“Of course. I want my garlic bread.”
Jack laughed, and she kissed him. “See you soon.” He winked.
“Be careful. Love you.” She held onto his hand, and his fingers slowly pulled away.
“I will.” Jack headed back down the sidewalk; Replacement stood out front of the store and watched him walk away as he stayed in hide-the-limp mode. When he reached the curb, he looked back. He gave her a little wave. She nodded and then went in the store.
He grimaced as he shook his leg out.
Chapter 10
~
From a Distance
Replacement opened the glass door and forced her eyes open wider to get used to the dim fluorescent lights. U-Do2 hadn’t been remodeled since the 1950s. Hard core, do-it-yourself electronic junkies considered it a bastion of exploration. Shelves were stacked with cables, ties, clamps—everything you could possibly need for any project that had power going to it.
Replacement tipped her head to the side and scanned the aisles for Gerald. She walked along the front of the store, but the aisles were filled with so many different displays it was impossible to see all the way down them.
She turned down the farthest aisle where a boy and his father scanned a rack. Their heads moved back and forth as they read the tags on the shelf. They both crouched down at the same time to look at an assortment of clamps. The corner of Replacement’s mouth ticked up when she saw them both roll up their sleeves.
Packages and display racks pulled at her attention, but she was determined to stay focused. A sale display for a pet monitoring system got the best of her. Her body kept heading straight while her eyes scanned the display, looking for something for Lady. She barreled right into someone, hard.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention—” She looked up into a pair of deep green eyes. “Hi…uh…”
“Pierce.” He smiled.
“I know.”
“Are you okay?”
She nodded and realized he still held her elbow, steadying her. “Why are you here?”
He let go. “I was driving by and saw you come in here. Then I saw the sign: The Everything Electronics Store. I need to find an adapter, but I’m a little lost.” He looked around the large store. “I was hoping to find some help, but I couldn’t find the F1 button.”
Replacement giggled. “That’s a good computer joke.”
Pierce smiled.
“I’m looking for Gerald.” She glanced around the store. “Have you seen him?”
“No. I didn’t know he was here.”
“You said you needed help finding something. The place is huge. What’re you looking for?”
“A connector from the TV to my tablet.”
“I just saw those.” Replacement walked up the aisle, and Pierce followed.
They stopped in front of a wall, covered with different adapters.
As Pierce scanned the rack, he shrugged. “Right now I’m thinking of another computer nerd joke. Do you want to hear it?”
“Okay.”
“How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb?”
Replacement shrugged.
“None. That’s a hardware problem.”
They both laughed. “That’s funny.”
When she looked up at him, his laugh trailed off. “I was wondering, would you like to—”
“Excuse me.” Jack’s voice interjected.
Replacement spun around. “Jack! Um…what’re you doing here?”
“I had to come back to find you. I forgot to take my keys.” Jack spoke to her, but he kept his eyes on Pierce.
“Oh.” Her dimple disappeared. “Pierce, this is Jack.”
Jack held out his hand. “Jack Stratton.”
Pierce took a small step forward and shook it. “Pierce Weston.”
“I’m working at Pierce’s house this week.” Replacement looked up at Jack with a smile that silently shouted: please be nice. “I was just helping him find something.” She handed Jack her keys and then turned toward the display. “Do you know what the TV has for inputs?” she asked.
Pierce shook his head.
“Which TV is it?”
“Do you remember the one next to my bed?” Pierce asked.
Jack stepped forward.
Replacement laughed nervously and took a small step in front of Jack to block him.
Pierce looked at Jack’s face. “I’m sorry. Boy, that didn’t sound good. I meant she saw it when she was working in my bedroom.” Pierce nodded.
“I was looking for data jacks,” Replacement added.
“Uh-huh.” Jack kept his eyes fixed on Pierce.
“Hey, there you are,” Gerald called out from the beginning of the aisle. “Hi, Jack. Pierce? What’re you doing here?”
Pierce looked relieved. He held up one of the packages in his hand. “I was looking for a connector to hook my tablet to the TV.”
“The car’s all packed. Everybody ready?” Gerald asked.
As Pierce and Gerald headed for the door, Replacement hung back and walked beside Jack. “Is everything really okay? You look upset,” she whispered.
“I’m fine.” Jack gritted his teeth. “You never mentioned your new boss.”
“Oh, well…what’s there to mention?” She scooted out of the store.
Pierce, Gerald, and Phillip stood next to the curb while Bruce sat in the back of Gerald’s car, packed in next to a load of boxes.
Replacement pointed to Jack. “Phillip and Bruce, this is Jack.”
Phillip gave a short wave while Bruce hung out the window and offered his hand. “It’s great to meet you, Jack. I’ve read about you in the news.”
“Nice to meet you.” Jack shook his hand.
“I’m glad you’re here, Pierce. My car’s full,” Gerald said. “Can you give someone a ride?”
Pierce looked at Replacement and smiled. “Sure. My car’s right here.”
Replacement’s eyes followed where Pierce pointed. Parked two cars away was a shiny, new blue Porsche. The sleek, expensive car was as out of place on the small-town street as a golf cart was at the Daytona 500.
Before she could open her mouth, Jack stepped forward. “Phillip,” Jack said quickly. “Have you ever ridden in a Porsche Carrera?”
“Uh…no.”
“No?” Jack smiled broadly. “You have to experience it. It’s quite the ride.” Jack put his hand on Phillip’s shoulder and led him over to Pierce’s car.
“Really?” Phillip smiled like a kid as his voice went high.
Pierce stood there for a moment and then clicked his tongue. “Sure.” Pierce looked at Replacement, and then eyed Jack. He tossed his keys up and caught them. “Why don’t you ride with me? Phillip, is it?”
“Yeah.” Phillip, looking like a kid in a candy store, quickly opened the door and hopped in.
Pierce stared over the top of the car at Jack.
Jack stared right back.
Replacement’s head went back and forth between them as if she were watching a tennis match. Neither glared, and their expressions didn’t change, but she could almost sense both of them mentally measuring the other up.
“Great.” Gerald waved to Pierce. “We’ll meet you at the house. Hop in, Alice.”
After Pierce looked at Gerald, Jack turned to Replacement. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Replacement frowned, and her brows knit together. She walked closer to Jack and whispered, “He’s just trying to be nice.”
Jack leaned in. “Let him be nice from a distance.”
He grinned.
She didn’t.
Chapter 11
~
Need to Know
Luka sat across the little table from Nicholai and shifted uncomfortably. He looked at the formidable man and wished his Uncle Anatoli had left him in charge rather than the cold-blooded ex-soldier. Trained by the Russian Special Forces, the Spetsnaz had turned Nicholai into a man whose ruthlessness was feared by his enemies and allies alike.
Nicholai set a scarred forearm on the table and leaned back in the chair. Wrapped around the ragged scar was a tattoo of a coiled snake—its head poised to strike. Even sitting casually, Nicholai still had an air of authority that hovered around him. Gray hair cut short, he looked exactly like what he was—an old soldier who had seen the worst in men. War hadn’t broken Nicholai; forged in that fire, he became stronger.
Nicholai looked down at his phone. His fist smacked the table. “чорт.” Slowly, a devilish grin spread across his face. “Weston arrived early,” he said in a thick accent. “Set up your laptop.”
Luka proudly tapped his chest. “I’m ready.”
From the living room came a loud scoff. “Он поставил его играть в свои игры.”
“What?” Luka asked.
“Speak in English,” Nicholai added. “No Russian—no Ukrainian.”
The deep voice spoke in a heavy Russian brogue. “He set it up to play his games.”
“I had to make sure we had an Internet connection, stupid.” Luka glared over at the giant Russian who stretched out on the couch with his eyes closed.
“Sure.” The man’s huge boots, dangling over the end of the couch, shook as he laughed.
“Shut up, Savin,” Nicholai snapped.
“Have you heard back from Tolyan and Dima?” Luka asked.
Nicholai leaned back in the chair. “They are on their way back now. Only five guards on a rotating basis at the mansion.”
“Only five?” Savin called out. “We could just walk in and take it.”
“Idiot,” Luka snapped. “It’s not that easy. Our informant at Weston—”
Nicholai’s hand slammed down on the table.
Luka immediately shut up.
Nicholai eyed Luka. “The men I work for don’t like being kept in the dark.”
Luka swallowed. “That was Anatoli’s decision.”
Savin huffed. “Why not just send one of us?”
“You don’t blend in, you giant oaf.” Luka chuckled until he heard Savin’s boots thump on the floor.
“Sit down,” Nicholai ordered. “Luka’s correct. That’s why Anatoli hired someone else.”
“Why should Anatoli hire a mole to work the inside and not tell us who it is?” Savin walked into the kitchen. “Even you don’t know.” He nodded toward Nicholai.
“It’s need to know.” Luka cleared his throat. “If they’re compromised, we’re safe.”
“And if they are caught, what then?” Savin asked.
Nicholai tapped his phone. “We go to plan B.”
“And what might that be?” Savin placed his huge hands down on the table and stared at Nicholai.
“That is also need to know.” Nicholai’s eyes were cold.
Savin nodded and took a step back.
“What do we do now?” Luka asked.
“We wait.” Nicholai flexed his forearm and the tattooed snake’s head rose. “A viper lurks in the shadows as it waits for its prey,” his fist slammed down on the table, “and then—it strikes.”
Chapter 12
~
Too Much Feng
Gerald nervously looked down at his checklist and frowned. The whole job was quickly falling behind schedule. “Bruce?” Gerald called over but the young man kept his hand in his pocket and stared at the floor. “Hello? Bruce?”
Bruce’s head snapped up. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I zoned.”
“I need you un-zoned. I got the server up yesterday, so you’re going to be configuring and hooking up devices. Here’s a list.”
“Is this everything?” Phillip asked. “I’m having a real hard time keeping the signal steady in the library upstairs with all that glass. If Pierce is using his laptop in there, his results are gonna be a little hit-and-miss.”
“We need all hits,” Gerald said. “We want to make sure they don’t lose signal anywhere. It’s going to be a long day.” Gerald flipped to the next window on his phone. “A new maid started today. Stay out of her way. Pierce is working in the downstairs study. Let’s hold off doing any work there. Other than that, give me a shout-out if you need, all righty?”
“Sure.” Bruce nodded. “I’m off to adventure.”
“I’ll head upstairs,” Phillip said.
“Guesthouse for me. Anyone needs help, let me know,” Replacement offered before she hurried off.
Gerald watched her go. The young woman was energy in a bottle, and he liked being around her. She was a welcomed break from the typical computer techs he worked with; she was easy to talk to.
Gerald picked up his phone and walked toward the downstairs study. As his shoes clicked on the old wood, he glanced out the window at the pond. He lowered his head and his pace slowed. He made it a few more feet before he stopped. His hand shook. Slightly at first and then it noticeably trembled.
A wave of dread and panic washed over him. He closed his eyes and took three deep breaths, just like his therapist told him. Three deep breaths. He opened his eyes and rubbed his chin.
“Deep breaths,” he said aloud.
Gerald gripped his phone a little tighter and then strode forward with purpose. When he reached the thick oak door of the study, he knocked. He leaned closer but only heard his own heartbeat. He wiped his sweaty palm on his pants and knocked again. No answer. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
It was a regal study that overlooked a little garden. Filled floor to ceiling with books and trimmed in deep dark wood with dark carpeting, there was a studious feel to the place. Pierce sat at an old desk with his back to the door, huddled over his laptop as his head slowly bobbed back and forth to the rhythm of a silent beat. Pierce started to turn around in his chair. When he noticed Gerald, he quickly stood and removed his headphones.
“Hi, Pierce. Sorry to interrupt you,” Gerald said. “I knocked but—”
“You’re not interrupting, Mr. Mathis.” Pierce smiled. “What can I do for you?”
Gerald sighed. “I came to thank you, actually.”
Pierce looked puzzled. “Thank me? For what?”
“This job.”
“Nonsense. I need—”
Gerald shook his head and let out a nervous chuckle. “Nope. You have a whole IT company at your disposal, Pierce. They could’ve swooped in here and set this place up in a day.”
Pierce’s hand turned out. “I wanted you to do it.”
“And I appreciate it but…I just felt like I needed to say it again.”
Pierce looked away.
Gerald could see his hand nervously opening and closing. Gerald took a step closer.
Pierce’s eyes darted around the room until he finally looked directly at Gerald. Pierce only held his gaze for a moment before his shoulders slumped, and he looked at the floor.
Gerald knew Pierce still felt guilty. Gerald tried hard not to let bitterness cloud his judgment, but part of him struggled to let go and not blame anyone for his son’s death. “You know,” Gerald said, “I was just thinking. Once this job’s done, if you have the time,” Gerald sighed, “I thought we’d take a couple of rods down to the dock.”
Pierce’s face lifted. “Sure. I’d like that. Very much.”
Gerald smiled. “Great. We’ll stay out of your hair for the rest of the day.” His eyes darted around the room and then back to his checklist.
“Do you need to do something in here?” Pierce asked.
“I just noticed Bruce missed marking off the jacks in here. I can get them later.”
“No. That’s fine.” Pierce brushed back his hair as he wound his headphones around his phone. “I should stretch anyway.”
“Would you mind? I’ll only be a minute.”
“Certainly.” Pierce took out his e-cigarette case and headed toward the glass doors that led to the garden. “How’s the job going?” Pierce asked as he lit up.
“Great. Without a hitch.” Gerald turned partway to face Pierce. “There’re only two jacks in here. One’s on this wall.�
�� Gerald marked his sheet. “And the other should be on that far wall. I didn’t know you smoked.”
“Technically, I quit. Three months.”
“That’s great. I’ve been trying to quit myself.”
“There’s a jack here.” Pierce pointed down.
“Are those e-cigs that good?”
“You want to try one?” Pierce walked over to his laptop case. “I got two. This one’s a spare. I’ve never used it.” Pierce held out the silver case the size of a phone.
“Really?”
Pierce nodded. “You can change the flavor up. Not quite the real deal but they help take the edge off.”
“Thanks,” Gerald said. “I got everything that I needed.” He gave a slight nod and headed toward the door. “I’ll go check on the team’s progress.”
“Mr. Mathis?” Pierce called out.
Gerald turned back around.
“I was wondering if you could tell me where—” Pierce cleared his throat. “The study here isn’t doing it for me. Too much Feng and not enough Shui.”
Gerald laughed.
“Where’s everyone working today?” Pierce asked.
“Well…Bruce is on the main floor and Phillip is on the top floor. They’ll be there for the rest of the day. I’m going to work in the server room. I need to get the patch panel in.”
Pierce nodded.
“And Alice is in the guesthouse.”
Pierce grinned. “Okay. Thanks.”
Gerald turned and left the room. As he walked down the long hallway, he gulped in air.
It was an accident. It was an accident.
Chapter 13
~
Sixty/Forty
The little bell above the door jingled as Jack walked through. The lobby of Titus Bail Bonds was empty and so was the window behind the counter. Jack frowned. Part of him hoped the place would be crowded so he’d have work, but that also meant more human misery for the people looking to get someone they knew out of jail.
“Jackie!” Shawna called out as the very full-figured short woman hurried up to the counter window. Her face lit up, but Jack noticed the smile flickered like an overhead light.
DATA JACK Page 6
