Chapter 246

Matthew was running late to BlackOak because he had to drop Annie off at school. As he pulled into the parking lot, he spotted Jane leaving in a car. Frowning, he headed straight for the lab.
Inside the main hall, there was no sign of Reese. His stomach tightened with worry, and he sped up, only to notice that Sofia’s old office door was open.
Reese was inside, sitting at a desk and typing furiously on her laptop.
She glanced up when she heard him, her eyes curving with a quick, secretive smile. She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, and tapped the little black box on the desk with her other hand.
Matthew finally let himself breathe. Clearly, Reese had already caught on to what was going on.
He made sure his footsteps were loud as he walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down beside her.
The cool scent of cedar followed him, enveloping Reese. She caught the familiar smell, glanced up, and found herself staring right into his dark eyes. Her ears went a little pink.
“Blade’s core parameters were fully calibrated yesterday,” Matthew said, nodding at the black box. “The data running now is only three percent off from the final version.”
Reese instantly understood his hint. She flashed a tiny, knowing smile, her tone purposely casual.
“These numbers are way beyond what we’d hoped for. I was worried about the power consumption, but after you reworked the algorithm, it dropped by fifteen percent.”
She picked up the test report, flipping through it just loudly enough for the hidden device to catch every word. “The final data set isn’t in yet, though. If we can’t get it by tomorrow, will that mess up the delivery schedule?”
Matthew caught her playful look and couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve got three teams working around the clock. As soon as we get the last results, we’re good to go.”
“Perfect. I’ll get started on simulating the data collection and operational routes.”
Reese turned her attention back to her screen. She worked quietly until almost noon, then stretched and got up, rolling her neck.
“All done. Once we have this afternoon’s data, we’ll know if it all works in real- world conditions.”
They left the lab together. Matthew closed the door behind them, and as he turned around, he caught Reese looking at him.
They both burst out laughing.
“Leslie must’ve told Jane to plant it,” Reese said, leaning against the hallway wall and glancing back at the closed door.
“I knew something was up when Jane came to see me. She even bumped into my pocket on purpose. That’s when I found it.
“I just don’t get why Jane would help Leslie pull off a stunt like this.”
Matthew glanced at her, remembering what he’d overheard yesterday in the Ratcliff family’s backyard. A flicker of anger passed through his eyes.
“Leslie probably has something on Jane,” he said after a pause. He didn’t say more. This was his own problem, and he didn’t want Reese mixed up in it.
Reese raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. She wasn’t interested in Jane’s drama. “I’ve seen that device before. It’s a micro data collector with real-time transmission.
“I used this computer to change the files. Right now, it looks exactly like Blade’s core data, but the critical algorithms and energy modules are all wrong. They won’t be able to use it. If they try, it’ll send their whole project down a dead end.”
Matthew watched the confidence in her expression and felt a wave of admiration.
“That’s even more thorough than I expected.”
Reese smiled, tilting her chin up, a Content orıginally comes from
spark of pride in her eyes. “That’s not all had Alan contact Homeland Sepurity. We handed over every leads about Leslie’s connections overseas.
“I hid a double-tracking program in the fake data. Whether they upload it or try to
smuggle it out, Homeland will know exactly where it goes.”
Matthew couldn’t help but stare at her bright, determined eyes, feeling warmth bloom inside him. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair
hen did you have time to do all that? Why didn’t you tell me?”