A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader TXT) 📕

always said you were the smartest of usall,” he said sagely. “Are you smart enough to understand theinherent danger in what you’re thinking?”

Claire nodded and Danny sighed. “Well, then,to answer your question, I could put him in the system but itwouldn’t do any good.”

“Please enlighten me.”

“Well, first of all, if it’s the NSAfollowing him, they can follow him anywhere. A little internationalborder won’t stop them.”

“They couldn’t find him if they didn’t knowwho he was,” Claire pointed out.

“Which leads to point number two. Say you doget him a passport with a faked identity, he might still not beable to get out of the country anyway,” Danny began, swinging hischair from side to side. “If the Feds are after him and have anyidea where he might be going or even leaving from, they’ll justwatch customs and do a background check on anyone who goes throughand catch him on the other side.”

She frowned. She hadn’t thought of that.“Shit.”

“Shit is right,” Danny agreed with a nod.“What he needs to do is get over there with one identity and haveanother new identity waiting for him so that he can start all overagain. Then poof, he’s a ghost.”

“Which he can’t do without a passport,”Claire reminded him.

“Right,” he said. “Why not just make him anAmerican? Start small. Birth certificate, driver’s license. Thenslowly graduate up to a passport? He could stay right here, rightunder their noses.”

Claire exhaled slowly at the thought. Whatwould it be like to have Hugh stay? To help him along in smallsteps rather than cramming it all down his throat? To build ontheir friendship and maybe … one day … “I doubt he would have thatmuch time.”

Her brother raised a curious brow butthankfully refrained from further probing. “If you need to get himout that quick, then I can’t see how … But maybe …” Danny’s wordstrailed off until he was still as a statue, pizza inches from hismouth and eyes far away.

“Maybe what?”

He held up a finger, putting her on hold.She could see the wheels turning in his mind. “Uno momento,Sister.” He took a bite of the pizza, washing it down with a swigof Red Bull. “I’ve got an idea that might work.”

“Might? What is it?”

“Let me brainstorm on it awhile and I’ll getback to you.”

Claire rolled her eyeswith a sigh. She knew that Danny’s brainstorming could lastanywhere from an hour to a month. “You can hack into ahigh-security server in minutes but this takes time?”

“I might be a freakin’ genius, butdefrauding the federal government does take time,” he informed her,grinning wickedly. “As I’m sure you already know.”

Since Claire wasn’t about to go so far as tocall it that, she only said, “Fine. Call me when you figure itout.” She wrote her new number on a piece of paper and handed it tohim.

“This just keeps getting better and better.Someday I’ll demand details.”

“Someday I might just give them to you,” sheteased. “In the meantime, I wouldn’t boot up my laptop unless youwant some company of the type I know you don’t prefer.”

“Better and better.” Tossing the pizzaaside, he swiveled back to the computer and began typing madly.“Oh, wait!” He swung back again just as quickly. Danny pulled hisphone from his pocket as he went to Hugh and physically pulled himto a blank interior wall of the loft. “Smile. No, don’t,” hecorrected. “No one ever smiles on these things.” A light flashed ashe took a picture and then waved an impatient hand. “Okay, nowgo.”

Gathering up the printout, which had beencontained in a large binder delivered by one of Danny’s “minions,”and the USBs, Claire gestured for Hugh to join her as she headedfor the door. “Are we finished, then?” he asked, courteously takingthe heavy binder from her hands as he blinked away the lightflash.

“Thank you. Yes, we’re done for now.”

“Yer brother is most unique.”

“My brother is an unemployed collegedropout,” Claire told him as they left the loft and headed backdown the long hall toward the elevators. “He’s also so damned smarthe could probably head up his own think tank and invent worldpeace. I’ve always wondered what he does to make money. I mean,those servers didn’t buy themselves. I probably don’t want toknow.” No, probably not, she thought. She might have been jokingwhen she asked what the NSA monitored him for, but Danny’s responsehad been remarkably blasé.

“Why does he call those other lads‘minions’?”

Claire grinned. “I think it makes him feelas if he’s some sort of mastermind … either that or he watches toomany cartoons.”

Hugh took her words instride without asking for clarification. Whatever the world atlarge might think about her brother, Danny O’Bierne was definitelyfar more canny than his shabby appearance might lead a person tobelieve. He also cared deeply for his sister and was protective ofher. That alone had earned Hugh’s approval. “I believe he might be‘hacking’ into yer life. He knows what ye do.” And what you don’t, Hughthought.

Sorcha only laughed, swinging a small objectaround her finger. “I’ve suspected as much for a long time. I’mpretty sure he knows me right down to my Netflix history. SometimesI’m tempted to go to lesbian chat rooms just to see if he’ll sayanything.”

Eightlanguages, Hugh thought with someexasperation. He spoke eight languages and still he could not gleanthe meaning of her words. Often when she was excited or angry, sheseemed to forget that some of her words were beyond his ken. Heclosed his eyes against her garble now, sure that one day he wouldlook back on it all and be able to appreciate what amused herso.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Hugh opened his eyes to find her waitingjust inside that infernal box once again.

Never mind that the very mechanics of thething sounded as trustworthy as King George’s promises, the realdifficulty would be in being enclosed within its confines withSorcha for the duration of their return to the ground. Could hewithstand the temptation when she seemed to be deliberatelyprovoking him? Hugh shook his head. He was a man of flesh andblood, not a Grecian marble. Honor aside, there was only so much aman could be expected to bear.

Looking around for an escape, Hugh spied