Harder Than Steel

by Jacey Ward

  “Fine,” he finally said. “Did you happen to find anything of value when you went in there?”

  “How could I? You caught me.”

  “My point is that you have no idea if there really was anything of value in the building at all or if we were both sent there on a bogus lead.”

  Kimberly studied him closely.

  “Who told you to go there?”

  “My cousin got a lead and I followed it. It happens all the time.”

  “But a lead from whom?”

  Roan paused, his brow furrowing as he considered the question carefully.

  “I really don’t know. I’m not in the habit of second-guessing my family.”

  I wonder what it’s like to have people you trust so intrinsically.

  Suddenly she realized that besides Cleo, she had no one.

  That’s not true. I have Roan now, don’t I?

  If Roan was reading her mind in that moment, he made no comment.

  “I got my info from JC,” Kimberly muttered, relenting. Someone had to give in this game of wills.

  “How do you get in touch with him?” Roan wanted to know.

  “On the dark web, I told you.”

  “You need to call him up. I want to talk to him.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Roan…” she was fighting a losing battle with herself, her sense of loyalty everywhere. She’d never been in a position where she’d had to choose between two people she trusted before.

  “What’s the big deal if I have a chat with him?”

  Because if you do something stupid, I’ll be burning a perfectly good bridge.

  Roan frowned and Kimberly realized he’d read her mind.

  “Fine,” he growled. “You talk to him and ask if you can meet.”

  “I’ve asked him that before and he refuses. We do everything online.”

  “Tell him you know who he is and if he doesn’t want you to expose him, he’ll have to meet you.”

  Kimberly scoffed.

  “That’s the weakest bluff I’ve ever heard.”

  “Only if he’s not paranoid but something tells me this guy will do anything to stay out of the public eye.”

  Roan spoke with so much confidence, she found herself believing him.

  “How do you know?” she asked.

  “Because I’ve been in this game a long time. Weasels are creatures of habit.”

  “Weasels?”

  “That’s the name for these deep cover types. He’s either Oculus or he’s a computer geek who doesn’t want notoriety. If he’s Oculus, he’ll agree to meet you because you’re a threat now. If he’s a low-key techy, he’ll agree to meet you because he’s scared. In either case, I can grill him.”

  “Jesus, Roan. What else are you going to do to him?” she asked nervously and he eyed her, a look of hurt on his face.

  “I just want to talk to him,” Roan insisted and Kimberly knew she had no choice but to agree.

  “But if you’re protecting this guy for some reason—”

  “I’m protecting him because he’s helping me!” she interjected, defensiveness flashing over her face. “Stop turning this around on me.”

  To his credit, a look of contrition flashed over Roan’s face. He hugged her closer and kissed the top of her head.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right,” he conceded. “Forgive me.”

  She exhaled.

  He’s doing his best to let me in, the same way I am.

  “Where’s your computer?” Roan asked and Kimberly stared at him dubiously.

  “What? Now? It’s the middle of the night!”

  “The best time for criminal activity,” Roan offered and Kimberly glanced forlornly at the barely touched and cold meal she’d made for them.

  Next time, we’re ordering take out, she vowed, sighing at the pile of dishes in the sink. And he’s cleaning up this mess.

  “It will be my pleasure,” Roan whispered in her ear and she jumped at his proximity. She blushed furiously when she realized he had read her mind again.

  “I’m going to have to get used to this mind reading thing,” she muttered but despite her sullen response, she had to admit that an elated feeling was growing inside her.

  I’m closer to finding the truth now than I ever was. And I found Roan in the process. Is this too good to be true?

  “He might not be online,” Kimberly warned, her eyes glued to the screen as her fingers flew over the keyboard.

  “Then leave him a message,” Roan replied. He managed to deflect every one of her protests with an answer, almost as if he had a rolodex of responses waiting.

  Swallowing, she entered the chatroom when she’d found JC all those years ago and her heart began to pound.

  “He’s online,” she muttered. Roan leaned over her and peered at the computer screen with interest. Inexplicably, his mouth gaped open.

  “What?” Kimberly asked, noting the change in his demeanor.

  “I thought you said his name was JC,” Roan breathed, his eyes glued on the screen.

  “It is…” she didn’t understand until she read the screenname.

  Really? He’s not stupid. Surely he can figure out that Junior Con is the longform of JC.

  “Goddamn it,” Roan muttered to himself, sinking back onto the chair beside her. “Are you sure that’s your guy?”

  “I’m sure. What is going on?” Kimberly asked in confusion.

  “What is your name?”

  Kimberly eyed him.

  “On the dark web. What name are you using?” Roan demanded, his voice raising an octave. Her brow furrowed.

  “Mia Culp.”

  Roan’s eyes grew darker.

  “Is that the only name?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything until I tell you to.”

  He hurried from the spare bedroom, leaving Kimberly alone with the computer, confusion overwhelming her.

  She strained her ears as she heard Roan on the phone.

  “Coy…where are you? I need you to call me back as soon as you get this message. It’s about…”

  Before she heard anything else, an alert sounded and she looked at the computer.

  JC is messaging me!

  We need to meet.

  She stared at the words, dumbfounded.

  This can’t be a coincidence.

  Kimberly opened her mouth to call out to Roan but another message popped up, causing her to clamp her lips together.

  You can’t trust Roan Conway. He’s one of them. Are you with him now?

  How the hell did he know that? Are there eyes on me?

  Yes.

  She looked nervously behind her, lest Roan return. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, poised to type more but JC continued.

  Coffee shop on the corner of Toole and Cowper. Thirty minutes. DO NOT TELL HIM WHERE YOU ARE GOING.

  She thought of what else to ask him but the screen went black before she could write another word.

  “What happened?” Roan asked, wandering back into the room, his cell in hand.

  She shrugged, keeping her eyes low.

  “The computer crashed,” she replied honestly. “Who did you call?”

  He darted his gaze away from her.

  “Junior Con…”

  “What about him?”

  “He’s…that’s my cousin’s handle on the darknet.”

  Apprehension shot through Kimberly in a flash and she rose slowly, willing herself not to run from the room.

  “Your cousin has been helping me all along?” she asked in an even tone. Something was terribly wrong. Someone was lying to her, but who?

  You’ve been working with JC for years. Why would he lie to you? If he was looking to harm you, he would have done it before.

  “I’m going stir crazy,” Kimberly said suddenly. “I’m going to get some coffee. You want anything?”

  “Coffee?” he echoed. “We need to get in touch with JC.”

  “I thought you just s
aid that JC was your cousin. You get in touch with him.”

  “I think it is but this doesn’t make any sense,” Roan muttered. “I’ve never heard him mention you before.”

  “Wouldn’t that be some coincidence if he was the one helping me,” she laughed but the sound was forced, even to her own ears. “Anyway, I’ll be back in a bit.”

  “Wait!” Roan called out after her. “Don’t you want me to come with you?”

  “No, I’m good. No need for you to put on pants.”

  She bolted toward the door, grabbing the keys to her Mazda and slammed out the door before Roan could follow. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to make sense of everything.

  If Roan’s cousin really is JC, then we’re all on the same side but JC says I can’t trust Roan. Roan must be lying. He was trying to use distraction to find JC. And I almost fell for it!

  There was a stabbing pain in her chest at the betrayal she was feeling and she pulled out of the driveway toward Toole where she was supposed to meet JC. At least she had one friend in the middle of all this. Maybe JC would have a safe place for her to go until Roan was captured.

  If he can be captured. The man can walk through walls! Why didn’t that clue you in?

  But she couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that maybe she was wrong, that she wasn’t seeing the entire picture.

  Her cell began to ring and she jumped, forgetting she had it on her at all. She didn’t recognize the number but Kimberly had a very good idea who it might be.

  I didn’t give Roan my number but he has it somehow. He’s the dangerous one. Instead of running from him, I succumbed to him fully and completely. I am such a fool.

  The phone didn’t stop ringing until she put it on silent when she pulled into the parking lot of Java Javelin and parked, her heart pounding.

  I have no idea what JC even looks like.

  Somehow, she had a feeling that he would know what she looked like.

  A rap on the window a minute later confirmed her suspicions.

  “Mia?” the wide-eyed young man demanded and she nodded.

  “JC?”

  He bobbed his head and stepped back so she could exit the car.

  “I’m glad you came,” he sighed. “I was worried that Roan had done something to you.”

  “What is going on?” Kimberly demanded as she slammed the door shut but as she turned to face him, the text message on her screen popped up, causing her heart to stop altogether.

  The JC you know hacked my cousin’s profile. He’s Oculus! Where are you?

  Slowly, she turned back around to look at JC, wondering who she should believe and why…until she saw the gun in JC’s hands.

  “Sorry to do this to you, Kimberly,” he sighed. “But it’s not my call.”

  “Whose call is it then?” she asked, her eyes darting around, looking for someone to call out to for help.

  “Don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be, Kimberly,” he sighed. “Just come with me and you don’t need to get hurt.”

  She opened her mouth to let out a scream but JC seemed to anticipate her move and the butt of the gun cracked down on her head, rendering the world black.

  Chapter 12

  Something wasn’t right. He felt it in his bones the second she walked out the door.

  And then Coy called and it all came together.

  She went to meet JC.

  Roan couldn’t be sure how he knew that as fact but he felt it with everything inside him and when Kimberly didn’t answer his calls, he knew he had to find her.

  “I need a GPS trace on this number,” he intoned, rushing from the house to hop into his Range Rover. He spat out Kimberly’s phone number and waited for a location which came within seconds.

  What is she doing? Is she meeting him to come back and finish me now?

  The last few days had been a whirlwind, the highs and lows taking a toll.

  He wanted so badly to trust in what he felt with Kimberly, but she was turning on him at every point.

  Unless she was the hacker all along, and I’m falling into a trap.

  It didn’t stop him from racing to the location, ignoring all the traffic laws, until he was sitting in front of a coffee shop, parked behind Kimberly’s car.

  Where are you? He asked silently. He could sense her nearness but he didn’t see a sign of her anywhere.

  Slowly, he climbed from the vehicle, his head turning in all directions as his instincts screamed at him.

  Come on, Kimberly. Where are you?

  “Hello Roan.”

  He whirled and looked at the speaker, his jaw almost slacking when he saw the weapon in the man’s hand.

  “And who might you be?” he asked evenly, not showing his confusion. “JC?”

  The gunman seemed taken aback by his flippant question and bemused smirk.

  “You can call me that, sure,” he replied, blinking rapidly. “If you want to see your friend again, I suggest you come with me.”

  He snorted.

  “How do I know she’s not working with you?” he demanded. But as the words left his lips, he heard a soft groan in his head.

  “I guess that’s a chance you’ll need to take,” JC offered.

  Screw that. I could end him right here.

  In a rush of wind, Roan lunged forward, shocking the unsuspecting man. He knocked the gun from his hand as he disappeared. JC whirled, looking about for the weapon and his target but Roan was nowhere that could be seen.

  Roan reached out and slapped his face, kicking the gun down the parking lot as JC struggled to regain his composure.

  “It’s true!” JC gasped. “You can go invisible!”

  “Your bosses really should tell you what you’re walking into when you do shit like this. I hope you get danger pay. I suppose it doesn’t much matter if you’re dead though, does it?”

  Again, Roan jostled forward, still invisible and punched his counterpart in the jaw.

  JC reeled backward, his face twisting in fury. Roan chuckled.

  “Where is Kimberly?” he asked in an almost conversational tone, even though fury was fusing through his veins. “Tell me.”

  “You’re fighting the inevitable, Roan,” JC choked. “Your family has been on the run so long, you don’t even know what you’re running from.”

  “We’re not running from anything,” Roan snarled, bouncing forward again to knock JC in the gut. “We’re weeding you out, shutting down your organization.” JC doubled over in pain.

  “I can do this all day,” Roan called out, relishing the blind confusion on JC’s face. “Or you can be a good boy and tell me where Kimberly is.”

  It wasn’t true—he couldn’t do that all day. In fact, he could feel his shield slipping as he wasted energy attacking JC.

  But he doesn’t know that.

  Suddenly, he heard Kimberly’s voice in his head.

  ROAN! Roan, I’m here! I’m here!

  He reeled around and looked about but there was nothing but the coffee shop and cars about.

  Where? He demanded. Where are you?

  JC was on his feet, swaying toward him and Roan abruptly realized his shield had fallen. He was in plain view of his assassin now.

  “Uh oh,” JC jeered. “I guess playtime is over.”

  Roan watched in horrified fascination as JC’s jaw seemed to unhinge and his eyes glassed over. A stream of fire spat forward from his mouth, narrowly missing Roan.

  He missed on purpose, Roan realized.

  I’m in a van, Kimberly cried out. My hands and feet are bound. I can’t get out.

  One minute, darling, Roan thought grimly. I’m a little tied up myself.

  Another spray of fire shot toward him and Roan managed to dodge it as JC staggered toward him, a twisted grin on his face.

  “I’ve spent years trying to get you two together!” he hissed. “You’re coming with me if I have to die to get you back.”

  “Oh!” Roan snickered, biding his time as they ci
rcled one another. “You’re a matchmaker.”

  JC’s eyes narrowed.

  “I’m more than a matchmaker, you fool. You Conways think you’ve got it all figured out but you don’t know anything. The Change is coming whether or not you like it. Your best defense is submitting.”

  “Nah,” Roan retorted, mustering his invisibility again. “I’m good.”

  He disappeared again as more fire headed his way, a flame licking at his arm but he managed to stifle a cry of pain.

  JC needed to be disarmed if he was going to find Kimberly and get them the hell off Oculus’ radar.

  “Stop that!” JC snapped but Roan captured him into a headlock, yanking him down to smother the life from his lungs. It was the only way to ensure he didn’t continue to shoot fire from his lungs.

  JC tried to claw at him but there was nothing for him to grab and slowly, life began to drain from his body under Roan’s death grip.

  Don’t kill him! You’re not a killer! Kimberly yelled at him but Roan did not release him until JC stopped moving. He lay in a pile at his feet as Roan stared almost impassively at him.

  I can’t just leave him here. He’ll be a threat to us again.

  Come and get me, Kimberly sighed. We’ll figure out what to do with him together.

  It didn’t take long for Roan to find her, tied up in the back of the van and he hastily undid her binds, trying to understand what their connection was meant to be between him and Kimberly. And how it benefitted Oculus.

  “Are you okay?” he demanded, looking her over for injuries. She waved him aside.

  “Never mind me. What are we going to do with him?” she asked, stepping out of the back of the van and looking around for JC’s body.

  “I put him in the back of my car,” Roan told her. “I’ll dump him somewhere that will take him a few days to walk back from. We’re in Montana. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

  “I can’t believe he’s been watching me for years,” Kimberly muttered. “I want to question him before you drop him anywhere.”

  “He’s Oculus, Kimber. He’s not going to say anything of value. He’ll probably set himself on fire first.”

  “Set himself—”