"I love this view," Rex said, taking a deep breath as he gazed out at the sea. "Makes me feel like I own the world."
"Really?" I replied, awed by the view. "It kind of makes me feel small and meaningless. You know, in the scheme of things."
Rex snorted. "If you'd grown up in your father's house you'd see the world more as I see it." He studied my face. "You look like Max. Sound like him too." He sighed. "I guess you truly are my nephew."
"DNA test don't lie. You and I are blood, whether you like it or not."
"You don't seem very excited to meet your only living blood relative."
I turned and looked him in the eye. "Maybe that's because you tried to murder me a few months ago."
He did a very poor job of feigning surprise. "What? That's outrageous."
"You're saying you didn't send those drones to attack my private jet?"
"I'm saying I have no idea what you're talking about. Why on earth would I want you dead?"
"Listen, if you want to talk, let's talk. If you're going to treat me like a stupid kid, we're done."
Rex leveled hard eyes on me. "Fair enough. While I don't admit to trying to murder you, your unexpected appearance has interfered with my rightful inheritance. I had plans for that money. Do you have any idea how much it costs to construct and stock a state of the art fallout shelter large enough to support two hundred people?"
"I have absolutely no idea."
"A fucking fortune, trust me. So, the way we fix this is... you and I need to work something out."
"Work something out? What does that mean exactly?"
"It means you give me twenty billion and I walk away. That's less than half of what I was supposed to receive, so you see, we'd both be making a sacrifice."
"You're insane."
He smiled fiendishly. "What better reason for you to give me what I ask? You didn't grow up with money or power. Like you said... you're small and insignificant. A nothing who fell into something. Good for you. But let's be real, you can't keep it all. That just wouldn't be right." He gestured to the stars overhead. "That would throw off the balance of the whole fucking universe." He turned back to me with fire in his eyes. "And worse... it would really piss me off. Something you don't want to do. Trust me."
I returned Rex's stare, searching his eyes for the answer to a question that had been nagging me. "You killed them, didn't you?"
His eyes narrowed to reptilian slits. "What the hell did you just say?"
"You killed my parents for the money. Admit it."
Rex's hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of my jacket. "You listen to me you little shit. Your father and I had our differences, but he was my brother. I'd never hurt him. Never." He drew me closer. "You, on the other hand--"
"Are you threatening me? In public? You do realize this place has more security cameras than windows, right?"
Rex took a calming breath and released me. "Don't be stupid, kid," he said. "You'll still be plenty rich. I want your answer to my offer, and I want it now!"
Before I could open my mouth and tell him to go to hell, Agent Wong appeared at my side and took my arm.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said, "But they're calling for everyone to gather inside. You have to come."
I frowned at Rex and waved. "Sorry unc, gotta go."
I could feel Rex's glare burning into my back as I walked arm-in-arm towards the house with Agent Wong.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
A royal fanfare blared as eight men rolled a massive ice sculpture of a reared-up horse out into the center of the room. Balthazar Banks, wearing a pristine white suit of armor, sat astride the horse. He gripped the reins with one hand and a shiny broad sword with the other.
Agent Wong and I joined the crowd as they encircled the towering display, cheering and applauding. Banks struck a series of corny heroic poses while guests jockeyed about for the best photos and videos.
Agent Wong said to me, "This guy knows how to party. That ice sculpture is huge."
"Yes it is," I muttered, scanning the sculpture top to bottom. A crazy idea was forming in my head.
Wendell spoke in my ear. "The artist, Nigel Evans, is the best ice carver in Europe. Believe it or not it weighs almost a ton."
"Is that a fact?" I said, still studying the sculpture. "The way it's balanced is amazing."
Mouse, the suited goon who was with Banks at the restaurant, singlehandedly helped his boss dismount the frosty steed. Now on his feet, Banks raised his sword high in the air and yelled, "Is everyone having a good time?"
A thunderous cheer went up.
"Fantastic! Let's keep the party jumping." With a flourish Banks pointed his sword across the room at the DJ, and electronic dance music exploded from the speakers. The crowd cheered again and began dancing with abandon. Meanwhile, Banks, shadowed by Mouse, worked the room. He greeted the male guests with handshakes and for each lady a dainty kiss on the back of the hand.
"Look at him," Agent Wong said to me. "That guy definitely has a hand fetish. You really want to abort our plan?"
Still riveted to the massive ice sculpture towering over the dancers, I shook my head. "No. But I know a better way to--"
"Mathew Zillion! You made it." Suddenly Balthazar Banks, his white armor jangling, was grinning in my face while extending his hand. "Thank you so much for coming." After we shook, he turned his neon smile on Agent Wong. "Emily, wasn't it?"
Agent Wong nodded demurely.
"Bless you for coming as well," Banks said. "You look absolutely delicious." With that Banks raised Agent Wong's hand, about to plant a kiss--
"Hey! That's our song." I grabbed Agent Wong's hand and yanked her into the crush of dancing guests. As Agent Wong played along and danced with me, Banks just laughed and shifted his attention to another couple.
Agent Wong stopped dancing and glared at me. "Why did you do that? We had him."
"She's right," Reba said in my ear. "And what's worse, we might not get another chance."
"We don't need it," I said. "I know a guaranteed way to distract everyone in this room, including all the guards."
"How?" Agent Wong asked.
I raised a finger. "Watch and see." I pulled out my smartphone and said aloud, "Halo, upload combat." On screen, the blue ring blinked three times and I felt that familiar tingle in my head.
Wendell chuckled in my ear. "What's your plan, to Karate chop everyone in the room?"
Not quite," I said. "But close."
Agent Wong made a face. "Close? That's the most ridiculous plan I've ever heard. How could that be close?"
"Just dance and follow me. Let's go." I began moving to the pounding music, but Agent Wong just stared. Still dancing I beckoned her playfully. "Come on. Let's see what you got."
Agent Wong rolled her eyes and began to dance along, and she was good. The way she swung her little hips and whipped her hair was amazing. Quickly finding a rhythm, we bounced and rocked our way across the crowded floor, towards the center of the room. As we drew closer and closer to the looming ice sculpture, I could feel chilled air rising from its surface. Still dancing, I maneuvered us to a position beside one of the reared-up horse's rear legs.
Now noticing my keen interest in the sculpture, Agent Wong shot me a look. "What are you going to do?"
"Just get ready," I said.
"Get ready for what?"
Using a dance move to disguise the blow, I karate chopped the horses rear leg. Instantly, deep cracks began to branch through the ice.
Agent Wong watched wide-eyed as the cracks began to spread faster through the humongous horse's haunches. "No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did. Come on." I grabbed Agent Wong's hand and began to dance back towards the edge of the crowd.
A shout went up. "LOOK OUT! IT'S FALLING!"
All eyes turned to the ice sculpture as it canted to one side and began to topple. Screams as guests sprinted clear. KA-CRASH! The two-ton sculpture slammed to the marble floor and shattered into a zillion pieces.
Two hundred wailing guests began to slip on chunks of ice and fall hard to the floor.
Agent Wong and I held each other tight as men and women fell at our feet, some flailing wildly trying to grab onto us.
While Wendell continued to laugh his ass off in my head, Reba spoke up. "Matt, it's working. Look at the guards."
Every security guard in sight was rushing into the crowd and struggling to help guests to their feet. Balthazar Banks, still in his armor, held onto Mouse as he shouted orders. More importantly, every door in Banks's house was now unguarded.
I winked at Agent Wong. "Pretty slick, huh? Pun intended."
She rolled her eyes. "You did good rookie, but we still have a job to do."
"I'm on it."
Due to lack of time, it was crucial we search rooms most likely to contain the computer server first. Banks' study topped our list.
"Wendell," I said. "Is the study clear of guards?"
"Damn skippy," he replied. "All clear. It's the second door off the front entrance."
"We know." Agent Wong and I said simultaneously. We were already on the move, stepping over people and chunks of ice. Reaching the study door, Agent Wong and I glanced around to make sure we weren't being watched, then we quickly slipped inside.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Banks' study was as cold and modern as the house's exterior. A block of chiseled granite served as a desk, the chairs and sofa appeared intentionally designed for discomfort, and the steel bookshelves lining the walls seemed more suited for a warehouse.
Agent Wong winced at the decor. "Who's his interior designer, Fred Flintstone?"
"Nah," I said. "Fred's work rocks."
Agent Wong groaned. "Seriously?"
"Hey, check it out." I pointed to a desktop computer atop Banks's messy desk. The monitor and keyboard looked normal, but the CPU tower seemed bigger than average. "Could that be the server?"
Wendell answered. "Nope. That's exactly what it appears to be, a home desktop. It's connected to the internet and I've already scanned the drive. There's nothing on it but party pics, crushing porn, and cat videos."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, it's freaking weird. Unfortunately finding Banks' server won't be that easy. For one, it's air-gapped. Meaning, no connection to the outside world. If the server's in that room, it's probably hidden in a cabinet."
Reba's voice cut in. "There's still chaos in the main room, but Banks and the guards are working fast to calm people down. Find that server."
Agent Wong began searching the room. She snatched open every cabinet door beneath the bookshelves while I focused on the closets. There were two in the room. The first door I snatched open was stacked high with unmarked cardboard file storage boxes. As I approached the second closet door, the low buzz of electronics grew louder and louder. I yanked open the door and smiled.
A tall rack of blinking computer gear, with a small monitor and keyboard on a center shelf, dominated the closet. Cool air flowed over the set-up from a small vent in the ceiling.
"Found it," I said. "In the second closet."
A security camera with a blinking red light was mounted over the study's entrance. I watched as the camera pivoted towards the closet, but it stopped short. "I can't get an angle on the closet's interior," Wendell said in my ear. "You sure it's the server?"
Suddenly Agent Wong was at my side, scanning the closet's contents. She said to Wendell. "We have eyes on a rack of computer gear. There's even an independent cooling system."
"Bingo," Wendell said. "Insert the uplink dongle."
Agent Wong fished a lipstick from her clutch, removed the top to reveal a USB plug. But when she went to plug it in, she froze.
Instantly spotting the problem, I said to Wendell. "Plug it in where? There are two towers. Each one has a USB port."
"Take your pick," Wendell said. "One's just a backup. I think."
"You think?"
"Yes. Usually, servers have a back-up. There's no way I can tell for sure... so, I think. Just insert the thing."
Agent Wong and I traded nods, then she inserted the dongle into a USB port. A blue indicator light appeared along the length of the lipstick tube.
I said to Wendell. "Okay, it's in."
"That's what she said," Wendell replied with a chuckle.
"Dude, is it working or not?"
"That's an affirmative. The straw is in and I'm drinking Banks' milkshake as we speak."
Agent Wong looked at me. "What the hell did he just say?"
I sighed. "It's not worth explaining. He means it's working."
"Working like a charm," Wendell said.
"How long will the upload take," I asked.
"Five minutes, thirty-two seconds and counting."
"Perfect." I flashed a smile at Agent Wong. "Does your assignments always go this smoothly?"
She shook her head, a foreboding look in her eyes. "Never. Actually, the fact that things have gone without a hitch gives me a bad feeling."
I laughed and was about to tell her to quit worrying when Reba's urgent voice cut in.
"Matt, there's a problem. Sinclair and his friend in the leather jacket are moving directly towards the study. They'll be there in thirty seconds."
"Are you sure they're coming to this room?"
"Yes. Fifteen seconds."
"Shit!" I turned to Agent Wong. "Any ideas?"
"Just one." She threw shut the closet door, yanked me down onto the sofa, and started kissing me. For an instant I thought her timing really sucked, then I understood. As I started kissing Agent Wong back, Rex and Leather Jacket pushed into the room and shut the door behind them.
Rex laughed. "Sorry to interrupt."
Agent Wong and I jumped up with a start as if genuinely caught by surprise. As we adjusted our clothes, I said to Rex, "What are you doing in here? Are you following me?"
Rex shrugged. "I couldn't help myself. After that catastrophe outside, I saw you and your lovely date run in here, and I thought it was kind of odd." He turned to Leather Jacket. "Didn't you find it odd?"
Leather Jacket nodded as he slowly circled the sofa, positioning himself behind us. "Yes. Definitely odd."
"You see?" Rex said to me with a smile. "But now that I see why you snuck in here, I totally get it." He turned his gaze on Agent Wong, who was still seated on the sofa. "She truly is quite something."
I stood up, putting myself between his lecherous eyes and Agent Wong, exactly what a jealous lover would do. Truthfully, his blatant and disrespectful flirtation with a woman he believed to be my date was starting to piss me off. "Can you leave now?" I said to him. "Emily and I would like some privacy."
"Oh, I bet you would." He and Leather Jacket cackled.
If I wasn't on a mission to save millions of lives I would've punched him square in the face. Instead, I decided to do whatever it took to get him to leave. "Look," I said to Rex. "Maybe I dismissed your offer too quickly. I'm open to continuing our discussion, but let's do it at a more appropriate time. Okay?"
Rex did not respond in the way I thought he would. He frowned and shook his head. "Sorry, nephew, but I'm afraid that offer is off the table... permanently." Then he and Leather Jacket pulled out silenced handguns.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Agent Wong gasped at the sight of the pointed guns, sprang up from the sofa, and clung to me in fear. "Mathew, what's happening?"
Her performance was Oscar-worthy. If I didn't know she was a highly trained CIA operative, I would've totally believed she was terrified.
We traded loaded looks as I said to her, "Don't be afraid. It's okay. My uncle is just being a little irrational." I turned to Rex and gestured to the gun in his hand. "What the hell are you doing? Are you going to shoot me in cold blood? My date too?"
Rex's cold eyes drilled into me. "That's the plan."
Agent Wong squeezed my arm tighter. "Mathew, Do something!"
"Relax. It's okay. He's just trying to scare us." I turned back to Rex. "Did you forge
t about the security cameras? There's even one in this room." I pointed to the camera over the door.
Rex smiled fiendishly. "That's why I always carry this." He pulled from his pocket a small device that looked like a car fob. "Observe." He pushed a button and something crazy happened.
The security camera sagged limply and its red light winked out. The camera was completely dead.
"Holy shit!" Wendell's voice filled my ear. "We just lost the feed of every camera in the house. Matt, we're completely dark."
The two men raised their silenced weapons. Rex taking aim at me and Leather Jacket aiming at Agent Wong. Thankfully the Halo combat dataset was still uploaded to the implant in my head.
Peering over his pointed weapon, Rex said to me. "Sorry it had to be this way kid.
Ignoring my uncle, I turned to Agent Wong and said, "You take the asshole behind us. I'll take Rex."
Agent Wong replied with a deliberate nod. "Got it."
Rex couldn't help smiling at what he perceived as bravado. He said, "I don't know what the hell that was all about, but we have to shoot you now. Bye."
Agent Wong and I dove to the floor as both guns discharged. I rolled and came up in Rex's stunned face. He tried to aim again, but I snared his wrist and twisted. Bone cracked. The gun popped free and clattered to the floor. As Rex wailed in pain, I pile-drove a punch into his kidney. Wails turned to groans as he dropped to his knees. I fired another blow to Rex's temple and the big man fell over, out cold.
Across the room, Leather Jacket lay unconscious at Agent Wong's feet. I'm not sure what she did to him, but his face looked like Mike Tyson used it for a punching bag.
Reba's and Wendell's voices were shouting in our ears. "Were those shots? What's going on? Are you okay?"
"We're good," I said, "How's the upload?"
"It's done," Wendell said. "Get the dongle and get out of there."
"Roger that." I hurried to the closet, snatched the dongle from the server, then Agent Wong and I stepped over Rex Sinclair's body and hurried to the door. After peeking out to make sure there were no guards nearby, we slipped out of the study.
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