by Axl Goode
Zane sat at home on his computer looking at the multitude of screens. Possessing prodigious skills with technology he found information was usually attainable given a creative enough idea on how to access it. Since he had determined to help Brenley however he could, he had set his computer to work. All he had to do now was monitor the information floating across his screen. As Brenley’s email came up on his monitor, he began to unravel her situation in his mind.
Reading over the email twice, he didn’t like it. He knew exactly what Brenley was attempting to do. He even liked her idea, in theory. The problem was he had also done his research on the mayor and found things he doubted others had. He didn’t have any concrete evidence, not yet at least, only vague hints that the mayor wasn’t all he seemed. Even though the man came across clean, Zane had the feeling he was dangerous and covered his tracks very thoroughly.
This presented a certain problem because he knew that if Frederickson actually believed Brenley had damning knowledge he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate her. Stomach twisting into knots thinking about anyone hurting Brenley, Zane started thinking quickly. He didn’t have very much time until things started going downhill rapidly.
Waking up the next morning he knew that it was going to be a long day. He took care of a few urgent errands in the morning then went on over to scout out Brenley’s place. He reasoned she was safe enough in a bank, at least for the time being and could use some real evidence to go on. Later that afternoon, he got it.
Two men approached Brenley’s apartment and easily let themselves in. From his vantage point across the complex he could easily see everything. Using the long-range lens on his camera, he recorded the men entering the apartment. They were undoubtedly professionals from the way they moved and worked. They even had a familiar look about them like he had seen them before.
That was all he really needed. Confirmation that someone had a keen interest in keeping whatever she had found a secret. Even if she hadn’t truly found anything yet. He circled back around the complex to get his car. He was going to have to bump into Brenley again and get her to tell him what was going on so he didn’t look like a stalker. This should be fun. Not.
While coming around the building he observed the men climb into a dark SUV that remained parked. He realized that even though they had found the documents in the vent, they must be waiting to confront Brenley directly. She shouldn’t be home for another few hours so that would be fine but whatever was going on certainly was much bigger than he initially anticipated.
Climbing into Destiny’s Fate, he intended to drive to the bank and have a little chat with Brenley when the unthinkable happened. He saw her car coming into the parking lot. Instantly making the connection of what was about to happen, Zane racked his mind for an idea.
As her car pulled in, he hopped out like he lived there and had forgotten something. Seeing her, he waved like a good neighbor would and stopped to say hello. Trying to tell her to play it off and act normal with his eyes, her confusion was evident as she stepped out of the car.
“Brenley, you’re home early today. Finally decided to quit being such a workaholic huh?”
Before she could respond and give the charade away he turned his back to the SUV and gave her a subtle wink, “Hey, listen, I got Jennifer a present. Come take a look at it and let me know what you think, would you?”
Not giving her a chance to say no, he continued, “It’s right over here in my car. It’ll only take a second.”
As they walked over he talked softly and quickly. “There is a black SUV right to our eight o’clock. I watched them break into your apartment and now they’re waiting for you. Don’t ask questions right now. Just get in on my mark and I’ll tell you the rest.”
Making it to the car, he saw the doors to the SUV start to open. “Now!” he shouted as they both leapt inside and the engine roared to life. Slamming the car into gear, they shot off like a rocket.
“What are you doing home so early?” Zane started.
“I received a call that my apartment had been broken into. Since when did you start stalking me?”
“Who was the call from?”
“It was someone new from the leasing office. Uh…Jarod, I think he said his name was. He said the police were there investigating it.” Brenley wrinkled her brow in confusion.
“I don’t think there’s anyone new at your leasing office,” he replied in an ominous tone.
“Why were you even there?” she tried again as they raced down the road. Even though they had completely lost their pursuers, Zane was still driving like someone was chasing them.
Tightening his lips, he finally responded. “After the other day, the look in your eyes told me you were seriously worried about something but didn’t trust me enough to fill me in on it. You might have missed this point but I like you and didn’t want to see anything bad happen to you. I decided to take a little initiative to see what I could figure out. I had a hunch someone would pay your place a visit so I came to observe.”
Disbelief filled her face. “You had a hunch?”
“I have pretty good intuition at times,” he said with a slight grin. “I had just seen them break into your place then come back out and wait in that SUV when you pulled up. You’re lucky, I was about to leave to go warn you at your office.”
Her face wore a mask of skepticism before changing to one of gratefulness. “Thanks for saving me. I’m still not sure I follow why you were at my place. Shouldn’t we go to the police?”
“I don’t think that’s the best idea. There is something wrong here that I haven’t quite figured it out but I could’ve sworn I recognized one of those guys. I’m taking you to a place I own outside the city where we’ll be safe for now.”
“So how do I know I can even trust you? I barely know you!” she said, her tone growing wary.
Zane’s body tensed at the accusation. He hadn’t considered her questioning his loyalty. He was already devoted to her so had never questioned it himself. He took a moment to ponder the question before responding in his most sincere tone.
“Brenley, I don’t know how to convince you to trust me but I promise I’m on your side. If you don’t want my help I’ll be happy to take you wherever you want but I can’t protect you there. You can leave anytime you like, but at least give me the chance to convince you. Please?”
Seeing tears forming in Brenley’s eyes Zane could tell she was feeling overwhelmed. He decided to give her some time to gather her thoughts and calm down. After a few minutes she responded with more confidence.
“I’ll give you the chance to convince me you’re on my side. I guess there are a few things I should fill you in on,” she eventually responded.
Smiling to himself, Zane thought he probably already knew most of the story but was welcome to any new information. They sat in silence as he slowed down to the speed limit to avoid any unwanted attention. He had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. There were powerful forces here controlling people behind the scenes for motives he didn’t yet understand.
* * * * *
An hour later they pulled through the gate to Zane’s ranch. It was surprisingly secluded for being so close to the city.
“Welcome to my ranch,” Zane said.
“What is this place?” Despite attempting to remain neutral, curiosity filled her voice.
“I have three hundred acres out here where I maintain a small farm.”
She gave him a dubious look. “You know how to farm?”
“You might be surprised at the things I know.” His lips turned up in a smirk.
“I don’t understand why you have it though.”
“I don’t like being dependent on others. I’m not a big believer in the government or current system we have as a country. I’d prefer to know I have the means for self-preservation.”
“That’s a very skeptical point of view, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps. Although it’s nice to have either way. I’m close to the
city and have a sustainable farm with clean filtered water, vegetables and enough animals to live off year-round if I choose.”
“Hmmm,” was all Brenley responded with.
As they drove up the long road to his cabin, cows littered one side of the road and sheep populated the other. They passed a barn with chickens plucking at insects in the surrounding grass. Eventually, they came to what Brenley thought was a fashionable log cabin. The residence had stone work throughout its makeup, as well as a vaulting two-story height.
“I had the logs shipped in from Wyoming so I could build my lodge just the way I wanted it. Everything is custom made to my specifications. You won’t find another lodge like this in the world.” Zane smiled proudly.
Is he showing off for me?
Stepping out of the car, Brenley took a deep breath of refreshing country air.
Wow. This place is beautiful. The surprises just keep coming and coming. If someone told me yesterday that Zane knew how to farm, I would have laughed in their face. Unbelievable.
“How do you maintain this place?”
“I have a friend, Ramone, that takes care of the property for me. He does most of the work but I like having this as a getaway. I feel safe and at home here. It kind of grounds me.”
“Really?” Incredulity filled her voice.
“Yeah. Sometimes life just gets too busy and I need a break. I like working with my hands, so I come out here and take a breather from life in the city.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
Leading her to the front door, Brenley stopped to gawk at the size of it. Two heavy wooden doors at least twelve feet tall stood guarding the inside. Zane turned the key, and the door swung inwards on well-greased hinges. Stepping inside the foyer, Brenley admitted to herself the cabin had a homely feel.
“Would you like anything to eat or drink?”
Why does he have to be so polite?
“No I’m fine. Thank you though.” She was too nervous to eat anything at that point.
“Okay. Why don’t I show you around the place?” he offered.
Walking through the house, Brenley realized she hadn’t judged the size accurately from the outside. It was more of a castle than a simple cabin. The first floor was opulent with vaulted ceilings and decorative carvings all around. The kitchen had marble counters with pans and cooking utensils hanging above the bar. What truly surprised her was that there was an entire floor underground.
After he showed her through the basement she started getting scared. Why would anyone need an entire story underground?
Trying to sound confident she bolstered her voice a little louder than she meant to. “So why do you have an underground story in your house?”
“Most people are very secure in their idea of the world going on how it has in the past. I’m not. If you look at the economy, government and overall state of our union it’s more fragile than many people think. Plenty of countries have fallen through history. Although I hope that never happens to our country, I decided to take measures so I could take care of my family and myself if necessary. I simply believe in being prepared so I’ve done something rather simple here that allows me to be prepared.”
“I see.”
“Plus I really don’t like tornadoes and having a basement with an eight-inch thick layer of reinforced concrete makes me feel rather safe. I have very valuable things that I don’t want destroyed so I keep them down here.”
“Well I guess that makes sense if you have the money to do something like this,” she replied.
“I’m not too bad off. I’m lucky to have played a few of my cards right,” he said with a wink to her. “Let’s get started on trying to figure out what’s going on in your life and why you have people busting into your apartment and trying to harm you. Shall we?” Zane offered, leading Brenley back up to the kitchen. “I have a plan for how to figure things out but before we get started I need you to fill me in on the story up until this point.”
Despite having reservations of trusting Zane, ultimately Brenley decided she needed any help she could get. Relaying everything she knew, it sounded a little dramatic but he never gave her reason to stop.
When she was finished she took a deep breath. “Okay, I trusted you with my story. Now I want to know how you had a hunch that someone would be at my apartment today and why you’re truly doing this.”
“I’m not sure why I’m truly doing this. As to the first part I think you better follow me,” Zane said.
Walking down the hall, Brenley realized there was a portion of the house she hadn’t seen earlier. Zane opened the door, holding his hand out for her to go first. What she saw made her jaw drop to the floor.
Chapter Ten
Stepping through the doorway Brenley marveled at the array of computer screens filling the far wall. There was one large main one and eight others surrounding it. Powering it all in the corner was a massive computer and what appeared to be a cooling system.
“I might have built a supercomputer.” Zane said with a tone of sarcasm and playfulness.
Okay you’re full of shit! Wait. He’s serious isn’t he? A shiver ran down Brenley’s spine. There was no way Zane had built all this. He was an actor and model and had never even hinted that he had any knowledge of technology like this. The real question was why anyone would need a computer like this.
“What do you mean you built a supercomputer?” The question sounded dumb to her but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Well, I told you there’s more to me than you know. I’m actually very good with technology and math. As a point of interest I am an investor as well, although I trade based on an algorithm I developed that rides market trends. I built this computer to run tests off data and let me study the market so I could trade better. I don’t actually need it that much anymore. I have my system developed and in place but I have huge amounts of data stored here that I don’t want to lose. Now I use it for recreational purposes only. I was hoping that we could use it to get a little insider information on your dilemma.”
“Hold on, what do you mean you invest too? Didn’t you just come to me a few weeks ago thinking about investing money with me?”
“Ugh yeah. About that…it was only because I only wanted to get to know you and ask you out.”
“Oh.” Her heart sped up slightly. There it was again. He was being up front about his feelings for her. She couldn’t help but wonder briefly what it might be like to be with him. Pushing the thought aside she drove on.
“How did you learn to do all this?”
“Can I just go with trade secret?” He smiled sarcastically but didn’t offer any more information.
“Right…” Damn him. Now I’m curious!
Brenley felt her face flush. The entire time she had thought Zane was just another pretty face on TV. In only a short while he had completely altered her opinion of him. He must be extremely smart to work on a machine with such a high capacity.
“How do you think we’re going to get insider information?”
“Like I said, I have a plan. We can look inside Frederickson’s computer to see if any information is coming through pertaining to you. If we can discover who he is contacting, we can trace it back to show what is going on. At this point if we could prove that he was trying to harm you or keep you quiet that might be enough to get a case going. The problem we face is there are likely to be other city officials involved with him and we don’t know who they are or what they’re capable of.”
“So you can actually hack into someone’s computer?”
“Of course,” Zane said nonchalantly.
Brenley stood in silence for a few moments. In her mind she was connecting various pieces of information.
“You hacked into my computer, didn’t you? That’s how you knew to watch at my apartment today, isn’t it?”
A sheepish look instantly covered Zane’s face. “Yes. I knew something was going on and I thought you were in over your head so I decided
to get involved.”
Feeling her anger rise, Brenley didn’t even attempt to mask it on her face. Her entire body flushed, thinking about what he could have seen about her on there. He had no right to violate her privacy like that without her consent. Not only did she have sensitive information on there but also pictures he had no right to see.
“You asshole! What gave you the right to look through all my personal information?” she asked in a livid tone.
“Nothing. I knew it was wrong when I did it but my desire to protect you won out. I’m glad I did. If I hadn’t, who knows where you’d be now. Probably in the back of that black SUV, going to disappear.” He responded in a calm voice.
“Really? How am I supposed to believe that? You went through my computer the same way the people in the SUV went through my apartment. It’s the same as breaking and entering. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know if anyone did break into my apartment. You’re my only source of information here!”
“Brenley, I didn’t mean to violate your privacy. I was only trying to help you out of a dangerous situation. Wait here. I’ll go get my camera and show you.”
As Zane disappeared, Brenley took a seat in one of the chairs, not knowing what to do next. This was all too confusing and didn’t make sense. Why was Zane even into her? Only a few days ago she would’ve sworn he was an egotistical asshole who was nothing more than a playboy actor. Now she was getting the full picture of just how wrong she had been. If he really did have all these skills then he must be much smarter than she initially thought. Still, he hacked into my computer! How can I trust someone who did that?
Returning a moment later, Zane flipped the monitors on and plugged the camera into his computer. It only took a second before the video showed up on the large center screen. She could see her apartment door from across the complex. Two men walked up to it and played with the lock for a second before gaining entrance. Within five minutes they walked back out. Zane started around to the parking lot to get the license plate of the vehicle. Peeking around a corner she saw the men climb into the black SUV he had pointed out before packing up the camera to get in his own car.
