Firewall (Magic Born)
Page 26
Tuyet focused on the news livestream as the image changed. The president had finished her remarks and was seated behind a desk, an array of pens before her. A sudden knot of emotion welled in Tuyet’s throat and tears threatened. This was really happening. Even as she watched the signing ceremony, she almost couldn’t believe it.
With the final stroke from the last pen, it was official. A sob broke free as the FreakTown video call erupted with cheers. Hayes tightened his hold on her and buried his face in her neck, his lips grazing the skin just below her ear.
“And that is the end of the Magic Laws,” intoned the newsreader on the livestream. “After almost six decades of legal segregation, the Magic Born are now officially full citizens again. Or will be, in three months time when this legislation takes full effect.”
Footage of the president shaking hands with congressional leaders changed to that of what had become known as the New Corinth Video. The virus Tuyet and the others had sent out across cyberspace had gone farther than they’d dreamed, far out of the city and all across the United States. Aided by trancehackers in zones all over, the video was ultimately seen by millions as it was replayed first via the virus spell and then by news organizations. Investigations were launched at the city, state and federal levels. The Magic Laws were debated in ways that the original panic that got them passed in the first place had never allowed. In a much shorter time frame than anyone could have dared dream, the dominoes fell as one city, one state after another drafted their own versions of repeal, allowing varying degrees of Magic Born integration back into society. Now it had just been done on a federal level. The Magic Laws were well and truly dead.
Hayes stared at the recap on the screen, his eyes narrowing at some of the decades-old footage. “Hacktivists started this back then, when they revealed the government knew about magic and used it.” He dropped a kiss to her shoulder and peered around the fall of her hair to meet her gaze. “It feels like hacktivists finished it.”
Tuyet blinked away tears, letting them fall. She’d earned that much at least. No one would ever know what she’d done, what they’d done, but it didn’t matter. She closed the newsfeed and let the video call fill the tablet’s screen.
The crowd in Sinsuality was singing. Whoever held the camera had it aimed at Nate and Calla as they embraced, tears running down Calla’s face. Hell, Nate was crying too.
Jason’s voice cut through the din. “My nephew will be born a citizen.”
The enormity of that statement hit Tuyet like a ton of bricks. She cried hot, scalding tears of release, a cleansing emotional storm that left her wrung out.
Jason panned the camera across the revelers in the club. Zinnia and Mekhi were there, along with other familiar faces. Joy filled the place. Disbelief that they’d lived to see this day. Emotions deep and profound and impossible to name, so strong that even a misanthrope like Vadim was obviously affected. As the camera zoomed in on him hugging Lizzie, their daughter squeezed between them, that same emotion clutched at Tuyet’s heart.
She and Hayes could never go back. They were wanted for desertion and various other crimes, though the terrorism charges leveled at them briefly in New Corinth had been dropped after proof was found that Scott Channing was behind the explosion that killed so many. He sat in prison now, which wasn’t nearly as much as he deserved, but she enjoyed the thought that he knew she and Hayes were free.
They kept the video call going for a while but the seven-hour time difference eventually did them in. Long after midnight, Tuyet lay in bed, curled against Hayes. Happy, but unable to sleep. Finally she gave up and returned to the kitchen. He’d left the thumb drive from his meeting on the table. After clearing away the empty champagne bottle and glasses, she plugged the drive into the tablet and trancehacked to take a look at the data.
Twenty minutes later, a notification alarm let her know Silver Wheels was in the game and wanted to chat. She joined him under the perpetual full moon, this time on a street in Tokyo.
“That’s a hell of a job you two are thinking about taking on,” he said.
“Did Hayes already email you?” Of course he had. The two communicated nearly every day.
“I’m just saying, why not take a break? Relax. Go on holiday. Not that vacation shit, holiday. Like Europeans. It sounds so much nicer.” His avatar spun through a rainbow of colors as he teased her.
“We did take a break. It’s been, what, a whole six weeks since anybody shot at us?” She tsked. “It’s not good to get bored.”
The kitchen light flashed, Hayes signaling that he was in the room so his presence didn’t startle her out of trance. He strode past her on the way to the espresso machine, his hair a bird’s nest and his stubble a sexy invitation.
“We’re going to take a look at the file together,” she said to Silver Wheels in cyberspace. “I’ll get back to you later.”
“Take a look at the file together,” he said dubiously. “Is that what it’s called these days?” He sped away laughing.
Tuyet returned to realspace and smiled at Hayes. “This job...”
Hayes curled his lip, peering at the coffee machine. “Is it your chore or mine to clean this thing?”
“Yours.”
He sighed heavily. “Witch traffickers in Eastern Europe. It’s an outfit Interpol hasn’t been able to touch. Too well connected, too much money involved.” He sat opposite her at the table. “This contact of mine, he’s a good guy. You never knew him but I met him in my Ranger days. He’s heard rumors about some of our other jobs. Thought we might be interested.”
Rumors of their other jobs. Well, they had been keeping themselves busy. “What is it he thinks we can do?”
Hayes twitched his eyebrows. “Same thing we always do. Help witches who need it.”
A familiar flavor of adrenaline tapped in her veins. “Let’s take a look.” She moved her chair next to his and turned the tablet so they could both see the information from his contact. He snuggled close, an arm around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.
The man she loved, freedom and a mission—Tuyet gave herself a moment to bask in the knowledge that she had everything she’d ever wanted. Then she tapped the screen and they got to work.
* * * * *
About the Author
Jean Harrington lives in Naples, Florida, with her husband, John. No cat, no dog, no children anymore. After seventeen years of teaching English literature at Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts, she now spends her days—and some nights—writing the Murders by Design mystery series for Carina Press. Along with Deva Dunne, her amateur sleuth, Jean is having great fun wallowing knee-deep in fictional dead bodies.
Award-winners Designed for Death and The Monet Murders are the first two books in the series. Killer Kitchens and current release Rooms to Die For are Deva Dunne’s latest romps with murder and mayhem.
The Magic Born need you as their ally. Read why in Trancehack and Witchlight, available now!
Trancehack
It’s 2065. Those born with magic abilities live in government-run zones, without rights or freedoms. Fear of magic created this segregated world and fear keeps it intact.
A high-profile murder brings Detective Nathan Perez to Magic Born Zone 13. He’s had little experience with the Magic Born and isn’t sure what to expect during his first encounter with a witch, but he never thought he’d be so drawn to her.
Trancehacker Calla Vesper uses magic to break into computers and aid the Magic Born underground. She has no interest in helping a cop, even if he is smoking-hot, but money’s tight and Nate offers a tidy amount for help navigating the Zone. Calla’s determined to keep it all business, but sparks start flying before the investigation even gets started.
When Calla’s trancehacking and Nathan’s investigati
on uncover a conspiracy, Calla becomes a target. Nate can protect her by keeping her role a secret—but then who will protect Nate?
Witchlight
Book two of Magic Born
In 2066, the Magic Born are segregated in urban reservations. The laws do not protect them, or their allies.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Marsden is a powerful player in New Corinth politics, but a closely guarded secret could destroy her life—she’s a hidden Magic Born. Her family has gone to great lengths to erase all her magic-related records, until a trancehacking outlaw discovers the last remaining one...
Vadim Bazarov smuggles Magic Borns through the underground railroad and threatens to reveal Elizabeth’s secret unless she helps him access blank ID cards. Elizabeth wants to hate him for having a stranglehold on her life, but can’t help being attracted to someone so sure of who and what he is.
Vadim initially sees her as a political ice queen, but is intrigued by her suppressed magical abilities. He trains Elizabeth to use her magic, and before long finds himself falling for her. But their newfound love may be short-lived as an anti-magic ordinance forces one of them to make a choice that will change both their lives for good.
Visit Sonya Clark online at www.sonyaclark.net
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ISBN-13: 9781426899300
Firewall
Copyright © 2014 by Sonya Clark
Edited by Jeff Seymour
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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