retailer’s website! Like many authors, I am a small business owner, and reviews are a great way to help other readers find this book.

  If you already rated it and really, really loved this book, tell your friends about it, or visit www.ktleeauthor.com to find me on social media and to get the latest information on new releases in The Calculated Series. All books in The Calculated Series can be read as stand-alone novels or as a series.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to all of my family and friends. I am so grateful for your support and encouragement.

  Thank you to Mom and Darcy for your early reads of this novella and for being my biggest cheerleaders through each revision. Thank you very much to my husband and family for supporting me every step of the way. Thank you to Emily for your support and friendship. Also, special thank yous to Dad, Granny, Justin, Liz, Ellen, Julie, Anna, and Jenn. You guys rock.

  Last but not least, huge thank yous to Laura Anderson and Bridget Fryman. I appreciate the time and care you took to edit this novella!

  About the Author

  K.T. Lee is a writer, mom and engineer who grew up on a steady diet of books from a wide variety of genres. When K.T. began to write the kind of books she wanted to read, she mixed clever women and the sciences with elements from thrillers (and a dash of romance) to create The Calculated Series.

  Bonus Material

  If you enjoyed Calculated Extortion, please enjoy the following excerpt from Book 1 in The Calculated Series, Calculated Deception:

  One

  Dr. Matt Brown raised a hand to cover his yawn as he shuffled into Kelvin Hall, the home of mechanical engineering at Indiana Polytechnic. When he passed through the doorway to his office and flicked on the lights, his muscles tensed. The open cardboard box crammed into the crowded lab space next to his office hadn’t been there when he left yesterday. A shipment
of parts was innocuous enough, but if this one was like the others, he needed to call it in. Matt checked the recipient and peered inside. Damn. After walking the perimeter of the lab to ensure he was alone, Matt closed the door and dialed a long series of numbers from memory. He tapped his foot impatiently until a voice at the end of the line answered.

  “Matt. What’s happening?”

  “There’s been another package.”

  “Good work, Matt. Lay low and keep your cover. Our colleagues will take it from here.”

  Two

  Dr. Ree Ryland’s practical black pumps clipped against the concrete sidewalk, breaking through the quiet of the early morning. She made a beeline to the civil engineering building to buy a coffee from the student-run lounge, filled her insulated mug exactly one inch from the top, added milk and sugar, and popped on a lid. After making small talk with the cashier and paying for her morning energy boost, she resumed her efficient pace until she reached her office. Ree dropped her purse on her desk, took a long pull of fortifying caffeine and pressed the power button on her computer at precisely 7:15 a.m.

  Ree lowered herself into her chair, swiveled ninety degrees and plonked her heavy bag into the bottom drawer of her file cabinet. She locked the drawer and gave it a quick tug to make sure her things were secure, even though Indiana Polytechnic wasn’t exactly crawling with criminals. While Ree wasn’t worried about a student stealing her things, she didn’t want someone to come across her small handgun by accident. Ree quietly exploited the lack of a policy on concealed weapons on campus by carrying her secured Glock zipped into the front pocket of a purse designed for that purpose. Despite chiding herself for her paranoia in the busy daytime hours, she drew comfort from knowing she could defend herself when she worked in the building alone at night.