Leslie''s words from yesterday had thrown him off his game and he hadn''t warned Reese in time.


    Reese dodged his hand, turning her head away, but the tips of her ears turned a little pink. "Didn''t want you to worry. Besides, the more discreet our clues, the better. If we let them think they''ve won, we can catch them all when the trap snaps shut."


    "They''ve already walked off with the fake data, so we don''t have to stress over Leslie''s tricks anymore," she added. "When they''re convinced they''ve got the real deal, we''ll follow the trail and root out everyone behind her."


    Matthew nodded. "I''ll handle things from here."


    A smile tugged at his lips. He''d seen Reese grow so muchtely.


    "Guess I''m counting on you now," he teased.


    Reese just turned and headed for theb. "I''ve got something tomorrow, so I''m taking the day off."


    Matthew paused, realizing what tomorrow was. "Is it the hearing? Want me toe with you?"


    She shook her head. “No, I can take care of it myself." She nced back at him, catching the worry in his eyes, and added, "I''ll text you when it''s done."


    He nodded, not pushing her. He just reached out and gently patted her shoulder. "Call me if you need anything. My phone''s always on."


    "Okay,” Reese said softly, turning toward the elevator.


    Matthew watched her leave. The warmth in his eyes faded, reced by a cold determination.


    He was going to make sure Leslie walked right into his trap. Only then would he finally have a shot at finding out where his mother was.


    Meanwhile, at Big X headquarters...


    Leslie was sitting with headphones on, listening to Reese and Matthew''s conversation, her eyes bright with excitement.


    The guy before sat at theputer, typing fast and grinning. "Look. We''ve got all the core data. This is even better than we hoped for. Once I get this back to HQ, that visa you want will be yours."


    Leslie whipped off her headphones and hurried over to him, eyes glued to the progress bar on the screen. She broke into a wide smite Are you


    sure? No issues?"


    fo


    "Zero issues," he said, tapping the desk. "Our tech is top notch. As long as we''re near theb, we catch everything.


    "You heard Reese and Matthew. They said this is the final version. Nothing''s going to go wrong."


    Leslie grabbed her water bottle, taking a sip to steady her nerves.


    A visa. A ticket out. An escape from the country-and from that man. Everything she''d ever wanted was right in front of her.


    She stared at the data on the screen, already picturing herself living an easy life abroad.


    "This is amazing. When are you leaving?" she asked.


    “I''m heading out now.” He copied the files onto a USB drive and slipped it


    into an inside pocket. "I''ve got a


    flight tonight San Francisco first, then Miami, then I''m home by tomorrow."


    "Once HQ checks out the data, I''lle back for you."


    Leslie nodded, her smile glowing. "Be careful. I''ll be waiting for your news."


    He stood up and squeezed her shoulder. "Don''t worry. We''ll see each other soon."


    As he walked away, Leslie drifted to the window, looking out at the packed city streets, her eyes full of hope.


    She pulled out her phone and scrolled to that man''s contact, her finger hovering over his name. In the end, she didn''t call.


    Once she had her visa, she would delete his number forever. She''d finally be free.


    What Leslie didn''t realize was that right then, in the operations center, Matthew and the agents were watching a blinking red dot move across a screen.


    It was the tracker hidden in the fake data, sending a signal as the blond man headed for the airport.


    The agents had already figured out who he was. He''s a core member of an international tech espionage group, and his whole mission here was to steal de''s core


    technology.