“Totally,” Basia said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. We all laughed.
Elvis put his feet up on the desk. “So, Lexi, you said the guy you set on fire is going to live, but did the police ever capture that Bacon guy?”
I nodded. “Thankfully, yes, and the two other cohorts as well. They’re also tracing the links to the actual buyers for the microchip. It looks promising that they’ll catch them as well.”
“Will Treasury have to scrap the chip?”
“No.” I tugged the blanket tighter around my shoulders. “The chip never made it into anyone’s hands—well, arms—except for mine. They intend to move forward with the technology. Soon U.S. currency should be completely traceable and more difficult than ever to counterfeit.”
“So you were right.” Elvis crossed his arms. “Nickelward never intended to give the counterfeiters the real chip.”
“Nope.”
For an hour or so after that, we all sat around talking, exchanging stories and enjoying our newfound friendships. Basia had been my only friend for several years and I was in more than just a little awe that over the course of one week, I’d gained two more. Surprisingly, it neither frightened nor annoyed me.
After a while, I decided it was time to go home. We had work the next day and I’d have to get up extra early to drive Basia back to Washington.
While Basia said goodbye to Xavier, I lingered in the dining room with Elvis.
“Well, thanks again for everything, Elvis.” I blew out a breath. “Jeez, that sounds really lame. I should say something more elegant like I’m really appreciative that you saved my life and all.”
He waved a hand. “Actually, you were doing pretty good on your own. But I’m glad I could help. Couldn’t let anything happen to my new Quake partner.”
My eyes lit up. “Does this mean we’re going to play again?”
“As soon as you want.”
“Tomorrow night?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Your place or mine?”
“We can make it mine if you bring your laptop.”
“Deal.”
As Basia and I drove away, I pondered on the past few days and the new direction my life seemed to be taking. I’d always believed that intangible concepts like faith and coincidence were no substitute for science and logic. Life was logical, predictable and linear. People and relationships were unknown and complicated variables that I’d always assumed I’d be better off avoiding.
In many ways I still believed that. Still, I didn’t want to end up like Dr. Nickelward, alone with nothing but his science. Perhaps I did need to embrace a more interactive lifestyle, one that involved things like friends, companionship and regular social interaction. Those concepts made me nervous, but I calmed myself by thinking of how Socrates, the Geek Master of his time, had once addressed it.
Be slow to fall into friendship, but when thou art in, continue firm and constant.
Firm and constant. If Socrates could do it, so could I. Possibly.
I’d start slow and build, expand my network at my own pace. That was the ticket. I didn’t really want to think too far ahead into the future. For now, I’d live in the present. Tomorrow I’d play a wicked game of Quake and maybe share a pizza with a new friend. Live life one step at a time.
Yeah, I was pretty sure that was something a geek girl like me could manage.
* * * * *
Get your geek on with the first two titles in the Lexi Carmichael Mystery series. Available now!
No One Lives Twice
I’m Lexi Carmichael, geek extraordinaire. I spend my days stopping hackers at the National Security Agency. My nights? Those I spend avoiding my mother and eating cereal for dinner. Even though I work for a top-secret agency, I’ve never been in an exciting car chase, sipped a stirred (not shaken) martini, or shot a poison dart from an umbrella. Until today, that is…
No One To Trust
SWFG: Single, White, Female, Geek. That’s me, Lexi Carmichael, a reformed hacker who was gainfully employed by the National Security Agency. Extraordinary events led me to leave government life behind for a fresh start with a brand-new company and an incredibly sexy boss. But our very first client is missing, and his bosses think I’m involved. And they aren’t the only ones—the man who nearly snapped my neck in the parking garage thinks so, too.
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About the Author
Julie Moffett is a bestselling author and writes in the genres of historical romance, paranormal romance and mystery. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious PRISM Award for Best Romantic Time-Travel and Best of the Best Paranormal Books of 2002. She has also garnered several nominations for the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Holt Medallion.
Julie is a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending high school in Okinawa, Japan; backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months; a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland; and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues.
Julie has a B.A. in political science and Russian language from Colorado College and an M.A. in international affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has worked as a journalist, teacher and researcher. Julie speaks Russian and Polish and has two sons.
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ISBN: 978-14268-9390-2
Copyright © 2012 by Julie Moffett
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