Countermeasure Read Free Page A

for her to screw up, which didn’t happen very often.
    Unconsciously, her hand drifted to press against the scar, which burned at the unpleasant memories. One in particular sliced through her like a hot knife through butter. She had been betrayed by one of her own CIA team members. During one job, he had withheld a critical piece of information that would have been cause to abort. They had continued with the fateful meet-and-greet that ended in her injury. It was only happenstance that Nathan Nelson, a friend since her first day with the CIA, had caught sight of the sniper.
    When he had yelled the warning, she, being the closest to the action, became the shield, blocking their assignment from danger. The memories of the betrayal swirled in her mind. Lost in thought, she unconsciously continued to rub across the spot.
    Cassandra could still feel the pain, the shock, and could still hear her name being called over and over before everything faded to black. It was a miracle no one had been killed. It was a miracle she hadn’t been killed. She knew the culprit had been punished, but his actions had killed her trust in others. Now she counted only on herself.
    Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Cassandra snapped back to the present. She clasped her hands on her lap and waited for her father to take his seat. Across from her, Robert pressed his fingers together in a steeple and contemplated her. She maintained eye contact and tried not to squirm as she heard the unsaid reprimands in her head.
    “Cassandra,” her father finally broke the silence with an exasperated voice.
    “Yes sir?”
    “Over the past two weeks you’ve arrived late at least three times. Not like you.”
    “I know, sir. It won’t happen again. I promise.”
    Cassandra picked up her pencil and opened the folder. Robert got the drift and dropped the subject, but not before giving her a long, hard stare.
    “You requested a briefing on my thoughts after reviewing the Bristol file. Would you like to hear it?”
    Robert waved his hand indicating she should start. She quickly glanced through her notes and proceeded to give him her report.
    “It looks like the company is using pretty reliable servers, but what I found interesting is that, even with all that power, they’re still using an outside source to manage, monitor, and run their clinical tests. This leaves them vulnerable to hacking. Too many cooks stirring the pot. Too many opportunities for someone to pinch data files, both internally and externally, through EXClinic, the third-party provider.”
    Glancing up, she thought she caught a glimpse of a smile lurking around her father’s mouth but she couldn’t be sure.
    “Take Jessica and whomever else you need and check them both out. Once you have the dates and times for the recon, let me know and I’ll advise them you’re coming.”
    Robert turned his chair to look back out the window. Dismissed, Cassandra collected the file and her notebook and walked to the door. She paused and looked back. “Sir?”
    Robert glanced in her direction, “Yes?”
    She heard the distraction in his voice. “Thank you for giving me this chance. I promise not to let you down.”
    “You won’t, Cassandra. You won’t.” Robert turned to the window again.
    She closed Robert’s office door and sighed in relief at having the meeting behind her. Ever since she was a little girl, her survival instincts always kicked in where her father was concerned. His military training and high expectations had been drilled into Cassandra’s makeup; to this day she had never rocked the boat. Someday maybe things will change and I won’t feel like a child in his presence. The fleeting thought crossed her mind, but deep in her heart she knew it would take a damn miracle.
    Back at her office, she tossed the file on the desk, grabbed her bag, and headed back out the door to meet up with Jessica.
    Jessica stood outside the building tapping her foot impatiently, a sprite of