Chapter Fifteen #2
All that should have taught me a lesson about doing what I’m told without asking questions first. So far, every time Rob or John or any of the others have asked me to do something, I’ve done it.
I met a whole crew of new people and instead of setting a new standard for myself, I ultimately fell back on what I’m comfortable with.
This time, though, with only the four of them going in blind against who knew how many vampires and other supernatural creatures, I’m not sure I can do that.
I have questions. Serious questions.
My phone vibrates, interrupting the bells. It’s Connor.
Just got a text looking for help guarding a house in South Pasadena. Know anything about it?
Fuck. I rake the hair out of my face, managing to tangle my fingers in the elastic holding my eye patch in place.
My eye. The only physical consequence of following my father’s command.
Randolph Collins, American Alpha and David’s father, had killed my father and any of his lieutenants who’d survived the warehouse.
He’d wounded me, an acknowledgment of my participation and also of my weakness. I’m too much of a beta, not strong enough to deserve to die.
Hands shaking, I text Connor back.
I’m here. Don’t bring David.
Because that’s all I need. My cousin’s the definitive alpha. He’ll dive into the fight and ask questions later.
I’ve already cost him way too much.
My stomach growls, a cry of pain rather than real hunger. Straightening, I blink my eye, wiping away the tears and inhaling a shaky breath. The pair of computer screens stare down at me like they’re going to cough up some kind of answer.
The one on the right is my desktop. The left is blank. My phone vibrates with another incoming text. It’s Rob.
Sonny and I will wear cameras. Please help us monitor the situation.
Monitor the situation? FFS. I use the left monitor to open the video app. So far, no one else has logged in and the screen is black.
“Cool, cool. Monitor the situation. Got it,” I mutter between clenched teeth. Me ’n’ Connor can sit here and watch them all die while we talk about the time we fought the strigoi and he went to the otherworld or wherever and came back again.
Which was a damn good thing. If he’d hurt David by dying that way, I’d have had to kill him myself.
Meanwhile, I don’t have the first clue about how to hack into de Lisle’s computer network.
I mean, I know the basic idea involves finding a vulnerability in their system and exploiting it.
I’m just not sure how to go about doing that.
I gotta think anyone with the kind of money de Lisle tosses around has his own team of security specialists protecting him from guys like me.
All I’ve learned so far is that de Lisle’s system is global, and it’s likely that he’s got more than a few interconnected networks rather than a single entity, which is awesome for those who can afford it. I’ve also managed to figure out an even more essential flaw in Robin Loxley’s plan.
Leander de Lisle is not sitting on a single very very fat piggy bank.
He most likely has trusts, brokerage accounts, stocks and bonds, and, hell, hidden bunkers full of cash and gold bars.
Beyond his businesses, he’s got to have money invested in more properties than I can easily imagine.
Hacking into his network—which is likely constructed in layers—won’t give us direct access to any of it.
So we pick a random financial institution and hope we hit the jackpot? How would that even work? Yo, Deutsche Bank, can I come play in your sandbox?
Nope. Not happening.
If hacking through the layers of de Lisle’s system is impossible and hacking into a major financial organization’s network is the very next thing to impossible, where does that leave me?
Sitting here wondering when Connor’s going to show up and whether David will be with him.
Technically, Connor’s no longer part of the Securitas. He’s been working as a private investigator to the supernatural, with a side gig as paranormal liaison to the LAPD. David helps him with his investigative work, which is why I’m increasingly convinced my cousin is going to show up here.
Also because he’s David. An alpha’s alpha.
Common sense says Nasir looped Connor in because the Securitas has a limited number of agents and Connor has the skills to deal with just about anything. Unless he figures that as a Collins, I need an additional layer of security.
And if they’re around, it’ll be that much harder to stand up for myself.
The cursor’s blinking, waiting for me to type in some dumb variation of “best resources for hackers.” Damn. I’m a UX guy, which means I spent most of my time studying how normal people work with computers. I left cybersecurity to others . . .
Like my friend Ethan. Who does that kind of work for more money than I can imagine.
Booyah. Ethan would know what to do. He’d probably enjoy the process.
Cool, cool. I’ve got a plan. I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself. I can install the camera app on my phone, send Ethan a how-the-hell-are-ya text, and call an Uber to take me to Prince’s house in Malibu.
I get the first two accomplished, but when I open the door to leave the barn, Connor and David are standing in the yard.
They’re both dressed in black. That’s pretty much Connor’s regular uniform, unlike David, who never met a rainbow he didn’t want to wrap around himself. His all-black look is startling.
“The witch had to let us through the ward and a nice woman named Cherie said you were out here.” Connor points at the back door. He sounds flustered, almost apologetic.
David is neither. “She also said she hopes we can help her not die.”
“Cherie is probably safe as long as the wards hold.”
Their expressions are equally blank, though Connor’s has undertones of confusion and David’s has a tang of suspicion. “Look”—I ease back into the barn—”there’s kind of a lot going on, so come in and I’ll tell you what I can.”
Connor follows me in, and after a long enough minute that I almost go outside to look for him, David does, too.
Grabbing the rolling chair I’d claimed as my own, I straddle it and face them, using the chair back as a sort of shield.
Connor sits, rolling his chair over to me, and David leans against the desk, elbows wide, one heel caught on the desk’s crossbar like he needs to be ready to run.
None of us say anything right away, then David shakes his head with a bitter laugh. “What the actual fuck, Marcus?”
I’m not sure if he’s referring to the barn or the larger situation, but I aim low. “They hired me because they needed a tech guy.” I give a half-ass shrug. “This is my office, I guess.”
“The text I got was from Nasir Dragon. Is he part of ‘they’?” Connor doesn’t sound nearly as annoyed—angry?—as David. Then again, he’s a professional. He’s got a longer space between his brain and his mouth.
“Before I go any further, you need to believe that I’m not making shit up and I’m not crazy.”
David gives a harsh snort. I glare at him, and to my surprise, he nods apologetically.
“So yeah, this is the situation . . .” Keeping my gaze at the floor so they can’t distract me, I try to lead with the important stuff first: the diamond, Prince, the possibility of underage and unwilling victims, and Leander de Lisle.
Connor breaks in when I pause for a breath. “Prince can make a lot of trouble, and I guess this de Lisle dude could make more.” He crosses his arms, his gaze steady. “Now who are you working with on this?”
I do my best not to gulp. “Would you believe Robin Hood and his Merry Men?”
David and Connor share a glance, and Connor leads off with, “I guess I’ve heard weirder things—”
“No.”
“Just no?” I sharpen my gaze, pinning David with it. “You’re a werewolf living with a vampire and a half-Danaan sidhe, and you’re going to tell me the Lord of the Greenwood couldn’t possibly exist as a semi-immortal being?”
A dark band holds David’s hair out of his face, and he lifts his chin to give me bone structure and attitude. “It’s a folktale.”
“So were vampires until Polidori wrote that story.” The level of sass in my voice surprises me and shocks David. He is my alpha, after all, and I should not take that tone with him.
If there’s a stage beyond surprise and shock, I hit it when he grins. “All right, dog. Tell us about Robin and his men,” he says.
I exhale hard, like someone cut a rope that had been tightening around my chest. “I haven’t met all of them yet, but Sonny’s a vampire, Nasir’s part of the Securitas—”
“Yeah, he’s a good dude,” Connor interjects.
“We only just met, so I’ll take your word for that.
Will is fairly, um, flamboyant, and an elf, and Rob is, well, Rob.
Charming. Possibly devious.” I fidget with my eye patch, buying a couple heartbeats.
As soon as I say John’s name, David’s going to guess I’m not entirely neutral about him.
“There’s also John Naylor.” My cheeks heat right up.
“He’s Rob’s right-hand guy, and when they were at Prince’s house today, assessing his security, John was captured. ”
Connor leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Captured how?”
“Not sure. That’s why Rob changed the schedule or whatever. Well, that, and I guess de Lisle’s going to try to buy the diamond from Prince tonight.”
Connor and David exchange another glance. “They’re all there,” Connor says, his eyes narrowed. “What’s their plan?”
I rub my mouth with an open palm to keep myself from laughing out loud. I tell them as much as I know, which takes less than a minute.
“They’re going to need backup,” Connor says flatly.
“That’s why I’m following them.” I scoot out of my chair, not sure whether they’ll offer to join me or try to keep me from leaving.
I don’t really want David in danger because of my bad decisions, but if it’s a choice between fighting him or letting him do what he wants, I won’t argue.
They exchange a long glance, the kind that’s a whole silent conversation. I shift my weight, ready to take off.
“Fine,” David says, though I can’t tell if he’s mad at me or annoyed with Connor.
They both stand up, and Connor says, “I’m driving.”
“You can’t,” I say. They both look at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “I mean, the reason Nasir messaged you was so there’d be extra eyes on the house.”
Their paired glares flatten my energy, and when I run out of steam, Connor smiles.
“Got it. I’ll talk to the witch and make a call from the car. It’ll be fine.”
Hoping he’s right, I follow them out.