Chapter 34
James
James scoffs. “No. I’m not hiding things from Kate. That isn’t how relationships work. I’m handing it to you because you’re the IT guy.”
The nondescript concrete walls of her apartment are a welcome sight.
Kate is back at her desk, presumably plugging away at task orders with a grin on her face.
It’s astounding that she enjoys calculating the complex equations, but she genuinely seems to.
Told him she found the predictability of numbers relaxing.
He’s about to get her attention to tell her all about their adventure over a glass of Vine when he notices the dozen organized piles of clothing and accessories that line the walls and kitchen counter.
“Kate?” he nudges. Oro1 steps up beside him and they share a concerned glance. This goes on for a long time as she loudly clicks away at her keyboard.
Oro1 leans forward, whispering, “She told me once she enjoys the sound.”
When he learned about the m-volt’s capability, he wondered the same thing, and that is exactly what she told him too.
He angles his head in the direction of kitchen. Oro1 gets out three glasses while James opens a bottle of Vine.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you call it a night and come have a glass of Vine with us?” James offers.
“One moment,” she says cheerily, though he detects a false ring to it. Both men flick their gaze to the piles, then back to her.
“Kate, darling. James stole a tablet, and we almost got caught,” Oro1 says.
She blinks like she’s quickly processing what he said. Her eyes never leave the screen as she says, “That’s excellent!”
“I think she’s intentionally ignoring us,” James says, setting the glass on the desk beside her. He and Oro1 move to the couch.
“You should probably go ahead and wash the Blackmarks and pay your lease so she’ll stop this,” Oro1 suggests.
“I was thinking the same thing.” James pulls out his device.
The clacking on the keyboard stops. “I told you I would handle it.”
A shiver tracks down James’ spine. He isn’t sure he’s ever heard her be so firm. “Kate, this is clearly causing you unnecessary stress. I know I can depend on you. Please, just take down your listings and let me handle this.”
“No,” she barks, though he can’t help but hear a little quiver in her voice. “This is important to me.”
Since he found out she’s selling her things that morning, he’s been thinking about it and has concluded that she must not have enough money to pay for the upcoming month, despite what she told him.
Why else would she be acting so defensive about it?
Considering her spending habits and the extra expense of him, how bad is her financial situation really?
He wishes Oro1 would pick up on the tense atmosphere and leave so he could have a private conversation with her about it.
“I won’t make the lease payment unless you ask me to,” he concedes. A few seconds later, the clacking resumes. Sighing, he logs into his Blackmarks account, which he already has linked to the bank that does the washing. “I’ll just make the conversion—”
His body goes rigid, which Oro1 must notice, because he asks, “What is it?”
“It won’t let me make the transfer.”
Oro1 moves closer. “Let me see.”
He watches James go through the same correct steps three times before he pulls out his own device, using his m-volt to operate it. Screens change until he recognizes the same Blackmarks depository he uses.
James’s heartbeat ratchets up as Oro1 attempts a transfer.
A box pops up, displaying the message Your transaction is unable to be processed at this time.
“Maybe they’re having a system outage?” James asks. At Oro1’s flat expression, James guesses that isn’t the case. “Let me try again.”
The air seems to be warming. His clingy multicolored jumpsuit isn’t helping. He isn’t prepared to tackle a crisis wearing this. He should have changed the moment he got home.
The second attempt fails.
At the edge of his senses, he’s aware that Kate has stopped working to listen. Fuck.
At the third attempt, a different message populates. Account has been frozen due to illegal activity.
“Illegal activity?” Oro1 asks. “Half of all Blackmark transactions are illegal. Washing funds is illegal. I don’t understand.”
“Maybe it’s the platform,” James says. Oro1 told him about that happening occasionally.
But Oro1 shows him a message that just populated from Sable. My Blackmarks account is frozen. Checked with my FRIENDS and theirs are working. Seems like a targeted action. Check yours.
Below is Oro1’s response. Ours are frozen too.
James’s throat constricts. Nervous to look at his device, he dares a glance and finds the same damning message. “Fuck. This has to be Viper’s doing.” The man moved quickly. Not a good sign.
Oro1 types, James thinks it’s your coworker, Viper.
“Don’t be too upset,” Oro1 says, shrugging.
“It was just play funds. You heard Kate. She has the next month covered and by then we’ll have sold several PalmPrints.
IdenTECH is where the real funds are. Maybe we’ll have even sold a new identity .
. .” He trails off as he notices what James is staring at.
The piles and piles of items she’s selling. “Oh.”
A thick moment hangs between them. Oro1 says, “I bet we can sell enough . . .” He hesitates, then decides on “even sooner.” The implication is clear. Sell them before the next lease payment is due. “Out of curiosity, when is the next month due?”
James winces, but types twelve days into his device and shows it to Oro1. His business partner’s eyes widen.
Across the room, Kate’s chair squeaks as it rolls back from her desk. She stands, facing them with her hands planted on her hips. “You think Viper is responsible?” Kate asks, having clearly overheard every word.
James rubs the back of his neck, trying to decide how to tackle it when Kate blames herself again. Oro1 opens his mouth to answer, but no words come out. Smart, considering his misstep last time he was in this situation.
“I see. All of your funds are frozen”—her voice cracks at the word—“because of me.” Kate looks away, and James can tell she’s fighting back tears.
He wants to go to her, but he suspects reassurance isn’t going to help this time.
Still, he instinctively stands, ready to do something, anything, to ease her burden.
Her device pings and she picks it up off her desk, glancing at the message. “I can’t deal with this right now. I need to leave for Lessa’s appointment.”
She collects her bag and marches toward the door.
At the last minute she turns, fixing them with a fierce look.
“I have repeatedly said that I would cover the next month, and I will.” She’s so resolute as she slips out, he might almost believe her if it wasn’t for the fact that she can’t make eye contact with either of them.
Oro1 clears his throat, holding out his phone to show him Sable’s latest message. Viper quit this morning.
Three hours have passed since Oro1 left to discover what he could about Viper, his plans and whereabouts.
James doesn’t need confirmation to know this is bad, however.
Only another half hour until they’re down to eleven days.
If they could sell at least one PalmPrint, he could transfer what’s left of his investment in his IdenTECH account to a new, unfrozen personal Blackmarks account.
Maybe with what Kate has set aside, it would be enough.
He just needs her to tell him how much exactly that was.
After changing into an outfit as black as his mood, he’s been sitting in Kate’s desk chair, contemplating his next move.
I’m a valuable resource. And it’s not like you haven’t done shadier things before, the computer and all its illuminated screens seem to say.
“Like stealing a tablet,” James offers.
Disembodied laughter fills his mind. It won’t be enough. No matter how many pretty dresses your girlfriend sells.
He hates to agree, but he suspects the electronics are right.
Without thinking too deeply about pesky things like privacy and ethics, he activates her computer using the login she created for him.
She’s left three windows open. One is the Worldbank login.
The second is the GROW contract extension page.
Kate’s login is still active and, from what he can tell with a quick scroll, as expected, the contract is still open to extension.
He is about to log in to her bank account when he glances at the third. A tally. Her balance is there, and to his dread, he sees the bottom line, which is a very precarious amount of unicoin away from being red. And that includes over two dozen sales to make over eleven days.
James undoes the top button of his shirt and rolls up his sleeves.
He doesn’t want to be having the thoughts that flood into his mind, but they do all the same.
She lied to him. Actually, knowingly lied.
Sure, she thought he had it covered as a backup, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that she led him to believe she had a full month covered herself.
As it stands, without selling her things, he isn’t sure she has groceries covered.
“Fuck,” he mutters.
He’s still sitting there when a giggling Kate breezes back through the door. As if on cue, the particle panes buzz, switching to a pre-programmed night scene. Dark clouds roll across the screens as the light fades. There’s no moon to ground the sky, but the stars come out all the same.
The moment she sees him, and then the screens he sits in front of, her face drops.
“What are you doing?” she asks, glancing between him and the screens, which display the direness of their situation.
He should save it for the morning when his head is clear. He knows this, but his mouth opens of its own accord. “This won’t work between us if you avoid every difficult conversation.” When she doesn’t respond, he adds, “You can’t lie to me.”
She steps back like he’s struck her. “I didn’t lie.” She says the word like it’s a soggy piece of bread.
Does she believe that?
She shifts her feet, uncomfortable under his gaze. He opens his mouth to argue, but before he can get a word out, she says, “I’m going to bed.”
He’s too pissed off at her avoidance to say anything else. “Off you go then,” he says.
In what he is coming to learn is classic Kate fashion, she plasters on an unconcerned, fake smile and slips into her room.
I guess you’ll be sleeping in your own room tonight, the overhead lights mutter.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he agrees.
The bed creaks with each of James’s contortions. Regardless of how he moves, he can’t get comfortable on the stiff bed in Kate’s spare room. That his mind keeps drifting back to their argument isn’t helping.
He knows it isn’t fair to judge her by his standards. Especially since she’s been making allowances for him this whole time. He owes it to her to do the same. Never mind that he’s been trying to put his trust in someone else to handle something for once.
He takes a few deep, grounding breaths. When he’s had time to calm down, he will discuss this with her. For now, he closes his eyes and lets his mind dissect the more urgent dilemma.
Each path leads to one destination: Plan B. Even if she can sell everything she plans to, he isn’t sure they’ll have enough. It wouldn’t be wise to count on selling a PalmPrint, though he’ll certainly try.
He takes out his device to message Sable. Can we meet tomorrow as soon as possible? We need to discuss Plan B.
Her response comes quickly. Meet me at the Sports Center in your building at nine.
Having a plan, even if it’s a shitty one, makes him feel marginally better. There’s nothing more to do tonight.
He turns over, considering picking up his tablet to distract him. It would be better than the rehashing his mind is intent on doing.
It’s only that Kate told him in no uncertain terms that she had the next month covered.
Protested adamantly that she wanted him to depend on her a few hours ago.
He wants to explain it, but her denial makes reasoning with her feel like a pointless endeavor.
He should have kept his mouth shut and dealt with the matter of their relationship after he solved the problem of his lease.
He throws the blanket off, unwilling to let his thoughts control him. The tablet says it’s four in the morning. Might as well get the day started.