Edge of Honor: An EDGE Security Novel

by Loye, Trish

  “A picture?” Peter asked. “Why?”

  “I…I want to put it on Facebook,” she said innocently.

  “Why?” Peter asked, his eyebrows lifting.

  Yes. Why? Jack thought.

  “Because…I’ve never been treated like a suspect in a crime before. And…I put all important events on Facebook.” She gave a big smile. “Doesn’t everyone?”

  She really was the worst liar.

  But then she leaned into Jack, and he forgot to care. He could smell the vanilla and flowers again. Her shampoo? Lotion? Either way, the scent made him want to lean down and smell her neck. Maybe place a kiss there and see if he could get her to shiver again, like last night.

  Peter sighed and muttered something before lifting the phone obediently.

  “A bit higher, Peter,” Charlie directed him. “A bit to the left. Sorry, your right.”

  Jack opened his mouth to ask why she was being so picky about a bloody picture, but she elbowed him in the stomach. He snapped his mouth shut. Okay, so this must be part of her plan. He couldn’t figure out how a picture of them was helping, but he trusted her.

  He paused. He did trust her, he realized as Charlie directed Peter to take another photo, working with him to hold the camera-phone just so.

  The phone vibrated in Peter’s hand. His eyes widened as he looked at the screen.

  “You got a text,” Peter said, immediately handing Charlie her phone. She frowned and then growled a little in her throat. If they weren’t in such a shite situation, Jack might think that a sexy sound.

  “What’s it say?” Jack asked.

  “Tick tock.” She held the phone so he could see the screen.

  “Is everything alright?” Peter asked.

  “Fine,” Jack told him. Peter frowned, but didn’t say anything more.

  “It’s already seven,” Charlie murmured.

  “We need to get out of here,” he said. “Do you have what you need?”

  She tapped on her phone and studied the screen for a moment. “Yes. This should do.”

  Jack smiled. Of course she’d managed to get a picture of Peter’s eye while no one was looking. “Good. I’m going to check the door.”

  “Is something wrong?” Peter asked Charlie again.

  Jack didn’t bother to listen to Charlie’s denial as he cracked the door. He’d fully expected rugby cop to be standing right there, but no one was in the short hall where the room was located. He stepped out and moved to the corner, where it opened to the main lobby.

  Both cops stood not far from the front desk in order to keep an eye on the hall entrance. The small one had his notebook out and was flipping through the pages while Rugby talked. At that moment, a large tour bus pulled up outside the main doors and belched out a flood of tourists.

  Jack went back to the room. “Come,” he said to Charlie. “We have to go now.”

  She didn’t question, just got up. Peter stood as well.

  “Not you,” he said. “Tell the cops that if they have any more questions, they can call us.”

  “Do they have your number?” Peter asked.

  “They’re cops,” Jack said. “I’m pretty sure they can track it down.”

  Peter’s face reddened. “Your bodyguard has a bit of an attitude,” he said to Charlie in a low voice.

  “Just do what I said,” Jack said.

  “Charlotte, what do you say to getting a drink with me later?” Peter asked her before she made it out the door.

  Jack sighed, but didn’t interfere. It wasn’t his business if Charlie was interested in the guy. It’s not like he had any say in it.

  “Maybe tomorrow,” she replied. “I’m tied up tonight.”

  He hoped those words weren’t foreshadowing anything.

  “Where are the police?” Charlie asked when the door closed behind them.

  “Just ahead. We need to leave now, before they decide to keep questioning.”

  He held a hand out to stop Charlie from walking into the lobby. They waited just out of sight. The area had turned chaotic in the short time he’d been gone, as the tourists from the bus filed into the lobby. Half waited by the front desk while the other half milled around. People walked between the cops and the hall entrance, blocking their line of sight.

  Jack just had to time it right.

  He grabbed Charlotte’s hand just as a young boy and a woman in a blue dress walked up to the two coppers. “Excuse me,” the woman said. “My son wants to know, is it true that you don’t carry guns?”

  “How do you shoot the bad guys?” the kid asked.

  “Now,” Jack said, pulling on Charlie’s hand. “Don’t look at them, just walk calmly.” As he spoke, he maneuvered Charlie toward the door to the stairs. He pulled on her hand when she started to move too fast. He leaned in close, and whispered in her ear. “Relax, Sherlock, we’re almost there.” She shivered.

  Shivered.

  He couldn’t help but smile.

  And then they were at the door. He pushed it open and ushered her through.

  16

  Charlie hurried up the stairs to keep pace with Jack as they left the lobby behind. They came out on the second floor, where they snagged an elevator.

  “Did you get it?” Jack asked, nodding at the phone still clutched in her hand.

  She grinned. “Yup. I have a program I wrote a while back as a prank on someone. It reverses the camera in a smartphone so you think you’re taking a normal picture and it’s really taking one of you. Or vice versa.”

  “Why’d you do that?”

  “It was for a guy who took way too many selfies on our date. I sent him the program hidden in a picture of him.”

  “So Mr. Ego could no longer take selfies and didn’t know why.” Jack’s lips twitched. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Sherlock.”

  “What do you think the cops will do when they find us gone?” she asked.

  “They’ll send someone to the room,” he said. “So we need to grab our kit and go.”

  The elevator doors dinged open and she nodded. “I still need somewhere to break into the laptop, there could be more layers of encryption for all we know.”

  “I’m on it,” he said, opening the door. “I’ll find us a secure location while you gather what you need.”

  The door across the hall opened. Cat stood there with Dante behind her, both of them frowning. “Why do you need a secure location?” Cat asked.

  Charlie froze. How much had Cat heard? Would she ask too many questions? Would her aunt continue to suffer because she kept making mistakes?

  Jack slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Just a figure of speech. Too many years in the army and all that. We’re switching hotel rooms is all. We’re finding some of the neighbors to be too nosy.”

  Cat’s eyes widened and her fists clenched. Dante laid a hand on her shoulder even though she hadn’t moved. It seemed like more a reminder not to do violence than a way to physically hold her back. Cat shook his hand off and marched down the hall.

  Dante hesitated and looked at Charlie, compassion in his eyes. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you,” he said, “but I hope you figure it out soon, before Blackwell decides to figure it out for you. Let us know where you end up.” He gave her a nod before walking off, ignoring Jack entirely.

  Her hand rose as if to reach out to her friends’ retreating backs. The words to call them back and confess waited on her tongue. She stood frozen for a moment, the need to go after them almost overwhelming her.

  “I’m sorry, Charlie,” Jack said quietly. “I know it’s hard.”

  Her hand dropped to her side and she turned to him. He did know. He’d been treated worse than her. His friends and fellow soldiers had called him a liar and a coward, and abandoned him to his fate. She turned and hugged him, not sure if she was consoling him or herself.

  His arms slipped around her and he pulled her into the room. The door whisked shut, but she still didn’t let go, con
tent to stand in his strong arms, breathing in his scent and letting his presence soothe her. She felt his lips brush the top of her head. She took a last deep breath and pulled back. His arms tightened for a fraction of a second before releasing her.

  “You good, Sherlock?”

  She nodded. “I’m okay. Thanks.”

  “Then pack your kit. I’ve got an idea for where you can crack that laptop.”

  There was a new cell on the bed. Charlie threw it along with Peter’s laptop into her messenger bag, while Jack checked his weapons.

  Moments later, she followed Jack back out into the hallway. She breathed a sigh of relief that Cat and Dante weren’t there waiting to ambush her with more questions, though a small pang of sadness ripped through her. Had they given up on her already?

  They took the elevator to the top floor, where the rooftop restaurant was. Most of the tables scattered around the patio were full.

  “You want me to hack into this in public?”

  “Hiding in plain sight,” he said, steering her to a table in the corner. “The cops won’t look for us here. You do your thing. I’ll keep watch. If anyone comes, we’ll go down the back stairs.”

  An idea occurred to her as she sat down, and hope blossomed. She bit her lip and tried to keep her face expressionless when she pulled off the micro-bug and set it so it faced her. It couldn’t see the screen without moving and calling attention to itself.

  She opened Peter’s laptop and used the picture of his face to unlock it. There was no further encryption that she could find. And she found the files on his weapon easily.

  “It looks like he’s got another layer or two of encryption,” she said to Jack for the micro-bug’s benefit. “This might take me a bit. I’m going to try to remove them.”

  Jack checked his watch. “You’ve only got an hour before they call. Can you do it?”

  An hour should work. She nodded and searched the system until she found the design specs for the weapon.

  Now it was time to make a few modifications.

  * * *

  Jack held the phone to his ear, listening for any new directions from the bastard. It was the phone they’d found on the bed in Charlie’s hotel room when they’d gotten back.

  It had rung right at nine and the voices directed them back to the Underground to take the Bakerloo line.

  They’d been on the Tube for about twenty minutes when the phone rang. The voices said, “Get off.”

  Kilburn Park Station.

  He stood and Charlie followed, her eyes asking the question. He nodded. She swallowed and squared her shoulders. Her aunt was in danger, but she was keeping herself level. He appreciated that. He wasn’t sure how calm he’d be if his mother had been the one taken. He’d probably be losing his shit right about now.

  His mom had raised him and his sister Quinn on her own, working double shifts as a waitress to make ends meet. Even the thought of her in this kind of danger made him breathe a little faster. He admired Charlie’s cool head. The skin around her eyes was tight and a little furrow lived between her brows, but she was keeping it cool.

  He squeezed her shoulder as they stepped off the train. No words between them. They’d been speaking less and less, relying on non-verbal communication, as if neither of them wanted Spider or his men to hear or see any of their interactions anymore.

  She nodded at him. She was ready.

  “Where now?” he asked the voice on the phone.

  “Take Rudolph to Kilburn Park Road. There’s a gated park. The gate’s unlocked.” The call disconnected. So the exchange would most likely take place outside. In the dark. In a place he hadn’t recce’d. A wash of prickles went up the skin of his back. He didn’t like this, but they didn’t have a choice.

  He relayed the instructions to Charlie, who nodded and took off for the nearest stairs. Quiet streets filled with brownstones greeted them. A single noisy pub stood across from the station, but they turned away from it and headed south. They walked two blocks and found Kilburn Park Road. He pointed at an unlit patch of darkness a block away. “That must be the park.”

  “Why aren’t there any lights?”

  “It’s gated and exclusive to the street’s residents. They probably lock it at night, so they don’t have to light it.”

  Eight-foot-tall, black wrought iron fencing surrounded the park. The gate was midway down the block.

  “Do you think they’re here already?” Charlie whispered as he swung open the gate. It didn’t squeak. Someone had oiled the hinges recently.

  “They’re here,” he said. “Just stay close to me. When they hand over your aunt, just take her and go.” His eyes went to the main street. He didn’t want to say too much with that damn bug on her shoulder.

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll be fine.” And he would be. After he’d taken out the men who’d done this. There was no way he was allowing these bastards to get away with this. He’d do whatever it took to stop them. And once he didn’t have to worry about Charlie or her aunt, then he could get down to what he did best.

  Killing.

  Tall thick shrubs grew just inside the fence, keeping the park interior secluded from the outside world. A stone path wound through and around various shrubs and trees. Trickling water echoed. Dim outlines of benches stood in the dark shadows under spreading branches of tall trees.

  Jack figured that in daylight the park would be idyllic. The kind of place moms brought their kids, or retired people came to sit on a bench and read the paper.

  In the center of the park, the paving stones led to a small fountain surrounded by more benches. The source of the water sounds. Three men faced them. In front of them lay a slight figure.

  Jack paused, and Charlie stopped behind him and gasped lightly. But she didn’t rush forward, just laid her hand on his upper back, letting him know she was there and waiting for whatever he decided.

  The prone figure must be Charlie’s aunt. He moved forward, scanning the area around them, looking for any hidden figures. Looking for a trap.

  He stopped about five meters from them. Charlie came to stand beside him. He’d have preferred her behind him, but he wasn’t going to shove her back. She could handle herself. Besides, she was close enough that he could tackle her if there ended up being a gunfight.

  “Do you have the laptop?” a male voice asked. It sounded like the dark-skinned man, Tom. He stood apart from the others.

  “Yes,” Charlie said before Jack could. “Aunt G?” she called to the woman on the ground.

  She didn’t stir.

  “What have you done to her?” Charlie said.

  “Nothing,” Tom said. “She fell unconscious a while ago. She’s still alive.”

  Barely, Jack thought.

  Charlie stepped forward and Jack gripped her arm just as the two men on either side of Tom raised their weapons.

  “You didn’t help her?” Charlie said. “She’s an elderly woman. She’s probably in shock.”

  Tom shrugged. “She’s no longer our concern. You and the laptop are.”

  “We have it,” Charlie snapped.

  “Bring it to me.”

  Charlie looked at Jack. He nodded. They’d barely spoken about how the exchange would go down, but this had been a scenario. He held onto the phone with the picture of Dr. Anderson’s iris.

  Charlie walked forward, laptop in hand, shoulders back and chin up. No fear. Just an anger that vibrated from her.

  She stopped a few feet from Tom and handed over the laptop. Then, she dropped down beside her aunt and felt at her neck for a pulse. At her move, the two men aimed their weapons at her.

  Jack stepped forward. “If you shoot her, I will kill you all.” His voice was low and had enough of an edge that the men swung the weapon toward him instead.

  “Enough,” Tom said. “We know you have the iris scan for the encryption software. We require that, too.”

  “I’ll email you the picture after you let us go,” Charlie said.


  Tom didn’t speak for a moment, but he touched his ear. Someone was speaking with him. It meant Spider wasn’t one of these men. Fuck. Jack had so looked forward to killing the man.

  “That won’t do,” Tom said. “There’s been a change of plans.”

  Jack tensed, ready to duck and pull his weapon, ready to push Charlie out of the way of any bullets. A change of plans. Those words never boded well.

  “What do you mean?” Charlie asked, rising to her feet.

  “Spider requires not just the iris scan, but also both of your services.”

  “Our servi—”

  “Fuck that,” Jack snarled. “That wasn’t the deal.” There was no way he was letting them take Charlie. They’d have to kill him.

  “Deals change.” The other two men lifted their weapons. Jack pulled Charlie behind him and brought out his Sig Sauer P226 from under his jacket. “Shit is hitting the fan,” he said to Charlie. “When I say, run for the gate.”

  “I won’t leave my aunt.”

  “I’ll get her out,” he said. Somehow.

  Charlie stepped out from behind Jack.

  “Charlie, don’t,” he said.

  “I have to.” She walked slowly toward the men. “Leave my aunt and Jack. I’ll come with you.”

  Fuck. She was offering herself to save him.

  Him.

  “Good choice,” Tom said. He looked at Jack. “But we require your presence as well.”

  “What? Why?” Charlie said. “You don’t need him.”

  “The boss says you’ll work better with an incentive and your aunt is too fragile. This guy can take a lot more abuse.” Tom smiled. “Same rules apply. If either of you pulls anything, I shoot the other one.” He stepped back and lowered his weapon.

  The other two men did not. One of them walked to Charlie and the other to Jack. They each pulled something out of their jacket pockets. Charlie jerked when the man pressed it to her neck. Then she crumpled to the ground.

  Bollocks. They were going to be drugged.

  Jack’s man reached him. It took everything in his control not to put up a fight. If he didn’t let himself be drugged, he might take out the guards but Charlie was now defenseless. She and her aunt would probably be killed. He had to go with Charlie in order to protect her. He didn’t know why it was so damn important to him that this frustrating woman survive, but it was.