“But TGS did?” another man asked.
“Exactly,” McMurtry said. “Part of their visionary plan was to form partnerships with other similar businesses, seeing them as mutually beneficial as opposed to a competitor. And in this case, the smaller firms landed what was essentially a finder’s fee, while TGS did all the grunt work.”
“Isn’t it usually the other way around?” another agent in the room asked.
McMurtry nodded. “Yes, which is what made this business model so unique. But TGS has been doing this for a while, essentially building its reputation and hours inspecting hacks. They’ve become one of the most trusted names in their field.”
“And it was all started by a Saudi prince,” Besserman said, shaking his head. “How did people not see this?”
“The truth is, Prince Salman raised the capital necessary to launch the company but then stepped away. Unless you knew the origins of TSG, you wouldn’t have any idea that he was a part of it. He’s not even listed on the website anymore.”
“P.T. Barnum nailed it when he said there was a sucker born every minute,” one of the agents at the table quipped.
“So what do you think the hackers actually got?” Besserman asked.
“What I think they found were dormant accounts, accounts that didn’t have any activity for a decade or more and would’ve gone largely ignored,” McMurtry said. “The owners wouldn’t be monitoring it since they had likely forgotten about it. And the bank wouldn’t be on high alert when money exited the account since the hackers utilized accounts with enormous balances.”
Besserman stroked his chin. “And what was TSG’s role in all of this?”
“They covered the hacker’s tracks,” McMurtry said. “They made it seem like nothing was gleaned in the hack. But in reality they were merely mining for dormant accounts to siphon money from.”
“I have to admit, I’m impressed,” Besserman said. “So we know the what and the how, but it’s the who that we don’t know. Is that correct?”
McMurtry nodded. “I wish I could give you more, sir. But I—”
“This is a great start,” Besserman said. “You should be proud of this, Mac. This is the kind of work that gets you a corner office.”
McMurtry turned three shades of red as he sat down.
A knock at the door stole everyone’s attention before a perky blonde poked her head inside.
“Director Besserman, you have a call,” she said.
Besserman sighed. “Take a message. This is an important meeting we’re in right now.”
“I’m sorry, sir. But I can’t. It’s the White House. There’s an emergency meeting and your presence is requested.”
Besserman shook his head as he stood.
This can’t be good.
CHAPTER 4
Bridger, Montana
BRADY HAWK YANKED a bale of hay off a stack and carried it out of the barn. He constantly looked down, checking for John Daniel darting back and forth around him. A thin layer of snow blanketed the ground, while the surrounding mountain peaks were coated with a fresh foot of powder.
“Watch out there, little buddy,” Hawk said as John Daniel zipped by, lost in his own world of make-believe.
Hawk couldn’t help but crack a smile, happy that his son could play in the mountains and grow up far away from the rat race that consumed Washington, D.C. There was a time when Hawk didn’t mind living in the nation’s epicenter, but it seemed like ages ago now. He and Alex never imagined they could find such peace and contentment living on a mountainside in Montana, deciding to move into such isolation for a year to decompress from the enduring stress of keeping the country safe in the shadows.
“Dad, watch me!” John Daniel shouted from atop a hay bale.
Hawk turned toward the direction of his son’s voice. The four-year-old had a piece of straw hanging out of his mouth as he crouched low. Once Hawk locked eyes with him, the boy jumped upward, leaping into the snow. He rolled a few times before coming to a stop and then scrambling to his feet. Throwing his hands in the air, he looked up at his dad.
“Was that cool or what?” John Daniel asked.
Hawk chuckled and nodded. “That was pretty great, son. Where’d you learn to do that?”
“I saw Spiderman do it on TV,” John Daniel said. “I’m going to be like him one day.”
Hawk appreciated the fact that his son could have a stable childhood. Growing up with a single mother wasn’t easy for Hawk. She was always looking for work and trying to figure out ways to keep food on the table. The fact that Thomas Colton, CEO of Colton Industries, was believed to be Hawk’s father and helped lighten the financial burden for Hawk’s mother helped as he grew older. But everything felt fragile to Hawk, as if anything he counted on could vanish without any warning. And Hawk determined that wasn’t how things would be for John Daniel.
Hawk smiled as he trudged through the snow back to the barn for another bale, thinking about John Daniel’s re-enactment of a superhero scene. However, Hawk stopped in his tracks when he looked up and saw a person leaning against the edge of the barn.
Alex was walking hurriedly toward Hawk. “I tried to tell her you won’t be interested, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Hawk glanced up at the woman wearing a dark pant suit and clutching a leather portfolio. He put his head back down and kept walking toward the stack of hay bales.
“Alex is right, you know,” Hawk said as he wrapped his arms around another bale.
Morgan May was tapping at the dirt floor when Hawk turned around. “Right about what?”
“About not being interested,” Hawk said.
“How can you say that? You don’t even know why I’m here,” she said.
Hawk lumbered toward the feeding trough before filling it with hay. He spread it out so the horses could get to it more easily before whistling.
“Tucker! Dusty! Come and get it,” Hawk said. He waited for the horses to come running before returning to the barn.
Morgan hadn’t moved.
“I warned you,” Alex said to Morgan. “I hate that you came all the way out here for nothing, but we’re not interested in returning to your world.”
“Alex,” Morgan said, “you were always a terrible liar.”
“This isn’t a lie,” Alex said. “We love it out here. Just look at this place.”
Hawk nodded. “Alex speaks for the both of us, Morgan. This is our life now. And it’s that little guy’s life too.”
Morgan cut her eyes toward John Daniel, who was constructing a horse out of snow.
“Look, Dad. This one is my size,” he said. “I’m gonna call him Snowflake.”
Hawk and Alex both laughed softly and then offered John Daniel encouragement.
“He’s definitely a cute kid,” Morgan said.
Hawk shrugged. “What can I say? He takes after his mother.”
Morgan offered a thin smile before it quickly faded.
“What are you doing out here?” Hawk said.
Morgan sighed and stared off into the distance. “You won’t return my calls. And it feels like you’re avoiding me.”
“Unless you’re selling ranch equipment, I’m not interested in whatever mission you’re trying to wrangle me into.”
“Actually, I wanted to speak with both of you about this particular mission,” Morgan said, a faint smile creeping across her lips as she glanced at Alex. “I don’t plan on leaving until you’ve heard me out.”
“Fine,” Alex said. “If it’ll make you go away, I’ll listen.”
“Should we go inside?” Morgan asked.