No more nice guy, he thought and attacked with a vengeance. He sent a key monitor and virus, attacking with considerable force. Each mirror was shattered until the system erased and the code shutdown.
“Got them. Be ready to grab them,” Glitch ordered. He moved away from his green on black coding screen, knowing he’d have to go in later and clean it up some before getting back to the job, but for now his adrenaline was pulsing. That had been real. He’d been challenged and engaged. Harder than slipping into some company’s firewall and destroying them. That was child’s play. But battling with a hacker with skill, well that was something he rarely had a chance to do. If nothing else he wanted to meet this guy just to maybe have a go again. That is, if they decided to let him live.
Jack was always one for removing obstacles.
“Mark is up,” Glitch called and froze. Not a man, a woman. He couldn’t see her face, the camera hadn’t been zoomed enough, and she moved too fast. For a moment, he thought he saw wild black hair, but on the second glance he saw dark hair pulled tightly into a bun. He was being fanciful. Hex wasn’t here. She’d never be caught dead in corporate America, and it would be better if he remembered that.
“I’m on it,” Jack said, crouching on the left side of the door. Scratch was behind the door, ready to grab it and then bar it from anyone coming while Jack dealt with their target. She barreled through the door, seeing him too late to stop herself. Her black high heels screeched on the floor as she tried to stop, but he was already moving. He slapped a hand over her mouth, his opposite hand already reaching for her flailing arms. He ducked and twisted smoothly as she struggled against him.
“I admire your spirit, but unless you want me to snap your neck, right here, right now, I suggest you stop,” he warned. Even to his own ears his voice was like the cold burn of ice. Her eyes widened above his hand and then he felt her teeth in his palm. He grunted, but only gripped her face harder, refusing to acknowledge the pain. Deftly he slammed her body into the wall behind her, holding her head so she wouldn’t crack her skull, but hitting her with force to knock the wind out of her.
She wheezed behind his hand as he slid with her to the floor. Scratch said nothing as he handed Jack rope from his go bag. With deft fingers, Jack tied their mark with her hands tucked to her chest while she stared on dazedly. By the time he was done, she couldn’t do much more than wiggle.
“I must say, if you can truss a woman up like that, I might need to look into BDSM myself. That’s just about the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Hmph,” Jack tossed back and hefted the girl up and handed her to Scratch. He went to his bag and pulled out an air meshed one to put her in. The art of binding was one he took pride in. But he’d never used such rough twine on flesh for one of his subs. She’d have enough to feel from him without having to deal with the burn of rope digging into her skin. Well, that was unless she wanted that sort of thing. Then he would be happy to accommodate her. But that was neither here nor there.
“She doesn’t do it for me,” Jack said then and meant it. He hadn’t taken time to play in some time, and he wasn’t going to start now. This woman would be lucky if she lived out the night, and he didn’t like to play with his food that way.
“We’ve got her Glitch. Jack is bagging her now.”
“Go down the stairwell and the side entrance immediately. You’re clear right now. ”
“I’m ready. We are in the clear,” Scratch answered. Jack hefted the now bagged girl over his shoulder. However he’d bent her to fit in his bag was beyond Scratch, but he didn’t really want to know. Some things you just didn’t ask a bona fide killer.
Chapter 4
The silence felt heavy in the reconnaissance van as Glitch waited for his partners to exit the building. By his estimation, they should arrive in less than two minutes. He’d already righted the Amsterix security system and erased all of his tracks. Now it was just a matter of questioning. Hopefully, the mark was some clueless pawn; ready to spill her guts and accept some money for her troubles.
His eyes were fixed on the vendor entrance on the side of the building. The van was parked about five car-lengths away because he didn’t want to attract any attention by sitting parked right outside. That was a rookie mistake. One that he’d made on his very first assignment and Eagle had embarrassed him accordingly.
Suddenly the door swung open. Glitch put the van in a slow creep, pressing the release on the automatic door opener as Scratch barreled out of the building followed by Jack, who had the mark secured in what looked like a cross between a fishing net and a trash bag. To anyone watching, they looked like they were just taking out some trash. Unless you had time to notice that the trash was wiggling.
“Speed it up,” he barked out. It wasn’t necessary because neither Scratch nor Jack was known for wasting time when it came to getting a job done. Glitch was just antsy. The mark was a woman, and he was never comfortable with that. He knew he shouldn’t care, but families were more apt to call the police if a woman was missing even for just a few hours. Considering that they had taken matters into their own hands, Eagle wasn’t aware of this little mission so they couldn’t afford any heat.
Jack tossed his captive into the back of the van with a thud and slid the door closed. Glitch was already accelerating away from Amsterix Corp before he could take a seat.
“Slow down, Dale Earnhardt,” Jack warned. “We don’t need to blow this shit because you want to drive with a lead foot.” He returned his focus to the mark. Removing the outer layer of his net so that her face was visible and Scratch could begin the questioning. His part was done for now, unless they needed his expertise which was, simply put, torture.
“Hijo de la gran puta!” The marked cursed harshly after taking a deep gasp of fresh air.
Mask in place, Scratch grabbed the netting that kept her secured and pulled her body so that she was facing him.
“Nice to meet you too,” he jeered.
“Lambe bolsa,” she hissed.
“Such a dirty mouth on such a pretty face,” he joked as he pulled her a little rougher, causing her to grimace in pain.
“Ah, thought that would shut you up. You ready to cooperate so we can all get on with our night? I’ve got plans with someone who really knows how to get her mouth dirty.”
Although his words were teasing, the scowl he gave her inferred that he wasn’t playing any games. Scratch had mastered that look to dispel the claim that he was just a pretty boy, or a pussy.
In the driver’s seat, Glitch strained to see what was happening in the rearview mirror while trying to keep his eye on traffic. His tension was growing by the minute, and something about the little exchange between their mark and Scratch had set him off. There was something about that voice, and the fact that he only knew one woman who liked to call men nut sack lickers.
The loud blaring horn of a garbage truck snapped him back to attention as he swerved to keep from crashing with the truck head on.
“Jesus Christ,” Scratch bellowed from the back of the van. “Yo! You need to get a grip,” he continued to bark at Glitch.
“Get her name,” Glitch demanded, ignoring Scratch’s outburst.
“You just watch the damn road and let me do my job,” Scratch retorted.
“Just ask her fucking name!” Glitch was wired from the anxiety and excitement pumping through his veins. His instincts were never wrong, and right now they were telling him exactly who the woman with the stellar computer skills and potty mouth was. He just wanted confirmation.
Scratch and Jack exchanged confused glances at Glitch’s outburst.
“You heard him, Doll. Tell the nice man your name,” Scratch ordered. He would wait until later to deal with whatever was up Glitch’s ass. He glared at the woman expectantly. Waiting for her to curse him again or refuse, but her entire expression changed when she heard Glitch’s voice. As if she’d seen a ghost.
“Hex,” she whispered. Her expression anxious as she chewed he
r bottom lip.
“What?” Both Scratch and Glitch asked at the same time.
“She said Hex,” Jack added. He was now eyeing her with thinly veiled suspicion.
Glitch felt his blood run cold. He knew it. The way the hacker had mirrored his own program against him. The way they taunted him, only running their rogue program after business hours. Hex was the only hacker who had ever challenged him like that. She was also the only woman who ever held his interest. Made him feel things that he thought he was immune to.
When he got locked up, there was no way he could contact her without getting her involved in his mess. Any contact would have led the cops straight to her, and Glitch wouldn’t have that. He’d rather man up and take the fall to protect her. But when Eagle brokered his deal to freedom, one of the consequences was to sever all ties to his past. That meant no going back, so he never contacted her again. He felt it was safer that way, for both of them.
Now, here she was. Tied up and terrified as Scratch and Jack looked like they are about to nullify her life expectancy. They had no idea who she was or what she meant to him. But he knew, and a flood of memories assaulted him as if to make sure. The way she laughed at all his corny jokes. The funny faces she would make when she taunted him about his work. The many nights they spent chatting via webcam until her eyes were heavy with sleep. The longing he had for her had never gone away. And now she was here.
“Wait,” Glitch called out. Making a quick right turn, he pulled into the parking lot of a hardware store. The van wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb here. Cutting the engine, Glitch took a deep breath before handing the keys to an already high-strung Jack, giving him something else to do besides focusing on how he could inflict bodily harm to Hex.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jack’s razor sharp tone sliced through the thick air in the van. Scratch was trying to keep an eye on their mark, but kept glancing between Glitch and Jack as the tension mounted between them.
“Yo, Glitch. What are you doing, man?” Scratch’s voice was wary. He knew that whatever was going on wasn’t part of the plan, and that was never a good thing. Especially coming from Glitch, who was the most sensible and emotionally tempered one out of the three. While all three shared a bond, Scratch and Glitch had grown really tight. He knew something was going on with Glitch, and his friend hadn’t told him.
“Just let me get back there and I’ll explain. Jack, you drive.” Glitch didn’t want to waste anymore time bickering with Jack. That would get too ugly.
With a glare that let Glitch know that he better not screw things up, Jack snatched the keys and they switched places.
Glitch couldn’t believe his eyes. It was really her, and she was more beautiful than he remembered. Her dark curly hair was now restrained into a bun, but the fire dancing in her eyes was still there. Everything about her called to him. The long eyelashes that framed her cat-like slits. The deep tan skin. Same sultry voice.
Their eyes connected and he saw the fear shining in hers, but also a glimmer of something else. Something that said maybe he wasn’t the only one harboring their past as a special place in his heart. As much as he hated to admit it, he had feelings for Hex back then, and he still did.
“This better be good,” Scratch mumbled as Glitch took a seat next to him. Glitch just nodded and turned his full attention to Hex. Breaking their stare-down, he spoke first.
“You want to explain to me what you were doing?” He’d wanted to say something smooth, to let her know that he would make sure she was safe. That he was happy to see her, but he couldn’t with Scratch watching his every move. Since he didn’t know her angle yet, there was no use in making promises.
“I told you I would always find you,” she responded.
Wrong answer. Terrible answer.
Glitch could feel Scratch bristle next to him at her words.
“You know each other?” Scratch rubbed his temple furiously. A tick that let Glitch know he had limited time before his partner lost it.
“We knew each other. Before I got pinched.”
“This is fucked,” Jack commented sharply from the front of the van.
“I’ve been patient long enough. Somebody let me out of this thing before I start screaming my head off,” Hex threatened.
“I think you’re better off being quiet right now,” Scratch warned her. “Glitch. You have two minutes to make me understand this, or our little friend here has the worst night of her life.”
Ignoring Scratch, Glitch turned to Hex.
“Look. This is no time for games. I need you to explain to me why you were hacking my program. Was it business or personal?”
Hex took a deep breath, looking warily at Scratch before returning her attention to Glitch.
“Personal. I’ve been looking for you for years.”
“So Amsterix doesn’t know about my hack? You were operating all on your own?”
“I’m the customer service manager of the software division, but they have no idea about my level of technical skill,” she continued.
“So you’re a hacker,” Scratch concluded. Before he could finish the rest of his thought, the van swerved wildly into an alley next to an abandoned warehouse. The click of a clip being shoved into place could be heard before Jack was leaping over the console and joining them in the back. He shoved Glitch aside as he pointed the gun at Hex.
“Easy,” Glitch shot out as he tried to lower Jack’s arm that was aiming the gun right at her temple.
“You know the rules,” Jack uttered calmly. “No one from the past. This troublemaker has to go.
“Just hold on. I need more information,” Glitch argued.
“For all we know, she could be lying. This could all be a trap,” Jack continued.
“I’m telling the truth,” Hex hissed. Her tone was venomous, but her eyes pleaded with Glitch to protect her. He had to find a way to fix this.
“I’ll handle this,” he began. “Just give me a chance to talk to her.”
“Jack’s right man,” Scratch chimed in. “What if she is lying? We could be sitting ducks right now. If word gets from Amsterix to Hawk, we’d be seriously screwed. She’s a liability.”
Glitch knew that they were both right, but his intuition was telling him that Hex wasn’t lying. He looked at his partners, trying to figure out what he could say to them to change their minds.
“I have information that proves otherwise,” Hex said coolly. “If anyone is setting you up, it’s Hawk Global. How do you think I found you? Your hack into Amsterix was a setup. I think you would be wise to hear me out. Kill me, and you might as well commit suicide. All three of you.”
“Bullshit. You just said you’d been looking for him,” Scratch barked.
“Not bullshit,” Hex shot back. “What if I told you I had a documented proof of this hack job, how it was supposed to go, down to the detail?”
“This is serious, Hex,” Glitch urged.
“I’m being serious,” she pleaded.
“Why should we believe you?” Jack’s tone was calmer than before, but his aim was still on her.
“You’re being used Glitch,” she warned”.
“What is she talking about?” Scratch was growing more agitated by the second.
“I’m talking about the fact that one of the best hackers alive knowingly walked into a trap,” Hex replied. Taking a deep breath, she cast quick glances at each man before continuing.
“My mirror program wasn’t just to ruffle your feathers, but to cover you. A week ago, Amsterix had a high tech anti-spyware program installed on every server. Not your average anti-virus software, and nothing that your average IT guy would figure out either. But I did, and I wanted to know why the level of security was increased. Any activity on their servers, external or internal, was logged into this system. I don’t know who was assigned to monitor it, I just know it was there, and I was going to figure it out. I’d almost given up the night you first tripped the system. I didn’t know what was goin
g on, but I had to act fast or else I would be busted in the process. Every time I attacked your program you would come back harder from another angle. It had been years since I’d had the type of play, and then I recognized a few of your signatures. I knew it was you. I just didn’t know why, or that my life was in danger for figuring it out.”
“You need to explain how you knew it was a trap.” Glitch didn’t know what to make of her story, but he was committed to hearing her out.
She nodded her head, peering nervously at Jack, and licking her lips before she answered.
“You know once I find something, I go all in. Well, your tag is linked to Hawk Global, which would have meant nothing to me if your CEO hadn’t been there for a meeting recently. Amsterix is a subsidiary of Hawk Global.”
Chapter 5
Glitch Page 3