by Juniper Hart
“That’s right. I’ll come up and have a look on your computer if I can’t find it here,” Rachel promised.
Which meant that she thought Simone was so stupid, she had not only deleted the file but couldn’t find it in her recycling bin. Simone leaned against the wall and folded her arms over her chest to wait, listening to the rhythmic clicking of Rachel’s fingers on the computer.
I have too much shit going on. I wonder if I can take a vacation and never return. Who would really miss me? It was an uplifting thought, and for a moment, while Rachel worked, Simone permitted herself to get lost in a fantasy where she moved to an island and nobody ever bothered her.
“Uh, oh…”
Her reverie was cut short by Rachel’s mumble. “What?”
“We have a problem,” Rachel muttered. “Oh, this is not good.”
“You’re going to need to elaborate,” Simone said nervously, pushing herself off the wall to look over Rachel’s shoulder. She had no idea what she was looking at, but she tried to make sense of the information before her.
“We’ve been hacked,” Rachel breathed uneasily. “Oh, shit, Simone, this is really bad.”
A shiver of apprehension slid through Simone, her eyes narrowing.
“What? How? When? What were they after?” she demanded, unsure of which question was the most pertinent.
“I have no idea. We have top-notch firewalls put in place, and…” Rachel continued to type with lightning fast speed as she looked at the information being brought up on the screen.
“Rachel, talk to me.” The techy held up her hand, indicating for Simone to wait.
“How could this have happened under our noses?” Rachel choked in disbelief, turning to look at Simone as if she somehow had the answer. “We have security measures in place in case of a breach!”
“What do you know?” Simone asked, trying to keep the impatience out of her tone. “Do you know what was taken?”
“I have no idea what I’m even looking for! I just found the access where someone got in. I need to talk to the powers that be and get a full list of the accounts on this server. Lanthcomb is definitely gone, but it was swiped, not deleted. I can’t find a trace of it anywhere.”
“Why would they care about Lanthcomb?” Simone asked aloud, her mind racing. “They’re nothing compared to some of the other portfolios we handle. I don’t think there’s even a million dollars in that account. It’s small potatoes.”
“I don’t know, I DON’T KNOW!” There was a near hysteria in Rachel’s voice, and Simone made a commiserating noise.
“It’s okay, Rach, don’t freak out,” she told her placatingly. “We’ll figure this out.”
Rachel looked at her with dull eyes. “You don’t get it,” she muttered. “This is going to cost me my job!”
“Of course it’s not!” Simone scoffed. “If we were hacked—”
“We were hacked four days ago, and I didn’t know until now! This is literally my job! I’m supposed to be on alert for these things!”
“Okay, okay,” Simone told her quickly. “It’s going to be fine. Just… take a deep breath, okay?”
“I can’t afford to be unemployed,” Rachel bemoaned. “Oh, God, I have student loans, rent, a car payment!” Simone stifled a groan.
“Rachel, look at me. Focus your eyes,” she urged, and finally, Rachel did. Simone smiled at her wryly. “Do you think you can get to the bottom of this hack?” she questioned. “Who and why?”
“I won’t get a chance! Aren’t you listening? I’m going to get fired!”
“If you managed to keep your job, do you think you could?”
Slowly, Rachel looked at her. “I mean… if I had time… sure…”
“Then look into it,” Simone said firmly. “No one needs to know about this, okay?”
Rachel’s lips parted. “You’ll get in deep shit if anyone finds out you’re covering for me,” she muttered. “Why would you risk it?”
“Because I want to know what asshole is responsible for ruining my weekend, and I doubt any other IT person is going to give me that information. Whether we tell upper management about this or not, I’m still going to be stuck re-entering all the files manually. No sense in you having to suffer, too.”
Rachel’s lower lip quivered gratefully, and Simone turned away, worried that the girl might cry.
“Let me know the minute you figure out where the hack originated,” she said. “I’ve gotta go eat crow with that asshole Everett and get started on that Herculean task.”
“Simone…”
“Hm?”
“Why are you covering for me? I didn’t even think you liked me,” Rachel whispered. Simone eyed her with surprise.
“I don’t,” she assured the tech. “But then again, I hate everyone, so don’t take it personally.” She disappeared through the basement and climbed the stairs toward the elevators at the lobby, trying to make sense of why anyone would care about the financials of such a small corporation.
I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.
She climbed into the lift and punched the button to the fifteenth floor, where the executives sat around doing nothing all day. Everett was in his office, on the phone, when she arrived, but Cinnamon was at his reception desk. Simone ignored her, even as her stepmother called out to her, and she entered Everett’s office.
“Hang on a second, Graham. One of my underlings doesn’t understand the concept of knocking,” Everett growled when he set eyes on Simone. “What are you doing up here, Simone? Don’t you have enough work to do on the third floor?”
She smiled patiently. “Apparently not. I deleted that Lanthcomb file, it seems. I need the originals to rebuild the account.”
“I’ll call you back, Graham,” Everett snapped into his headpiece before rising from his chair. He glowered at Simone in disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now?”
“I never kid about extra work for me,” Simone replied dryly. “Don’t worry—I’ll have it done this weekend.”
“How the hell do you simply erase an entire account? I mean, what did you do?” he demanded hotly, storming toward an array of filing cabinets on the far wall.
“I have no idea,” Simone answered pleasantly, despite the fact that she was fighting with the inner demon that wanted to slap his cocksure face. Oh, how delicious a handprint would look on his fat little cheek. Would he cry a little bit?
Simone realized then that she was in the wrong line of work. She wondered what a dominatrix might be getting paid lately.
“You have no idea,” Everett mimicked sarcastically, wrenching open the cabinet to dish through the contents. “I should have someone else do this because of your incompetence, but why should anyone else have to suffer…” He trailed off and paused over the drawer. Simone waited, looking down at her nails as he flipped through the cabinet. Under his breath, Everett released a small swear.
“What?” Simone looked up to stare at her supervisor.
“Nothing,” he muttered, sifting through the files again, but it was plain to see that something was clearly amiss.
“Is there a problem?” Simone asked after a couple minutes. Everett rose his hipster head and looked at her in confusion.
“Did I give you the originals?” he asked. “When I came down with Cinnamon?”
“Would I be here if you had?” Simone retorted. She didn’t add, “Because I don’t look at your stupid face enough in any given day?” like she so desperately wanted to.
Panic covered Everett’s face, and Simone’s heart began to thud in her chest.
“You can’t find the files?” It was a rhetorical question, but Everett didn’t answer. He turned back to the cabinet and continued moving his fingers desperately through the paperwork.
“It’s probably been misfiled,” he decided, though there was no conviction in his voice. “Just go back to work, and I’ll bring them to you when I find them.”
He’s not going to find them, Simone realized, a cold chill sp
reading through her body. They aren’t here.
“Why are you still standing there?” Everett demanded. “Get back to work!”
“Okay.” Simone turned and wandered out of the office.
“Is everything okay, hon?” Cinnamon called, and Simone glared at her.
“You know you’re only six years older than me, right? Calling me ‘hon’ makes you look old.” Cinnamon’s bright smile faltered, and she looked down in embarrassment as Simone made her way back toward the elevators.
What is going on with Lanthcomb Corp? she wondered, jabbing the down button. Casually, she glanced back toward the inner offices and saw Everett yanking files from the drawers one by one, his panic apparently increasing. Whatever it is has nothing to do with me, Simone thought smugly.
She couldn’t have known how wrong she was.
5
On Saturday morning, Theo woke up feeling inexplicably excited. It was as if his subconscious was trying to remind him that something amazing was about to happen, but his conscious mind had no idea what that could be. Although he had nothing planned other than his daily work-out and some work to do, as the morning progressed, the anticipation in his gut kept growing.
It took him almost an hour after waking to realize that the amulet had been glowing constantly, though it no longer burned at him. Theo had learned to accept it as a part of him over the week, alerting him to something coming. He wouldn’t admit that he had been waiting for word from Lane about the necklace, but he didn’t dare pressure her.
Maybe I don’t really want to know, he reasoned, looking over his emails and knowing that wasn’t the case.
As if she had heard his thoughts, Theo’s Council cell rang, the display showing it was Lane. His pulse quickened as he answered it.
Down boy, he told himself with some disgust.
“Good morning, Theo,” Lane chirped into his ear. “Is this a bad time?”
“No, of course not,” he replied quickly. “What’s up?”
“I did some research, and I think I’ve found the origin of your necklace.”
Oddly, the word “your” bothered Theo, like he inherently knew he had no right to the pendant. He dismissed the worry and focussed on what Lane was saying.
“Did you?” he asked, trying to keep his voice nonchalant.
“Just like I thought, it belonged to a coven that hasn’t existed in two hundred years. When did you find that amulet again?”
“It was longer than that, definitely. Hundreds of years ago. What happened to the coven?” Lane inhaled sharply. “What?” Theo demanded. “Did they die out?”
“Not exactly… well, maybe,” Lane sighed. “No one really knows. One day, they existed, and then their history dissolves.” Theo blinked in confusion.
“What does that mean? The Enchanted don’t just fall off the face of the earth.” Lane didn’t speak for a minute, and Theo waited, albeit impatiently. “Lane?”
“Witches, as you know, are not like the rest of you,” she explained quietly. “We’re not immortal, and we branched off into hundreds of covens over the years.”
“Still,” Theo scoffed, “the Aldwin witches had a responsibility to account for them.”
“Well,” Lane said. “That becomes difficult when the Council witches die, doesn’t it? You’re talking about hundreds of subgroups and following records that go back five millennia, Theo. Don’t forget, this is only now the generation of computers. I have hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands, of books in the Aldwin libraries.”
“There are hundreds of packs, too!” Theo retorted coldly. “I know where they all are!”
“Bears don’t die easily,” Lane reminded him, and he could hear the defensiveness in her words. “Listen, covens die off. The best I can tell you is that they’re gone. After the early nineteenth century, this group doesn’t exist.”
“What coven was it?” Theo asked, although he knew it wasn’t likely that he would have heard the name. He’d never paid much attention to the others’ business on the Council. He was suddenly wishing he had.
“Collingwood,” Lane answered. “They’re Aldwins twice removed, and according to the last record I can find of them, they were a group of six, living in the Astoria woods.”
“Yes…” Theo said slowly. “That’s where I found the pendant.” Suddenly, the memory flooded back to him, clear as day, and he inhaled sharply. “Why is the necklace coming alive now?” he asked. “If they’re all gone?”
“Well, that’s the thing,” Lane went on. “There is no real reason for that to happen unless someone is calling it home.”
A shiver slid through Theo. “So you think one of the Collingwoods is still around?”
“I’m still looking into it,” she told him. “But I wanted to tell you that at least I know who the amulet belongs to.”
Theo wasn’t sure what to say.
“Theo?” Lane prompted.
“Yeah, I’m here. Okay, if you learn anything else, will you tell me?”
“If anyone comes looking for it, will you tell me?” Lane countered. “I would like to question the hidden coven, if they exist.”
A wave of worry flushed over Theo, though he couldn’t say why exactly. The feeling was much akin to protectiveness, but that was bizarre. Who could he be protecting when he had no idea if Lane’s theory was even correct?
“Of course,” Theo murmured, not wanting to share his concern with Lane.
“Is the necklace still alive?” she asked, making him realize that his fingers had already closed on it, relishing in the warmth around it.
“No.” He had no idea why he was lying, except that the sensation that he needed to keep it safe was growing in him alongside the feeling that something was about to happen.
I went to Lane, he thought. She would have no idea that the Collingwoods might still exist without me. I don’t owe her anything. It’s her duty to keep an eye on her species, not mine.
Still, he couldn’t deny the guilt in the back of his mind. He knew instinctively that he could trust Lane, probably more than anyone else on the Council. She wasn’t as jaded as the others, nor as dangerous as, say, Raven or Landon.
There is nothing to trust her with, he told himself. If there was, I would let her know.
“Okay, I’ll keep you posted,” Lane said.
“Thanks for the update,” Theo replied, forcing as much warmth as he could into his tone. A new email popped up on his screen, and he quickly ended the call with Lane, promising to be in touch soon. He leaned forward to read the incoming mail from Senator Michaels’ private server. There was no subject line, and the email consisted of two sentences.
We need to talk. Privately.
Theo groaned to himself, knowing that nothing good would come of his Saturday if he was stuck alone in the same room as that hothead. But when the client called, Theo had little choice other than to answer. Without giving himself time to change his mind, he grabbed his personal cell and called the demon politician, bracing himself for a blast of anger.
“Do you have any word on the whereabouts of our mutual friend?” the senator asked, sparing them both the small talk.
“Senator, if I had word, I would have called you,” Theo replied in exasperation.
“It’s a good thing I have people of my own working to dismantle your incompetence then, isn’t it?” Michaels snorted.
Theo bristled. “What did you do?”
“Is this line secure?” Michaels demanded, and Theo’s eyes narrowed.
“Of course it is,” the bear said slowly, running his tongue along the ridges of his gums. “But you should still be careful about what you confess to, Senator.”
“Why?” Michaels barked back, laughing. “Are you going to run to Raven about me again?”
Theo’s neck grew stiff. Why would Raven tell the Senator he had talked to her?
There was only one reason Theo could think of, and that was that she was on his payroll.
So stupid. I should have known. Demo
ns can’t be trusted, not ever. He would deal with Raven later. Or maybe I won’t. Maybe that’s why I stopped having heart-to-hearts with her. She’s trouble.
“I have every right to know who I am doing business with,” Theo barked back, refusing to be intimidated by Michaels. If the senator had wanted, he could have fired Theo’s team anywhere down the line, but he insisted on working with them.
“Never mind that,” Michaels snapped. “I need to find Jackrabbit, and since you’re sitting around, I had to do my own investigations.”
Theo bit down on his tongue to keep from asking the demon why he needed the team at all.
“Aren’t you a bit curious to know what I’ve found?” Michaels asked in a taunting voice. Theo had questions, all right, but they had more to do with Trent Michaels than they did Jackrabbit in those minutes.
“What did you find?” Theo asked dully.
“It seems that our terrorist has been busy in North America,” the senator explained. “He has recruited soldiers in the US and in Canada.”
Theo’s eyes were nearly slits as he considered the words. How has he managed to learn this when all of our covert research into the man shows no ties here at all? Not only that, I am ninety percent sure that Jackrabbit works completely alone. There are no known soldiers anywhere.
The answer was blindingly simple: Michaels knew who Jackrabbit was but was keeping his identity from the team for reasons Theo had yet to learn.
Theo held his questions and waited for the pompous politician to explain further. Michaels made a condescending clicking noise, which made Theo want to simply end the call, but he checked his temper and waited.
“Jackrabbit is here, in the States,” Michaels said. “Or at least his money is.” How could he possibly know that without knowing who Jackrabbit was?
“You’re sure?” Theo asked instead.
“I wouldn’t be saying it if I wasn’t,” Michaels nearly growled, sounding insulted that Theo had even asked.
“All right…”
“He’s divvied his money into shell companies, using hedge funds to hide his vast income.”
“Where is this money coming from?” Theo wanted to know, already tired of the game. “I know you know more than you’re telling me, Senator.”
