Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls and Gadgets

by Kate Moretti

  Philly turned to Zavier. “I can’t just waltz into Velocom’s headquarters and hack into their systems. I’m a Ramirez. I’ll be tossed the minute I step onto the premises.”

  “No, you’re right. You can’t get into Velocom’s building. But there’s another way to access the server.”

  Philly tapped her boot. “Oh, yeah? How?”

  Zavier paced around in a circle. “Remotely.” He looked up, his face a mask of seriousness. “From my uncle’s house.”

  Philly threw her hands up in exasperation. “You expect me to sneak into your uncle’s billion-dollar, highly secured mansion in order to hack into the system? You’re insane.”

  “I can get you in.”

  “And then what?” she asked. “I can’t do crap without an encryption key. That was Tonio and Aiden’s mistake. They thought they could figure out the server’s secured alphanumeric passcode on their own, but there are kajillions of combinations to crack. The key could open a server within minutes, but the key is not easy to come by, even on the black market.” Philly should know—she had tried to get her hands on it. Biomarkers didn’t work, since criminals were known to chop off fingers in order to hack into systems—a tactic that made Philly sick to her stomach. An encryption key was the only way. Aiden had told Tonio he could steal it from his father, but he failed. And Tonio… well, Tonio was so arrogant, he thought he didn’t need one. They were both wrong.

  Zavier bit his lip and nodded. “I’ll get it. Don’t worry.”

  “You’re going to get the encryption key? The same key Aiden couldn’t get?”

  “It’s in my uncle’s safe, and I know the combination.” He examined her for a moment, and she squirmed under his watchful stare. “So, you’ll do it?” he asked.

  “You can sneak me into his house?”

  “Yeah. I’m his nephew. It’s a non-issue.”

  Philly closed her eyes and counted down from five, a trick she had learned from Tonio to use when she was overwhelmed. She opened her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m trusting another Tonkin, but yes,” she said. “I’ll do it.”

  Philly huddled under her building’s portico and rubbed her arms as rain tumbled down in sheets. She ran her hands over her long black sleeves. She was moments from going back into her apartment and grabbing her leather jacket when Zavier pulled up in an apple-red sports car.

  “Quick, get in,” he said through the open window.

  Philly opened the passenger door, slid onto the soft leather seat, and fastened the seat belt. She hesitated to rest her muddy boots on the pristine floor mat, but she had no choice. She couldn’t sit in the car with her knees drawn up to her chest. She adjusted the heat vents until the warm air swirled around her. “Is this your car?”

  Zavier scoffed. “This is my uncle’s ride. I’m just returning it.”

  “Okay,” Philly said before grinding the mud deep into the mat’s rubber grooves. “So this is how we’re getting inside your uncle’s compound.”

  “Clever girl.” Zavier sped along a country road, taking blind curves with raw abandon. Philly’s stomach turned.

  “I’m going to assume you got the encryption key,” she said.

  Zavier gripped the steering wheel hard. His knuckles turned white. “Yup.”

  “How?” She couldn’t keep the curiosity out of her voice. Aiden hadn’t been able to get it, so how did Zavier manage?

  “I hid a nano camera in my uncle’s office. It sits above the safe and records the combination every day. It’s so small, it’s practically microbial.”

  “Your uncle isn’t the only one who doesn’t respect privacy,” she mumbled. “Why wasn’t Aiden able to use this camera when he was working with my brother?”

  “Because it hadn’t been invented yet. Velocom just finished the prototype.”

  “Timing is everything,” she mumbled. “And you got your hands on it?”

  “I know people.”

  “Who can be bought off?”

  Zavier shrugged. “Have you given much thought to what you’re going to do once you find out where your brother is?”

  Philly had thought about the scenario a thousand times. “Warn him, I guess. How much time before your uncle’s people close in on him?”

  “Not much. They’re getting close.”

  Philly let out a breath. If Velocom’s mercenaries killed Tonio, Philly’s mother would break apart. There’d be no saving her family then.

  Zavier drove past an overgrown field. Rain glistened off the tall weeds. For a second, Philly imagined herself taking a country drive in some northern country like Scotland or Ireland, not on her way to commit a major felony outside Atlantic City.

  “We’re almost there,” said Zavier, slowing down. He pulled over alongside a white fence. Philly noticed a herd of cows in the distance.

  Her heart felt like as though it were going to beat out of her chest. “Why did you stop the car?”

  Zavier pressed a button. Philly heard a beep and a mechanized pop. Zavier glanced in the rear view mirror before turning to her. He smiled. “It’s time you got in the trunk.”

  Philly’s knee bumped up against something long and metal. A crowbar? Great. This was Zavier’s plan to get her inside her uncle’s compound. His last words before closing the trunk lid were, “Let’s hope the guards don’t ask to search the vehicle.”

  Zavier slowed down and went over a speed bump. The crowbar stabbed her in the hip, and she winced. When the car stopped, she could hear voices.

  “Zavier,” said a deep male voice. “I don’t have you on today’s list.”

  “I’m returning the ’Vette,” said Zavier, his voice nearly cracking. “He’s expecting me.”

  The guard grunted. “Then you should be on the list. I’ll need to conduct a search.”

  Zavier’s voice rose. “Are you kidding me, Paulie? He’s expecting me. You know how he gets if I’m late.”

  There was silence before she heard a motorized sound. A gate opening? Her pulse quickened. Then the car lurched, and they were on the move again.

  A moment later, Zavier parked the car and cut the engine. The trunk lock popped, and the lid opened. Zavier stood over her and offered Philly his hand. She climbed awkwardly out of the trunk and into a massive garage with shiny floors and a large diamond emblem in the center. She felt as though she were in a museum. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if a car leaked oil on these floors.

  Zavier snapped his fingers in front of Philly’s face. “We better hustle in through the east wing before my uncle’s security detail catches us. There are fewer cameras on that side of the house.”

  Philly’s mouth was dry. “Why?”

  Zavier gave her a pointed look. “Let’s just say my uncle has business dealings he’d rather not have recorded.” He ushered her through an ornate wooden door. “Come on. We need to hurry.”

  Zavier led her down a long corridor. On either side were large black-and-white photos in thick gallery frames. Most of the pictures were of Aiden’s mother, a blond woman with a piercing gaze and dark lashes. She was beautiful in the way money enhanced beauty—unnaturally white teeth, taut skin, and highlighted hair. Philly spotted a photo of Aiden grinning in his graduation gown and holding his diploma as though it were a winning lottery ticket. She felt a pang in her chest. This was the Aiden she remembered. The idealist. The optimist. The activist. And now he was dead—killed by the man who owned this house, a man who also had the power to make her disappear for good.

  “Let’s do this fast and get out of here,” she told Zavier.

  Zavier put his finger to his lips and opened a door. He peered around then ushered Philly inside before he closed the door.

  Philly marveled at the sight before her. She stood on lush, beige carpet inside an office that could hold her apartme
nt twice over. A large bay window looked out on acres of manicured lawns. In the distance, Philly saw the blue glimmer of a large swimming pool, and beyond that, tennis courts. Bookshelves lined two of the four walls, and on those shelves sat leather-bound tomes, some with fraying edges. Priceless first editions? In the center of the room sat a leather wingback chair in front of a large glass desk, and across from that, a large black safe. Philly wondered where Zavier had hidden the camera. She certainly couldn’t see one.

  Zavier took her by the elbow and led her to the desk. He plunked her down into the smooth leather chair. She glided her fingers across the glass screen, marveling at the system. “Do you know the password to access his operating system?”

  “Aiden, all caps, and his birthdate, 10520,” Zavier grumbled.

  “That’s a terrible password. Too easy to guess.” Philly held out her hand for the encryption key. Zavier dangled the black key fob in front of her as if she were a kitten. She snatched it from his hand.

  “Access the holograms,” he barked.

  “Okay, okay.”

  Zavier leaned over her and stared intently at the screen. “You won’t need the encryption key for this part.”

  This part? Philly swiped at some images that popped up, photos of people who had reordered holograms. She typed in Aiden’s name and watched as the profiles flashed before her like a deck of cards in a magic trick. Aiden’s face appeared, and next to his image was a list of all the people he had left messages for. Philly went to tap on Zavier’s name, but he grabbed her wrist and not gently. “I already heard mine,” he said. “I want to hear yours.” His eyes darkened. “You told me Aiden didn’t record one for you, but”—he tapped her name on the screen—“there you are.”

  Philly licked her dry lips. “I didn’t know.”

  “Now you do,” Zavier said. “Play it.” His voice sounded hoarse and was barely above a whisper.

  Aiden’s hologram materialized. His blond hair held a greenish cast, and he wore a fancy navy suit with a skinny black tie. He looked as though he was ready to go to a party, not record his last words. “Philly, girl.” She felt her stomach drop. “You’re so brave. When Tonio and I asked you to be a part of this, we had no idea how much you would have to sacrifice. I want you to know that I’m going to get you out of Pig Pen. My cousin, Zavier, works as a guard there, and he and I are coordinating an effort to spring you. I’m so sorry. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I’ll make it right.”

  With a shaky hand, Philly paused the recording. Aiden’s hologram stood there frozen, a harbinger of death. “You were supposed to help me from the beginning?” she croaked. “Every day, I’d sit in my cell, alone and scared, and you’d come sidling up to the electromagnetic bars to talk to me and ask me about my day. You watched me cry for my home, my mother, and you’d tell me I’d see her again in two years. You didn’t care! You were just taunting me. Except I wasn’t in on the game.” Philly whipped around in the chair and found herself staring into the barrel of a gun. She raised both of her hands in front of her, but she couldn’t keep the venom out of her voice. “Why am I here?”

  Zavier cocked his brow but kept the gun firmly aimed at her. “I thought Aiden was my best friend. He was the only Tonkin who didn’t treat me like trash, or so I thought. But he used me. It was my idea to steal the money. I said we could all disappear together. Live like kings in Mexico. Him, me, even Tonio. But they wanted to steal the money and return it! After the plan flopped, Aiden paid me a measly ten grand to help you,” he snarled.

  “But you didn’t help me.” Aiden had loved his father, but he couldn’t understand how the man could be so greedy and heartless. He must’ve realized his cousin was cut from the same cloth. “Aiden found out, didn’t he? You double-crossed Aiden, and then you killed him,” she hissed. “I should’ve known it was you who drugged him. After all, you flunked out of med school.”

  Zavier tightened his grip on the gun. “I didn’t flunk out. I left.”

  “Why would you kill him? He was your cousin.”

  “He was going to tell his father everything. Uncle Alex wouldn’t have just sent me away—he would’ve made me disappear. Why do you think I was at Pig Pen? It was my punishment for med school. But in the end, that punishment worked to my advantage because look what it got me. You.” Zavier aimed the gun more pointedly at Philly’s temple. “I want to hear the rest of your message.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m pretty sure after you were imprisoned, Aiden got his father’s account number, and I’m betting he told you. He knew where the money was—he just didn’t know how to access it.” He snatched back the encryption key. “But this time will be different because I have you and this.”

  Philly pressed Play, and Aiden’s hologram blinked for a moment before resuming. “Philly, you’re a great girl. I just want you to know this one thing.” Zavier leaned in, his fingers to his lips. “I love you,” Aiden said. The hologram went out.

  Zavier cried out before he slammed the muzzle of his gun into a porcelain vase that sat on a nearby credenza. “We’re running out of time! Hack into the accounting servers. I need you to move the money.”

  Philly wiped the sweat from her brow. She yearned for a glass of water, anything to alleviate the desert in her throat. “How much?”

  “All of it. Put it into my account in the Caymans.”

  “From which account?” Philly could hear the frustration in her voice, and she hoped Zavier noticed it, too.

  “From Velocom’s managing operations.”

  Philly accessed the accounting server before she tapped into the accounts manager. She gasped. “There’s a billion dollars in this account.”

  Zavier grinned, and his eyes lit up. “I know.”

  “This is going to take time.” Zavier’s breath quickened, and Philly knew that once she was done with the transaction, he would kill her. She watched as the percentages zipped across the screen. “It’s moving.”

  “Great,” he said drily. “Then I won’t need you anymore.”

  Philly needed to stall long enough for security to find her, which would be in five minutes if she just pressed this button—

  “Don’t even think about it.” Zavier pressed the tip of the gun to her forehead. Philly inhaled and took her finger off the screen. Zavier slid his hand into his back pocket and revealed two small white pills. “Take these.”

  She vehemently shook her head and pressed her lips together in a tight line. Zavier put down the gun and grabbed Philly’s mouth with one hand while forcing the pills between her teeth with the other. This was her chance. She smacked Zavier’s hand and lunged for the gun. He jumped on top of her, and the gun fell to the floor. A shot rang out, and Zavier screamed. A trail of crimson droplets littered the creamy beige carpet. Philly thought she was about to be sick.

  A moment later, security guards barged into the room, followed by men and women in navy jackets with yellow letters on the back that spelled out FBI.

  “On your knees,” they cried.

  Zavier was already on his knees, clutching his side. A tall Velocom guard, or FBI agent—Philly couldn’t tell—pulled Zavier’s arms roughly behind him and cuffed him. “I need an ambulance,” the man spoke into his wrist.

  A slim woman with a severe bun flipped open a leather case and displayed her FBI shield. “I’m Agent McDaniels. Your parole officer, Stacia Leonard, called us. She said you texted her a message that you would be breaking into Alexander Tonkin’s personal office.”

  Philly swallowed back a surge of bile. Suddenly, the room began to spin, and she fell to the floor. The last thing she heard before a sea of blackness that swallowed her up was Zavier crying out, “You set me up!”

  Before Philly could close the door to the maintenance shed, Ralph barked out, “You’re late again.”

  She hu
ng her head. “Sorry.”

  “Yeah, sure you are.” He appraised her knotty hair and wrinkled coveralls. “You look like crap. You sick or something?”

  Philly shook her head. “I got into some trouble.”

  Ralph ran his meaty hand over his chin. “Well, that explains why the FBI and your PO are in my office.”

  Philly sighed. “Crap.” She’d thought she was done with them. They had already “interviewed” her for several hours about her involvement with Zavier before letting her go home. She was emotionally and mentally spent.

  Ralph motioned toward the office door. “Same routine as last time.” He laughed. “Never a dull moment with you here, blondie.”

  “I hate when you call me that. It’s insulting.”

  Ralph put up his hands in surrender. “You win, Philomena.”

  “I can work with that.” She sucked in a deep breath before opening the door to Ralph’s office.

  Stacia’s mouth was turned down at the corner. She pointed to an empty chair at the table. Philly sat down.

  “Sorry to bother you at work,” Agent McDaniels said, “but I missed some questions.”

  Philly rubbed her fingers over her puffy eyes. “Shoot.”

  “When did you discover Zavier had tampered with the holo emitter?”

  Philly blew the bangs from her face. “Did he?”

  McDaniels pursed her lips. “That’s how we assume he lured you into his scheme. He tampered with the hologram emitter so he would have a reason to access your personal message.”

  Philly shrugged. “I guess the luring part worked.”

  McDaniels tapped some buttons on her wristlet. “At what point did you think to text Stacia?”

  Philly looked over at Stacia, who was fidgeting with some buttons on her blouse. Stacia looked up and nodded as if giving Philly permission to talk.

  “When he told me to get into the trunk of his car. I thought it might be smart to get some help.” Philly ran her hands through her ponytail. “I have a few questions, actually.”