Technical Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  The last he’d heard the men say was that there were lights on inside the condo. They’d seen a woman taping newspaper to the windows, so someone had been there recently.

  “How are we getting in?” Diha asked.

  “Stand there.” He stood her with her back to the camera, then pulled out his kit.

  One of the skills Miles hadn’t anticipated learning for this job was how to pick locks. He had a bit of a knack for it. A few moments with the pins in the lock and the deadbolt slid free.

  He tried the door.

  The handle twisted and it swung inward without an issue.

  They were in.

  “Stay behind me,” Miles whispered.

  He took a step over the threshold and drew his gun outside of the purview of the camera.

  Diha followed him in and shut the door.

  “Stay here,” he whispered and handed her the car keys. “If you hear anything, if I yell, run. Go to the car.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. Do as I say.”

  She nodded.

  Miles proceeded down a short hall into the main room of the condo. According to floor plans, it was a two-bedroom unit, with the main room occupying the corner of the building. The bedrooms were in the other direction.

  Newspaper and magazine pages covered six feet of the nearly twelve foot tall windows.

  The garbage had recently been taken out. To cover up their stay? To remove any indication of who had stayed there?

  Clean dishes were neatly stacked next to the sink on a drying board.

  The dining table had been turned into an office. Four monitors were arranged around a central chair and the rest of the rig sat on the table.

  He touched it, but found the tower cold.

  It hadn’t been on recently.

  Miles returned to the front door where Diha was waiting.

  “Nothing yet. Checking the bedrooms,” he told her as he passed.

  The first room was small and only had a twin bed. A stack of magazines was all that was left. The other bedroom was a bit more of a disaster.

  The mattress had been overturned and something, he guessed bleach, poured onto it. There was a heavy, chemical smell emanating from the bathroom he didn’t want to investigate. He still checked the room and closet, every nook and cranny, for signs of life, but there were none.

  Valentino was gone.

  Miles felt in his gut that the bastard had been there. It was all too coincidental to be anything else.

  Diha was not waiting for him by the door.

  For a split second he went cold, dread taking hold of him.

  A thump from the living room grabbed his attention. He crept toward the open door.

  Diha had a lamp on and was already bent over the open back of the computer tower.

  He blew out a breath and shook his head. She might not know how to follow orders, but he had faith in her abilities. If anyone could find them a lead on Valentino, it was her.

  WEDNESDAY. HOTEL. BRISTOL, United Kingdom.

  “Viggo, look at this.” Valentino used the video game controller to select and zoom in on the motion activated camera feed.

  Viggo glanced up from his dinner and stilled.

  Two people stood in the living room of the crash pad. A taller, broad shouldered man watched a woman wearing what Valentino could only assume was a hijab as she peered into the computer.

  “Hello, bunny. Who are you?” She leaned toward the computer.

  They weren’t assassins. She’d put money on that. Which meant these two were law enforcement. It would have been too much to ask for all cops to believe her nice story about the Americans watching the condo. Whoever these people were, they weren’t fooled by her story, which likely meant they were connected to whoever tracked them to the crash pad to begin with.

  It wouldn’t be the man. He was muscle. Nothing interesting.

  But the woman?

  Valentino propped her chin on her hand as the woman pulled out a small plastic kit and pulled on latex gloves. The way she delicately touched the components said she knew what she was doing.

  “This has got to be her,” Valentino said.

  Viggo frowned. “Who?”

  “My new arch nemesis.” She grinned and flopped back on the sofa. “Hello, bunny, tell me all your secrets.”

  Viggo wiped his face. “I thought that act you pulled this morning was supposed to keep them off us.”

  “Yes, but it was never going to fool all of them. We just have to deal with the few people who knew the truth. That’s all.”

  “That’s all? We can’t deal with these people and Skilton’s assassin. Don’t forget someone wants you dead.”

  She shot a glare at him. “Relax. We have everything under control. I’m going to make Skilton regret trying to have me killed.”

  “Shouldn’t we be worrying about that now?”

  She dismissed the question with a shake of her head. “I want to know more about bunny here.”

  Valentino brought up the other cameras around the feed of the condo. She was able to track the two several blocks away, but at one point they simply vanished. Which meant they had a car or had been dropped off.

  She wouldn’t be able to identify these two with the dim feed in the condo.

  As if those two wretched people had heard her, the man turned on the lights.

  “Yes!” Valentino pumped her fist, only for her excitement to die a swift death.

  They were both still wearing the pesky face mask.

  “Damn it,” she muttered.

  Viggo shifted, making the sofa cushions dip with him. “We didn’t leave anything behind, did we?”

  “No.”

  Despite her answer, she had to wonder. Could they have missed something? How good was this woman? Could she pull anything off the corrupted parts Valentino had left behind?

  “What?” Viggo asked. “I know that face. You’re worried about something.”

  “She’s good. I have to worry. I’m not sure I like her having my cast-offs.”

  “You said you’d destroyed anything that mattered.”

  “I did.”

  Viggo shoved to his feet and jammed his shoes on.

  She glanced up. “Where are you going?”

  “To take care of it,” he snapped and stalked past her.

  “Temper, temper,” she muttered and put Viggo out of her mind.

  Valentino was far more interested in this woman. How good was she? How much of a challenge could she be?

  If only Valentino had the time to play with this woman.

  Damn Skilton.

  7.

  Wednesday. Crime Scene. Brighton, United Kingdom.

  Miles made another walk through of the condo. Every time he thought he had something that might be evidence, he’d get a whiff of chemicals. Eventually this would become a crime scene, and he wanted to know what to expect when that happened. Only, he was beginning to think there wouldn’t be anything for the forensics team to find.

  How long had it taken to be this thorough? And did he dare hope there was a pristine hair or fingerprint in all of this that might help them?

  Though if he found such a thing, he couldn’t touch it.

  Technically, nothing they were doing now could be considered official. They were working outside the bounds of the law now.

  It left Miles conflicted and frustrated.

  He knew they were doing the right thing, and yet the system was working against him. With any luck, the Americans would be able to capture Valentino. It wasn’t the same thing as getting the hacker himself, but Miles was willing to make that sacrifice so long as the man was captured.

  The Aegis Group team was making more sense as the hours drew on.

  Miles glanced at Diha, still intent on the computer parts spread out on the table.

  He doubted their task force had been assembled just to hunt down Valentino. It was a worthy cause, and yet he had the gut feeling the hacker was a means to an end. Another
puzzle piece. Otherwise, why would Zora be focused on other things? Why leave an investigation like this in the hands of two lab techs and some mercenaries?

  He wouldn’t ask Diha. He didn’t want to back her into a corner to lie to him or tell him once again she couldn’t be completely honest with him.

  No, he was going to accept that in this they were working together. Nothing else mattered. She could keep her secrets. Lord knew he had his own. Doing what they did, everyone kept something back.

  Though maybe he should have done more of that earlier in his career.

  Wise advice too late.

  Diha straightened and sighed, then rolled her neck from side to side.

  “How’s it coming?” He dared approach the table. He’d stayed away so as to not distract her, but they would need to be leaving soon.

  She gestured to the individually bagged computer pieces. “Fine. I think I’ve extracted all the parts that matter, though I’m not sure how much—if anything—we’ll get off them.”

  “We should probably head out soon.”

  “We can go now if we need to.” She stood and picked up the largest piece, then slid it into the messenger bag.

  He returned to the windows, peeling back a bit of the paper to peer out. “I don’t want to be out there when it’s dark.”

  Too much could happen under the cover of night, and he wasn’t willing to put Diha at risk.

  “Are we staying here or heading back to London?” She tucked the last piece in the bag, then slung it over her shoulder.

  “No, I don’t think we’re heading back to London,” he said slowly.

  There wouldn’t be much traffic on the road at this hour. They’d make good time, and yet he didn’t want to step foot outside Brighton. Valentino might not have fled the city. The man hadn’t gone a hundred miles from where he’d last struck, and if Diha’s theory held water—which it had so far—they had every reason to believe that Valentino would not have gone far.

  “Ready,” she announced.

  “Stay just behind me.”

  Together they returned to the condo’s entry.

  He cracked the door and peered out into the empty hall. Two lights were out on the far end, leaving only one to chase the shadows away.

  Miles waited a few moments, but when no threat materialized, he stepped out and gestured for Diha to follow him.

  “Watch the stairs,” he told her as he pulled out his lock set.

  “How do you suppose they got out without anyone seeing them?” Diha asked.

  “Hm?”

  “The woman. We saw her in the feeds aimed at the windows and on the cameras we put in the hall and stairwell, but there was nothing of her coming or going from this building for as far back as we could access. So, how did she get in and out of the building with all exits covered?”

  “Good question.” He tried the door. It was locked once more. He pocketed the kit, then turned, placing his hand on the small of her back. “I don’t know, but we do need to get out of here.”

  “Can we take the stairs?” she asked.

  “Why?”

  “I just want to have a look.”

  It was reasonable, and yet he didn’t want to leave her so exposed. The hacker had gone after their team once. He wouldn’t be surprised if it happened again. Especially not to Diha.

  They descended the stairs, but neither noticed anything out of place or abnormal. There was no third exit they hadn’t known about. However, Valentino and his partner had fled the building, for now it would remain his secret. But not forever.

  Eventually they’d put everything to rights, and all the secrets would come out.

  They emerged into the chilly evening.

  Diha drew in a deep breath, then sighed. “Do you think the heat is finally behind us?”

  “I’d say that’s a safe bet. You like fall?”

  “I do. Summer’s nice, but it gets so hot. I prefer cooler weather.”

  “My mother used to have hot chocolate ready on cold days when my brothers and I came home from school.”

  She chuckled. “It was tea and biscuits in our house.”

  Miles frowned and glanced at her. “Like, a proper biscuit or an American biscuit?”

  Her eyes twinkled and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was grinning. “A cookie biscuit.”

  “A proper biscuit. You mean a proper tea and biscuit.”

  “Fine. Yes.” She mimicked his accent as she mocked him. “A proper tea and biscuit.”

  He tore his gaze away from her and scanned the area, noting the pedestrians. “There’s hope for some of you yet I suppose.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  He didn’t bother smothering his grin. It wasn’t like she could see it, and he liked this more relaxed version of her.

  They reached the car without incident, though he didn’t draw an easy breath until they’d driven several blocks with no sign of a tail. Only then did he remove the hat and mask.

  Diha dropped the scarf and mask into her lap, fanning her face with her hands. “How far are we going?”

  “Not terribly far.”

  “Can I make a call? Check in with Zora?”

  “Please.”

  He gripped the wheel with both hands and prayed there was some good news.

  Diha’s side of the call was mostly monosyllabic answers to yes or no questions. He couldn’t hear anything that was said, either, so he focused on what he could. Their next steps.

  Tonight, if they were lucky, Diha could pull something off the parts she’d taken. If they got a lead off that, tomorrow would be a mix of following that lead and covering their asses. If possible, he’d find a way to validate what they’d done today, so it was admissible in court, should they get that far.

  Diha wasn’t finished with the call by the time they reached the small hotel on the north side of Brighton. He liked this one because it was neat, out of the way and he had direct access to the outside.

  He secured them two adjoining rooms and picked up a few take away menus before returning to the car.

  “How were they? Did they say anything?” she was asking when he lowered into the driver’s seat.

  This time he could hear a bit of the conversation, though all he could tell was that she was no longer speaking to Zora. That had to be Cat.

  He parked by their rooms and unlocked the boot. Diha gathered her things and got out after him. Though she tried taking her suitcase, he pushed her hand aside and got both himself before heading into the first of the two rooms.

  While she wrapped up the call, Miles unlocked the other room and opened the adjoining door, then secured both exterior doors.

  “That was Cat,” she said as he came back into the first room. “She got to talk to the guys a little bit ago. They’re obviously irritated, but rolling with it.”

  He braced his hand on the doorframe. “Any word on if things will get resolved soon? Are they acknowledging it was a set-up?”

  Her shoulders drooped. “No. And the team is delaying everything by insisting on using a lawyer contracted through Aegis Group, who is currently on vacation.”

  “So everything is being drug out?” He sighed. “That might work in our favor.”

  “That’s what Zora’s thinking. Bog it down. Make time. Find a way out of this.”

  “Did you tell her what we found?” he nodded at the messenger bag.

  “When it comes to Zora you listen.” One side of Diha’s mouth screwed up. “She’s focused on getting the team back in action. My task is to figure out what exactly we have here.”

  “And what do we have?”

  She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out one of the pieces. “I don’t honestly know.”

  “Well, let’s order some take away and figure out our next step.” He dug the menus out of his pocket and handed them to her.

  “I’ll take whatever you get. I’d like to take a crack at this stuff, see if I can’t pull something off it.”

  “Pizza okay?” He didn�
��t feel like eating food that took work.

  “Sure.”

  Diha moved her things to the small table. He stepped into the other room to place an order for pizza and breadsticks. He ordered a dessert, some sort of brownie pizza, in case Diha might want it. After that he checked email and made a few calls, but never let her out of his sight.

  It was a feeling.

  An itch between his shoulder blades that hadn’t yet gone away.

  “Miles? Are you still on the phone?” she asked without glancing up from her computer. There was a note in her voice, one of excitement.

  “No. What is it?” He crossed into her room and came to stand behind her, bracing one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table.

  “The machine had separate hard drives. The first two were completely destroyed. From the smell, I’m thinking someone poured nail polish into the tower.”

  “Is that a but I hear?”

  She held up a finger. “But this one is only partly corrupted. I’m copying what I can. Once we’re back in the lab, I’m hoping I can work with your team to try to resurrect those other two.”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “That’s great.”

  Diha lifted her chin. For a split second he was completely taken with her smile, the way her eyes lit up.

  She froze, body going a bit stiff as she looked up at him.

  Her eyes seemed so much larger than before. This close, he could see the small, defined line around the lids. Was that it? A trick of well-applied make-up?

  He should stand up and get out of her space. And yet he couldn’t seem to make himself move.

  It wasn’t his imagination. There was a spark between them. But this was a work trip. They were teamed up together. He couldn’t act on it.

  And yet he couldn’t make himself move either.

  Diha’s throat flexed and she licked her lips. He stared at her glossy mouth and wondered what she’d taste like.

  A sudden knock at the door broke the spell.

  Miles straightened and stumbled back. His calves hit the bed and he sat down.

  “That must be the pizza.” Diha sprang to her feet.

  Before he could gain command of his voice, she was at the door, flipping the lock. He shot to his feet, that itch intensifying. Someone on the other side of the door shoved it open, knocking Diha back.