Out there? All bets were off.
Chapter Sixteen
Bliss was overwhelmed by testosterone. She let her gaze slide over the group of men gathered together in a room in HOT HQ and tried to remember all their names.
Wolf and Easy and Saint she already knew. Now there was Mal, Muffin, Gem, and Harley. They had real names of course, but those weren’t the ones they’d been introduced to her with. She understood it since she came from the cyber world where everyone had a pseudonym.
These men couldn’t be confused with cyber geeks though. Or not the typical cyber geek anyway. They were all big, muscled, and utterly badass. They were dressed in street clothes and packing weaponry and they were planning to accompany her to the meeting with Jones.
Well, sort of accompany her. They were planning to station themselves around the area and watch for trouble. Not that she expected any, though she had to admit she was slightly nervous about being seen in public for the first time since she’d escaped her house.
She’d called Jones from the burner and he’d picked up immediately. He hadn’t been happy with her. It had now been four days since she’d stolen the contents of Bill Martin’s hard drive and Jones was livid. He demanded to know where she was, but she’d refused to tell him. Instead, she’d set up a meeting for this evening, after the rush hour crowd had cleared. Their usual spot was the food court at the Pentagon City mall. It was public and there was metro access, which made it convenient. It was also only a couple of stops from her house. Not that she’d be coming from her house this time, but that was a big reason why she typically used it.
When the time came, she followed Sky out to the parking lot where a van waited for them. Everyone got inside and they headed downtown. It took about forty-five minutes to make it to the parking garage of the mall. They parked and got out and Sky put his hands on her shoulders.
“You okay?”
“I think so.” They’d fitted her with a wire and it felt so uncomfortable. But nobody could tell. She’d checked that in the mirror a few times.
Okay, a lot of times.
“We’ll be inside, around the food court. Nobody’s going to get to you with us nearby.”
She believed it. These men were too big, too badass, to let anyone get past them. She shouldered her purse and squared her shoulders. The USB stick was inside, but it was a decoy. All of Martin’s files were on there, with the exception of the malware code. That had been replaced with Stuxnet code. Any programmer worth his or her salt would recognize the code, but Jones wasn’t a programmer and wasn’t likely to have one with him. By the time the CIA analyzed the files, they’d be thoroughly confused—and more than a bit disgusted probably.
“I know,” she said. The guys had moved away, leaving the two of them some privacy. She wondered if it was on purpose or just coincidence. “I like your friends,” she whispered to Sky.
He smiled. “Yeah, they’re pretty great, right? And they are my friends, though they’re my teammates first.” He sucked in a breath, let it out. Rubbed his hands down her arms and back up again. She liked it. Liked how easy they were together right now. She never wanted it to end. “You know, I was pissed as hell at you for ruining what I had with Tucker’s network defense detachment, but without that happening I don’t know that I’d have found HOT.”
She tilted her head to the side, her heart tripping just a tiny bit. “Aw, are you saying you owe me, Sky?”
He chuckled. “Maybe. Maybe not.” He dipped down to kiss her forehead. Her body sizzled in reaction. Her insides went gooey. He made her happy inside. “But I’m trying to see the positive side of things. Thought you’d appreciate that.”
“I do. And Sky?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for believing me enough to help me out when I came to your door.” If he hadn’t let her in, she didn’t know where she’d be right now. Or where the world would be when it came right down to it.
He hugged her, squeezing hard for a moment, and then let her go. She was drunk on the feelings he roused in her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and cling for as long as she could. She purposely didn’t reach for him, didn’t want him to know how mixed up and vulnerable he made her feel.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “But it was a close one, I gotta tell you.”
“I know. But the truth is you’re too decent not to. I was counting on that.”
He snorted. “I’m glad you know it. Because I wasn’t so sure.” He threaded his fingers in hers and tugged. “Come on, let’s go find out what the fuck Jones knows.”
She started walking, keeping pace beside him. Trying not to let herself dwell on the way her heart felt like a Mexican jumping bean when Sky was near. “What happens if we don’t find that laptop?”
“We’ll find it. And even if we don’t, the NSA will work out the patch and deploy it. The doomsday scenario won’t happen.”
She liked that he was so confident. It made her think maybe it would happen exactly as he said. She hoped so.
They stopped and waited for Sky’s teammates—Echo Squad—to filter into the mall. Besides Sky, there were seven of them. She’d wondered why she needed so many guys as backup, but Sky told her that was just the way it worked.
Some of them took the elevators up to other levels, and then they were planning to walk back down to the food court on the metro level, stationing themselves at different positions. Others would stay on the higher levels and monitor the situation from there since the center of the mall was open all the way to the ceiling and they’d have a good view of the tables. Sky went inside with her. They stopped before they walked directly into the food court. He searched her face.
“I’ll be close. If anything happens that you don’t like, scream. Don’t let anyone force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips, silencing him. “This is Jones. I’m not meeting Robert Mayes. It’ll be fine.”
She started to pull away but he caught her to him and kissed her again, hard on the mouth. Her breath shortened as he let her go. She wanted so much in that moment. So much she didn’t know how to say.
“Don’t take anything for granted, Bliss. Trust no one.”
“Even you?”
His eyes widened for the briefest of moments. “You can trust me with your life. But maybe not your virtue.”
“I want to get this over with,” she said. “And then I want to go back to your room—or my room, don’t care—and ride your amazingly sexy body all night long.”
Because he made her happy. Because she felt good with him. Because she loved him. Still.
The revelation made her breath catch painfully. Had she really learned nothing at all? Letting herself be so vulnerable was frightening. What if he never returned the feeling?
His gaze smoldered. “That sounds like a plan I can get behind—just like I plan to get behind you later.” He swatted her on the ass. “Go. I’ll come in behind you and find a spot.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him, determined not to let him see how defenseless he made her feel. “And there we go with the behinds again, Sky. I’m beginning to wonder if you have a fetish.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “You’ll find out later.”
Bliss strode into the mall with her head held high and the knowledge that she had an entire Special Operations team at her disposal. She’d always worked alone, so this was new—but she liked it.
She strolled through the food court, made her way to the McDonald’s, and ordered a decaf with cream. She studied the tables in the center, looking for Jones, but he wasn’t there. She didn’t expect he would be. It was still ten minutes until their official meet time.
She found a table in the middle of the food court where she could see people coming at her from all angles—and where the operators on the other floors could see her and Jones. The mall was busy with families and tourists milling around and eating from the various fast-food restaurants located around the court. At one
end, near the metro entrance, Harry’s Smokehouse churned out burgers and barbecue that smelled divine.
Bliss looked up at the four stories of glass and concrete. During the day, light poured into the windows, illuminating the mall and making it shine. At night, it was still bright, with lots of light that reflected off the glass. It was a pretty space, and a nice place to shop. She’d spent hours here, browsing the stores. When she’d first come to DC, first learned how much her skills could really command, she’d gone a little over the top with the shopping.
Coming from Cricket Hollow, she’d always had an appreciation for the finer things in life—because she hadn’t had them but she’d been trained to look for them. A Louis Vuitton belt on a man, a Brooks Brothers suit, Italian leather shoes, bespoke shirts with silk suspenders. She knew what to look for. She hadn’t known how to get them for herself—legally, that is. Until she’d gotten that first paycheck for hacking into a server, and then she’d realized what money could buy.
Bliss sighed and blew on her coffee. Her gaze skimmed around the room, picking out the men of Echo Squad. They weren’t the blending type, but they managed it. Sky had bought a plate of food from Panda Express and proceeded to shovel it in like it was the most delicious thing on earth. He was one table over, and she was comforted by his proximity.
Two minutes later, Jones strolled in. She recognized his easy gait. He wasn’t as tall as Sky, but he was still tall. Not broad, but solid. He was older, probably in his forties or so, and he had graying temples. Not as distinguished as Mendez’s.
He went and bought ice cream at the Häagen-Dazs, then worked his way over and sat down. He held out a cup of ice cream to her. “Got you one too. Chocolate, because I know you like it.”
It was something he often did when they met, and Bliss took it with a smile. Her heart skipped a little, but only because she knew they were being watched. “Thanks.”
“Where the hell have you been anyway?”
“Somebody broke into my house. Forgive me if I was a little paranoid about that.”
He sighed and spooned ice cream into his mouth. “You gonna eat that?”
“In a minute. I’m drinking coffee.”
He shrugged. “So you went into hiding. But you’re here now and you have my files, yes?”
“Yes.” She cocked her head, deciding to play dumb. “What’s so important about them anyway?”
“Not sure exactly, but Martin claimed to be a hacker. He built a program that he was trying to sell on the dark net—something about controlling power grids. Obviously we can’t let that kind of thing get out.”
He didn’t mention Brighton Business Solutions or the NSA, so she didn’t either. “That’s already been done. Theoretically. Stuxnet—which your organization probably had a hand in if urban legend is to be believed.”
“True. Still, it never hurts to be cautious. Especially when somebody claims to have done something new with the code.”
That much was certainly true. And since she’d seen the code, she knew that the programmers at BBS had definitely done something new. Bliss reached into her bag and produced the USB stick, which she slid across the table. Jones palmed it and then dropped it into his pocket.
“Did you look at the files?”
“I did. You know I did. They’re encrypted though.”
“And did you try to break the encryption?”
Bliss sipped her coffee. “That’s not my specialty, so no. I made a few guesses at the password. Didn’t work. But you’ll break it. You have resources I don’t.”
“True.”
“So who came after me? And why? How did they know I took the files?”
Jones sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t know. The best I can figure is they were following Martin. They discovered what you’d done and they followed you. Or they tracked you through your computer.”
She frowned. “I don’t think they could do that. But following me is a possibility. If someone else was setting up to perform an attack on Martin’s computer, they could have discovered I got there first.”
It was a remote possibility, but not unlikely. The other option was that they had inside information. Not that she planned to say that to Jones.
“It’s possible they had inside information,” he said, echoing her thoughts. He leaned forward, fixing her with bloodshot eyes. Clearly he hadn’t gotten much sleep the past few days. She felt a little guilty about that, knowing what she knew about Martin’s code. “Between us, there’s been some trouble at the Farm. Leaks shouldn’t happen, but they do.”
Bliss blinked. “But that would be criminal, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t always stop people.”
“Martin is dead,” Bliss said, and Jones nodded. “The news reports say it was a biological.” She knew it was a ricin derivative, but so far as she knew the media hadn’t reported on that.
“Your ice cream is going to melt,” Jones said. “Yes, that’s what was reported. I can’t say what we know about it. But the agent used to kill him won’t spread.”
“That’s a relief.” She picked up the ice cream and took a bite even though she didn’t really want any. But it was chocolate, and it was there. “There were two men who came after me. One in my house and one in a car outside. I shot the one inside my house. Have you heard any reports of gunshot victims lately?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “No, I haven’t. Why didn’t you tell me this at the time? I could have kept a lookout for information.”
“I was too focused on surviving.”
He reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it. “I’m sorry, Briar. I didn’t know it’d been so hard on you. You should have called. I could have helped.”
“It’s okay. I took care of myself. As you can see.”
He smiled and let her hand go, leaning back against the chair. He’d finished his ice cream and pushed the cup out of his way. “You sure did. Glad to hear it. Maybe you should consider becoming an agent. We could use someone with your skills.”
Her ears grew hot. “Thanks, but I think I’ve had about as much excitement as I can stand. When can I expect the balance of my payment?”
“Already initiated. Go ahead and look.”
She pulled out her phone and checked her balance. Sure enough, she’d gotten a new transfer. “Thanks.”
Jones reached into the messenger bag he carried and brought out a manila envelope. It was thick. He set it on the table between them. Bliss put her phone down and took another bite of ice cream.
“A bonus,” he said.
She didn’t reach for what she assumed was money. “Why? I didn’t deliver on time.”
He shrugged. “But you got the files I asked for. It was a hard job, Bliss. And though you gave me and the organization a heart attack the past few days, you did deliver.”
She eyed the envelope. “Since when do you pay in cash?”
“Since I couldn’t get the transfer authorization in time. Cash is easier, believe it or not.”
She reached for the envelope and flipped it open. There was cash, but she didn’t know how much. She tucked it into her bag. “Thanks.”
“So,” Jones began. “You up for another job?”
Bliss frowned. “What kind of job? I can’t say I’ve recovered from the last one, truthfully.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Nothing so dramatic, I promise. If you’re ready, I’ll be in touch in a couple of days with details. We’re still putting the finishing touches on it.”
She couldn’t take any outside jobs now that she’d contracted with HOT, but she couldn’t explain that to Jones. It was easier to agree. “All right, sure. I won’t turn down a job. How much?”
“I’ll have to let you know. Right now looks like a hundred.”
One hundred grand. Her heart pinched at the thought of giving that up. “Sounds good. Just let me know.”
“Where can I find you?”
“The usual. Call me. Or message. I’ll answer.”
He grinned. “Hopefully a lot sooner than you have the past few days.”
“I was under pressure. Still am.”
He shrugged. “Martin is dead. They won’t be after you now.”
Bliss bit her lip. Then she decided to go for it. “What about his laptop? What happened to it? Did you guys get it?”
His expression clouded. “Honestly? No, we didn’t. I don’t really know where it is.”
“Wow. That could be a problem if this thing is as bad as you think it is.”
“Yeah, it sure could. But we’ll find it. I have faith.”
Sky ate his Panda Express with relish. He knew it was salty and bad for him, but he liked it anyway. His mother would have had a coronary knowing he was eating fast food. Leigh Ann Kelley did not allow her boys to darken the door of any fast-food establishment. Or hadn’t, anyway. These days all bets were off. Dad was in jail.
Mom was bitter and angry and working as a secretary, though she claimed she was just volunteering, and Sky did whatever in the hell he wanted. So, he imagined, did Storm. He talked to his brother when he could, but it wasn’t too often. They were both busier than hell. Storm with his career in the NFL, Sky with HOT.
Sky cocked an ear toward Bliss and Jones. He’d studied Jones when he could, kept his head down when he had to. Jones was aware of his surroundings. He’d strolled in like he owned the place, but he hadn’t stopped studying the exits or the people who walked by. Sky knew his team was near, but he didn’t look at them. He didn’t have to.
Bliss ate some of the ice cream Jones had given her and talked about Bill Martin. Sky could hear the conversation, though not as much as he would like. He did, however, hear the offer of a hundred thousand dollars for a new job.
Fuck, no wonder Bliss was happy with what she did. Was that what they’d paid her to rat out Major Tucker?
Not fair, dude.
No, it wasn’t. Tucker had been selling information. That was treason, and he’d deserved to pay for it. Maybe he hadn’t deserved to pay with his life, but that was his choice, not Bliss’s.
HOT Secrets Page 15