“Ooompf.” The slap was hard and unexpected.
MacLeod grabbed Ted’s face in the free hand. “Are you listening? You need to understand that you are not going to walk out of this room alive. The only question is, how long it will take you to die and how painful it will be? I’m very good at this you know. I can keep you alive for days.”
Ted’s breath was fast and labored. He felt a chill flow down his back and through his veins. He closed his eyes and tried to think of Maria, Mama, anything.
He received another hard slap to the abdomen.
“You call this little thing a dick?” MacLeod pulled on Ted’s penis and twisted.
Ted gritted his teeth, then smiled up at McLeod. “You get off playing with other guy’s junk?”
McLeod ignored him and pumped the power drill again. “First, let me show you I’m not kidding.” He grabbed Ted’s ear and punched the drill through an ear lobe.
“Yaaaaa”
“You like that?” He drilled Ted’s other ear.
Ted screamed.
“Now we’re getting to understand each other.” The torturer ran the drill through Ted’s nose.
“Nooooooo”
“I was thinking about drilling your tongue, but tongues bleed a lot. you might die before we have a chance to finish that conversation.”
Ted clinched his teeth and breathed hard. “What happened to you? Your mama didn’t love you?”
The man ignored Ted’s comment and turned back to his table, put down the drill and took a neatly folded towel from the surface. He walked over Ted. “You’re going to appreciate this.”
This baboso gets off on hurting people.
“I’ve always admired a man who enjoys his work.” Ted smiled up at the torturer.
Ted was blinded by the towel, but heard the water pouring. He felt his face get wet, then he was drowning.
He tried to hold his breath, but couldn’t keep it for long. Finally, he gasped. He took in a lung full of water. He coughed and spit, but it did no good. Every time he tried to breathe, he got water.
“How you likin’ it so far?” MacLeod asked and pulled the towel free.
Ted gratefully took in a lung full of air and was wracked by deep coughs.
McLeod turned to the black man. “Mr. Washington, you may proceed.”
“You want to tell us how you managed to shut off the power grid?”
“I didn’t do it,” Ted sputtered.
“Okay, round two.” The torturer covered Ted’s face with the wet towel. He hummed “Georgia on My Mind” as he gingerly poured water over the towel.
Ted stiffened and held his breath. Once again, he gasped and took in a bucket of water.
This continued for several minutes, then MacLeod pulled the towel free. “Feeling better, buttercup?” he asked.
Ted sputtered and gasped for breath.
The man grabbed Ted’s balls and twisted.
Ted howled in pain.
“You gonna talk?”
“I … don’t … know … anything.” Ted gasped for breath. “Believe me … if I did, I’d tell you.”
Washington watched his computer monitor and shook his head.
MacLeod grabbed a pair of pliers from the table. “Let’s take another tack.” He opened and closed the pliers in front of Ted’s face.
Washington said, “Let’s talk about your claim to know who’s behind the attacks.”
McLeod put the pliers on Ted’s big toe on his left foot. Ted struggled against the restraints straining his neck to see what McLeod was doing. McLeod jerked.
Ted cried in pain as the toenail came loose. Blood squirted from his foot.
“He works for Microsoft.”
“Now we’re gettin’ somewhere.” MacLeod jerked off the next nail.
“AIEEEE … ” Ted strained against his bonds to no avail.
“Who is this mysterious stranger?” Washington asked.
I can’t tell him. Then I’ve lost all leverage. Ted’s mind raced. I can’t take this anymore. I have to tell him.
The door opened, and Dr. Elaine Jefferson entered the room.
“You can take a break. I want to talk to Mr. Higuera alone.”
McLeod jerked another toenail free.
Chapter 29
Maria Gonzales sat on a chaise lounge on the deck of her Spanish-Colonial-style ranch house and looked out over the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez. She spent most of her life on the ranch, but the view never failed to inspire her. The deep blue water lapped against the brown land dotted with cactus and mesquite. Blue and white pangas were pulled up on the gravel beach below her. She could just see the three large cement crosses on the point to her left.
She held a small fidgeting bundle to her chest. “Patience, Mijo,” she said in English. “Mama’s just about ready.”
She unbuttoned her blouse with one hand and pulled the Velcro-fastened cup from her bra. “Here you go baby.” She pulled the cover off the baby’s head and held him to her breast. He immediately started sucking.
“Oh, Mijo, what are we going to do?”
She heard footsteps behind her.
“Hey, Sunshine, would you like a glass of lemonade?” her mother, Theresa Gonzales, a middle-aged blonde woman said, offering Maria a tray with two frosty glasses on it.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“It looks like he’s eating well.”
Maria smiled. “I’ve never been so happy in my life as when I’m with him. If only …”
“Let’s not go there, honey.” Theresa set the tray on the table and sat in the deck chair next to Maria.
Maria picked up her glass. “Mom, we have to talk.”
The words hung in the air.
Finally, Maria spoke again. “Something’s happened. We’ve been hacked. All our computer systems are down.”
“Oh.” Theresa’s eyes widened.
“It’s that CryBaby virus we’ve heard so much about. All of our data was lost.”
“My God.” Theresa put down her glass and turned full on to her daughter. “What’re you going to do?”
“Martin recommended we pay the ransom, so we can keep doing business, then find out who did it and take care of them.”
Theresa stared out over the blue water. “Martin’s a smart boy.” A large white boat with four white sails cruised by in the distance.
“We paid the ransom and got our data back, but Martin and Razor both agree, we need to pay back this hacker. Everyone has to know that you can’t mess with the Baja Cartel.”
“You know what you have to do, don’t you?”
Maria lowered her head, fussed with the baby, then changed him to her other breast. “Mom, I can’t. You know that as well as I. If I call him, he would come back into my life, into Eduardo’s life. It can’t be.”
Theresa reached over and took Maria’s hand. “How else are you going to solve your problem? Is there anyone on the payroll who could do this for you?”
Maria shook her head, her long red hair tumbling down her shoulders over her baby’s head. “We just don’t have that kind of talent.”
Theresa looked at her daughter. “You’ve put family first before. You need to think of all the people that depend on you, the interest of your business. Is there another way?”
The baby fussed in Maria’s arms. She put him on her shoulder and patted his back.
“Let Grandma take him.” Theresa reached for little Eduardo.
Maria pulled her bra cups closed and buttoned her blouse. “Martin talked to some people in Mexico City. They’re not even in Ted’s class. I don’t know anyone as good as he is when it comes to technical stuff.”
“I think you need to do a little research. Find out who is good with this kind of stuff, pay them a little visit.” Theresa stood and rocked the baby in her arms.
“I’ll look some more, but I don’t think there’s anyone else as good as Ted.”
“How will you get him to work for you?”
Since Maria took over
control of the Cartel, she had to do many things she didn’t like. The hardest thing for her was a face-to-face confrontation. She hated making a threat so powerful that the other person had to comply.
“I’ll solve that problem when we get there.”
****
“Mr. Higuera, we need to talk.” Dr. Elaine Jefferson stood over Ted and stared down at his naked body.
“Then get me outta here.”
Elaine ran a fingernail up the inside of Ted’s thigh.
He felt embarrassed that his cock started to stir.
“I’ve been talking to your attorney.” She ran her fingers over Ted’s hard abdominal muscles. “I think we may have room to work out an agreement.”
She touched Ted’s bloody toes, then raised her fingers to her lips. “Mmmm. Nothing tastes as good as fresh blood in the morning.”
She stepped back and stood the giant X up so that Ted was vertical. “I wish we had toys like this at home,” she said in an aside.
“I’m taking you back to D.C. When we get there, you’re going to help us find this hacker you say you know. You will be in our custody until he is neutralized.”
****
The Gulfstream G-5 touched down lightly at Joint Base Anacotia-Bolling outside of Washington, D.C.
Ted looked out the window at the lush Virginia country side. I thought I’d never see that again.
He was grateful that Elaine rescued him from the torture chamber but was mad as hell that he’d been put through it in the first place. I’d kill her in a heartbeat if I had the chance.
The old saying kept going through his head. I love my country but fear my government.
A pair of black Chevy Suburbans with darkened windows waited for them on the ground.
Dressed in sneakers, jeans, and a black sweat shirt, Ted hadn’t spoken since he was taken down from the X. He stared at Elaine and felt his temperature rise and tingling in his limbs. He clenched his fists to stop his hands from shaking.
“Okay, Mr. Higuera, it looks like our ride is here.” Elaine removed her seat belt and rose.
Two men in black suits with bulges under their left shoulders, motioned Ted to get up. His stomach muscles screamed when he tried to get up. He sucked it in and didn’t let them see his pain, then followed him down the ramp. He limped behind them, putting his weight on the heel of his left foot, as best he could.
He was loaded into one of the Suburbans and the mini-motorcade drove off the air-strip. An hour later, they entered the compound that served as NSA headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland. The main building looked like a giant shoe box, with black mirrored windows covering the entire surface.
The guards whisked Ted to the sixth floor and deposited him in a well-appointed meeting room. A mahogany table that accommodated eight people filled the center of the room. Cabinets and a counter ran along the inside wall. At one end of the rectangular room, a flat-screen television filled the wall.
One guard motioned towards a stuffed rolling chair and said, “Take a seat.” Then the two guards turned to leave the room.
Ted waved to them “You boys have a great day,” It hurt to talk with his sore tongue. “It’s been a pleasure doin’ business with ya.”
One guard wrinkled his nose and left.
Ted walked to the windows and looked out. Tree-covered hills surrounded the complex and, in the distance, he could just barely see the Potomac River. He wasn’t free, yet, but this was a hell of a lot better than the jungle site in Thailand. He nervously fingered the bandages on his ears.
Ted turned when the door opened, and Elaine entered followed by a tall, thin, bald man and Chris.
“Hermano,” Ted squealed in delight. He saw the hardness in Chris’s eyes and didn’t embrace him.
Elaine introduced the other man. “Mr. Higuera, this is Thomas Whitlow, a staff attorney. He and Mr. Hardwick have worked out an agreement that you are going to sign.” Elaine sat at the head of the table and the others seated themselves to her left and right.
Ted looked to Chris. “Well, hermano,” he mumbled, “what is this? Do I sign it?”
“It’s a contract laying down the terms for your release. You’ll help the NSA capture the person or persons responsible for the cyber-attack; you’ll sign a release that absolves the U.S. Government of all responsibility for your incarceration and any hardships you may have endured during said incarceration.”
Ted and Chris had always been close. Often, Ted thought that he could hear what Chris thought. His dry recital told Ted the message underneath. I did the best I could for you, bro. I’m sorry.”
Ted reached for the leatherette document. “I think I need to read this before I sign anything.” He trusted Chris implicitly, but he needed to know what he was agreeing to.
“Go ahead, Mr. Higuera,” Whitlow said. “I’ll find us coffee service.” He got up and left the room.
Ted read through the document, blanking out all external stimuli. Bull shit! The bastards want me to sign a release saying I won’t sue ‘em for torturing me. His hand went subconsciously to the bandage on his nose. Want me to work for ‘em until they’re satisfied the crisis is over. That could be forever.
“I got a couple of issues here,” Ted said. “First of all, I ain’t gonna stay here in Washington under house arrest. You want my help, you let me go home to Seattle and work in my own lab.”
Elaine raised her eyebrows but remained silent.
Whitlow re-entered the room, followed by a young woman in a black skirt and white blouse pushing a service cart with a silver coffee service.
“Coffee anyone?” he asked. “Did I miss anything?”
“Mr. Higuera wants to renegotiate the contract.”
Whitlow poured himself a cup of coffee and turned to Ted. “You know, don’t you, that this is our last best offer? We worked very hard with Mr. Hardwick to get you the best deal we could. There’s no room for negotiation here.”
Ted stared at him, poker faced. “And I want an end date for my indentured servitude. I ain’t gonna work for you for the rest of my life.”
“That’s totally unacceptable.” Whitlock’s eyes widened, and his eyebrows raised.
“I’ll sign the NDA, and I won’t sue you for my kidnapping and physical abuse, but I reserve the right to bring any or all of my staff in on this project.”
“You don’t seem to understand,” The veins in Whitlow’s neck bulged and he breathed deep, heavy breaths. “This is it. Take it or leave it.”
“Ted,” Chris reached out for Ted’s wrist. “This is it. The best I could get out of them.”
Ted smiled. Smiling hurt his face. “Then take me back to Thailand. I ain’t gonna tell you nuthin’.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair.
The room fell silent.
After several moments, Whitlow said, “Elaine, take him back.”
A slow smile spread across Elaine’s face. “You must be one hell of a poker player, Mr. Higuera.” She shook her head. “Agreed. I’ll have Mr. Whitlock rewrite those clauses.”
Whitlock whipped his head in her direction, his mouth hanging open. After a moment, he mumbled “Yes, ma’am.”
Elaine turned towards Ted. “While were waiting for the new document may I ask you a few questions, on good faith?”
Ted looked at Chris. Chris nodded.
“Shoot.”
“You say that the terrorist spoofed your IP address to send out his viruses. How did he do that?”
Ted looked at Chris again, who nodded again. “He bounced his requests off servers all over the world. He covered his tracks well. That’s why you couldn’t get beyond my IP address to see where the attack originated.”
Ted closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His body screamed at him, but he wasn’t going to give the bitch the satisfaction of showing it. “My partner, David Jones, wrote an app that let him dig deeper. That’s how we found the bastard …”
Chapter 30
“Mr. Ted, you have a call.�
� Abiba’s cultured British accent flowed out of the intercom.
“Take a message. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.” Since his return from Washington, D.C., Ted had locked himself in his office, with a bottle of Tequila handy, and didn’t want to talk to anyone. He stared at the portrait of his father on the wall.
“You’re going to want to take this call.” Abiba hung up and the light on line one flashed.
“God damnit. I thought I was supposed to be the boss around here.” Ted reached for the phone and pushed the button for line one. “Ted Higuera…”
“Teddy, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Oh my God ... Maria.” Ted’s heart stopped. He felt dizzy and the world swam in front of his eyes.
“You sound funny. Are you eating ice cubes?”
“No, it’s a good idea though. I had a slight run in with our government.”
“Ted, I don’t have much time. I have an emergency here. I need your help.”
“I’m on my way.” Ted started to rise from his chair. His stomach muscles cramped.
“Stop and listen to me. I’ll pay you whatever your normal rate is. I’ve been hacked, and I don’t know anyone as good as you on these kinds of things.”
“Pay me? Maria, you’re family. I’ll fix whatever you need. How’s the baby? What’s his name?”
“He’s doing great. He’s the joy of my life.”
“I need to see him, Maria.” His palms sweat.
“No, Ted. You can’t come here. I’m offering you a contract, a business deal, nothing more. You offer a service no one else can provide. Do you understand me?”
The world crashed in on Ted. He stared at the wall and closed his eyes to fight off the tears. His head felt like it weighed a ton.
“Can you at least tell me his name?”
He could almost feel her anxiety in the silence on the phone line.
“I named him after his papa.”
“Eduardo, Eduardo Higuera!” Ted had never experienced anything like this in his life. A son! He had a son.
“No, Ted. I named him after his father. Not you.”
Ted dropped the phone and stared into space.
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