It had been years since she had entertained such an idea that she was capable of real emotion. I have so much at stake here; so much to lose. She often claimed to care about people, but now she could feel it, like a heavy rock resting on her chest. Breathing deeply, she realized that her defenses had been broken and that her husband was at the top of a very long list; her genuine concern for so many could no longer be ignored.
The following morning, Geek sat patiently, already in a booth when she arrived at the diner, and she made her apologies as she slid into the seat across from him. “Thank you so much for waiting for me.”
“Of course,” he smiled. “I have to admit; I wasn’t surprised to get your call. I guess you could say, I’ve been looking forward to it.”
Tori looked up at the waitress, “Water, and dry toast, please.”
“Dry toast?” her friend teased, “What the hell kinda breakfast is that?”
“The only one I can keep down,” she replied, sliding her jacket off and fanning herself, “Isn’t it hot in here to you?”
“Why can’t you eat breakfast?” he inquired smoothly.
“I don’t know,” she sipped her glass of ice water. “I picked up a bug a couple of weeks ago, and I can’t seem to shake it. I get sick whenever I eat certain things, and breakfast is one of them.”
“I see,” he glared at her, refusing to voice his thoughts aloud. Deciding to let it go, he inquired with a grin, “So, what brings you here?”
“Well, you know, we never did finish off the powers that be,” she replied calmly, picking up the toast to tear it apart.
“Fuck me, we’re going after them?” his preparedness was apparent.
“Wow, I was fairly certain I would have to convince you to help,” she flicked her eyes up at him in surprise.
“Yeah, pretty crazy, huh. But, after I got home, and started evaluating my life, I realized it was entirely my fault they were able to trap me to begin with. I never appreciated what I had, and I’ve been working on that,” he nodded for affect. “That’s one reason I’ve gone back to school; to prepare myself for a better future.”
“I see,” she replied calmly. “Well, I don’t know anything about that. What I do know, is that I need a computer, and possibly some help cracking into some encrypted files. Not that I even know what that means exactly, and when it comes to stuff like that, you’re the man for the job.”
“Encrypted files,” he laughed loudly. “Wow, you don’t mess around. Ok, well, I need to go by my apartment and grab my gear, and we can be on our way. It’s not far from here; actually, if you wanna wait here and I’ll be right back. Fifteen, twenty minutes tops.”
“Sure, hun. Go grab your stuff, and we’ll head out.” Watching him exit through the glass door, she could feel her stomach lurch. Jumping up, she bolted to the back, barely making it into the bathroom before she heaved up her dry toast with a small whimper of disgust.
What We Know
Geek returned to the diner a short time later to discover she was still sitting in the booth, her face in her hands. “You ok?” he stammered, dropping his backpack into the seat and sliding in.
“Yeah,” her voice sounded weak. “I’m tired of being sick. Right this moment, what I really want is a nap.”
“Didn’t you sleep last night?” he glared at her. “You know, last time we joined forces, you were pretty on top of things.” he grinned, recalling her past escapades. “But you ain’t lookin’ so hot.”
“Thanks,” she shot him a grin, “Let’s get outta here before I have to whoop the shit outta you.”
Outside, he placed his pack into her saddlebag, after some careful rearranging of her gear. “This is gonna be weird,” he commented. “Isn’t the girl supposed to ride in the back.”
“Not when it’s the bitch’s bike,” she tossed her curls and climbed on the front seat, securing her gloves, “You’ll be fine.”
The ride went smoothly, and checking her time, Tori expected to pull up at the cabin with at least a few hours before the rest of the guys got there. Instead, she and Geek arrived to find them passed out all over the place, enjoying the afternoon sun.
Locating her husband sleeping against the trunk of a tree, she woke him with a slap on the shoulder. “Hey,” she demanded, “How did you guys get here so quick?”
“We rode straight through,” he grimaced, “We’re beat. And we saved the bedroom in the cabin for you.” He half smiled at her surprised stare.
“What about you? You’re going to sleep out here on the ground with everyone else? It’s fucking winter, you know,” her voice was elevated, angry after the thoughts of him she had previously been considering.
“I’ll stay where ever you want me to, love,” he held a straight face as he replied.
“Ok, well I’m going inside to have a nap myself if you care to join me.” Turning her back on him, she skipped up the few steps, treading gently on the wooden porch so as not to disturb Enrique if she could help it. Crazy bunch of guys, she leaned over him to find that he was still fast asleep, why the hell didn’t they get some rest? Like one day would have mattered.
Michael watched his wife inspecting their group mate before disappearing into the cabin, opting to stay put and give her some space. Looking up into the bare branches of the tree overhead, he could see a tall skinny kid staring down at him. “Who the hell are you?” he asked pointedly.
The young man dropped onto the ground next to him, “I was about to ask you the same thing, since she didn’t bother to introduce us. I’m Kevin Harris, but everyone calls me Geek.” For emphasis, he offered the older man his hand.
“Well, nice to meet you… Geek, huh? Does that mean you know anything about tech stuff?” Michael noted his nod and continued, “I’m Mike, by the way, Anderson. Tori’s my wife.”
“Mike? As in Michael?” Geek’s mind began to spin. Laughing out loud, “No shit. She said the name on her chest was ‘just some guy’. Should have known that was a lie.” The smile on the other man’s face disappeared.
“You saw my name on her chest?” his eyes narrowed uncontrollably.
“Yeah, everyone did,” Geek grew uncomfortable, holding up his hands in surrender, “Listen, I don’t want in the middle of… whatever game the two of you are playing. I never touched her; all I ever did was watch, and I didn’t even do that if I could help it.”
“You were with the Scorpions,” Michael surmised.
“Yeah, I was their tech guy,” the boy brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I’d still be stuck with them, too, if Tori hadn’t come along and helped me get away.”
“I see. And she asked you to come help us.”
“Sure did; said I was the man for the job,” Geek grinned at her confidence in him. “I’m actually really good with the tech stuff, as you put it.”
“Well Geek, you should find a place to sack out for a bit. We’ll all get up in a couple of hours, and we can start putting together what we know.” Leaning back against his spot, Michael closed his eyes to get a few more hours of shut-eye.
Standing, Geek made his way around the group, quietly inspecting them. He grinned to himself when he realized that Brett was with them as well. Guess she didn’t have the heart to take him out either. Noting Enrique slept against the railing of the porch, he chose another spot, where the sun would warm him while he caught a bit of rest for himself.
Tori still lay passed out on the bed when Michael went to wake her and inform her that dinner was ready. Pausing next to her limp form, he lightly traced her scar with his finger, recalling that she seldom left it uncovered since she joined the band. Must have been a rough night; or a short one. Grasping her by the arm, he shook her gently, “Baby girl.”
Her eyes in narrow slits, she whispered, “What time is it, love?”
“Almost dark,” he replied softly. “Dinner’s ready, if you’re hungry. You haven’t had much of an appetite lately, so you ought to be.” His brow furrowed and he kept his voice low.
“Yeah, I’ll eat,” she pulled herself up to face him. “How long have I had this? Two weeks or so? I’m ready to be over it.”
“Yeah,” he nodded in an exaggerated fashion. “You still think you’re sick?”
“Well, yeah, I’m obviously not better,” she hoisted herself up, pushing past him and making her way down the narrow hall. “Did you guys save me any?” she called out loudly, while grabbing a foam plate and serving herself.
The cabin was exactly the way they had left it the last time they were there, with the sofa that faced the television, the tiny kitchen area, and the table she had used to plan the elimination of the Scorpions. Taking one of the backless stools to sit at the table, she hungrily devoured the meal, hoping she wouldn’t lose it later.
“As soon as we’re finished here, we need to get started with what we know,” she waved her fork around at those sitting closest to her. “Brett, you and Enrique know Geek. I think you and Michael met.” Geek nodded at his new acquaintance, “Did you meet Mason and Eli yet? By the way, where is Eli? I didn’t see his car out front when we pulled up.”
“He wanted to go home to get some of his own clothes since we were so close. He’s going to get his vehicle as well, and be back out here any time now.” Her heart in her throat, she stared at Mason as he spoke.
“And you guys let him run off alone? No clue if that’s really where he was going?” she could hear the tremor in her voice as the level increased with every other word.
“What were we supposed t’ do? Lock him up?” Brett interceded. “You know, I wish you’d make up your mind. Either ya trust him, or ya don’.”
At that moment, the door swung open, and the man in question entered the room, again wearing one of his suits and an extra-large grin.
“Hi, guys,” he nodded, pausing to give the girl a small wave. “I have fantastic news. I checked in with Godfry, and told him that you had returned to Chicago, and of course left it open as, at a distance, I would have no way of knowing why.”
“And that’s fantastic news?” Tori bit sharply.
“No,” he looked stunned for a moment. “No, the news is, they made an arrest in the fire. It seems that one of the current residents had some gang affiliations; turns out they located him somehow, and the fire was set as some form of retaliation.”
“And you’re sure?” Michael demanded for her.
“Yes, absolutely. There’s even some security footage from a few houses down, showing the guys pulling up and exiting the vehicle carrying their cans of accelerant.” He sucked in his top lip to stifle his grin, “Sorry, but I was really glad to hear that this wasn’t an attack on your friends because of you.”
Tori nodded, only halfheartedly able to agree. “Anything else?” she focused on keeping her tone in check.
“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of bringing a few extra suits for myself. You know, so I can still look official. And I’ve been thinking about how we can get Godfry’s files.” He lifted his chin towards his fellow agent, “I have a set of keys as well, but I’m pretty sure neither of us has the one to his office.”
“Relax,” she informed him. “If I can get inside the building, the office is a piece of cake.”
“Alright, fair enough. So when are we going after them?”
Tori swung her gaze around the group, “Well, I guess we should go tonight. The sooner we get our hands on them, the better off we’ll be.” She held out her right hand, palm upturned towards Geek, “I brought you a computer expert. While Eli and I go and see what we can locate in Godfry’s office, the rest of you can work on opening Mason’s documents and plotting things out on a map.”
“What things, and what map?” Mason countered.
“I dunno, a U.S. map?” she shrugged. “You realize at this point we really have no idea what we’re looking for, so we don’t have any way of knowing what’s going to help us. That means we need to straight up brainstorm, making connections and taking notes until something stands out.” Dumping the remains of her meal in the trash, she curled her fingers at the shortest man, indicating it was time for them to go.
As soon as they were out of the cabin, Mason let loose a long, low whistle, “Well, that’s not good.”
“What’s not?” Michael scowled at the agent.
“I assumed, I guess because all the records we have indicate, that she knew a great deal about The Organization,” he pursed his lips, turning the idea in his mind. “If we’re starting from scratch, this could take a while.”
“Relax,” Brett chuckled. “This’s a good group she’s brought together here. Lots of us, with lots o’ vantage points. It may look like scratch, but once we start piecin’ together what each of us knows, I have a feelin’ it’s gonna snowball in a hurry.”
The Buck Stops Here
Tori smiled softly, recognizing Eli’s personal vehicle and climbing into the passenger seat. “You realize we’ll also need access to a copy machine while we’re there,” she informed him as he slid in beside her.
“No, I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right; we can’t remove the files themselves or it will tip him off that something is up,” the agent agreed.
Riding in mutual silence, Tori watched the scenery, the trees giving way to houses, followed by taller buildings. Pulling up in front of the federal office, the same one he had taken her to over a year before, she could feel her palms beginning to perspire. Looking up at the structure before she reached for the handle, her pulse quickened at the memory of everything she had shared with the group of agents, two of whom were now dead.
Coming around to her side, Eli opened the door for her, a faint smile on his lips. “Relax, it’s late enough, most everyone has gone home.”
“I’m fine,” she countered, dragging her eyes to meet his. “I was remembering the last time you brought me here.”
“Oh,” he avoided her gaze, “Yeah, a long time ago. So much has happened since then.” An air of sadness settled over him, causing her to hold back from entering the building.
“I really think you and I need to talk at some point. In private, I might add,” she voiced her opinion calmly.
“What’s there to talk about?” he shrugged, “I don’t see how rehashing the past is going to change anything.”
“It doesn’t have to change things,” she lowered her voice, “But talking about it helps. You taught me that, and I’ve tried so hard to keep that in mind. It’s difficult, and I appreciate what you’ve done for me. I’m not sure you really understand how grateful I am.”
Meeting her gaze, he nodded. “I meant what I said. I don’t know when I fell in love with you; I only know it hasn’t gone away. We should get inside, and talk about this later.” Reaching for her elbow, he guided her towards the door.
Tori stood still, glaring at the floor in front of her while Eli unlocked and relocked the glass entrance. Giving the security guard a nod, he indicated for her to follow him to the elevator. “Damn, that’s lucky,” he breathed when the door had closed.
Tori watched him push the button to the proper floor, “Why was that lucky?”
“He was on his phone,” Eli supplied, “The doors are usually open six am to six pm. Outside of those hours, you need a key to gain access. I guess he assumes anyone that can get inside has authorization to do so.”
Tori frowned at his explanation, “So if he sees us, does he report our presence to anyone?”
“Generally, no; but if anyone were to ask, I’m sure he wouldn’t lie about it. But that’s the thing; he didn’t give us a second glance. There’s no way he could describe us to anyone, or maybe even remember we were here.”
Tori grinned, “I see.”
The doors opening, the pair made their way down the hall to Godfry’s office. Glancing up and down the narrow passage, Eli turned his back, blocking her from being in direct line of sight from the elevator, “Alright, it’s your move.”
Pulling out the lock pick kit, Tori selected her tools and ins
erted them, opening it in a matter of seconds. Moving inside, they quickly closed the door. “I’m sure that was the easy part,” she lamented. Her eyes taking in the room, there stood a desk in front, and bookcases along the back wall containing drawers on the bottom half.
“No worries,” he shot back smoothly. “I’ve seen what we’re looking for. He had them at a meeting or two and out several times in between.” He started opening the drawers to the enormous desk, lifting stacks of file folders and inspecting the labels. “I think they will all be together. If you see one with Doug Seeming’s name on it, speak up.”
Joining him in the search, Tori began rummaging through the drawers in the bookcase. A few minutes later, Eli called for her attention, “I’ve got something.”
Lifting the stack, he pulled up a chair and took a seat, before resting the folders on his lap. Kneeling down in front of him, Tori reached out, pressing down on the tabs so she could see them for herself. Spotting the one with Doug’s name on it she slid it out and flipped it open, “Jesus Christ!”
“Yes, I warned you back in LA. Whatever he knew, they got from him. Essentially… everything.” He stared down at her as she sifted through the photos, sad that they were probably not as shocking to her as they would be to most people. “How much of this do you want copies of?”
“All of it,” she replied flatly. “Where’s the copy machine?”
“Down the hall,” he supplied. “Let me take one file at a time, and copy through it, so we don’t get things out of order. Less chance he will notice they’ve been messed with.”
“Ok. While you’re doing that, I’ll continue to dig around, see if I find anything else that looks important.” She stood, allowing him to lay the folders on the desk, before taking the top one and exiting the room. Once he had gone, she began to snoop in some of the other drawers.
Finding nothing of interest, she reached for the Rolodex on his desk, old school. There had been one on Brandon’s desk at the halfway house, too. With the new fancy phones, these things could become obsolete. Glancing through the cards, she noted that it held one for Eli, as well as for Mason. Taking a second look at some of the others, she realized they could also be agents, or they could be anyone.
A New Life Series - Finisher Set Page 54