by Michael Todd
Marcus had texted. Revelations.
Billie compressed her lips as the anxiety set in. This was not the text she wanted to see when she was still so far away from him. He was in imminent danger. She glanced at the stand-still traffic before her gaze searched her surroundings. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the streets of Bangkok well enough to run them and would surely get lost. A driver on a scooter raced past, weaving in and out of traffic before he made a hard right turn down a side street.
She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a 1,000 Baht note, which she handed to the driver before she patted him on the shoulder. “For your time.”
The driver frowned, looked at the money, and shrugged. She dragged her hair quickly into a low ponytail and stepped out of the Tuk Tuk. On the corner, a young man put something into his bag, almost ready to leave on his scooter. She hurried over, took out two 1,000 Baht notes, and held them up to him. “Do you speak English?”
He looked at the money in confusion. “A little.”
“A little is good enough for me. Have you driven this thing for a while?”
The man looked at the scooter as he considered the question. “Seven year.”
Billie smiled. “Good. I need to get to the airport, and I need to get there fast. I don’t care what roads, sidewalks, or back alleys you take. I have another ten thousand if you can get me there in thirty minutes or less. This is important.”
He stared at the notes in his hand, his need for the money obvious in his eyes. After a hasty glance around him at the people who walked past, he shook his head. “I get you there in twenty.”
She chuckled. “I like the sound of that, sir.”
Without comment, he withdrew an extra helmet from his bag and handed it to her. She raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at him. He shoved it into her hands. “Trust me, you need.”
Billie sighed and rolled her eyes before she dragged the helmet on and snapped the strap under her chin. Quickly, she slid the straps of her backpack over both shoulders and pulled the side strings tight. She couldn’t afford to lose anything she had with her—or the bag, for that matter. It allowed her to carry her guns undetected onto the planes.
The guy straddled his scooter and turned it on before he revved it a few times. Hickok had to firmly restrain a real giggle. How fast could a scooter actually go in the streets of Bangkok? He flicked his chin up at her and she climbed on and held his sides. It startled her when he pulled her arms around his waist. “Trust me. You hold on tight.”
She looked suspiciously at him for a moment and then shrugged. “Why not? I might as well get the full Bangkok experience while I’m blazing through.”
The driver backed onto the edge of the street and gunned the motor to accelerate forward. Billie’s eyes widened and she tucked her elbows in as he hurtled off down a side alley that couldn’t have been more than three feet wide. Small pebbles kicked up from beneath the scooter. Whatever was under the tiny hood of that thing, she was damn sure it did not come stock.
As they raced through the crowds and traffic, she stifled a startled yip at their surprising speed.
The crowd was pumping inside FUBAR. Apparently, the novelty of having the new JB—or NJB—as some of the guys had begun to call him, hadn’t worn off yet. Given how important the bar owner was to the community, though, there was a good chance the excitement would never wear off. He didn’t fully understand it but wouldn’t complain. Everyone was back to having a good old time in FUBAR and the sadness had all but been forgotten.
One of the patrons leaned against the bar as he waited for his drink. “You know what, NJB? I think you brought new life back to this town. It’s like we lost someone and got them back in the same day. You are very much like your uncle. He would have been proud of you.”
JB squeezed a half of a lime into the shaker glass and grinned. “Thanks. I sure hope he would have been. Everyone said that I look like he did when he was young.”
Paula closed the register drawer. “I would say so. At least from back here you do.”
She popped him in the ass and he jumped, then shook his head. He tried to feign embarrassment, but his expression also held a little irritation. It frustrated him no end that their subterfuge meant his right-hand lady could basically do as she pleased. The patrons all laughed. “Don’t go chasing New JB off now. We just got him.”
She waved her hands dismissively. “If he’s anything like his uncle, he’ll get used to it and even expect it after a while.”
JB glanced back at her and she giggled, knowing there was nothing he could say about it. She figured if he was in that situation, why not have a little fucking fun with it? Things had been far too serious for far too long and she was ready to get the man out of his head.
One of the customers poked at JB. “You better watch out. Paula has been known to rock a man’s world.”
His companions chuckled. Paula put her arm around JB and shook him lightly. “Don’t worry, baby, Momma will show you all the secrets.”
JB averted his gaze and focused on the drinks he was working on. “Oh yeah? What makes you think I don’t already know the tricks?” he retorted with what he hoped was the right amount of bravado. “I am a descendant of the great JB after all. I heard he wasn’t too bad with the ladies.”
The men all cheered and raised their glasses. Paula gave a Cheshire Cat smirk and whispered to JB, “Nice one. But I can go all day back and forth on this.”
He laughed, knowing full well she could—and would most likely win too because he could only say so much. For a moment, he thought about making shit up, but then remembered he had to remember everything he said and thought better of it.
Luckily for him, Paula moved on to give hell to a couple of guys at the end of the bar. “You didn’t think I would let the new guy come in and not get the very first dose of hell from anyone other than me, did you?”
The customers all roared and looked at JB. “Better watch out, boy,” one called to him. “When she shows you a thing or two about life, you may never be the same again.”
JB put the glasses on the bar and stuck a toothpick between his lips. “Or she might have met her match. I guess we’ll never know because personally, I don’t shit where I eat.”
They cheered again but one of the guys shrugged. “If you eat the food that comes from that kitchen, you just might.”
The scooter driver pushed his goggles down over his helmet and stopped at a side street to wait for traffic. When he found an inch of space, he hurtled forward to speed past an oncoming car and ignored the blaring horn. He dipped and twisted the scooter as he raced along the back streets and used his foot for stability as he took a sharp right at the end of the alley.
Billie held on and looked around wildly as they sped through the bazaar. Most people ducked out of the way, but those who didn’t spun to the side as the scooter curved around them. When they reached the end of the area, a roar of voices shouted obscenities in Thai at them. The driver glanced quickly back and forth before he drove directly at a row of steps leading down to the entrance of the airport.
With a smile, he tipped his scooter enough to find the first step. Billie bounced up and down and shook her head as they navigated the people on the stairs. When he reached the bottom, she heaved a sigh of relief and made sure to tighten her hold as they bowled through the entrance to the airport. In minutes, he came to a gentle stop in front of the door.
Hickok drew a few exhilarated breaths as she unsnapped her helmet and removed it. She stood and still felt the vibration of the amped-up scooter in her stomach and the bouncing rhythm on her ass. Out of everyone in Bangkok, she had to pick the one scooter driver who was bat-fucking-shit crazy. Then again, when did she ever do anything with anyone even remotely normal? He fit perfectly into her plan.
The man grinned wickedly at her. “Twenty-seven minutes.”
She stared at him, straight-faced for several moments, before she clutched her stomach, leaned back, and burst into excited l
aughter. “You did, you made it in under thirty minutes.”
He took the helmet as she unslung her backpack and counted out 15,000 Baht, which she handed to him. “Here is fifteen, not only for making it on time but also for making it a memorable trip. It’s not often someone else causes me to have an oh shit moment, but I definitely felt my stomach drop back there. I haven’t had that much fun in a fucking amusement park. You have balls, my man. If I’m ever in Bangkok again, I will look out for you.”
The guy shoved the money happily in his pocket and stowed the helmet in his bag before he tipped his hat to her and gunned the engine. She pulled the straps of her backpack over her shoulders once more, and shook her head as she strolled to the airport entrance. Before she entered, she turned and watched the man speed away. She’d thought that if she ever left the organization, life would be boring, but obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Then she remembered that, from the way it looked with Marcus, they weren’t out of the woods as far as the organization went at all. Someone was hunting them—both of them—and it sounded as if they had started with Marcus. She would be damned if she let them eliminate him, not after the great lengths she’d gone to on her own to get him out and safe. If they wanted him, they would have to go through her.
Chapter Two
Holly puffed her cheeks out and released a strong stream of air. She tapped her pen against the top of her head and leaned back as she shut her laptop hard. For hours now, she had worked through some of her research and tried to come up with improvements on the serum she’d created. On top of that, she’d started a spreadsheet of everything she could think of that they would need in order to make the company a success. Her brain was full to the brim and she could barely concentrate anymore.
This company was important—to her future and the future of people all over the world—but man, was it taxing. Not to mention the fact that going dark wasn’t something she was familiar with, so her lists were not complete. She’d had to make her best guess on things and hope that she didn’t screw it up too badly. Hopefully Billie—or Jean, rather—would be home soon and could her give her a run-down on how it would work. Until then, though, she did everything she could to set things up to the best of her best ability. Everything except go out into the Zoo. She simply wasn’t ready to face that, and she knew Hickok would be pissed if she went out there without protection from her or the team.
After the team had lost two of their members in an attack, the others had pulled back a bit, and Holly didn’t blame them. They’d made a huge amount off the deal and could afford to relax and heal their bodies. Those kinds of experiences weren’t easy to bounce back from, and she now understood why people in JB’s stories sometimes went for months before they went into the Zoo again after a tragedy. She definitely wasn’t chomping at the bit to do it.
She slid her laptop into the desk drawer and locked it. If she couldn’t avoid distraction, she might as well do it in an atmosphere where she knew people, at least. It was probably a good idea to check in with JB anyway. He needed to be kept in the know of what was going on. She dragged a hoodie on and brushed her hair into a tight ponytail. Once her sneakers were on, she grabbed the keys and looked around to make sure she hadn’t left anything out for the taking.
Amanda was downstairs, but that didn’t mean that no one would attempt to steal her stuff. Who knew what agents, spies, and whoever else had eyes on what they were doing? The last thing Holly wanted to do was take any chances. People’s lives had been lost for some of that information, and it was all built on the backs of mercs who had ventured into the Zoo long before she had. She would show them respect, even if there were people out there who let the dollar signs blind them to the morality of it all.
She hurried down the steps and peeked in on Amanda, who was hard at work with her headphones on. Holly decided not to bother her and made her way quietly outside and down the street to the bar. There weren’t as many people outside as usual, but she knew that meant nothing when it came to the crowd inside the bar. As she opened the front door, the smell of stale beer and the sound of laughter and shouts struck her in a wave. Walking in there felt like coming home, something she had desperately missed as of late.
One of the regulars raised his drink. “Our dear Holly has returned.”
Holly smiled. “And you, sir, are breaking records with how much tequila you can possibly ingest in a single day without needing medical attention.”
The regular smirked, his teeth blackened and his beard rough and patchy. “If you do something, do it all the way. We don’t fuck around here in the Zoo. We take it all the way to the top. That includes the tequila.”
Her voice grew bubbly. “Right on. But be careful that you don’t take it to the head and end up ass up on the pool table again.”
The regular grumped. “One time, and I’ll never live it down.”
Holly chuckled to herself as she made her way to the bar. She slid onto her normal stool and stuck her hands in the front pouch of her hoodie as she glanced at Paula. The other woman was going over the inventory and JB was nowhere to be seen. While almost everyone now thought of him as New JB, Holly still hadn’t quite caught up. Still, perhaps they would drop the N once enough time had passed and the new man had forged his own position in the community. Leaning to the right, she peered down the hall, but the office lights were off and the door was mostly closed.
As she straightened, the kitchen door swung wide and JB came out, carrying a tray full of food. It was the first time she had ever seen him do that. She watched as he passed and heading out into the dining room. Paula glanced at her and looked amused. “Little JB needs to learn the ropes from top to bottom so today, he’s helping the waitresses whenever he’s not bartending.”
JB walked up, sweating, and put the tray on the counter. “She is a Nazi. A pure evil Nazi.”
Holly snorted and he flashed her an indignant look. It was obvious that Paula had a really good time giving him shit while she could. From the look on her face and the twinkle in her eye, she enjoyed it almost too much. But hey, this had been JB’s idea—or part of it, at least—and he’d agreed to the rest. One day, he would get even, but that wasn’t something Paula was worried about in the least.
Paula tossed the clipboard down and popped JB on the ass. “Don’t forget to put the tray back. This isn’t a station for the waitress shit.”
He finished typing into the register and rolled his eyes. Without protest, he took the tray and returned it the kitchen before he emerged and used a towel to wipe the sour cream off his hand. He walked cautiously to where Holly sat and leaned forward to speak in a lowered tone. “It’s all fun and games until I exact my revenge.”
“I heard that!” Paula yelled from the back.
JB cringed and Holly couldn’t help but smirk. “It’s all part of being the new guy. Not that I had to do any of that when I worked here, but hey, you wanted it all and now you have it.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Can I give it back? I think a life in hiding in some cold Russian underground would be better than this.”
She shook her head. “Nope. Sorry. No take-backs. Oh...” She stood and leaned forward and whispered into his ear while the patrons were all occupied with their conversations. “Jean texted me. She’s on a mission and said to tell you that she got your text about the picture and will handle it when she gets back. Right now, she is going to get Marcus or there will, quote, ‘be hell to pay.’”
JB sighed and nodded. “It’s good to know she’s being productive.”
Paula walked past and snapped her in the rear with the corner of her towel. “Secrets don’t make friends.”
Holly raised both eyebrows, rubbed her ass cheek, and sat once more. “These secrets might.”
He sighed heavily and shrugged. “The reality is, we can’t do a damn thing about it right now. So we might as well focus in on other things. Why don’t you hop back here, and we can give the crew a treat? Special bartender for the evening.�
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She curled the right side of her mouth upward into a half smile. “You know what? That sounds hella good. Way better than going back to the dungeon to stare blankly at the computer screen.”
Holly stood and walked around the bar as she dragged her hoodie over her head and tied it around her waist. She wore a black wife-beater and her arms looked more toned than ever. JB was surprised. “You look like you’ve been working out.”
She looked at her arms. “Yeah, I guess the Zoo will do it to you. That and a steady diet of coffee and pretzels with the occasional Chinese food trip.”
He opened his mouth to say something when Paula’s voice echoed through the bar. “Oh, so you think you’re special because you’re new here?”
Holly grimaced. “Uh oh. Here we go.”
Paula put her hand on her hip. “Let me tell you something right now, little guy. I’ve commanded cocks bigger than you. From the looks of it, instead of being here trying to get some, you should still be at home sucking your mother’s tit.”
The whole bar erupted in laughter. “Tell him, Paula,” someone yelled. “We don’t take no shit around here.”
The man hooted and enjoyed the banter. “My bad. I didn’t know I was speaking to the queen of dicks.”
Paula shrugged. “Well, maybe you should ask questions next time instead of assuming. I control shit. We let the guys think they do, but they all know I say when, where, and how hard. And you, sir, couldn’t drill a screw in a wall, much less a woman.”
His buddies, all veterans of the Zoo, leaned back and laughed as they watched the new guy take serious flack. Paula glanced at one of his teammates. “And what are you laughing at, Roger? It wasn’t too long ago that you sat in this seat and I reminded you how pathetic you were. It doesn’t look like much has changed.”