SCRATCH (Corporate Hitman Book 2)

by Linden, Olivia

  Scratch just shrugged. “I just know women, is all. You’d be surprised at the things that can affect the way they think and act. They go through a bad breakup and then create this hard, independent woman exterior, but inside they're still a woman with a certain dream. I want to know what that dream is,” Scratch clarified.

  “I don’t know,” Jack said with concern. “You need to keep her off balance, not fall in love. A woman scorned is one thing. A woman scorned, who happens to be a federal agent is a very bad look. There won’t be a corner of this earth that you’d be able to disappear to.”

  “Don’t worry. I got this.”

  “Yeah, well. I do worry. This love shit seems to be going around like a virus, and you’re ripe to catch it,” Jack warned.

  “What the? Why me?”

  “I don’t talk a lot, but I see a lot. You’ve been going through women like your life depended on it. Either you’re running, or you're looking.”

  “I guess you would know, pot,” Scratch snarked.

  “Yeah, I’ve got my issues, but I guess I know that I need a certain type of woman. Whether I’ll find her or not remains to be seen. But you? You’re hurt is different,” Jack said quietly. There wasn’t anything else that needed to be said. It pissed Scratch off to hear, but it was true. Jack was cold because his family was taken from him. Scratch’s family had turned on him, leaving him to wonder if they ever loved him at all. That question haunted his soul on a daily basis because he had loved his family, his mother most of all. Their betrayal had seared him to the core. He wasn’t even about to take the conversation there, so as usual he joked to lighten things up.

  “Well, if this love shit is going around, then you need to watch your back too. If Glitch isn’t immune, than none of us are safe.”

  Chapter 4

  “Come on and get it boys. Food’s up,” Araceli called from the dining room in Glitch’s home. Scratch had to admit, as much as he ribbed his bro for catching the love bug, Araceli was pretty awesome to have around. She made it a point to fix dinner for the fellas every Wednesday. For the last two days, Scratch had been hard at work trying to get together files that didn’t connect with TopSec, with Glitch’s help, to keep Jack from being found out before they could cover his ass. Having dinner with the guys, and gal, was a good way to relax.

  Scratch grabbed a beer and popped the top before leaning down and kissing Araceli’s forehead as he went by. For some reason she reminded him of a woman he only knew through pictures and letters. Five years younger than him, Pristine, his little sister, had been raised on his father’s side of the family, since they didn’t have the same mother. He’d lost track of her shortly after being arrested. Maybe that was what made him like the little hellion that had grabbed Glitch’s heart. She was just as feisty and strong as his little Pristine.

  “Thanks for the grub,” he commented, pushing thoughts of Pristine out of his head. When he got free of this shit he’d find her. That he could promise himself. She was the one who’d never turned her back on him.

  “No problem. Thought you were having a bad time at work, so I made Arroz con carne.”

  “Translation?” Jack asked, as he sat at the table.

  “Rice with pork. Sounds so much better in Spanish. Nothing like hot comfort food to make you feel all better,” Araceli answered, lifting a big pot of the stove.

  “Allow me,” Scratch said and took it from her hands and carried it to the table.

  “Stop trying to steal my girl. Scratch. It’s not going to work,” Glitch grumbled.

  “Not likely,” Jack gruffed.

  “Thank you. No one can take Araceli, even if they tried. She’d bite the shit out of them,” Scratch said with a laugh, remembering how Araceli had done just that when they’d kidnapped her before they knew who she was.

  “You guys know I’m right here, right?”

  “Noted,” Glitch said, laughing as Araceli served them. Yeah, it was good to laugh. They all needed it. Wasn’t too often they took the time to relax like this.

  “So you want to tell them? Or can I?” Araceli asked after a few minutes of quiet chewing.

  “Tell us what?” Jack asked, going still.

  “Nothing bad, J. I wouldn’t spring it like this,” Araceli commented.

  “J?” Scratch and Glitch asked at the same time, looking to Jack to see his reaction.

  “Yeah, got a problem with it?” Araceli asked pointedly. Jack almost smiled. For him, that was huge.

  “None at all,” he answered.

  “Another one bites the dust,” Scratch tossed at Jack. Jack didn’t outwardly react, but the faint tick in his jaw told Scratch he’d heard him.

  “What do you need to tell us?” Jack asked instead.

  “We are ready for the next step.” Glitch said. Scratch choked on his food.

  “You asked her to marry you? Are you out of your mind!”

  “What?” Glitch asked, a confused expression marring his face for a moment. “No!”

  “Damn, that serious?” Araceli asked, slapping his shoulder.

  “No, baby. That’s not how I meant it.” Scratch couldn’t help it. Once he started laughing, he couldn’t stop until tears were rolling down his face.

  “I’m buying an island,” Glitch said. That sobered Scratch right up.

  “Come again?” he asked.

  “Thought that would clear things up. We are ready to move our plan to the next phase. We aren’t just talking about it anymore.” Glitch smiled.

  “Merda,” Scratch gasped. Nothing else, in the last few months, had sounded better than those few sentences. They were beyond planning. They were going to get the fuck out of there for real. His heart pounded in his chest. Scratch didn’t think he had been so afraid of the outcome of all this shit until that moment. Damn, he had been worried they wouldn’t find a way out before Eagle got a noose around his, or all of their throats.

  “Details,” Jack questioned.

  “That’s what we need to discuss right now. First thing on the agenda is where we want to go,” Glitch said.

  “Somewhere not here?” Scratch said.

  “It’s apparent that we can pretty much go anywhere we want. In international waters, and having our own land, we wouldn’t have to worry about extradition. We step foot on that island and we never look back,” Glitch explained.

  “Makes sense. So it’s about where. Don’t want to pick the generics, I guess,” Scratch started.

  “We pick where the fuck we want. I can make us disappear entirely, when the time comes. Eagle is the last loose end that needs to be tied before that final move. He knows us, and holds our information. We have to make sure he can’t use it when we get out,” Glitch said.

  “I love hackers,” Scratch answered. “I’m for somewhere nice and sunny. Beautiful water, and amazing weather.”

  “I’m for anywhere except here,” Jack added.

  “Australia?” Glitch asked. “None of us have ties there, and no history of traveling to that area. An island in the South Pacific could satisfy our needs.”

  “Sounds good. Anything outside of our normal movements will alleviate chances of failure,” Jack agreed.

  “How will we purchase it?” Scratch asked.

  “That’s the next order of business. We need to move it out of the re-routing system into an actual bank account. Right now it’s just revolving around and around through shadow accounts. We can’t purchase anything like that.”

  “Cayman Islands or Swiss would be good for that. Cayman you need someone to open by proxy there, though. Luckily I have a few contacts, moving so much cash around. I have enough that I can use about ten proxies until none of them know who they are working for, and the paperwork will read as such. The card is a one shot deal, though. When I do, it has to be for the whole thing. After that, the contacts disappear,” Scratch explained.

  “Why?” Araceli asked.

  “Harder to track illegal account creation if you can’t even find the people who cre
ated the account,” was Scratch’s answer.

  “Good. Then we move what we have now. We’ve got a stack house from over the last few years. That program has been running twenty-four-seven for nearly three years. We’ve got plenty to be happy about,” Glitch assured.

  “I’ll call the contacts in then, when you’re ready. I can have a directive for one to be proxy for the land purchasing and sign off on the papers. You have new identities for us, or are we flying completely off the radar?” Scratch asked.

  “Completely off grid. I can create those identities, but they’ll be locked boxed. They’ll be shells for what is owned by us,” Glitch said.

  “Alright. Double safe, no print outs, only computer presence then,” Scratch figured.

  “Exactly.”

  “Give me a few,” Scratch got up from the table and headed back to his apartment. He kept a burner phone for an occasion like this. Of course, when he’d gotten it, he’d had the idea that he would have been getting himself free and clear. Not taking four others with him. What a difference a few years made. He couldn’t be happier, though, as he went about powering on the phone, hooking in the scrambler, and then jacking it into his computer. With a few clicks, he was making an untraceable international call. Fifteen minutes. That’s all it took to get the plan in motion. Fifteen minutes and he was writing down an account number, tossing the phone in his sink, and setting it on fire. He watched it melt and burn as he poured accelerant on it. After it was sufficiently melted, he turned on his faucet and put out the flames. He wrapped it in a towel and took it, and the account number back to Glitch’s.

  “Here,” he said to Jack, handing him the phone. Jack would make sure it completely disappeared. Jack said nothing as he got up and left the apartment. He handed Glitch the account number next and watched as his friend keyed into his computer. The amount he saw transferring was staggering. Glitch had ridden the edge of caution taking that much, but they’d need it. After buying the island, they’d have to purchase ways to get there, a home, and anything else they’d need. Doing that by illegal means wasn’t cheap. Still, they’d be living a cushy life, many times over, before they lost all that money.

  “The transfer will take about twenty minutes to complete, but it’s on a secure line. No stopping it now. We are a go,” Glitch said. Scratch fell into his seat, so amazed that he hadn’t heard the door open, but he felt when Jack gripped his shoulder. They were all silent, watching the money transfer. When the count was to zero on Glitch’s side, he clicked on his computer. Scratch didn’t know the words that Glitch would use, but he was sure that he was destroying the program and evidence, just like Scratch had done with the phone.

  “The contact knows to procure the island, and home. He will gather vehicles and furnishings. I think he’ll even have it stocked with food,” Scratch said, with a strained laugh.

  “Then your job is done Scratch, as far as the exit strategy, and so is mine,” Glitch said quietly. “Next part is all up to you, Jack. It’ll take a couple weeks, if not a month or two, to get the island purchased and the living space built. Enough money can make that process go faster.”

  “I’ve got it. When I left earlier, I started making some arrangements for our extraction. It could get tricky to make sure that Eagle doesn’t catch on to our movements. I’ll have to take time to make some more plans, but that will be in place the closer we come to go time. Just understand, all of you,” Jack said, staring at them pointedly, “I come to you with a black duffel bag you walk away, you don’t ask any questions. You don’t even open the fucking bag until you get to where I tell you to go. You will have no contact with anyone else, at all, until you get to the island. That’s the way it has to be. You do exactly what the instructions say, to the letter, no matter what happens. If something changes, you tell them to contact Dragon. That’s it. Do you all understand?” Jack stared hard at each of them. One by one, starting with Scratch, they answered.

  Jack’s part in their escape would be the most dangerous. They would have to make it to where they were going without any hiccups. If they didn’t, then they would be on their own. The others wouldn’t know until they never showed up at the rendezvous point. They all understood what he was asking. As hard as it would be, they wouldn’t have a choice.

  “Got to say though,” Araceli mused,” it’s nice to know we’ll be getting away soon. It’s not a dream. It’s not a conversation. It’s real. It’s real, guys,” she said again. Scratch couldn’t agree more.

  “Anybody think about the look on Eagle’s face when he finds us gone? I bet that’s going to be priceless.” Scratch tossed out.

  “Wasn’t thinking that he’d be wearing anything else but a death mask, personally. It’s no less than he deserves,” Jack returned.

  “And that is why Jack is my best friend,” Araceli said then, and everyone, except Jack, laughed.

  “Why?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. Scratch held his breath. It was a moment of truth for Araceli. She could either win Jack over now, or lose her chance entirely.

  “Because if I’m ever in trouble, I’d want the one who would do anything to see me safe to have my back. It might be ugly. It would probably be dangerous. Hell, I wouldn’t have the stomach for it. You have no idea, Jack, how happy I am someone in this family does,” Araceli said quietly.

  “Yes, I will do anything to keep you all safe.”

  And there it was, the right answer, and the acceptance that she probably didn’t even realize she’d gotten. Scratch didn’t know if that would stop arguments from breaking out later, but he knew for damn sure, at least they were going to pull through together.

  Chapter 5

  Mr. Brightside by the Killers blared through the speakers of Scratch’s tricked out desktop. Of course, Glitch had given him certain programs and upgrades that other employees of Hawk Global weren’t privy to. With his feet up on the desk, he lightly bobbed his head to the music. Things were looking bright, indeed. Even though they had been planning to disappear from their life of indentured servitude to Eagle for a while, the realization that they were closer to being free made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. So the last few days had flown by. He’d never been free. At least not any part of his adult life. His family had used him since he was twelve-years-old, and then Eagle after that. Being able to do any and everything he wanted seemed like a fantasy.

  So he enjoyed the feeling, and allowed himself the luxury of daydreaming. Of being able to just breathe. No thinking, planning, plotting, or scheming. His mind was filled with visions of distant lands. Beautiful ocean shores filled with beautiful women. He almost forgot where he was until a rather loud disturbance brought his dreams crashing down around him.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Monica spat the words at him, seething as she stormed into his office. She stalked up to his desk and tossed two file folders at him—subsequently sending sheets of papers flying everywhere. Some landed on the desk, others landed on the floor or in his lap.

  Scratch was pissed. After the shock of her surprise attack wore off, that is. He shot her an incredulous glance before looking down at the label on the file closest to him. One was the folder of bogus information that he’d gotten from Glitch. Well that was quick. So she figured out that he was pulling her chain, but that didn’t give her the right to ambush him this way. He didn’t respond to her at first, but tried to calm down a bit. He didn’t appreciate being yelled at, and the aggression of her throwing the files at him didn’t sit well either.

  Slowly, he let his eyes peruse the length of her body, starting with her hair that was styled curly, down to her royal blue skirt suit with a sharp cut to her waist that enhanced her natural curviness. Then, further still, to the black stiletto pumps with criss-cross straps around her ankles. Damn, she was sexy. His gaze traveled back up to the shiny buttons on her blazer. The style was such that a shirt was optional, and as his eyes focused in on the smooth skin of her just contained cleavage, he was certain there wasn’t
one underneath. Here he was trying to calm down, but he was becoming excited in other ways. That was fine. He’d rather be turned on than in a rage, and he wasn’t some horny teenager who couldn’t control his erections.

  “Are you such a pompous ass that you think you can screw around with me?”

  She wasn’t yelling particularly loud, but her voice carried. Still ignoring her questions, Scratch gathered up the few loose sheets of paper on his lap and tossed them on his desk with the rest before getting up. Glaring at Monica as he went, he walked to the door and closed it. Other empty offices surrounded his corner office, so he wasn’t worried about the noise, but he didn’t want to risk someone deciding to be nosey.

  With his back to her, he contemplated his response. He had not expected her so soon, and hadn’t heard back from Jack yet. Still, he needed to butter her up. Staying silent wasn’t just to calm down, but to give her a chance to either calm down or say something for him to work with. Turning around, he found her glowering at him with her arms folded across her chest, pushing her breasts up to expose a little more skin for him to look at.