The Broken Code

by LJ Byrne

  Celeste gasps at the gun in Ernest’s hand. I don’t hesitate; I fling my phone as hard as I can on the marbled floors. The screen shatters beautifully, but my joy is short-lived when Ernest points the gun at me. I guess we aren’t going anywhere.

  100101

  Ernest takes Celeste’s phone after we’re escorted to the library. Oh joy, Ingrid has joined us. Daniel and Ingrid stand on the side as Ernest circles me.

  “It was you, wasn’t it? You hacked our phones,” Daniel says, shaking his head. “All this time, you were right under our noses. Ryder didn’t hire anyone. It was you.”

  What do they say to do when you’re cornered? Deny everything.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” There you go. That ought to convince them. All kidding aside, they did catch us fleeing after noting the camera on the computer was on.

  “You shattered your phone. Tell me why,” Daniel demands while Ingrid taps her fingers on her arm nervously.

  Celeste looks ready to pee in her pants. Hopefully, she really did use the toilet earlier. “Why should I?” I ask.

  “How about we remove fingers from Celeste until you do,” Ingrid demands, setting her hands on her hips.

  Celeste gives a little shriek. They wouldn’t hurt us, would they? “Are you sure you want to deal with that type of DNA cleanup? You’d have to burn the house to the ground,” I say with false bravado.

  Ernest looks at Daniel, but Daniel isn’t sure and looks at Ingrid. A part of me panics, but I can’t help the snarky part that wonders why Daniel thinks Ingrid would know anything.

  “Well, what do we do, then?” Ingrid asks out loud.

  Ernest waves the gun around while he talks. “She heard far too much. My partners won’t be happy about that.”

  “Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I insist. “We were leaving because we’re expected somewhere.”

  But Ingrid’s father ignores my words. “If you have a smidgen of your father’s talent, Miss Bell, then you know more about computers and networks than you let on. It’s better not to make me angry.” He shakes the gun in my face, and I can’t stop my flinch. “You were eavesdropping on us, weren’t you? The camera turned on here.” He points to the now powerless computer. “Did you destroy your phone to hide the evidence?”

  Daniel looks at the cracked screen. “I can’t tell what she saw or if it was her. But it had to be someone close enough to be on the network.”

  “You may think you’re clever, Mira, but Father holds all the cards,” Ingrid says, but she sounds uncertain to my ears. Maybe she isn’t completely sold on her father’s lunacy.

  Ernest thumps the gun on the table in the library. I wish he weren’t so cavalier with it. “We need to change our plans.” While he paces, I hear Celeste’s phone buzz repeatedly. Both Ryder and Connor are probably worried now. “Alright, Miss Bell, you have one chance to save yourself and your friend. I need you to go to the school and go to the maintenance room underneath the chemistry lab. There’s a backdoor exit. You will unlock that door for us.”

  “She doesn’t know how to drive,” Ingrid says. “It’ll have to be Celeste.”

  “Why do you need access to the school?” I ask.

  Ernest scowls and ignores my question. “Fine. Celeste, I will have Ingrid follow you. If you go the wrong way or do anything, your friend here dies. Go to the school and do as we ask.”

  Celeste has been silent the entire time, but her brown eyes are filled with fear. “It’s okay,” I say. “It’ll be fine.”

  “But I can’t leave you here,” she whispers.

  She can and she has to.

  “Before you leave, let your friend use your phone, Celeste,” Ernest orders. “I want you to call Ryder Cabot and tell him something so he doesn’t raise the alarm about you two missing.”

  “What do you want me to say?” I ask. I need time for Ryder and Connor to panic enough to reach out to Liam. No one has turned off Celeste’s phone yet, which means that Liam may be able to see that her phone’s last ping occurred from the Whitmans. I listen to Ernest Whitman’s request. When I make the call, I can only hope that Ryder truly does trust me.

  “Is my father Suk-jeon Park?” I ask after Ingrid and Celeste leave.

  Ernest and Daniel escort me to another car. Daniel’s driving, Ernest sits in the back with me. At first, I think Ernest is going to ignore me, but he gives me a creepy smile before answering. “Most likely. I knew they were seeing each other.”

  I don’t need to ask who they refer to. “You were already married.” I clasp my hands in my lap to hide my feelings. “You weren’t happy about Mom’s relationship with him.”

  Ernest grows petulant. “Gwen turned me down. I was one of the richest, most eligible bachelors, and she turned me down. I got married. I offered to make her my mistress.”

  Wow. Underneath all that slime is… more slime. I can’t imagine anyone being thrilled about such an offer.

  “We were losing our edge,” Ernest continues. “We still are. Foreigners coming here. Men like him, stealing our technology. Our women.”

  “But he was your business partner,” I state. “You hated him?” My eyes dart around as Daniel begins to drive.

  His loud snort startles me. “Business partner? Pfft. A means to an end. He developed the software I needed, but then he got greedy. Wanted more money. People only wanted to work with him because of me. Him and his soft hands.” He stops to think for a moment. “It’s fitting that his daughter brings about the justice we need so badly.”

  Ernest has gone from creepy to insane. “Justice?”

  “Justice. For our country,” the older man says. “You still don’t have a clue, do you, what I’m doing?”

  It occurs to me that maybe I don’t want to know. But who am I kidding? I’m being held at gunpoint. The chances I’ll be kindly released are next to none. I should die knowing everything, right? Okay, I guess it’s time to bite the bullet. (Wow, bad choice of metaphor.) “I have a clue,” I say.

  Ernest and Daniel exchange a look using the rearview mirror. “Enlighten me,” says Ernest.

  “You’re using the school’s computers so that it looks like someone is studying fuel-air explosives,” I begin. I note that we’re heading to the school. “The crumbs make it look like Brittany Khan is involved, but I think that’s a red herring.”

  Of all things, Ernest laughs. “You are a clever girl. Your father was smart, too, and he clever. But he was a terrible liar.” For now, he pockets the gun. “And why is Brittany the red herring?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Good. You’re an honest girl. Just like your daddy.” Ernest seems to enjoy commenting on my father. “You see, people like your father come to America to steal our ideas. Like leeches, they suck us dry and profit from us. The worst part? They force us to integrate them into our society. We’re forced to change and accept their weirdness. And they take our women to create half-breeds like you.” For the first time, I realize that he views me with distaste.

  “You want people to think Brittany is doing something terrorist-related?” I ask.

  “Consider it a purging, Miss Bell. Once your mother tainted herself, she was no longer suitable as a wife.” Ernest shrugs. “I offered to save her.”

  Bile rises in my throat. “As your mistress?” Ernest has lost his marbles.

  “We’re here,” Daniel says, taking the car past the main school buildings.

  I’ve never been on the delivery and maintenance side before, but I recognize the building that holds all the labs. Ingrid, bundled in a coat, holds a door open and I see Celeste peering anxiously. Relief floods her face when she spots me in the car.

  I avoid Daniel’s offer to help me out of the car – creep! – but I don’t attempt to run. Once we’re all inside, I finally ask the question on my mind. “Why did you bring us here?”

  The smile I receive chills me. “Because, my dear, we’re going to blow up the school.”

 
100110

  Ryder

  My cousin and I have an entire weekend planned for the girls. Celeste and Mira hang out at school a lot, which makes the whole “double-dating” business easier. If you had told me two years ago I’d be contemplating double-dating seriously, I would’ve laughed my head off. Part of the weekend is to surprise the girls with our spring break ideas. More accurately, I’m taking the remains of my bank account that my father hasn’t confiscated and taking Mira away for spring break. Connor’s reserved a private home for us in Florida away from most of the crowds with a private beach and a pool.

  The last text from Celeste to Connor didn’t indicate anything amiss.

  Mira and I are taking a small detour. I’ll let her tell you both in person what’s going on.

  And then silence. Connor’s worried, so now I’m worried too. My calls to Mira go straight to voicemail, which is odd because Mira rarely turns her phone off.

  Then, my phone shows an incoming call from Celeste over an hour after our last message from the girls. With a concerned glance at Connor, I pick up. “Celeste?”

  “It’s me.”

  Relief floods my body when I hear Mira’s voice, but it doesn’t quite translate into my words. “Mira, where are you?” I sound like a demanding boyfriend. Dammit.

  “Um, Celeste and I talked.”

  She sounds funny like she’s trying to think but she’s distracted at the same time. “Okay.”

  “We’re not coming over. Change of plans. I think we should take a break.” She says the sentences quickly.

  It takes me a while to respond. A hit to my gut would hurt less. “Mira, what are you talking about? Where is this coming from?” I sound whipped and desperate. “Just come over so we can talk.” I’ve done this to her before. Told her we need a break without justifiable reason. But she knows that was under duress.

  “I still love Liam.”

  Jealousy hits me hard and fast. She said they were just friends! My insecurities rage as I grapple with what she’s saying. “Don’t say that. Mira, you told me—” I break off, struggling for logic and reason. She’s not like this. Her emotions don’t flip back and forth. She’s never given me a reason to doubt her. “We can work through this. We love each other.”

  “I don’t. I knew during Thanksgiving. I just didn’t want to accept it.”

  Reason and logic win. Thanksgiving. The worm she stopped. She’s mentioning it for a specific reason. I want to be a better person for her, so I want her to know the only thing that matters. “I will always love you.”

  Her voice sounds choppy when she speaks again. “Liam and I connected over the summer more than I expected. Whatever you do, leave Liam out of this. Celeste and I are disappearing for the weekend so I can think clearly. I’m sorry.”

  When she hangs up, I force myself not to fling my phone in rage. Think! She wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t dump me over the phone. Thanksgiving. I remember I was worried about her safety. And then I remember. She thought the attack was a test to see how fast it could be stopped. Her awkward mention of her summer with Liam? She’s talking about the work she does for the government. Leave Liam out of this? She wants me to do the exact opposite. My stomach turns. Mira’s in danger. She couldn’t speak to me honestly because someone was there. That’s why she didn’t use her phone. Somehow, she’s not on the periphery anymore.

  “Connor, do you have Liam’s number?” Connor must see the fear on my face despite the calmness of my voice. My insecurities disappear in the wake of a worse emotion: terror for Mira. I can’t – I refuse – to lose her.

  Connor wordlessly makes the call to Liam and hands me his phone. “Liam, this is Ryder. I got an odd call from Mira,” I begin without letting him speak. “She called me from Celeste’s cell.”

  Liam is quiet. “What did she say?”

  “She’s in danger, isn’t she?” When Liam doesn’t say anything, I swear. “If anything happens to her, I will kill you, Liam! Help me find her!”

  That causes Liam to rage right back at me. “Let me work, Ryder! Her phone is off, but we should be able to triangulate Celeste’s last phone call. Tell me what she said.”

  I do my best to relate what Mira said over the phone.

  “She mentioned Thanksgiving specifically?” Liam asks.

  I bite back a snippy reply. “Yes. And the work you two did this summer. What does it all mean?”

  “God, she’s clever.” Liam’s admiration is obvious. “It means she knows what the attack was about. I can’t tell you everything. I’ll get back to you or Connor once we have more information.” When I start swearing, he cuts in, “Listen to me! You may not realize this, but I do care about Mira. We’re going to find her, okay? She’ll be okay. But I can’t have you barging in and making this worse. I know it sucks, but if you sit tight, I will notify you as soon as I learn anything.”

  It rankles me a little to know that Liam understands Mira so well, and yet, it’s probably a good thing. I hand the phone back to Connor. With dread, he sits down to listen when I tell him that Mira and Celeste are in danger.

  Hours later, I wonder if I should call Ethan. But what is there to say? Hey, Ethan, Mira’s in danger, but that’s all I know. Sorry. No, even I’m not that cruel. Until I know something beyond vague ideas of trouble, the less panic, the better.

  “You really love her, don’t you?” Connor asks with a sad smile. “You held it together. The old you would’ve believed she was dumping you.”

  I wish I could muster a smile, but I can’t. I wish I could feel equal concerns for Mira and Celeste, but I can’t. The truth is that I only care about getting Mira back, and to do it, I would sacrifice anything and everything, even Celeste. Even Connor.

  “I do.” I struggle to offer some words of comfort to my cousin. “We’ll get them back.” We have to. Mira is clever and strong. She adapts.

  My mind plays back the past twelve months. The first time I held her in my arms as we danced… I lost my heart completely then. Up to that point, it was infatuation, obsession. It still might be an obsession. Trying to juggle Erin’s and Ingrid’s games and my feelings for Mira muddled everything. Even now, I cringe remembering the hurt on Mira’s face when she saw me with Ingrid. She shouldn’t forgive me for being so stupid.

  I think of all the things I want Mira to know about me. What if--? No. I’ll tell her when I see her. I need to stay positive. I won’t just tell her. I’ll show her.

  Out of habit, I walk to the liquor cabinet and grab some brandy, but then I stop. No, I need to stay lucid. If Liam calls, I can’t be wasted. With deliberate focus, I put the brandy back in the cabinet. In a moment of candor, Mira told me how her mother died because of a drunk driver. I don’t need alcohol.

  “They’ll be okay,” Connor says in a half-broken voice. “No one has a reason to hurt them.”

  Helplessness. Connor experiences it, too. My mind flips from fear to anger and back to fear. I find myself praying, bargaining with whatever higher power will listen. Every minute feels like an hour. Time creeps into the early hours of dawn, but I can’t sleep. My frantic energy is wearing and exhausting.

  When my phone rings, I shake so bad that it takes me two tries to answer. “What?”

  “We have them.”

  100111

  It takes me a while to wake up. Jumbled images confuse me further. Ernest Whitman in the car with a gun. Celeste sobbing. Phone calls to Ryder and Liam. An explosion. Am I dead? No. I don’t think I would hurt if I were dead. Then I remember Daniel slapping me.

  That explains why my face hurts, but it doesn’t explain this out of body experience I’m having. I hear people, but my body refuses to move.

  “When will she wake up?”

  I recognize that voice. Seriously? Am I in the hospital again? Twice in less than a year. I am going to owe Aunt Erika her full deductible.

  “I’m awake,” I grumble. Oh, wow. My voice sounds terrible.

  Aunt Erika starts crying when I open my eyes. It tak
es forever to bring my aunt and uncle into focus because the world is bleary. They fuss over me while the nurse takes my vitals and asks how I feel. She tells me I have a mild concussion, and Aunt Erika insists I stay overnight for “observation.” I let them fuss because I’m bruised, battered, and disoriented.

  “Celeste,” I say hoarsely.

  “She’s alright,” Uncle Robert assures me. “Right down the hall. She’s a little less banged up. I even hired private security to be right outside her door.”

  My lips tighten. There are questions that need to be answered. When the nurse leaves after upping my painkillers, I expect an interrogation, but my aunt simply holds my hand.

  “There’ll be time for questions later,” she says. “First, rest a little. Liam filled us in a little. When you’re better, we’re going to have a chat about secrets.”

  That doesn’t sound good. Before I can ask her what she means, there’s a tiny commotion outside followed by Ryder bursting through the door. The moment our eyes meet, my emotions get the better of me. I burst into tears, and my aunt and uncle take that as their cue to give us some privacy.

  “Please tell me you’re okay.” He’s anxious to hold me, but he hesitates, analyzing my injuries. His eyes darken as he takes in the scrapes and bruises. “They wouldn’t let me in at first. There’s no way anyone could keep me from you.” Ryder doesn’t hide the tears as he bends over my hand.

  When Ernest tied me and Celeste up in the basement of the school, I expected to die. I wasn’t sure if Ryder or Liam understood what I tried to tell them. To still be alive… “I’m okay,” I murmur. “A little discombobulated.” I get a huff from Ryder.

  “I was terrified I’d lost you,” he whispers, and his kiss is excruciatingly soft against my lips. “I’ll do my best not to be obsessive about every move you make, but I’m going to need to know that you’re okay. I hope you’re good with that.”