He sighed deeply, slugging back his whiskey. His eyes watered as the liquid hit his bloodstream in a rush.
“How are you?” Her voice was hesitant. “Can I get you anything?”
“Nothing.” He stared out the windows again, running a hand through his hair. “It can’t be true, can it, Audra? I know what those detectives are thinking. They think that Carlotta took the briefcase.”
Audra sighed. “It might be true, Dale. There was no sign of forced entry, like they said. I think you might have to open your eyes to the possibility, at least.”
He dragged his eyes back to her face. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t. I loved her! And she told me that she loved me.”
Audra blinked rapidly. “People lie, Dale. I wish it wasn’t true, but there it is.” She took a deep breath. “We’ll know soon enough if she was lying about who she was. The police have photos of her.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Thanks, Audra. I think I just want to be left alone now.”
Audra nodded, drifting out of the room. He walked slowly to the windows, pressing his face against the cold pane of glass, staring down at the street floors below him. The people looked like ants, scurrying about their business.
If it was true … then he would be a laughingstock. Everyone would know what had happened to him. The night that he had presented his greatest invention to the world, he had been robbed of it by a … what would you call her? A gold digger? His blood ran cold. Had she only ever been with him to take the nanites?
* * *
It was true.
The proof was in the grainy black and white footage on the small screen.
“This is Carlotta Di Lorenzo?” Detective Harris’s voice seemed to reach him from far, far away.
He watched the woman with the long dark hair, tied up in a ponytail. She had her big, batwing sunglasses on, which obscured half her face. He had always teased her about them. She was walking through the fancy hotel foyer, and in her hand, he could clearly see the briefcase.
The detective sighed. “We ran her photo through Interpol. Turns out that Carlotta Di Lorenzo is an industrial spy. She does this for a living, Mr. Michaels. Targets rich guys, seduces them, then steals from them. She’s wanted over the theft of a priceless Monet from a private collector in Cairo, among many other things.”
Harris’s voice droned on, but he could barely hear it anymore. All he could do was stare at that small screen and the figure of the woman carrying the most precious thing in the world away from him.
And she had done it many, many times before.
Suddenly, everything went red. He stood up, his heart thumping wildly, and tore out of the room. He didn’t see the look of shock on the faces of the detectives, nor did he hear Audra’s voice calling him.
It had been a week. A whole week where his life as he had known it lay in ashes around him. Everyone knew what had happened. Audra had been fielding calls all week. It had made the papers. He had turned off all his social media accounts and lain low, like an animal licking his wounds.
“Dale? Are you all right?”
He turned around, staring into the face of Mason McCarthy, his head of security, and his very dear friend. A tall, slightly gawky-looking man with a shock of fiery red hair. People often got the wrong impression of Mason, thinking that his wiry frame meant that he wasn’t as fierce as he was. A mistake they rarely made twice.
“How are things progressing in there?” Mason looked solemn.
Dale shook his head wryly. “Not good, Mason. Not good at all. It seems not only was Carlotta a professional spy, but she is on the run. They can’t locate her. Not the local police, not the feds, and not even Interpol. She’s vanished in a puff of a smoke.”
Mason’s eyes gave nothing away. “Should I start our own investigation?”
Dale nodded slowly. “Yes. We’ve got nothing to lose, have we?”
The bodyguard nodded again and drifted away. Dale stared off into the distance. He didn’t even notice that he was clenching his knuckles so tightly that they were white.
It was all a mess. A big, stinking mess. He had been conned, well and truly. Carlotta had never loved him. She had plied him with sex and sweet words and he had fallen at her feet like the fool that he was. He had been going to marry her, for Christ’s sake!
He knew one thing for sure. He would never be so stupid as to fall in love again.
3
Audra hovered around the filing cabinets in Dale’s office, gazing at him covertly while she pretended to look for something. He was sitting at his desk, clicking desultorily on the mouse, staring impassively at the computer screen. She would bet her bottom dollar that he wasn’t seeing anything.
She sighed, closing the cabinet with a decisive snap. He was not himself, that was obvious. He had merely grunted at her this morning, which was not like him at all. The strain of the previous weeks was taking its toll. And it was all thanks to that bitch Carlotta.
She walked over to the desk, clearing her throat. He glanced up at her, but those piercing blue eyes were empty. “What is it, Audra?”
She smiled. “Dale, I am worried about you. Have you been eating at all? Getting any sleep?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “When I remember,” he responded slowly. “It’s hard to stop thinking. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to go crazy.” He sighed deeply. “They still haven’t got any leads on her.”
Audra nodded. “I know it’s hard, but you have to take care of yourself. Running yourself into the ground isn’t going to help the situation.” She paused. “How about we go out for a drink after work tonight? I know a cozy little bar not far from here. Just you and me.” She smiled, a little flirtatiously. “Or I could come back to your place and cook you a meal. My fettucine carbonara has been getting rave reviews.”
He smiled wearily. “It all sounds lovely, Audra, but I don’t think so. I’m not great company at the moment.” He stared back at the screen. “But thanks for the offer.”
Audra sighed. He wasn’t biting, as always. She had spent the best part of the last few weeks trying to support him. And yes, flirt with him a little. She was a big enough girl to admit it to herself. Well, a man needed consolation, didn’t he, after being betrayed so spectacularly? He needed to see that not all women were grade-A bitches with an agenda.
But she might as well have been flirting with the water cooler, for all the good it had done. Dale simply wasn’t interested … yet. She wasn’t giving up. Not by a long shot. One of these days, Dale Michaels, robotics genius, was going to finally see what had been under his nose all along. They just needed to find those damn nanites and nail Carlotta, once and for all.
* * *
Mason was leaning on his desk, munching on a pastrami sandwich, scattering crumbs over the keyboard. Audra frowned crossly at him as she took her seat.
“Don’t you have your own desk for that?” She eyed the sandwich disdainfully.
He deposited the remainder of the sandwich in his mouth. “Eating on the run, as always. Do we have any updates from the police?”
Audra sighed. “Not really. Only that she’s on the run. They aren’t sharing anything else … if they have anything else, of course.”
Mason nodded. “I thought so. She’s a professional. I’ve been making my own inquiries, but I’m not getting anywhere fast, just like them.” He stared at Audra. “I always knew that woman was bad news. I tried to tell him, but he just wouldn’t listen. She had him by the balls, well and truly.”
Audra’s nose wrinkled. “Yeah, well, she might as well have lopped them off and put them in the briefcase along with the nanites. If I ever see that bitch again …”
“Steady, Audra.” Mason’s voice was low. “We need to keep our cool if we are going to nail her. Think quick and smart. That’s the only way we are going to help Dale now.”
“You can’t find a thing on her?”
Mason shook his head. “Like I said, she’s good. Used to melting into the shadows
once she’s got her prize.” He paused. “We might have to use … unconventional means to track her. But it’s dangerous.”
Audra gaped at him. “What do you mean ‘unconventional means’? What are you talking about?”
Mason sighed. “You ever heard of a thing called the Deep Web?”
* * *
Dale walked into the security room, his eyes sweeping over the circular desk with the plethora of CCTV monitors. Mason and Audra were huddled together, staring at a screen. They both jumped a little guiltily when they saw him.
“What are you two up to?” he sighed, leaning against the desk.
Audra’s eyes were sparkling. “Dale, I think we may have figured out a way to find her.”
Dale froze. “What are you talking about?”
Mason took over. “We’ve got into the Deep Web.”
Dale’s face paled. “The what? You do know that is highly illegal, don’t you?”
“Hear me out.” Mason was calm, as always. “It’s the only way I can think of to track her. Conventional ways aren’t working. You want results, don’t you?”
“Yes, but …”
“We might have a start,” Audra butted in. “It’s taken a while, but we’ve found an independent Deep Web hacker network called the Matrix.”
Dale’s eyes widened. “Like the movie?”
Audra smiled. “Yeah, like the movie, only Keanu Reeves isn’t starring in this one.” She screwed up her nose. “I think. Anyway, it’s like a whole other world in there. You can hire people, buy things you can’t anywhere else …”
Dale blanched. “Don’t tell me. Illegal arms, human organs … that kind of thing?”
“Maybe.” Audra refused to be shamed. “That’s not the point. Mason thinks that we could hire an expert to track down Carlotta.”
Dale glared at them both. “Have you both lost your minds? This is dangerous territory. If the police get one whiff that we have even searched in there …”
“Don’t worry, they won’t.” Mason stared back at him evenly. “We can keep it under the radar … if that’s what you want.”
Dale ran a hand through his hair. It was tempting. So tempting that he felt a hot flush of shame rise up his neck. He knew about the Deep Web, of course. But he didn’t condone it. He was about serving humanity, not becoming a part of the network of lowlifes and criminals who operated within its labyrinthine world.
But he had to get those nanites back. It wasn’t just about taking due credit for ten long years of work. It was about the fact that the nanites in the wrong hands could destroy his work entirely. He knew how the drug companies operated. If any of them got the nanites, they wouldn’t release them as a cure for anyone who had cancer. Why would they? They made mega bucks riding on the fact that there wasn’t a cure.
He took a deep breath. “Keep tracking this Matrix but hold off on hiring anyone. For now. We’ll see if the police and Interpol can get anywhere first.” He turned to Mason. “There’s still no signal from the briefcase?” The container holding the nanites had an inbuilt computer that could be tracked. It was one of the first things they had checked. But so far it had been silent.
Mason shook his head. “The signal’s blocked somehow. She could be using a portable Faraday cage.”
Dale sighed. A Faraday cage was a metal screen that could be attached to a piece of equipment to block any electrostatic or electromagnetic signals. It seemed that Carlotta knew her stuff.
Damn the bitch to hell, he thought darkly.
“Good work,” he said gruffly. “Keep me posted.” He quickly walked out of the room, smothering the urge to punch the wall. A feeling that he was having only too frequently lately.
* * *
Audra rubbed her neck ruefully. They had been surfing the Matrix all day but found nothing that could help them. She stared out the windows, noticing that it was already dark. Where had the time gone? Perhaps she should call it a day and start fresh tomorrow. Mason had already left, but then, Mason had a life. A wife and two kids who were waiting for him at home. Whereas all she had were a crotchety ginger cat who disdained to acknowledge her and a bottle of chardonnay which she had forgotten to chill.
One more try, she thought wearily. She took a deep breath and stared back at the computer screen.
Her heart started to hammer hard in her chest. With shaking hands, she picked up the phone and pressed Dale’s number.
“Audra.” His voice was still low and dispirited. “What is it?”
“Carlotta’s been active.” She could feel sweat dripping down her neck. “I’ve just found an online virtual reality game. And it has an auction for the cure for cancer.”
4
Dale bit tentatively into an apple as he walked into the office, slinging his coat over his desk. His nose wrinkled. The apple was sour. He threw it into the wastepaper bin.
“Yes!” he hissed as he heard it land. A slam dunk. So much for breakfast.
“You always were a good shot,” said Mason, striding into the room. “I remember those days when we tore up the basketball court. It’s been a while.”
Dale smiled. “Too busy, my friend. As always. Finding that cure for cancer has been my life.” He sobered. “And Carlotta was too. Any spare moment I wasn’t working, I was with her.”
Mason sighed, sitting in the chair opposite. “It will get better, Dale. I promise. Broken hearts mend.”
Dale kept smiling. Mason meant well. They all did. But he knew that this broken heart wasn’t going to mend anytime soon. If ever. It had been over a month since the theft of the nanites and it was still as raw and painful as if it had happened yesterday.
Audra breezed in, taking the seat beside Mason. “You two look happy. Is there news?”
Dale sighed. “Let’s get up to speed. Have you two had any luck accessing the online auction?”
Mason and Audra exchanged glances. Dale frowned.
“Spit it out,” he said. “I can take it.”
Audra leaned forward. “The problem is credentials, Dale. The Matrix is well protected, as you would expect. They don’t want just anyone waltzing in there and spoiling their fun. Like law enforcement, for instance.”
“And they have firewalls higher than the Great Wall of China,” continued Mason. “Way beyond our capacity to break through. In a nutshell, we seem to have stalled a little. While finding the auction was a breakthrough, it can’t help us if we can’t access it.”
Dale drummed his fingers on the desk. “The police won’t help anymore. I think Detective Harris doesn’t even believe the nanites exist, or if they do, they aren’t worth the manpower or money to chase Carlotta.” He paused. “Private investigators won’t touch it either. They think it’s too high- profile, and they don’t like to go international. Too dangerous for them.”
Mason stared at him. “Which brings us back to hiring an expert.”
Dale’s eyes flickered. “What kind of an expert?”
Mason blinked. “Have you heard of black hat hackers?”
Dale swore softly underneath his breath. “Black hat hackers operate illegally, Mason. They work outside the system for financial gain. You know that as well as I do. If we hire one, we are putting the company in grave danger.”
“If we don’t hire one,” said Audra slowly, “then we might as well lie down and admit defeat. You just said it yourself, Dale. The regular police are doing jack shit. PIs won’t come to the party. She will get away with it, and all your hard work will be for nothing.” Her voice shook slightly with emotion.
Dale closed his eyes. They were right, of course. He had tried to track her using the usual means for over a month now, and there was nothing. She had gone underground, and she was well connected enough to hide beneath the radar. She was laughing all the way to the auction.
His fists clenched. She couldn’t win. Yes, it was personal—he wanted to grind the bitch into the ground for what she had done to him. He wanted to catch her so bad it was like a poison staining his mind. But i
t was so much more than that.
A cure for cancer. He had held it in his grasp. How many more people in the world would die if he couldn’t find it? Just like his mother had died.
He exhaled through his nostrils like a bull. “Do it. But carefully. There can’t be any trace back to us.”
A wide grin broke out on Mason’s face, and Audra looked like she wanted to fist pump the air.
“I mean it,” he growled. “Be careful. A lot is riding on this. And if you find anyone willing to do it, make sure they know the drill as well.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I am about to hire a black hat hacker.”
“Believe it,” grinned Mason, standing up. He turned to Audra. “Come on. Get that bony ass out of that chair. We’ve got work to do.”
* * *
Audra veered around the desk, tightly clutching two takeaway lattes in her hands. She dumped them on the desk, causing Mason to glare at her.
“If you spill any into my systems, I’ll have your guts for garters,” he growled.
Audra stared at him. “Thanks for getting me a coffee without asking, Audra,” she replied sarcastically. “My pleasure, Mason.”
Mason grinned. “I bet you forgot the sugar.”
Audra sighed. “If you have any more sugar, you’ll be like a kid at a birthday party. Riding that sugar high until the tears start.” She took a sip of her latte. “Any luck?”
Mason frowned, absentmindedly picking up his own drink. “It’s taking a while. Black hat hackers are cagey, as you would expect.” He took a sip. “Damn, that’s hot! Have you seen him today?”
“Briefly.” Audra stared at the wall. “He’s turned sour again. Grunted at me when I dared to suggest we could go out for lunch.”
Chasing the Cure Page 2
