Which was ultimately why he was out here, walking the line of taxis, showing them the pictures of three individuals. He alternated between hoping for recognition or a blank face.
He glanced over his shoulder at Igney who was talking on the phone.
While Pasley kept to himself and didn’t speak to other DSS operatives unless spoken to, Igney made it his business to know all of them. A few hours ago Igney had begun texting and now he was talking to people.
What developments were unfolding? Were there other leads?
Pasley’s gut knotted.
He was tired of this work. He was tired of the fear and the killing. If he could walk away from all of this he would. But no one got the choice to leave the DSS. Least of all an orphan owned by the state. He might have a nice home and money to spend, but he was the government’s dog. He’d never had any illusions about his life, but it wore on him now.
He approached another taxi and held the pictures up.
“Have you seen these three?” he asked.
The driver’s gaze narrowed on Pasley, but never once looked at the pictures.
Pasley reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash. “For your time.”
The driver took the money so fast Pasley almost didn’t see it happen. “Yeah, weird people. Drove them around a while this afternoon.”
Pasley’s stomach dropped. “You did? When? And where did you take them?”
The man hummed to himself and stared off at nothing.
Pasley almost sighed. Why were people all the same? Why were they so money hungry? Weren’t there other things in life besides money? “I’ll make it worth your time.”
“How worth my time?”
Pasley pulled out the last of his cash.
The driver took out a pad of paper and scribbled an address on the sheet before ripping it out and handing it to Pasley.
“I never saw you,” he said.
“Good.” Pasley nodded and glanced at Igney still on the phone.
The taxi driver got in his car and drove off without a fare, his lights off.
The killing would continue.
Pasley fisted the paper and stared off after the tail lights.
“Find anything?” Igney asked, but continued without pausing. “You’ll never believe what’s going on at the big house.”
The big house was what they called the base of operations for the DSS covert operations on this side of the border.
“People back home are pissed the way things are happening. They’re recalling people.”
Pasley barely resisted the urge to hunch his shoulders. He didn’t want to go back. “Us?”
“No.” Igney grinned at him. It was a fierce expression on his features. “They want us to stay on the trail. I guess someone’s impressed with us. About damn time, I say.”
Pasley gaped at Igney.
Their superiors and the other enforcers were being cycled home? Pasley and Igney were going to remain here? Was this Pasley’s chance? Could he slip away?
SATURDAY. SAFE HOUSE, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Silas had a case of the grumps.
First, he hadn’t been able to sleep. He’d lain in bed tossing and turning, and not only because he worried about getting ambushed in the middle of the night. He kept thinking about his talk with Ekko. First when she’d agreed that they couldn’t continue as they’d begun, then there was everything she’d shared with him and how she’d listened to him.
He jammed the power cord into the outlet a little too hard.
“What are you doing?” Ekko’s sleepy voice asked.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for one fortifying moment then sat back on his heels and glanced at the woman who’d haunted his dreams. She was still wearing the skin-tight pants and long sweatshirt that hit at the top of her thighs.
“Morning,” he said.
She crossed the dining room to his side and frowned at the set-up. “Morning.”
“Zain thought we could use your stream to mislead the DSS.”
Her brow furrowed and she frowned at him. “How?”
“Zain’s going to route your signal through a place in Germany. Make the DSS think that’s where we’re at.”
She blinked at him a few times. “Is that supposed to work?”
“It’s hiding in plain sight.” Silas pushed to his feet. “The plan is to pipe some ambient nose into the background and bounce the signal around in some fancy way that will point at Germany. With any luck, the DSS will track the signal by the end of the day and move their people. By then our back-up will be here and we can slip out of the country.”
Ekko pushed a hand through her hair, eyes open wide. “I was not expecting this. How long have you been up?”
In truth it felt as though he hadn’t slept. “Couple of hours. There’s some coffee and food laid out. Chayan’s been up already, but said something about going back to sleep.”
“Okay, well, um...” She blew out a breath. “I guess I need to put on a little make-up, change shirts and get on camera. What time is it back home? Like, seven? Shit. I’m normally off air by now. I’m not sure I’ll have many viewers.”
“Viewer number doesn’t matter. All we really want to do is make the DSS believe we aren’t where they think we are. You up for this?”
She tilted her head. “Yeah. Yes. Being on air is good. But, how did you make all of this happen?”
He chuckled. “You haven’t met my boss. I swear he can get supplies anywhere on earth in twelve hours, max.”
“I’m going to have to meet this person someday.” She smiled at him.
“Get ready while I finish setting things up.”
Ekko headed into the kitchen. He was aware of her moving around and missed her when she left to return to her room. It was silly considering how short a time they’d known each other and how much they hadn’t liked each other before yesterday, but there it was.
By the time Silas had finished testing the camera and lighting Ekko had returned wearing a fitted T-shirt he hadn’t seen before with the Drudge video game logo across her chest. She’d put on a little of make-up and swept her hair up into a messy bun that somehow still looked elegant.
He showed her where he’d downloaded the game files and then stepped back. This was what Ekko did. It was her livelihood.
“Nervous at all?” He pulled up a chair outside the camera frame.
“A little.” She glanced at him as she typed. “I actually communicate with some of my contacts in the stream chat, so this will be a good opportunity to see if they’re still around.”
“What kind of contacts?”
“For starters, some people in Dauria. And the people who helped connect me to those who put me in touch with my passport guy.”
“How? I thought the internet there was highly regulated.”
“It is, but some people have smuggled in equipment that allows them to get pirated signal. That’s how I first established communication with Chayan. His office confiscated some equipment and he started using it.”
“And you did all that while streaming a video game?”
“Yeah.” She blew out a breath. “Okay, I think I’m ready to run a quick test then start.”
“I won’t say a word.”
“Are your people ready to do their part?”
Silas checked his phone. The last update from Zain was a go ahead. “Yes.”
“Alright then. Here goes nothing.” She started clicking things and one of the screens changed.
Silas had set Ekko up with three monitors. There was one for her game. Another would allow her to do things in the background. And he had no idea what the last one would be for, but Zain had sent it so Silas had set it up.
Ekko took a deep breath. He couldn’t see her face, but the preview pane on her right most monitor gave him a glimpse of her smile.
“Good evening, Bat Brigade. I’m back! Sort of.” Ekko gave the camera her most dazzling smile and a laugh. “I’m not yet done with
my trip, but since we’re taking a little break in travel, I thought I would jump on and check in with everyone. I see my weird hour isn’t hindering anyone. Hi, Zero, Shelly, Phoenix, Remi. Oh my gosh, there’s too many people. I didn’t think this many of you would be on right now. Hi everyone.”
Silas couldn’t help but chuckle. She bounced a little in her chair and waved again, so cheerful and enthusiastic. It was hard to not feel that energy. Was it the same seeing her through a computer?
“Oh, Stamblade. How’s your dog doing? Is he okay? Yeah? He’s healing well?”
Silas tapped on his phone and brought up her stream so he could see the chat as well. The text moved by at a rapid pace. People fired off greetings and questions. Others stated updates like the Stamblade user about other things. And still yet others talked to each other all while Ekko just sat there interacting with people in turn. She hadn’t even gotten past the game’s loading screen.
For an hour Ekko didn’t do more than simply log in and move her avatar around the screen a bit. Mostly she talked to people as if they were all sitting in the same room, though she never outright answered a question about herself and there were plenty of those. He had to give it to her, she was smart and good at this. If any of those commenters were her contacts, he couldn’t tell.
This whole world of online gaming and the community surrounding it was new to Silas. At most he had a game system that hooked up to the TV at the house he shared with some other guys. They would play together, and sometimes do online matches for things like first-person shooter games, but nothing like this. Video games were an activity he and his buddies did together. For these people, the game was merely the building block of a community.
Ekko wasn’t just performing. What she’d done leading up to Chayan’s rescue wasn’t her at all. She wasn’t seeking the spotlight, she was fostering connections. Helping people find a place to belong.
A pang stabbed Silas in the ribs.
He was disconnected. Watching her, he could understand her draw. Her smiles, the intent way she focused on each person as if they were in front of her and not half a world away, he got it now. She was special.
EKKO PUSHED AWAY FROM the computer. She’d only been on camera for her stream for four hours, but she was drained. Jumping onto the computer without a plan hadn’t been her best decision. When had that ever stopped her plunging into the deep end?
She’d survived and now her first stream post trip was in the bag. It would get better from here. She could smooth things over with her more gaming centric viewers while updating those who subscribed to hear her opinions and the unfolding events.
“Here.” Silas was there at her side with a mug of steaming coffee.
“Oh, bless you.” She wrapped her hands around the cup and leaned back in her chair.
“How’d it go?” He pulled his chair around to face her.
She swung around to face him. “Did you really set up this whole computer and this chair before I got up?”
“Yes.”
Ekko opened and closed her mouth. She hadn’t really been awake when he presented her with the whole kit and caboodle, but as the morning went on, it had occurred to her that a lot of work had gone into this. Not only was the computer and monitors set up, so was her software.
“How? When?” She chuckled and pulled her feet up.
“Oh, well, Zain had everything preinstalled. All I did was plug you in and tighten some screws.” Silas shrugged. “My part was easy.”
She blinked at him. “And all of this was just here?”
“Zain’s thorough.”
She opened and closed her mouth. “Thorough enough to know every program I use?”
Silas shrugged. “I’m not really a tech kind of guy. That’s not my specialty. Do you have some kind of page where you talk about your rig?”
Ekko did. It saved her time when talking to newbies that wanted to do what she did. One page with all the links and some of her personal preferences.
“He set all of this up based on my frequently asked questions page?”
“That’s Zain.” Silas chuckled.
Ekko didn’t know if she was creeped out or impressed. Through didn’t begin to describe it.
“Are we taking all this with us?” She gestured at the computer.
“I doubt it.” Silas frowned. “I think he said all we should take with us is the hard drive or something? A clean-up crew will come get the rest.”
“A clean-up crew?” Her brows rose. “That sounds very ominous.”
“Not really.”
“Explain, please?”
“Our company has contacts all over the world. There’s a guy, Mason, whose job is to fly everywhere and scout out places, meet people and have the ability to set up a safe house anywhere in the world in twelve hours or less.”
“And this Mason has people here?”
“Either that or one of his contacts knew someone they trusted to do all of this.”
“Wow.” Ekko studied Silas in an all new light. He wasn’t just a bodyguard. He was something more than that. A concierge to the damsel in distress. “What’s the most dangerous job you’ve ever done?”
He held up his hands. “I can’t talk about that.”
“Oh, come on.”
He shook his head.
“You’re no fun,” she grumbled and sipped her coffee, all the while her mind was racing.
Silas had taken everything in stride, from the park to being tailed by DSS agents. He’d said he was a Marine before doing what he did now. What would it take to shake him?
She hoped she never knew that answer.
“How’d it go?” He gestured at the computer.
“Good, actually.” She balanced the mug on her knee. “I wasn’t expecting that big of a crowd.”
“It looked like you had about five hundred people. Is that normal?”
“My average viewer pool is more like seven hundred daily, but that fluctuates. I’m pretty happy with pulling in five hundred on an off hour with no warning. I mean, I knew my diehard fans would be there. But there appeared to be a fair number of new viewers, too.”
“You didn’t do a whole lot in game though. Do they care about that?”
“If I had a lot of days where I sat around talking, yes. But after being off for a week and only updating on social media, people are just happy to talk, I think. See, streamers create micro communities around themselves. While I have a server where people can chat and message each other, the one thing we all do together is hang out during the streams.”
“I see,” he said slowly.
“Do you think I’ll be able to commit to a day or two? It would help things if I can let people know ahead of time when I’ll be online.”
“I should know in a few hours. I don’t think Zain wants us going anywhere.”
“There’s a plan?”
“A rough one.” He nodded. “We keep a low profile, stay inside and hope that our fake paper trail and your stream make the DSS think we’re gone. Once backup arrives, we will leave the country for real and Chayan will be escorted to New York. It’s not fancy, but we’re being careful.”
“Okay.” Ekko didn’t like the idea of staying in Mongolia, not after their passports were blocked, but she trusted Silas. He’d more than earned it.
“Chayan woke up for a bit earlier. He got into some beer in the fridge.” Silas’ brow furrowed. “Has he ever had beer before?”
Ekko’s eyes widened. “No. Alcohol is outlawed in Dauria.”
“Well, that makes more sense now.” Silas scratched the side of his head. “Sure would have been good to know earlier.”
“Why?”
“Pretty sure he’s drunk and passed out.”
Ekko winced. “Well, he gets to grieve however he wants now.”
“Yeah, but maybe we moderate how much beer he can get his hands on.”
“Smart.”
“Hey, I try.”
“So, what did you think about the game?�
� She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit she was interested in his take.
“The game or the stream?”
“The game.”
“Oh, I’ve played it on console, just not open-world like this.”
“It’s a different experience.”
“Seems like it. I feel as if I’ve barely scratched the surface now.”
She leaned back in her chair. “You should create a character. Run with me tomorrow.”
He shook his head. “I have no idea what I’d be doing.”
“What are we doing right now?” She gestured at the room. “Make one. We can run some missions and you can get the hang of it. Everyone starts somewhere. You have that other computer.”
“It’s a laptop.”
“I’m guessing whatever your guy sends you out with, it’ll run the game just fine. Bring it to me.” She held out her hand.
Silas sat there for a moment frowning. She wiggled her fingers and he shook his head. That was when she knew she had him.
He got up and retrieved the laptop from the kitchen counter and brought it to sit at the long table next to her. Sure enough, the machine was more than powerful enough to run the game. She wasn’t even surprised to find a copy pre-loaded, though Silas was. He grumbled a bit about his meddling boss and she pretended not to listen.
“You know, I never saw myself as the video game kind of girl. But I really enjoy playing the game and what I do,” she said as the game loaded up.
“I’m going to be bad at this,” Silas warned her.
She just grinned at him. “Oh my, something you’re bad at?”
“Hey now.” He glanced at her, his dark eyes smoldering. “A guy can’t be great at everything.”
She arched a brow. “But a woman can?”
“Your words.” His gaze dropped to her mouth.
Desire and shame mixed in her. She wanted to kiss him, and yet he’d pushed her away. Regardless of their agreement to work together and what he’d said, she still felt that sting.
“Any chance Chayan left a few beers?” She didn’t exactly like beer, but she could use the relaxing properties of a cold one.
“Maybe? If not there’s a store downstairs. I bet we can get something.”
Dangerous Connections (Aegis Group Book 9) Page 11
