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Felix shrugged. “I think we assume this file, whatever it is, is somewhere on the internet.”
“But if you don’t even know what the file contains, how will you know when you’ve found it?” Maybe I was missing something important, but this task suddenly felt impossible, and if we couldn’t move the needle on finding out who was behind the threat to Felix’s life soon, I worried it was going to become harder and harder to keep him safe.
Both Felix and Julius shrugged. “Next time TheUpsideDown responds, see if he can give us a file path where the missing information is supposed to be. That’ll at least give us a starting point.”
“Good call.” My brother turned back to the computer and started typing.
While we waited for a response from the other hacker, Julius and Felix went back to setting up searches targeting Naomi Stone. It was already late, and I must have dozed off at some point because I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing on the coffee table. I bolted upright and grabbed it, but McMahon had already hung up. I swiped the screen to unlock it and call him back, hopeful he had news about whoever was after Felix, but he beat me to the punch, calling me again before I could pull up his contact.
“Nero,” I answered, my voice thick with sleep.
“It’s McMahon. I need you to come in.”
“What? Why? Did you figure out who’s after Felix?”
“No, not yet. I’ve got guys working on it, but our leads have run dry. They didn’t find any usable evidence at his apartment, and our IT team came up with a whole lot of nothing when they searched for the source of the photo.” He sighed. “This actually doesn’t have anything to do with the kid.”
“Then what do you want?” A yawn cracked my jaw.
“It’s Valencia. He’s pressing charges against you and the department for using unusual force. It’s a goddamn mess. I need you to come in and give a statement. You’re probably going to need to talk to my boss and maybe even the chief.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I never laid a hand on that asshole.”
“I know, but he’s claiming the mental duress of being chased by a killer whale was outside the scope of what we should have allowed and that when you tapped his boat, he was injured.”
“It was more than a tap, but that’s bullshit.”
Another heavy sigh, and I could almost see him rubbing his temples. “I know, but we have to take everyone’s statements and see what happens. I don’t think it’s going to get far, seeing as how he skipped his court date and tried to run, but due process and all that crap.”
“Fine. Let me grab Felix, and we’ll head in.”
“Don’t bring Felix. It’s going to be a long day.”
That was exactly why I should bring him. Knowing he was safe and with me would make getting through the shitstorm that was no doubt waiting for me that much easier. “McMahon…”
“I’m serious. This is going to be a clusterfuck. He’ll be safe with your brothers. I’ll try to make this as quick as possible.” But his tone said that was out of his hands.
I didn’t like the idea of leaving Felix, but it didn’t sound like I had a choice. “Fine. I’ll be there when I can.”
“Hurry. I’ve already got IA up my ass, asking questions about why you were there in the first place.” He hung up before I could say anything else.
Felix and Julius were in the kitchen, sharing a pot of coffee. Both looked like they hadn’t slept, and I could feel Felix’s exhaustion faintly through our bond. When everything settled down, I was going to take my time claiming him and solidifying our bond so I’d be better able to read his emotions. All the morereason to get any shit with McMahon cleared up ASAP. I didn’t want a trial to come between me and my mate.
“What’s wrong?” he asked the second I walked through the doorway.
Answering his question with one of my own, I asked, “Did you sleep?”
He held up his forefinger and thumb with the tiniest space between while my brother shook his head.
“Liar.” I pressed a kiss to his temple, taking an extra second to breathe in his scent.
“We can take a nap together later. After this latest dose of caffeine wears off.”
I rubbed a hand over my face. “About that… I have to go see McMahon.”
“What? Why? Does he know who’s after me?”
“No, not yet. His leads are about as good as ours are right now.”
