by ST Branton
“Of course, it’s not in there,” he said, insulted. “The only one that exists right now is in my lab. I had it transported back there after the presentation at the Tech Institute.”
“That settles it. We need to go back and get it.”
“That’s not going to be easy.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Namiko cut in. I could have hugged her.
“Something that doesn’t involve tons of law enforcement,” Monk retorted. “They’ll be all over us by the time we get there.”
She frowned. “Right, because I’m sure the demon guy from hell cares about how many cops are guarding the thing he wants to steal. I would bet money that after you met him on the street, he decided you were too much trouble and he could take care of you after he recovered the tech. He’s probably on his way out to your facility right now.”
Monk wanted to disagree with her, vehemently, but he couldn’t. He opened his mouth, inhaled, and closed it again. A cloud rolled in over his features. “He’s going to get everything,” he said quietly.
Namiko didn’t answer, but she didn’t twist the knife either. The tension in the room thickened.
“I know it doesn’t look great right now,” I said. “From any angle. But don’t give up yet. I know a guy who may be able to help us with the cops.”
“You know a guy who can stop an entire investigation?” Monk brightened. “Because if so, I can make you very, very rich.”
“Gross,” Namiko scoffed. “I’ll be over here figuring out the best way to break into your place.”
“Will you show me when you’re done so I can better optimize security?” Monk asked.
She glared at him over the top of the screen. “No.”
***
I shut the door to the next room behind me before breaking out my cell phone. Content to shun Monk with miles of icy silence, Namiko was happily at work devising a plan to break and enter, should that become necessary. For someone with the face and stature of a mid-teen at the oldest, she had the razor-sharp cunning of a seasoned criminal. And apparently, their joy of committing crimes.
“What a motley crew we are, huh, Marcus?”
I am concerned for your safety, Victoria. These are much larger risks than we ever had to take together, and you have only just made the acquaintance of both your partners.
“It could be better, and yeah, maybe I wish it was. But we don’t have any other option, dude. We’d be doing the same shit if you were here, except I guess you’d at least have armor.” I smiled. “Remember all that bullshit you said about being wrong about me? Just assume you’re still wrong about me, and I’ll come out of this kicking all kinds of ass.”
Very well. I only wish that I was better able to assist in such a critical mission.
I stared at the phone in my hand. “You can join me in hoping Deacon doesn’t bite my head off when I call him in three seconds.” I grimaced. “It pains me to admit, but I need his help. I don’t know jack about smooth-talking my way out of trouble. Usually, I just cause as much damage as I can.”
Are you confident he will not simply inform his colleagues of your imminent arrival?
“If he does that, I’m going to be pissed as shit.” I wanted to seem like I was joking, but inside, I had an identical fear. Yes, I liked Deacon, and under different circumstances, I would have tried harder to keep him coming around. But I was also keenly aware of our positions on either side of a certain line.
He didn’t owe anything to me—in fact, I sort of owed him. He could have brought me in on suspicion of any number of things at the jail. He could’ve made sure I didn’t get out before I hit middle age.
It felt pretty bad to be putting him on the ropes again. And yet, I did it anyway.
The world was at stake.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Deacon St. Clare.”
I’d sort of been hoping he would sound different this time. Uglier, maybe. No dice, he still sounded as smooth as they come. “Hey, it’s Vic.”
“Vic? Hold up.” Footsteps sounded on his end of the line, followed by a door closing. Then he said, “What the hell are you doing out there?”
“Out there?” I shot back.
“Yeah. I saw the shots from the cameras in San Fran. The images are blurry enough that my people won’t get a solid ID on you, but it won’t fool me.” He paused. “Why am I seeing you all over security cameras in some swanky hotel parking garage? Why are you stealing Aston Martins? This is not why I let you go.”
“Whoa there, cowboy. I would just like to state for the record that the car I allegedly stole belongs to Silas Monk, and he is the one driving it in that video—even if they could see me. Okay? So it’s not stolen. And also, you did not let me go, Deacon. You don’t get to dictate my life because you don’t own me.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. But it doesn’t make this shit you’re pulling legal, Vic. Think about the position you’re putting me in now that you, a wanted individual, has contacted me. Now I either have to lie for you or turn you in. I don’t want to do either one of those.”
I chewed my lip. “I’m sorry, too, because everything you just said is right, and I totally thought about it and called you anyway. I know this is really unfair of me, and I know I’m putting a lot on the line without your permission. I just… need help.”
“And what, I’m the only one you can go to?” He didn’t sound like he was buying it, which made me nervous. If he bailed, we’d have to wing it, and I wasn’t real confident in Monk’s or my ability to do that successfully.
“I mean, Jules is a public defender, but… she’s a public defender, man. She’s the public defender type. If I told her I needed advice on how to screw the law, she’d have an aneurysm on the spot.”
“I’m not gonna give you advice on how to screw the law, either, whatever the hell that means.” I could tell he was pacing by the cadence of his voice. “Look—what are you dealing with here? If you’re trying to avoid charges or evade arrest, I really can’t help you on the grounds that it would make me a criminal, too.”
“What if I couched it in purely hypothetical terms that can’t be proven to be rooted in reality?” I asked. “Then you’d be, like, a crime consultant. You’d be clarifying details in a theoretical case that is not at all real under any circumstances. Right?”
“Vic?”
I dared to put the smile back on. “What?”
“You’re a real pain in the ass.” He sank audibly into a chair. “Okay, okay. Hit me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Dammit, woman, you spend five minutes sellin’ me on hypotheticals and shit, and now that I’ve finally agreed, you ask me if I’m sure? You’re trying me, Vic. You’re really tryin’ me.” But there was the sound of a smile, if a little strained, under the veneer of frustration.
I laughed. “I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you when I get back.”
“Yeah, yeah. Lay this thing on me before someone comes busting in here and sends us both to jail. Not too many details, okay? I still need my plausible deniability.”
“All right. Say there’s something really important we need, but we have to get through a police or FBI barricade. What would we say to get access?”
“That depends. Is it a murder scene?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
Deacon paused. “No, I’m not even gonna ask. Robbery?”
“Maybe.”
“Vic, if it’s a robbery you committed, I’m going to have to strongly recommend you do not return to the scene.”
I laughed again. “Screw you, St. Clare. I have not committed any robberies as of late.” Too late, I realized I’d forgotten about the grey hatchback, which was now sitting in Namiko’s driveway. Although technically, that was grand theft auto. “No, it might be a robbery depending on whether or not we’re too late.”
He groaned at that. “It’s like, I want to know, but I also don’t want you to tell me, like ever. You’re lucky
I’m not stationed out there.” For the third or fourth time, he sighed. “All I can tell you is this. You don’t really have any say in whether or not they let you by, unless you’re their superior. If you’ve got someone with you who owns the place or lives there, that could help your case a bit, but not always.”
“That’s not much, Deacon. How is that supposed to help me?”
“Look, I can’t say more without feeling like I’m aiding and abetting a crime. It all depends on the individual circumstances, including the specific agents you’re talking to. Some of them are dicks.”
“I’m surprised you’d admit that, given your current profession.”
He laughed. “How do you think I know?
“Thanks, Deacon. I owe you one, or five. I guess.” The phone went silent for a second, and I checked the screen to see if we were still connected. “Deacon?”
“Yeah. Still here.” Silence again, and then he spoke in a hush. “Okay. There’s one more thing I shouldn’t tell you. This could get me into deep shit.”
“It’s the only shit I know,” I answered with a grin.
Deacon laughed from the other side of the country. “Listen, you need to keep this between us, but it’s about Monk. He’s on a list.”
“Shit. What? Like al qaeda?”
“No. Not yet. The bureau keeps a list of guys like him, tech guys. There’s a slew of them that make it onto the list, but some of them get upgraded. A few weeks ago, Silas Monk got an upgrade.”
“Upgrade?”
“Yeah. Just being on the list means he’s working on something that could be of interest to national security. Getting an upgrade means either he’s made suspicious contacts or something that would raise an analyst’s eyebrows and make his asshole pucker. I can’t tell what it is by just looking but…”
After a beat, I asked, “But what?”
“But… Don’t trust him, OK?”
I glanced up at the doorway, not knowing where Monk, or Namiko for that matter, was. Playing it safe, I answered, “Yeah. Sure. You got it.”
“Do something else for me, and be careful. Whatever it is you’re up to. I know you’re a little crazy, but I want to know you’re looking out for yourself.”
I chuckled. “I’m the only one I look out for. See you later. And Deacon...thanks.”
I hung up on him to save us both the agonizing awkwardness of trying to end that call in any other way. Taking a moment to collect myself and force the redness from my cheeks through sheer power of will, I slipped my phone into my bag and ran my fingers through my hair. “I am going to go back out there, we’re gonna nail down a plan, and then we’re going to execute. Flawlessly. Like always.”
That last part might not be entirely true, but a little optimism couldn’t hurt.
Namiko looked up from her screen as I crossed the threshold. “Hi. What did your friend say?”
“Hang on.” I panned my gaze left, then right. “Where the hell is Monk? He wasn’t stupid enough to ditch now, was he?”
Namiko’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even notice he wasn’t here anymore. Maybe I was ignoring him too hard.” She did a full spin on the couch and found nothing new. “It’s a big house. He could be lost.”
“Okay, but why is he sneaking around in the first place? He was kind of growing on me, but this sets him way back.”
“That’s a shame. You were growing on me, too.” Both of us jumped and whirled to glare at the doorway where Silas Monk was now standing. He grinned at us. “A guy can’t go to the bathroom once in a while?”
“You never asked me where it was,” Namiko said accusingly.
“It’s a bathroom. I figured it couldn’t be that hard to find. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.”
Namiko looked extremely dissatisfied by this explanation, and I couldn’t blame her. It didn’t sit right with me, either, but now I knew we needed him for the next step. “Don’t do shit like that,” I told him, meeting as close to the middle as I could. “If you have to go somewhere, tell us. We thought you got kidnapped again.”
“Sorry. You’re right. I just didn’t want to disturb her since I think she’s annoyed just knowing I exist.”
Namiko muttered, “You’re not wrong.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have a plan, you guys, so listen up.” To their credit, they both actually looked at me. “My—”
Namiko’s computer beeped. She glanced at the screen, and her face dropped. “Oh, shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Her expression told me exactly what was wrong.
“The cops are here.”
Reflexively, I turned toward her front door, even though I couldn’t see anything from the living room. “How many are there?”
A knock rang out down the front hall.
“Police!” someone called. “Open up!”
Namiko whispered, “There are a lot.” She turned the laptop toward me to show the policemen filling both camera screens. My mind raced, trying to come up with one more, last ditch, miraculous solution.
There was none. The jig was up. Silas Monk seemed to know it, too. He ran his hand over his face, and his whole body deflated. He glanced at me.
“I can’t fight cops,” I said. “No, wait. I won’t fight cops.”
“No, yeah.” He nodded. “I understand. I’m not a fighter anyway.” Truer words had never been spoken, but I let it slide.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I said and let Namiko lead us to the door. She popped the locks and cracked it open.
“All the way,” said the officer in front. “We’re not here to hurt anybody.” Reluctantly, Namiko stepped back. As soon as he saw me and Monk, the cop got on his radio. “We got ‘em. They’ll be in for questioning in about twenty minutes.”
Monk went first to be led down into the driveway. They didn’t shackle him, and he looked back before he got in the squad car, meeting my eyes for a split second. He was so hang-dog that I was suddenly awash in both pity and guilt, and that made the concept of questioning and jail seem like something I might just deserve this time.
“Don’t look so worried, ma’am. We just want to find out what you know.” My cop was handsome: dirty blond, rugged jawline, blue eyes. He had the kind of smile that made him a shoo-in for violent crime units; victims’ families would cling to him in the midst of their own personal storms.
I didn’t trust him. He reminded me of things I had tried and failed over and over to forget.
“Let’s go,” I said quietly.
“Vic—” Namiko’s fingers brushed the back of my arm. She’d never looked smaller than she did right then, still half inside the doorway and completely helpless. The house looked like it was swallowing her.
I smiled, hoping it came out more convincing than it felt. “I’ll be fine, Namiko. Everything will be fine.”
Then I faced forward again and saw someone weaving through the crush of squad cars jammed into the driveway. Her bloodred hair gleamed.
When I noticed her, she was looking at Namiko. Then her gaze shifted directly to me. I hardened my face, determined to communicate the explicit disgust with which I associated her whole kind. Instead of responding with anger of her own, she smiled.
That was a thousand times worse.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“See? That wasn’t so bad.” The cop had a deliberately gentle hand on my elbow as he guided me toward his cruiser. “You don’t have to be cuffed. We’re just going to talk.”
“That’s fine.” Thirty seconds ago, it had been fine. Now that I knew who was behind this whole situation, it was mostly just enraging. Still not enough to make me want to hurt cops, but I could definitely fight some.
As for the boss bitch, she was going down.
***
I stood with my hand on the car door, monitoring the red-headed harpy’s progress. Every step seemed to make her grow, and by the time she reached speaking distance, she towered over everyone around her. I had seen it before in the warehouse, but face to face, the effect was da
unting. I hated having to look so far up to make eye contact with her.
And I hated the pure objectiveness of her beauty. There wasn’t a single flaw on her body, not even an out of place hair. The constant smile on her lips widened as she finished closing the remaining distance, waving the rugged officer away. He didn’t resist or even ask her any questions. He just left.
“Must be nice to have an inexhaustible source of mindless slaves,” I remarked.
“I like to think it’s nice for them, too. You’ll know what it’s like soon enough.” A slight frown creased her forehead. “Unless I decide to just finish you off. You’ve proven to be a little too feisty.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed the toe of my shoe in the dirt. “Turns out I don’t like it when Earth gets overrun by a bunch of power hungry monsters.”
She giggled, flashing me a glint of deceptively sharp teeth behind her rosy lips. Like when I spoke with Eve, a warm sensation crept over my skin. Except this time, instead of bringing me a calming peace, all I could feel was rage. The buzzing sound when she spoke was like a gnat flitting near my ear, waiting to be squashed.
“Aren’t you precious?” she continued. “Power hungry monsters took this world the moment the gods left—they’re called humans.” A malicious light crept into her eyes, behind which I saw nothing except vanity and ruthless pride. “Give Earth over to my goddess, and she will make it into an oasis.”
“Somehow, I doubt that very, very much.” I gestured to the scene around us, the cops, the cars, and the flashing lights. “How about this? You call off your dogs, and we settle this one on one.”
“A tempting offer,” she said thoughtfully. “But no. Why would I rid myself of such an advantage just to guarantee a lesser being a fair fight? That is not a logical course of action. However…” She grinned cruelly. “If a fight is what you want, then that’s what you will get.”