by John Corwin
Jones's attempts to act casual as he kept lookout were almost comical. He twitched from side to side like a nervous cat and finally had the sense to walk to the corner where he could look down the highly trafficked hallway from the lift and the break room.
Janet exited the break room. Jones flinched and looked ready to make a run for Hinkle when Janet appeared to have second thoughts about going back to her desk and went back inside the room, probably for a doughnut or two.
Hinkle, meanwhile, tapped on the keyboard of Jack's computer. I didn't know how the man was accessing the computer without a password. He might be a right arse, but he knew his way around a computer. For all I knew, he'd written a program specifically for the scheme he and Jones had hatched. A moment later, he pocketed something that looked like a jump drive and left Jack's office, a smug look on his face.
Jones nearly jumped through the ceiling when Hinkle tapped him on the shoulder. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and the pair vanished into the back hallway.
I dashed into Jack's office and picked up my phone. The computer monitor displayed the login screen and didn't look as if anyone had tampered with it. I went back to my office, closed the door and the blinds, and played the recorded video.
In the recording, Hinkle slid a jump drive into a port on Jack's computer and powered it off. When it restarted, lines of text ran across the screen for several seconds. The login screen appeared for an instant before changing to the desktop. Hinkle clicked on skull-shaped icon with the mouse, and a black window appeared with more lines of text in it. When he was done, he restarted the computer again, took the jump drive, and left.
I still don't know what he did.
Presumably, the Hinkle had installed spyware so, as Jones had said in the stairwell, they would become rich. They could steal all the source code for the software from Jack's computer, and download other valuable market information from Kevin's workstation. For a moment, I considered the possibility that these two were the saboteurs after Tyler's other companies.
While Jones and Hinkle were obviously devious and determined, I didn't see how they could possibly be the root cause for the other issues. For one, they couldn't afford to hire employees from the other companies, nor could they be the ones running Trax. A more likely possibility existed—they were moles for the other corporation. Finding disaffected employees and hiring them to undermine a company was nothing new. Jones and Hinkle fit the profile perfectly.
Well, two can play at that game.
I waited until the lunch rush was over and enjoyed a meal in solitude. My phone chimed several times in a row with texts from Isabel.
OMG I'm so sorry I missed your texts! I'm fine boo! Love you girl!
I couldn't help but be a bit angry with her even though it wasn't her fault. Don't you ever forget your phone again, missy!
Jack returned half an hour later, a smirk on his face.
"Well, someone got lucky." I meant it as a joke, but Jack winked.
"Nothing like some afternoon delight."
"Yes, well I have some afternoon discontent for you as well." I took him back to my office and closed the door.
Jack sat on the edge of my desk. "What happened while I was gone?"
"It appears Hinkle and Jones are working against our best interests." I showed him the video.
Jack's fist clenched with white-knuckled intensity. "That piece of shit. I'm going to push his face into a toilet bowl until he drowns."
"Not with these water-efficient commodes," I replied dryly. "Can you identify the program he installed on your computer?"
He looked at the phone for a moment. "Can I upload the video to your computer? I don't dare do it on mine."
"Of course." I got up and let him do what he needed.
It didn't take him long to upload the video. With my large high-resolution monitor, we were able to make out some of the text, though it did nothing to help me identify it.
"Hah, just what I thought." Jack pushed back from the desk. "He downloaded a program to exploit holes in the computer security, and then installed a canned spy application to my computer."
"Canned?" I asked.
"He purchased the software." Jack pshawed. "When he was our pit boss, he didn't do a lick of programming. Hell, when I checked his workstation after Tyler put me in charge, I recovered his deleted browser history and found he'd spent most his time browsing porn and watching cat videos."
I chuckled. "I don't suppose the internet is good for much else."
"Yeah, not really." Jack pursed his lips. "I think we need to fight fire with fire."
"Are you going to hack his computer?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't think there's anything worth knowing on his computer. We need to install spyware on Hinkle and Jones's mobile phones."
"How will we accomplish that?"
"Wish I knew. I don't program apps for phones." Jack frowned. "Guess it's time I learned."
"That could take months." This swiftly mounting crisis might upend the company in far less time.
Chapter 11
Jack and I conjured a few more ideas to combat information theft. Kevin returned from his sales meetings and we informed him about everything. Like Jack, he was ready to throw the traitors out a window.
When he'd calmed down, Kevin came up with a wonderful idea. "We should put fake software on Jack's computer so if they steal it, it won't do them any good."
"That's an excellent idea." Jack took over my computer once again and began moving files. "Since I'm moving things across the network from a different computer, the spy program on my computer won't record it."
"It only records information when you're physically using the workstation?" Kevin asked.
Jack nodded. "I'm going to introduce a few bugs into the source code of our latest products along with some spyware of our own. That way whoever steals it will be infecting their computer at the same time."
"Brilliant!" I leaned over Jack's shoulder and watched him work. It didn't take long for me to grow bored. "How long will it take to do this?"
"A few hours at least." He gave me an apologetic look. "You don't mind if I use your computer, do you?"
I shook my head. "Not at all."
"I'll see what I can do to get Jones's cell phone. Maybe we can put some spyware on it." Kevin stood up. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. Since my computer is probably bugged, I might be able to put some fake sales reports on there."
"Thanks, Kevin." I checked the time and noticed it was nearly five. The day had flown by. "Use my computer as long as you need," I told Jack. "I'm going to head home."
He looked at his phone. "I'm almost done for now. I promised Isabel we'd go by your apartment to pick up more of her things, if the cops let us in."
I shook my head. "Look, if she needs any essentials, she should buy them. I don't want her anywhere near that place until it's deemed safe."
He shuddered. "From the way you described the scene, it sounds like someone tried to summon a demon with a blood ritual."
My eyes flared with surprise.
He apparently took my expression for disgust. "Sorry, I'm a huge nerd when it comes to paranormal and freaky stuff."
"Well, this certainly tops the freaky list."
Tyler arrived home soon after Joe dropped me off. He squeezed me in a tight hug the moment he saw me. "God, Em. I can't believe what happened at your apartment."
I melted in his embrace and said nothing for a while. Unfortunately, we had all too much unpleasantness to discuss.
"Let's get out of the house for dinner tonight," he suggested.
I kissed his cheek. "That sounds wonderful."
Tyler took me out to a great hamburger place in the Highlands. After my first sip of beer, I felt ready to unload the day's events on him, starting with Hinkle and Jones.
"I'm not surprised." He popped a tater tot in his mouth and chewed.
I paused with the beer bottle at my lips. "You're not? Then wh
y the bloody hell didn't you fire them a long time ago?"
"I didn't have a good reason." He ate another tot. "Now I do."
"Can you wait until after we've spied on them a while?"
He nodded. "I like your counterintelligence plan. If we're lucky, it'll lead us up the ladder to the culprits."
"Do you still think your demon friends are the ones behind this?"
"They're high on my list." Tyler picked at the label on his beer bottle. "I'm still figuring out how to find the others."
"If we'd been smart about it, we could have followed Eyja back to them."
He snapped his fingers. "That's it. We have her true name. That means someone with skills might be able to track her."
A man in a hat and dark glasses slid into the seat next to me. "That's correct, Mr. Rock."
I nearly jumped out of my chair. Fortunately, I recovered my wits and realized my father, ridiculous as he looked, had just unexpectedly showed up. I lowered my voice. "Dad, what are you doing here?"
"You called, angel, so I came." He took one of my tater tots and ate it.
I challenged him with an eyebrow. "You didn't answer the phone."
"You're the only person who has the number, and I knew you wouldn't call unless it was urgent."
"Is everything okay?" Tyler asked him. "You look tense."
Dad looked around the dining area and took off his sunglasses. "There is a rift in the Exorcists. A man by the name of Albert Montjoy convinced a majority of our people that the Divinity has a higher purpose for them." A frown dragged down the corners of his mouth. "They are hunting those who refused to follow."
"Hunting?" My voice rose a little higher than intended.
Dad sighed. "I'm afraid so. Thankfully, your mother and I saw this coming months ago and were prepared."
"When I rescued Tyler from your former friends, I overheard someone talking about a person named Daelissa." I watched his face for a reaction.
He simply nodded. "She's supposedly the messenger of the Divinity, but I eavesdropped on her talking to Montjoy once, and am convinced she's the one in charge." Dad shuddered. "Not only is she insane, but she uses a form of magic I've never seen before."
"How so?" Tyler looked very interested.
I interrupted before the conversation veered off course. "I'm sorry to hear about your job, or whatever it was you had with them, but we have some demon problems we hope you can help us with."
Dad perked up, eyes alert. He held up a hand and twisted it. A moment later, another figure in a baseball cap and sunglasses sat down next to Tyler.
"Mum?" I had to admit she still looked lovely as ever, even in sports attire.
"Don't sound so shocked, dear." She lowered the sunglasses. "Clear?"
Dad nodded. "They were just about to explain why Emily called me."
Mum looked at me. "Very well, let's hear it."
"Well, hello to you, too, Mum." I blew out a breath. "One of Tyler's former acquaintances by the name of Barboar paid us a visit the other day." I told them the entire story.
When Dad heard the part about the apartment, his face darkened. "I'll do whatever is possible to send them back to Haedaemos."
"Yes," Mum said in a dry tone. "We can't have Tyler's childhood friends threatening you with grenades or murdering your neighbors."
I touched Dad's hand. "Actually, we want to banish them to the Abyss."
"That's impossible without their true names."
"I have two of them."
Dad stared blankly at me for a moment. "I don't know how you got them, but that's excellent." He paused. "Are you certain the names are accurate?"
I replayed the recording of the two names I'd learned.
"You've already spoken their true names?" Mum gave me a disbelieving look. "Demons can sense when their true name is spoken no matter where they are. You, of all people, should know to use caution when dabbling with dangerous creatures."
"I wasn't dabbling, Mum!" I spoke in a loud hiss, not eager to get into an argument with her in the middle of the restaurant.
Dad turned to Tyler. "They're lesser demons, correct?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"That gives us plenty of time, provided we can capture the ones in hosts right now."
"Can we take care of Barboar immediately?" I asked.
Dad waggled his hand. "It takes time to prepare for an Abyssal banishment. By the time we're ready for Barboar, he might be back in another host. In order to banish the others, we first need to exorcise them and send their spirits to Haedaemos."
I nodded eagerly. "You can do that?"
"Yes, dear," Mum said. "But we need to use the arch at the Church of the Divinity."
"You can't just tie them to a bed and do it the old-fashioned way?"
"Hardly." Mum tsked. "Emily, you don't even know enough to separate fact from fantasy in the supernatural world. Have you been to an orientation yet?"
I didn't want to answer her question. "Fine, let's use the arch in the church." The last time I'd been there had been a nightmarish attempt to rescue Tyler from the Exorcists and I wasn't eager to return.
Dad destroyed what little hope I had right away. "Montjoy controls the church."
"We'd have to infiltrate the church when it's not in use," Mum added. "A most difficult task."
"Why not just kill the host bodies?" Tyler said. "Or use their patterns?"
"I don't remember the exact patterns," I said.
"I find it hard to believe you remember such complex names so precisely, and cannot recall the accompanying patterns." Mum shook her head slowly. "You need to train your mind, Emily. This world is harsh and deadly—nothing like the fantasyland you grew up in."
"Fantasyland?" I sputtered for some sort of comeback, but my life had been pretty easy for the most part, at least until Peter. Everything about the Overworld, however, made that pale in comparison. "I'm trying to learn, Mum."
"Emily, you are a grown woman." Mum reached across the table and gripped my hands. "As such, you need to stop speaking to us like you're a child."
I almost jerked my hands free. "What are you talking about?"
"Only a little girl still calls her parents Mummy and Daddy." She said the endearments in a contemptuous tone. "Now, back to the matter at hand—we don't have their patterns, so the only course of action is to kill the hosts and use their true names for a banishment."
I was still too stung by her words to respond.
Tyler's hand gripped my leg. "If we capture them, Emily can get their patterns again." He gave Mum—Victoria—a steady look. "She's pretty amazing."
My father, Patrick, looked from Victoria to me. "I suppose that will work."
"I'll have to draw the pattern," I said. "Judging from the complexity of the ones in the demonicus, it'll probably take me hours."
Victoria's eyes snapped toward me. "Demonicus? Where?"
It occurred to me we hadn't mentioned the Custodian investigation.
Tyler beat me with an answer. "Yes, someone inscribed a massive demonomicus, complete with soul offerings and everything needed to allow a greater demon into this world."
"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" Victoria stood. "We need to see the demonicus."
"It would seem things are worse than I thought." Patrick popped the remaining tater tots from my tray into his mouth. "Let's go."
"Now?" I asked.
He nodded grimly. "Now." Once outside, Patrick pointed to a black sedan that resembled the ones I'd seen in the Templar compound. "I'll drive."
Tyler walked over to Joe where he sat in the SUV and talked to him for a moment. Then he came over and climbed into the back seat of the sedan.
I gave Patrick the address. He took out his phone and put it in a notch on the dashboard, then spoke the address. The phone's GPS drew him a route, and he took off.
"Can this car fly?" I asked.
"I'm afraid this one is limited to ground travel." He patted the dash. "On the upside, it's aether powered,
so it doesn't need gas."
Victoria turned around in her seat. "How did you discover this demonicus?"
I'd never told my parents about my side job, primarily because they'd vanished soon after helping me rescue Tyler. Now is as good a time as any. "I'm working with the Custodians."
Patrick hissed in a breath. "You're doing what?"
"Yes, I've been working with them ever since I met Tyler." I repressed a groan. "I'm only doing it part time, though."
"Perhaps," Victoria said in a condescending voice, "but part-time can get you permanently killed."
"They're very protective of me." I crossed my arms and glared back at her. "And I get to do something to help people."
"You're untrained, ignorant of dangers, and have only a marginal skill at detecting supernatural entities." Victoria tutted. "You should leave this sort of work to the professionals."
My face turned red hot and it took everything I had not to call my mother a bitch right then and there. She'll never change. She'd always been harsh on my brother, Phillip, and me. He was still going to university at Oxford and very rarely heard from them, according to him. "We're not all perfect like you, Victoria." I sometimes wished her twin sister, Lydia, had been my mother. She was meek and sweet—the polar opposite of this ice queen.
"I never proclaimed to be perfect, dear." She seemed not the least bit irked by my tone. "But if you plan to be the Custodian's supernatural detector, you should be able to protect yourself."
"She can do more than detect," Tyler said. "She literally ripped the vampirism from a vampire and made him mortal again. She saw the patterns and true names of those demons."
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Can you take a demon spirit from a mortal body?"
I shrugged. "My abilities are still something of a mystery to me."
Patrick glanced back at Tyler. "You and I need to have a talk about the danger you're putting my daughter into."
