Wired Ghost

by Toby Neal

  “Hey!” Sophie exclaimed, even as Pillman twisted an arm behind her back and forced her, face down, over the table. He frisked her one-handed, efficient and harsh.

  “She’s clean.” Still keeping Sophie’s arm twisted up, he moved her over to sit down on a chair, and then zip-tied her hands behind it.

  “I’ll scream for help,” Sophie said. “This is a security firm. You’d be taken down in minutes.”

  “No you won’t call out,” McDonald said. “Because we have your daughter and your nanny, and they won’t like where we put them if you don’t cooperate.”

  Bile surged up Sophie’s throat. “No.”

  Her mind scrabbled to make sense of this. She’d just called the island; had spoken to Connor and Armita, both. There hadn’t been time for anyone to be captured. These men were bluffing.

  But they’d tipped their hand that they planned to grab Armita and Momi to guarantee her cooperation, and Sophie hadn’t planned for that. “I feel sick.”

  “Lean over and puke if you have to. You’ve got a cleaning service.” Pillman walked over and locked the door. “We’ve already checked for bugs in here—nothing but ours.”

  “How dare you,” Sophie growled.

  “Drop the princess act, Sophie.” McDonald poured himself some water from the carafe Paula had helpfully left on the table. “Your daddy can’t help you now. You’re being investigated for aiding and abetting an international fugitive.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Connor, that’s who we’re talking about. The cyber vigilante who calls himself the Ghost, and several other names, all of whom are now ‘deceased.’” McDonald made air quotes. “We want to know all you can tell us about him and his operation.”

  “I can’t tell you anything, because I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Come on, Sophie. We know you were lovers. We know all about the Todd Remarkian/Sheldon Hamilton switcheroo. Don’t play coy with me. This guy is bad news, almost as bad as your mother.”

  “Now that’s just rude,” Sophie said. “I want a lawyer.” She pursed her lips and set her chin, glaring at both of them.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard of the Patriot Act,” Pillman said. “You don’t get a lawyer, sweet cheeks.”

  Thank God Raveaux had warned her. Thank God, and thank you, Pierre Raveaux! Walking into this trap unaware would have been even worse than walking into it knowing she was in for a rough time.

  The door blew open with no warning, banging back to hit the wall with a boom. Two burly men in black Security Solutions uniforms held a door cannon, while another two moved in, weapons drawn.

  Pillman and McDonald reached for their handguns.

  “Hands up!” The Security Solutions section leader, an experienced ex-military officer named, Janner, barked out.

  “FBI! Stand down!” Pillman put his hands up as he responded. “This is a law enforcement interview, and you are disturbing the proceedings!”

  “Hell it is! That’s our CEO you’ve got tied to the chair, and that’s illegal last time I checked,” Janner replied.

  “Let us show you our identifications,” Pillman insisted. “Or I’ll slap you all with an obstruction charge.”

  Sophie rocked her chair back and forth. “Cut my restraints, please, Mr. Janner.” Janner darted forward and slashed Sophie’s zip ties with a combat knife. “Thanks.” Sophie didn’t want to stay and be caught up in the pissing match that would follow, and end with her being taken into custody. She had to get out now. “Mr. Janner, remove their weapons and keep these gentlemen here—they’re pretending to be agents. Take their credential wallets, and call their agencies to check on their identifications. I have some phone calls to make.”

  “Absolutely, Ms. Smithson.”

  “Don’t let her out of here!” McDonald howled as Janner moved forward to take their weapons and IDs.

  Sophie darted out of the room. She headed for the restroom to retrieve the burner phone.

  The process of figuring out who was who would take a while, and hopefully she’d be in the air and on her way to Thailand before it was sorted out.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Sophie

  Sophie slept for most of the thirteen-hour flight to Phi Ni, but when she wasn’t sleeping, she was on her satellite-enabled laptop—hunting for Connor, Armita, and Momi.

  The house at Phi Ni was as safe from digital incursions as anywhere could be. Connor had never granted her access to his server except when she was using his equipment in the house. Even using her best programs on the laptop, Sophie was unable to breach his security to tap into the video surveillance camera at the house, which might have allowed her to see what was going on there.

  She sent Connor an encrypted email to their secret chatroom telling him about the interview with the agents. “I hope you have my daughter and nanny, even if that means they’re at the compound. I can deal with just about anything, but not threats against them.” She signed with her old screen ID, MMAFighter.

  She stared down at the small green cursor pulsing against the black DOS background, and hit Send.

  The pilot came on the intercom, announcing that he was descending into Phi Ni. Sophie watched the brilliant turquoise ocean come closer and closer, the beach and palm trees whiz by, the smooth black tarmac rise to meet them in landing.

  They taxied over to the large metal hangar. Sophie let herself out of the jet, lowering the stairs and hurrying down them. Usually, Nam or his wife met them at the hangar with their utilitarian pickup truck, but no one was there. She approached the hangar, and stopped at the sight that met her.

  The side door had been marked in a big X with bright red plastic NO TRESPASSING tape. More tape crisscrossed the windows. A notice was taped to one side of the entrance.

  Sophie approached to read it.

  NOTICE OF SEIZURE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE:

  This Property is Forfeit in a Criminal Proceeding as a Result of Felonious Activities that Violate Statutes. . .

  Sophie read on into legalese citing the statutes under which the property was forfeit, namely Crimes of a Felonious Nature Against the Citizens of the United States.

  Her heart beat with heavy thuds. They’d executed their raid, and confiscated Connor’s property.

  But she had to see what, or who, might still be up at the house.

  Sophie returned to the jet and told the pilot team to wait to hear from her before leaving. “I’m going up to the house to see what’s going on. I hope to be back soon with my daughter and her nanny.”

  She had the key to the hangar on her fob; she broke the tape and opened the small side door to the huge steel barn. She retracted the rolling garage style doors so the team could make sure the jet had everything it needed for the return trip.

  The estate’s quad all-terrain vehicle was right where she remembered it, keys in the ignition. Sophie fired it up and took off up the winding, crushed coral road to the house.

  Warm late afternoon wind blew in Sophie’s face, and she squinted behind her sunglasses as the ATV roared between her thighs. The road to the house was always longer than she remembered. She hit a pothole and lurched up from the seat—and rougher, too.

  Likely Connor had taken Armita and Momi with him. All three of them were probably at the remote compound in Thailand, out of cell phone reach.

  But Nam would be at the house. He would know what was going on; he would fill her in. Nam, a quiet, dignified, graceful Thai man, had become one of Sophieʻs favorite people.

  As she zoomed uphill, past the turnoff to the boathouse with its abandoned coconut plantation, past the turnoff to Nam and his wife’s separate cottage and garden, and finally up to the mansion, Sophie tried to calm her racing heart.

  But what she saw when she pulled up in front of the grand entrance was not reassuring.

  The double door handles had been looped together by a chain and a large padlock. Crude boards had been nailed across the entrance,
increasing the locked-down effect. More crimson plastic NO TRESPASSING tape crisscrossed the windows and side doors. A notice that looked the same as the one she’d already read was taped to one side of the entrance.

  Sophie turned to look at the barn; it was similarly sealed.

  “Nam?” She put her hands around her mouth and called again. “Nam! It’s Sophie!”

  No answer. The place appeared deserted.

  Sophie walked up the stone steps. Her hand caressed the shiny spot she often rubbed on one of the dragons’ heads as she checked that the notice on the door was what she’d already read.

  It was. Everything of Connor’s, the whole island, had been seized.

  “Son of a two-headed goat.” She hurried around the outside of the entire building. Every window and door was boarded up, sealed, and marked with the tape.

  Surveillance cameras were probably tracking her every move right now.

  Sophie battled a wave of nausea as she headed back to the quad. “It’s going to be okay,” she said aloud, but in her mind, she heard the reassurance spoken in Jake’s distinctive voice.

  Jake was gone. He would never be at her side again, helping her, supporting her, loving her.

  Sophie staggered over to an ornamental bush and vomited up the little she’d eaten on the plane.

  Standing back up, wiping her mouth, her knees shaky, Sophie took a long look around at the beautiful house and grounds. She might never see this place again. She walked over to the bench where she’d made peace with her mother and gazed out at the incredible view, drawing some deep breaths to combat the last of the nausea. “Goodbye, Phi Ni. Thank you for being so good to me. I hope I can see you again someday.”

  She got on the ATV and drove down to Nam’s house.

  The same tape and notice marked the door of Nam’s cottage. The place appeared deserted, and the couple’s lush garden was already wilting in the tropical sun.

  A new spike of terror hit Sophie’s bloodstream.

  What if they’d been taken into custody, to be used against her? She searched around the couple’s house to no avail. There was no clue where they might have gone.

  Fear reached a new level as she suddenly wondered if the pilot might have taken off without her, marooning her here. What if they had received directions from the Department of Justice? She had to assume the agents on the case knew she was trespassing on the premises, and she couldn’t blame the pilots for following orders.

  There was nothing for her here, and nothing to learn except that the agents had followed through on their threats.

  Sophie ran to the quad, jumped on, and sped back down the mountain.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Sophie

  The jet was still parked on the tarmac. The pilot and his copilot were pumping fuel from the underground tank that Connor kept filled.

  Sophie blew out a breath of relief as she drove the ATV into the huge, dim, cool hangar. She parked the quad in the corner where it was typically stored.

  Her mind ground restlessly through her options. No one was answering his phone; either the phones were out of range, had been disabled, or had been confiscated, as hers had been.

  She could stay in Thailand, and try to look for Armita and Momi, hoping that they had taken shelter on the mainland, or were at the Yām Khûmkạn compound with Connor.

  But she had made her feelings about the compound clear to him. If Connor had moved to take care of Armita and Momi as she hoped he had, he would not have taken them there—he would have sent them back to Hawaii, where they would be safe from her mother.

  Connor might have taken Nam and his wife to the compound, though. They would be cared for, perhaps even given jobs.

  It was possible they’d all been taken into custody, but Connor was usually miles ahead of law enforcement. She could only trust that her warning had set in motion a series of events that would ensure not only Connor’s safety, but that of those dearest to her. Yes, he’d betrayed her trust by bringing Pim Wat and the Master to a place she’d imagined was safe; but as he had pointed out, that always had been an illusion.

  Her best option was to return to her apartment, contact her father, and enlist all the help and protection she could get against the DOJ probe. From there, she would hope to hear from Armita, wherever she was hiding with Momi, once things were safe.

  Armita would contact her. She had in the past; she was the one who had taken Momi away from Pim Wat and brought the baby to Sophie, at the risk of her own life.

  Sophie closed and locked the doors of the hangar, re-sealing the tape, and hurried to meet the pilots. “Everyone is gone, and the houses are marked, too. Wheels up as soon as you can get us in the air. We’re going back to Hawaii.”

  They landed in Honolulu twelve hours later. Sophie wasted no time collecting her things and calling for a rideshare to her apartment.

  She could be walking right into a Department of Justice trap by heading back there, but she had to see if Armita had left her a message via her landline or computers.

  The rideshare vehicle wove through busy downtown Honolulu traffic, headed for the Pendragon Arches building. She took out the burner and called her father.

  The ambassador picked up right away. “Sophie! Why didn’t you call me back?”

  “I left you this number, Dad. Why didn’t you call me back?”

  “I tried, but none of the calls would hook up.”

  Sophie frowned in annoyance. “I should have been able to retrieve a message, but I have been flying for the last thirty or so hours.” Maybe the lack of communication had been the cheap phone—at a time when her sanity depended on it, technology had failed. “What’s going on with the DOJ investigation, Dad? Have you been able to find anything out?”

  Her father cleared his throat. “I spoke to my Secret Service contact about the situation. There’s a full-blown multi-agency investigation going on into this Connor character, Sophie.”

  “I know. That’s what I told you. Two men, one from the CIA and one from the FBI, restrained me in my own building to force me to tell them where he was. I don’t know what is going on.” She shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose—there was so much she couldn’t tell him! “Can you help me deal with these people, Dad?”

  “I hired a top-notch criminal defense attorney for you. He told me to advise you to stay close to home. Don’t do anything suspicious. I’ll text you his info; you should call him right away about next steps.”

  “Don’t do anything suspicious, like fly to a private island in Thailand?” Sophie forced a laugh. “That’s fine, Dad. I’m back now, and not planning on going anywhere else.”

  “Can we get together? I’d like to talk further.” She heard a current of anxiety behind her father’s words. Maybe he had more to tell her but didn’t want to talk on the phone.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow. Right now, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole donkey.” After her nausea and fatigue, her appetite had come raging back—and she remembered that, too, from her first trimester with Momi.

  “You mean, ‘eat a horse.’” Her father chuckled, but it sounded forced. Someone was definitely listening in. “Get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow. Love you, Sophie. I’m glad you’re home.”

  Sophie put the phone away and stared out the vehicle’s window. Cars honked, bikers whizzed by, kids on skateboards and dogs on leashes filled the sidewalks. Palm trees reflected in windows. Colors were bright and sounds loud, but Sophie hardly registered any of it, not even the massive shade trees that sheltered the area from the brilliant sun and heat of downtown, as they turned into her neighborhood.

  The web of lies she’d become a part of, woven around protecting Connor’s identity, was tightening around her—and she had no idea how to get free of it.

  But that wasn’t what she was really worried about now.

  Where were Armita and Momi? And the dogs?

  She was going to have to call Alika, and tell him they were missing. The thought made her b
elly clench. Sophie glanced down at the stubbornly silent phone and tried Armita’s number one more time.

  “Here you are,” the driver said, pulling up in front of the elegant, well-appointed Pendragon Arches building, where Security Solutions owned several units, including the one she lived in. Sophie thanked the driver and exited the vehicle.

  She pushed through the glass doors and greeted the elderly security officer at his desk as she carried her travel backpack through the beautifully decorated lobby, spangles of light from the chandeliers falling on her like drops of sunshine.

  Once on the elevator, Sophie dictated a list of chores into the phone’s voice memo: order takeout. That call to Alika. Contact the lawyer. Talk to Paula and Bix at Security Solutions about whatever ended up happening with leaving those agents in the conference room. Make an appointment with OB/GYN.

  The elevator dinged, and opened.

  She walked down the hall to the door of her unit, stuck her key in—and a dog barked on the other side of the door.

  Ginger.

  And then, the patter of running feet, and a stream of giggles.

  Momi.

  Sophie’s heart soared—there was no other way to describe the expansive feeling of joy that lifted her chest and filled her eyes with tears. She turned the key and pushed the door gently inward.

  “Mama!” Momi shrieked. “You’re home!”

  Ginger reached Sophie first, thrusting her nose into Sophie’s crotch and lashing her legs with a thick tail. Momi embraced her legs and snuggled into Sophie with her silky head. Anubis hung back, whining, and behind him, petite Armita clapped her hands. “Sophie! Oh, thank God! I thought they’d taken you in!”

  “I need a hug. From all of you.” Sophie dropped to her knees and opened her arms wide enough to hold two dogs, a toddler, and a ninja nanny—and they engulfed her right back with their love.