by Nolon King
They were up and running minutes later. Spider worked diligently, considering her next best move. She still wanted to reach out to her hacker friends, but she needed to get her location first, then hope the Professor was still alive or that cops would actually come to save her.
Would Clark leave her alone again? He had to go to the bathroom at some point. Would he kill the wi-fi connection every time he left her alone?
She was tracking down a few more domains when she heard Victor scream for Clark — a terrible bellow that had her heart pounding and adrenaline pumping.
Something happened.
Had the website gone live?
And if so, how long until they put a bullet in her skull?
Clark glanced at Spider. He looked like he was going to turn off her wi-fi but rushed out the door instead.
She went to work immediately, tracking down her IP address and location then bringing up the hacker forum in a separate window.
“We are fucked!” Victor screamed from the other room.
Clark said something inaudible.
Victor shouted again. “It’s too fucking late!”
“We know the domain now,” Clark tried to argue. “She can take it down.”
“What part of it’s too fucking late do you not understand?”
Spider got the info she needed then sent a message to her friends. Would they get it in time to even do anything?
Victor sounded seconds away from going nuclear.
Footsteps marched toward her door.
No, no, no, no!
Spider quickly closed out the windows as the door exploded open.
“You failed!” Victor screamed, jabbing a finger at her.
“What happened?”
“The website is live. It’s too late.”
“I can hack it,” she pleaded. “Tell me the URL. I’ll get in and—”
Victor yanked a pistol from his pocket then aimed the barrel at her forehead.
“No, just give me a chance!” Spider raised her hands in front of her face, as if they could stop a bullet.
Victor glared down the barrel at her, hate in his eyes. This wasn’t her fault, but he needed somewhere to target his anger, and Spider might as well have been wearing a bull’s-eye.
“Killing me won’t change any of this. You’ll just be adding murder to your charges,” Spider said, trying to defend herself. “Please, let me help you.”
“Help me? How are you going to help me?”
“Let me at the site. I’ll—”
“No. It’s over.”
“Please,” she begged again, now crying. “You don’t have to do this. You’re not a murderer, are you? Just leave me somewhere. I won’t tell anyone anything. Just—”
“Enough!”
“Sir, she’s right. There’s no need to kill her. The genie is out of the bottle.”
Hope swelled in her. Maybe Clark could convince Victor to free her.
“So, what?” Victor said, turning to Clark. “We set her free and expect her to pretend none of this ever happened? She’s seen my face. She’s seen your face.”
“I won’t tell anyone. I swear! I just wanna go home.”
Clark said, “I trust her. She won’t say anything. There’s no need for her to, right?”
He looked at her, and she was starting to believe Clark could win him over.
“Right. I swear, just let me go. I won’t tell anybody anything. I swear on my parents’ lives.”
Victor laughed at her then turned back to Clark. “Wow, are you really buying her Poor Lil’ Girl act? She and her Professor stole my money. This girl isn’t a saint, and she fucking drugged you. You think I didn’t know about that? That I wasn’t monitoring you both? You got sloppy and too trusting.”
“Yeah, but she—”
“What, Clark? She what?”
“There’s already enough of a shit storm coming for us. Why add to it? They don’t have you for murder. And the stuff they do have us for, we can insist the bosses made us do it.”
Victor’s warped expression in response to Clark’s suggestion that they rat out the bosses wasn’t good. He put the gun to her forehead.
She let out a welp, followed by a series of pleas, but Victor ignored her and turned to Clark.
“I’m really starting to question your loyalty. You’re going to betray the company that’s put food on your table and given your life purpose?”
Clark’s shoulders went back, his eyes narrowing on Victor. “Sir, my loyalty is to you, not this company. Especially not after they forced us into this shady shit. I don’t think you knew what we were getting into. And I will continue to stay loyal, to you. But damn this company for what it’s done. You want me to take the fall for you, I will. But, please, let her go. She’s a kid, for Christ’s sake.”
Victor stared at Clark.
And, for the first time, he appeared to be swayed.
But then he said, “Loyal to me? Okay, Clark, prove it. Kill her.”
No, no, no, no!
“Please, don’t. Please.” She hated begging, but everything was different with a gun to her head.
Victor offered his weapon to Clark. “Go ahead. Prove your loyalty.”
“No.” He shook his head, refusing the gun.
So Victor raised it. He fired several thunderous shots.
Clark’s body jerked with each bullet that slammed into his torso. He stumbled then fell backward.
Spider screamed.
Victor turned to her. “Now, tell me who you messaged.”
Chapter 36 - Jasper Parish
Jasper was driving around the town in the pouring rain with Jordyn, waiting for her to pick up on a signal from Spider.
“Nothing yet?” he asked.
She shook her head, still turning the unicorn over and over in her hand.
“Keep trying.” He kept driving aimlessly, staying in the unincorporated part of the county.
The longer he drove around, the he feared they were leaving town. And the longer he waited, the farther they got.
Logic and Kim were regrouping with the soldiers who survived the ambush. Logic said they’d contact Jasper if they’d heard anything. But that seemed increasingly less likely as minutes fell to an hour. Darkness would soon bleed into daylight. If he didn’t find her soon, he might not find her alive.
If they’d at least seen a vehicle, he could’ve called Mallory and asked her to have one of her deputy pals to put out a BOLO or something. But right now, they had nothing beyond Jordyn’s unreliable abilities.
She stared out the window, jaw clenched like something was wrong. Had she seen something and was afraid to tell him?
Is Spider dead?
“What is it?” Jasper asked.
“It’s on you if something happens to her.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “You brought her into this. You put her on their radar.”
“She works with me. This is what she’s good at.”
“So, what, you were just offering her an opportunity? Couldn’t find another hacker? She was the only one? She’s still a kid, Dad.”
Jasper didn’t like her accusatory tone.
“She already works for the dealers around her. Not like I twisted her arm. If anything, I was giving her this job so she could get out of this life.”
“You could’ve just given her the money, no strings. Right?”
“I tried to give her money before, and she insisted on earning it. Remember?”
“You shouldn’t have had her working on this.”
“How the hell was I to know they’d find her?”
“You knew it was a possibility.”
“Yeah, and I tried to get her to leave. She chose to stay.”
“She didn’t know what these people were capable of. You did. So, like I said, it’s on you if she dies. Same for everyone else who died tonight. You just haaaad to get revenge, and—”
“This isn’t about revenge.”
“Whatever.” Jordyn crossed her
arms.
Jasper slapped the steering wheel. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” She kept staring out the window.
“Making me feel like shit. You think I’m not worried sick? You think I feel good about her being taken? I don’t need you reminding me of what a shitty father I am.”
She turned to him, confusion knitting her brow.
“Shitty father? What’s that got to do with this? This is about Spider.” Then, after a moment of silence, she said, “Oh, yeah.”
And as she said it, Jasper remembered again, how he hadn’t been there for Jordyn when she needed him most, and how alone she had been when taking her life.
Then she was gone again, only the unicorn sitting on her otherwise naked seat.
“Please come back,” he said to no one.
Jasper drove in silence, his heart aching, praying he hadn’t let another young woman down.
He’d failed to save his own daughter.
He’d failed to save Ashley.
He’d failed to keep Paul Dodd from taking Jessi and Mal a second time.
And now he was on the cusp of yet another failure. He couldn’t afford to fuck up again. Well, that horse had left the barn already. What he couldn’t do is allow Spider to die because of his sloppiness.
Jordyn was right.
Spider was only in this mess because of him. That’s why it hurt so fucking much to hear Jordyn say it. She saw through his self-deception. No one else knew who and what he really was.
Jasper hated what she saw.
Hated himself.
His phone buzzed with a text.
He slowed down to look at the screen. The message was from an unknown number.
Friend of Spider’s.
She’s in danger.
Hurry.
12251 NW 4th Street
Creek County
Jasper plugged the address into his GPS. He was only a few blocks away — too far from Butler to wait for backup.
Might very well be walking into a trap but he couldn’t ignore the text.
He considered forwarding the message to Kim but ttoo many people had died tonight already. He couldn’t add another name to the list.
Jasper would do it alone. Or die trying.
Chapter 37 - Jasper Parish
It was an unassuming two-story house, backing up to a long fence and trees that served a barrier between the neighborhood and the strip mall behind it.
Jasper parked at the end of the street in the swale of an abandoned-looking house. Heavy rain served as decent cover for any neighbors who might glance over and wonder why there was a car where it probably shouldn’t be. He watched the property through binoculars.
No car in the driveway. The lights were either off or the windows were covered with shutters or curtains. Jasper turned to the empty seat beside him.
“I could really use you now, Jordyn.”
Still no response.
“I need you to help me see what I’m getting into. I might be walking into a trap.”
But Jasper was on his own.
He holstered his gun and got out of the car.
Jasper didn’t bother with a mask. He didn’t want anything getting in the way of his visibility or hearing as the wind and rain were already doing a number on both. Besides, he didn’t plan on leaving any enemies alive who might be able to identify him.
He kept to the sidewalk as he ambled toward the house, alert for any movement. Jasper had to look everywhere. If this was a trap, a sniper could be in any of the houses, sitting in the dark, staring through a scope and waiting for the perfect shot.
Jasper reached the end of the block. He approached the house, scanning the windows, ensuring the curtains were closed and the lights were all off.
He circled to the sliding glass door in back, placed a leather-gloved palm against it, then slowly slid it open. But then he stopped.
It’s a trap. No way they left the door open unless it’s a trap.
His instincts screamed to leave, but he couldn’t go anywhere without knowing if Spider was inside.
He slid the door another inch. Gun in hand, he pressed in, brushing the curtains aside, bracing for someone to hit him.
It was quiet inside, save for the low hum from an AC and some unnamed appliances. Soaking wet, he worried his shoes would squish on the floors. Fortunately, the house had carpet to absorb both the water and noise.
He swept the bottom floor but found nothing.
Climbed the stairs, stepping carefully. Of course, if this was a trap, they already knew he was in the house. Probably were watching from cameras, either in another room or remotely. Maybe they’d trigger a bomb once he reached the top floor.
Still, Jasper had to press forward.
The second story was dark, save for light bleeding from a room at the end of the hall.
There was also the sound of typing at the end of the hall.
Was it Spider, working for them? If so, where were her keepers?
Jasper had to pass three other doors before reaching his goal. He opened each one, slightly, gun raised, just to make sure nobody was inside them. Went room to room, finger on the trigger, ready to fire the second someone came at him or he found an enemy.
But the rooms were all empty, except for the neatly made and naked furniture. The place reminded him of a model home.
Now, only the door at the end of the hall remained.
Jasper drew his gun, aiming as he approached.
Best to go in bold. Use the element of surprise.
He kicked in the door.
Spider lay face down on the ground, blood pooling beneath her.
His heart stopped. Breath left his body as anguish rolled in. He fell to the ground, desperate for her pulse.
Faint, but there!
He turned her over and saw the gunshot to her belly. He ripped his shirt from the bottom, formed a makeshift rag, then pressed it against the wound.
Spider opened her eyes. They fluttered with barely enough strength to stay open, recognition barely there. She opened her mouth, but only blood dribbled from her lips.
Jasper grabbed his phone, dialed 9-1-1. Told the dispatcher to send help.
She closed her eyes again.
“No, no, no, stay with me, stay with me.”
He remained on the line with dispatch, giving details. “Tell them she’s bleeding out. They need to get here, stat.”
Jordyn’s accusation echoed in his mind as he answered the dispatcher’s questions.
If something happens to her, this is on you.
But as her words haunted him, he heard the sound of typing again. His eyes found the phone under the table, playing the sound of deception.
Shit!
He spun around.
Victor charged, wielding a bat.
Jasper was too late to stop him.
Chapter 38 - Mallory Black
Mal couldn’t sleep, so she returned to her hotel then got skunk drunk before finally crashing.
She woke to the obnoxiously loud chime of her phone.
Her head throbbed. She felt like shit, but at least she’d stayed away from the pills.
One small victory.
She grabbed her phone, squinted at the screen.
Tim never called in the morning.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Mal. How long you been up?”
“Does ‘I’m not up yet’ count as an answer? Why?”
“I need to talk to you before you see the news. I’m downstairs.”
“See what on the news?”
“Can I come up?”
“Yes.” Fear fucked with her gut and doused her hangover in flames.
She got out of bed, threw on some sweats and a long-sleeved tee, not even bothering with a bra. Then she opened the door, waiting for Tim.
The elevator dinged. He got off, sorrow in his eyes.
He had bad news, and she was scared at what it might be. For a moment, Mal wondered if she was dreaming and Ti
m was here to tell her Ashley’s body had been found.
Then she thought about Jessi Price. But how would Tim know before anyone else reached out? Maybe it was Jasper. Tim knew just enough about the situation, maybe he pieced together some stuff on his own and now the vigilante was dead.
“Hey, Mal,” Tim said, hugging her for too long.
“What is it?”
“Let’s go inside.”
She let him into the room, then they sat on her couch. “Come on, Tim, you’re starting to freak me the fuck out. What is it?”
“I was working a case, low-rent drug dealer named Tommy Wilkes.”
Oh, fuck.
Tommy ratted me out! Tim is here to arrest me. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Mal kept quiet, letting him talk.
“Anyway, I’ve had eyes on him ever since we got an anonymous tip. We knew he hid a large stash of drugs, just not where.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“And I saw you there last night, leaving with Maggie and a suitcase. Were you two close?”
Where the hell is this going? How should I answer? Does he think we had the drugs in the suitcase, that I was somehow involved?
Mal wondered if Tim could see the fear in her eyes. If he could see her wheels turning as she anticipated his line of questioning and prepared her careful responses.
Of course he could. Tim had too much experience dealing with addicts, liars, and criminals to miss the obvious. Even a cop could be lousy at hiding their lying eyes.
“How do you know her?” Tim asked.
She was suddenly cold and shivering.
“We met in NA. Tommy was abusing Maggie, and I offered her a place to stay, at my house. Brought her there last night, but then woke up to find them leaving. She left a note saying she was sorry, but she was going back.”
Mal was leaving out major details, particularly the parts involving her paying off Tommy and planting drugs in his Camaro.
But Tim probably already knows both. That’s why he’s here.
You’re FUCKED.
“Why are you asking me about this?” Mal hoped she looked more innocent than she probably sounded.
Tim reached for her hands then held them. Only then did she know why he was there. He wasn’t there to bust her. He’d come to Mal’s room because he was sorry for her loss.
