by C. A. Wilke
“Let’s just say that I’ll get to it from inside.”
“You’re not hearing me. Every access point will have this security, internal or external.”
Scarlett leaned back and rubbed her lower lip. “Fine, but let’s focus on finding the data first.”
“Alright. But you still haven’t told me what I’m looking for.”
“Project Hermes.”
“As in the Greek god?”
“Yep.” Scarlett picked up the card she’d placed on the table before and scribbled down a number. “Message me if and when you find something.”
Dax nodded. “Got it.”
“What’s your number if I need something else?”
He tapped at his keyboard for a moment. Scarlett’s own commpad vibrated with the message notification. She pulled up the message and memorized the number. “K, good.”
Scarlett headed for the door. “Oh, and Dax? I don’t need to tell you that this is just between you and me. I would hate for anyone else to get involved and get hurt.”
After a moment, she realized that Dax might think she meant that as a threat. Then she realized it actually might be. She reached the front of the shop to find Janson and Mickey talking across the counter. Scarlett walked up to Janson and put her hand out. “It was a pleasure to meet you guys. I hope you don’t mind if I come back, Janson. Your shop is a... unique location. I have some ideas I’d like to work on.”
“Jes’ so long as you don’ break nut’n else, yer always welcome.”
She smiled and winced at another wave of pain. “I’ll do my best.”
Scarlett turned and strolled through the door. The bell dinged behind her.
Chapter 31
A Decent Time
Whether through war or personal terror, our greatest leaps forward often happen when the darkest nightmares come calling.
* * *
Scarlett hung, pinned to the wall by a powerful hand around her neck. The air reeked of alcohol sweat and cheap, stale whiskey. Only a tiny trickle of air made it into her aching lungs.
She watched everything as if it wasn’t happening to her, as if it wasn’t real. She felt no fear or trepidation at the lack of air in her chest. The hand gripping her throat was not really a threat.
She stared at the calloused fingers holding her in place. Her gaze followed up the hair and tattoo-covered arm until she reached the faded crow at the shoulder. The inky bird flapped its wings in slow motion.
Raspy laughter echoed all around her. She looked up to see the unshaven face of her attacker. His bloodshot, brown eyes leered at her with rage and lust.
Then there was another voice, more laughter. This voice she knew intimately. From the corner of her eye, she saw past her attacker. In the doorway stood Derrick, silhouetted by the light from the hallway beyond. The man she’d willingly shared her bed and her life with was a black void, only his face was visible.
Her once-lover’s eyes blazed with hate and cruel amusement. “I love you, Jillian.” Derrick’s words repeated, growing louder each time.
A third voice joined in, this one terrified. “Mr. Crow... It’s not real. She’s not real. You’re not real.” Scarlett recognized the strange, mad voice from her old apartment building. She felt the fear in the man’s voice and understood the constant state of dread he must be living in.
She struggled to breathe. Her lungs ached as she tried to pull the air in. The laughter grew louder. Stars danced across her vision and everything started to go dark. Her arms would not move. Her legs would not move.
Her limbs hung limp as darkness swallowed the room.
*****
Scarlett bolted upright in bed with the echoes of laughter still in her head. She looked around and saw her current bedroom, not the place from her nightmares. The space was dark except for the glowing red numbers on her alarm clock and the sliver of moonlight from the small window.
She reached up and wiped the sweat from her brow. At least I only soaked the pillow this time.
Scarlett flipped her pillow over and laid her head back down. She stared at the glowing numbers for several minutes before her eyes closed again. The remainder of her sleep was fitful and plagued by more images of Derrick.
When the sun’s rays peeked in through the window, Scarlett’s eyes opened again. Her poor night’s sleep left her in a foul mood.
After a quick shower, she grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down with her commpad. Her fingers typed furiously as a plan began to form in her head. Several minutes later, she pulled up her list of contacts and made a call. The device rang several times. Dammit Dax.
On the seventh ring, he picked up. His voice cracked as he spoke. “What the hell are you doing calling me at five-thirty in the fucking morning?”
“I need a favor.”
“And it couldn’t wait until a decent time in the day?”
“Five-thirty is a decent time.”
“I think you need to look up the definition of decent.”
Scarlett sighed. “Fine, call me when it’s a decent time for you.”
He groaned. “Well, shit. I’m up now anyway. Whaddya want?”
“I need to make someone disappear.”
“You want to make someone else disappear?”
“Yep.”
Scarlett heard rustling from Dax’s side of the call then a crash of glass. “Shit...Dammit. Oh, well, that’s a new one.”
“You, ah... alright?”
“Yeah, just need to remember to turn the light on before I get out of bed.”
“Ah.”
Grunts and more rustling punctuated Dax’s words. “So who’s it gonna be?”
“I’m not exactly sure. Never knew his name.”
“Then how am I suppos—”
Scarlett set a phone on the table next to her commpad. “I have his cell phone.”
“You mean, an actual cell phone? Didn’t know anyone used those anymore.”
She spun the black device in a circle and let her eyes go out of focus for a moment. “Yeah, well, he did. Look, I’ll just bring you the phone.”
“But, you don’t even know where I live.”
“That’s why you’re going to text me the address. You better get dressed, I’m on my way.” Scarlett hung up before Dax could say anything more than “But.”
The ride across town was quick, as most of the city was still asleep. She got off the autobus just as the sun finished coming over the horizon. With a few blocks left to go, she decided to enjoy the morning air as she walked the rest of the way.
Wrought-iron half-fencing lined one side of the sidewalk while trees sprung up from the other. The buildings were a smattering of red, grey, and brown brick in a typical brownstone style. The part of town Dax called home wasn’t luxury living, but it was far from the slums she’d expected.
As she turned the last corner, a car on her side of the street stood out. This car was different from the few service trucks or soccer-mom vans on the mostly clear road. The black sedan sat parked facing Dax’s apartment. A small Net antenna poked up from just behind the rear window.
Scarlett stopped. She had a perfect view through the back window of two heads poking over the seat backs. Across the street, the building with Dax’s address number sat squeezed between two more just like it.
An image of MakerMasters and her warning to Zinchenko flashed through her mind. She darted back behind the corner. Shit. Her hand instinctively reached for her gun but she didn’t draw it. Shit!
She took her hand off her weapon and peeked around the edge of the building. The men were talking. She watched their movements for a few seconds and noticed something was off. These were not Zinchenko’s thugs.
Scarlett smoothed out her shirt and pulled her hair back behind her ears. She took a deep breath and let it escape through pursed lips. “Ok… you can do this.”
She turned back around the corner, heading straight for the car. Her knuckle tapped lightly on the driver’s window. Both men jumped, the driv
er nearly dumping his coffee. Wow. Scarlett leaned down and rested her arms on the door, making sure they had a good view of her cleavage. The glass retracted down into the door.
An odor of old coffee slammed into her. The men wore casual but nice clothes. She noticed the tell-tale bump of a gun under the left side of the driver’s coat. Cops. Probably Feds.
Scarlett smiled, speaking in the sweetest tone she could muster. “Hello boys. So... are you, like, cops or something?”
Chapter 32
Men
Author Dave Barry once said, “Scientists now believe that the primary biological function of breasts is to make males stupid.”
* * *
Scarlett ran her finger along the edge of the car door. Using her brightest smile, she put on her best mask of innocence. The two well-dressed men in the car just stared at her with open mouths.
She hadn’t expected to find police or Feds watching Dax’s place, though she realized she probably should have. To the cops, he would appear as a weak spot in Zinchenko’s armor. Maybe Dax made a deal with them. She knew she’d have to find out later.
She batted her eyelashes. “Ya don’t look like yer with the family or nothin’. Is someone in trouble or are ya protecting a witness? I mean, ‘cuz—”
“Ah... No Ma’am. We’re just...” The man’s eyes shifted from her face to her cleavage then back up. “We’re just waiting for someone.” The man in the passenger seat shifted.
She put on her best pout. “Aw. That’s too bad. I mean... I’ve always had the deepest respect for what you do.”
“We’re not cops.”
“Wow, you guys really like yer coffee, huh? I can’t drink that much coffee. I mean, I just had some a little while ago, even though I know I shouldn’t. It totally gets me wired.”
The passenger coughed and shifted in his seat again. A glint of metal peeked out from inside his coat.
“I’m sorry...” The driver struggled to keep his eyes on Scarlett’s face. “You should probably get going. My, ah... friend’s girlfriend will be coming out any second. Wouldn’t want her to see you chatting us up, right?”
Scarlett’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah. I totally get that. I mean, like... I had this one boyfriend, he wasn’t a cop or anything like you, and he totally talked to every girl he could. And I thought that after three weeks we were kinda serious. I mean, what a jerk, right?”
The passenger nodded. “Yeah, he was a jerk.”
“Look, we’re not cops, okay?” Irritation trickled into the driver’s voice.
Scarlett gave an exaggerated wink. “Oh, okay. I totally get it. Right? Like, wouldn’t want anyone around here knowing you got a witness, right? I even knew this one guy, and after we, um... ya know, did it? He totally tried to tell me he was going into the Witness Protection Program. That was another jerk. I mean, like they’d ever let him tell anyone. But that totally taught me to never do it before the first date, ya know?”
The passenger’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. The driver just pinched his brow. “Miss...”
“Yeah?”
“I must insist that you keep walking.” The driver’s voice was stern.
Scarlett pouted again. “Aw, but you guys are such good listeners. I mean—”
“Fine!” he yelled.
She leaned back and tried to look surprised.
“Fine. Look, we’re FBI and we’re just keeping an eye on someone, okay? It might be dangerous, so I really need you to leave now.”
“Oh... Okay.” Scarlett turned to leave but then leaned back over. “Wow, like, really FBI? That’s totally cool!”
“MA’AM!”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Bye boys!”
The man in the passenger seat waved.
Scarlett walked past the car and crossed the street. Men. When she turned the corner and was out of their line of sight, she stopped. A few feet ahead, she found a brick wall and scaled it. She climbed a garden trellis in the small yard and climbed through an open window into an unoccupied apartment.
On the third floor, she found the door with Dax’s number and knocked. His door jamb looked as if it had been repaired at least once.
She knocked two more times before she started to question if Dax had given her the right address. Scarlett turned on one heel and started to leave when a metal click came from the door. She turned to see Dax’s face appear.
“Sorry it took so long.” He pulled open the door.
Scarlett stepped from the dimly lit hallway into Dax’s even darker apartment. “No problem.”
Inside, Scarlett could see why it had taken Dax so long to get to the door. He led her through a maze of old fast food containers, beer cans, and dirty laundry. She stepped over a plate with several half-eaten pizza crusts.
“I should probably let you know that there are a couple FBI agents watching you.”
Dax froze and spun around. “What? Holy shit! Feds? Ohshit. Ohshit. I can’t go to prison.” He raked his fingers through his hair.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “It’s alright, I don’t think they’re after you.”
“I know.” He relaxed and smiled. “Just kidding. I knew they were there. They’ve been watching for Zinchenko. Guess you kinda put a crimp in that plan, huh?”
“You’re a dumbass.”
Dax led her into a bedroom at the back of the apartment. She looked around and was at a loss for words. Besides the massive desk covered with computer screens, three keyboards and a few computer devices she’d never seen before, there was the room itself.
Scarlett ran her hand along the wall, feeling its steel surface. She looked back to see the door made of heavy gauge steel as well. “Dax, what the hell is this? It’s like a damn fortress.”
He spun around and opened his arms wide. “I know, right? It’s a saferoom. I call it my Fortress of Solitude. The walls are quarter-inch steel.”
Dax pointed to a vent near the ceiling. “I’ve got my own ventilation system and food stock. There’s landline data with redundant high-band wireless backup.”
Scarlett took in the whole room. She was impressed, but by his paranoia. “So, what’s all this for?”
He plopped down into a ratty office chair and leaned back. “Welp, while in the employ of one family or another, I’ve had at least three attempts on my life. After the first one, I had this installed. The door stays locked unless I want to come in or out.”
“You realize that’s a little obsessive, right?”
“Oh, totally. But doesn’t my genius allow for a little eccentricity?”
She laughed. “I guess so.”
Dax spun in his chair and pulled a keyboard closer. “So, what’re we doing, sexy?”
Scarlett pulled the cell from her pocket and set it on the desk. She smacked the back of his head. “Don’t call me that. Here’s the phone.”
“Ow. Sure thing, boss.” He picked up the phone and started taking it apart.
“That’s better. So, how long can you stay cooped up in here?”
Dax slid a small card out from a port on the cellphone. “Well, a few days, at least. Like I said, I’ve got a pretty good food stash.”
Scarlett looked around. “A few days, huh?”
“Yep.”
“So, ah... where do you go to the bathroom?”
Chapter 33
Delete
The most heinous crime is not just killing a man. It is erasing him from history.
* * *
Dax froze. “Where do I go to the bathroom?”
Scarlett scanned her friend’s ‘Fortress of Solitude.’ The large metal box in his apartment was an amazing structure. With its own air, food, power and data connections, it was almost the perfect safe room. Almost. “That is what I asked.”
He pushed the small cellphone data card into his computer and paused. His head tilted to one side. He turned and looked at Scarlett with a scrunched face.
Dax shook his head and went back to the computer. “You know, dat’s exactly why I don�
�t let other people in. Always go poking around and putting holes in my perfectly good, if flawed, plans.”
She giggled.
“Whatever.” His fingers blurred over his keyboard. “As for what’s on this card... Let’s see, your mystery man is Frank Grendini.” Dax opened a search window on his computer. “Wow... Not sure yer mommy and daddy would approve of you seeing a lad such as this. Fired from UDI for sexual assault, a warrant for his arrest in three states... two for rape and one for assault with a deadly weapon.”
An image of Frank’s pock-marked face flashed through Scarlett’s mind. Her stomach twisted. She reached over Dax’s shoulder and closed the search window.
Dax batted her hand away. “HEY!”
Her jaw was clenched. She had to force her mouth to open. “That’s enough. Just make the son of a bitch disappear.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
Another small window appeared and quickly filled with code. Scarlett recognized some of the program Dax was writing as a search protocol.
She paced back and forth across the metal room, trying to keep the memories of Frank Grendini away. Frank had destroyed her life, killed her, for all intents and purposes. But as much loathing as she had for Frank, she had even more for the man who hired him, Derrick Martins.
Dax’s voice brought her back to reality. “So, ah... this guy. He the one?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Don’t suppose one of those warrants relates to you...”
Scarlett lowered her voice and hissed through clenched teeth. “Dax.”
“Alright, alright. I got it. Anyway, here you go.”
Scarlett stood next to her friend and stared at his screen with her brows scrunched. “What exactly am I looking at, besides four hundred and twenty seven lines of code?”
Dax smirked. “This is a worm. You do remember what that is, right? Or have you been out of it that long?”
She glared at him from the corner of her eye.
“Okay, fine. Anyway, this virus’ll crawl d’ net, public and private, in search of anything on our friend here. Any finds get deleted.”