Chapter 27
N o one recognized them. They showed up at the rendezvous point on time, a broken down warehouse two blocks from the underground hacker bar. Blue held the door for Jane, and they walked in side by side.
“I’m sorry, this building is closed,” Ridge said almost absently before dropping whatever was in his hands and doing an almost comedic double take. Maggie and Babs stared at them, mouths agape. Only Ethan maintained the ability to speak.
“You’ve been to see Amelia,” he noted.
“He knows Amelia?” Jane whispered.
“I hope so, he’s married to her,” Blue replied.
“Secretly married, Blue, secretly, ” Ethan reminded him.
“It’s okay, she’s one of us,” Blue said.
“I guess that’s true,” Ethan said, shrugging as she turned his back to them and resumed whatever conversation he and Ridge had been having.
“Your hair’s not blue,” Maggie blurted, staring at Blue’s head.
“But look, Jane’s is. That’s so cute,” Babs said, linking arms with Maggie as they stared at Jane and Blue.
“Aw,” Maggie said. “Oh, his tie is blue. My sister is a genius.”
“Seriously, you guys look like you should be on the cover of a magazine,” Babs agreed. “Like Steampunk Monthly or something.”
“Or, I don’t know, working?” Ridge suggested, slipping his arm around Maggie and giving her a squeeze.
“We’re trying. Not our fault everyone is gawking,” Blue said.
“But you’re so adorable, Blue,” Ethan said, pinching his cheek.
“That’s it, you’re getting hacked. Good luck getting into your car, building, credit cards, or bank account, Becket, ” Blue threatened.
“Good luck getting home alive, Bishop,” Ethan countered.
“On second thought, I may have been a bit hasty,” Blue recanted.
“That’s my pal,” Ethan said, patting his shoulder. “Now let me see your gun.”
“This is so sudden; I barely know you,” Blue replied.
Ethan held out his hand, waiting for the weapon. “Good luck, Jane.”
“What are you talking about? Jane’s getting married to another man in two weeks,” Blue replied.
All heads swiveled to stare collectively at Jane who immediately panicked. “I’m not. Not. Not, not. Not.”
“She means she’s not comfortable being stared at like the main attraction at a freak show. Eyes on your own papers, people,” Blue said, and everyone busied themselves not staring at Jane. “Sorry,” Blue mouthed to Jane.
“Not,” Jane said once more, and he sputtered a laugh before Ridge grabbed everyone’s attention.
“Ethan, the gun good?”
“Gun’s good,” Ethan replied, handing it back to Blue. “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.”
“Really?” Blue said.
Ethan snorted. “No. By that time you’re already dead.”
“This is your first time mentoring someone, huh?” Blue said.
“You’re not going to have to shoot anyone. That’s what Maggie and I are for,” Ethan assured him.
“Maggie?” Jane said, jumping slightly in surprise at the mention of the librarian’s name.
“Maggie’s going to be on the roof across the street with a sniper rifle,” Ridge said then, noting Jane’s reaction, turned to Blue. “You did tell her about Maggie, didn’t you?”
“A few things,” Blue said.
“Maggie and the gun are one,” Babs interjected.
“They have a better relationship than she and Ridge do,” Ellen added.
“That is not true. Is it?” Ridge asked Maggie.
“Of course not,” Maggie assured him. “Although the gun doesn’t snore.”
“So the librarian is your sharpshooter,” Jane clarified.
“You should see what the janitor can do,” Blue said, and Jane wasn’t sure if he was joking.
“She’s never killed anyone, if it makes you feel better,” Ethan said, flicking Maggie’s hair.
“Why are you so obsessed with that?” Maggie asked, punching him in the bicep.
“It’s a brother’s prerogative,” he assured her.
“Well, brother, if your aim was as good as mine, you wouldn’t have to take the kill shot, either,” Maggie said.
“Ouch, my eyes and my ears hurt after witnessing that burn,” Ellen said, covering her eyes with her hands.
“I’m telling Amelia you said hurtful things to me,” Ethan threatened.
“I’m telling my parents you married their baby in a shady African ceremony,” Maggie returned.
“It wasn’t shady; it was rainy,” Ethan countered.
“Is anyone pretending we’re here to work?” Ridge asked.
“Uh-oh, Dad’s mad,” Blue whispered in a loud aside.
“Speaking of dads, Jane, can I have a word please?” Ridge said. They walked to the back of the building, well out of earshot for a while, and had a conference together.
“What’s that about?” Ethan asked Blue.
“I think her dad is some kind of international super criminal or something,” Blue said. “I told Ridge what I suspect, and he said he’d have a word with her about it.”
“You don’t know who he is or what he does?” Ethan said.
“She won’t say,” Blue replied.
“Huh. I guess that explains it,” Ethan said.
“Explains what?”
“Why she’s so, you know, unfazed by all of this. Almost get kidnapped and murdered? Fine. Get involved in trying to take down a terrorist ring? Okey-dokey. Not a lot of people would be so easygoing and comfortable with our world. Something to consider, my son. And there’s your mentoring,” Ethan said, tapping his temple.
“Did you hear the part about her marrying another man in two weeks?” Blue returned.
“Did you see her face when you brought that up?” Ethan parried.
“No. What was it doing?” Blue asked, but too late because Jane returned. “Everything okay?” he asked her instead.
“Fine,” she said, smiling serenely.
“You know, Jane,” Ethan began, “most people aren’t that calm after a private conference with our boss.”
“Really?” Jane said, her glance resting questioningly on Ridge. “He seems easygoing and gentle to me.”
“I had to wear a diaper for the first year I knew him,” Blue said.
“Me too,” Ethan agreed.
“Hmm, I don’t get it,” Jane said.
“Keep her,” Ethan whispered.
“Working on it,” Blue replied.
They went over the plan a final time. Maggie and Ethan left to get in place, and then it was Blue and Jane’s turn.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure,” she replied. “Are you?”
“Definitely,” he said. He clasped her hand and led the way two blocks to the secret hacker bar. It looked like any other abandoned, decrepit building on the block. If one didn’t know better, it would be easy to walk right by the graffiti covered outside. But Blue stopped, reached behind the door, and pulled out a keyboard.
“You have to hack your way in,” he explained at Jane’s questioning glance. He typed furiously for a moment, and then the door swung open.
“So cool,” Jane breathed. He clasped her hand and led the way inside. It wasn’t her imagination that the crowded bar seemed to come to a standstill as all eyes were on them. “Why is everyone staring at us?”
“I had to use my hacker name to get in. After the Department of Defense thing, it’s kind of infamous,” he explained in a whisper.
“What’s your hacker name?” Jane asked, intrigued.
“Cyan,” he replied.
“Synonym for Blue. Cute,” she said.
“Me or the name?” he asked, glancing down at her with a smile.
“Both,” she replied, returning the smile. “If it’s a hacker bar, how can Ethan get in?”
“He’s already in.”
She scanned the bar but didn’t see him. “Where?”
Blue rolled his eyes skyward. Jane followed his glance and saw oversized heating ducts above them. “So cool,” she breathed.
“Yeah, it kind of is,” Blue agreed.
Blue led her to the back of the room where two men sat in a booth. Jane braced herself in case it was someone she recognized from the museum world, but the men were completely unfamiliar to her. Not so to Blue.
“Cyan, never thought I’d see you in person,” the first one said.
“I feel like asking for your autograph,” the second said. “Maybe I’ll get it tattooed somewhere in binary.”
“Cracker Jack, Nuthatch,” Blue greeted them. “This is my…” he regarded Jane. She braced herself to hear what he would call her this time. Last time he had stumbled over “colleague.” “Jane. This is my Jane.” He took her hand, winding their fingers together. “You have a package for us?”
“You have Bitcoins for us?” the one called Nuthatch asked.
“Only if the package is good,” Blue said.
“It’s good,” Cracker Jack was quick to assure him.
“We’ll see,” Blue said.
Nuthatch produced a box from beside him and set it on the table. Jane let go of Blue to reach for it. If it was a legitimate artifact, they were out of luck. She poked her head in the box, reached for the scarab, and withdrew it. It was good. It was very, very good. But it wasn’t real. She gave Blue a slight shake of her head.
“No deal,” Blue said.
“What?” Nuthatch exclaimed. “That’s legit, Cyan. Seriously.”
“Jane says otherwise,” Blue replied.
“Who’s she to know?” Cracker Jack asked.
“The preeminent expert in her field,” Blue said. “I have to tell you, this does not make me happy. I hope I don’t have to, hmm, retaliate.” Nuthatch and Cracker Jack shuddered, and Jane repressed a smile. Her imagination ran wild imagining what two criminal hackers would find scary enough to be threatening from a fellow hacker.
“I swear, we thought it was good. He told us it was good.”
“I want to see him,” Jane interrupted, and the two men across the table looked at her.
“He doesn’t want to be seen,” Nuthatch said.
“Let me put it this way. I have a rather unlimited budget, but there’s one caveat. It either has to be real or real enough to convince me. I want to talk to him and see if we can come to some kind of arrangement or agreement,” Jane said.
Nuthatch and Cracker Jack regarded her, considering.
“Conjure him, and I’ll give you a finder’s fee worth your while,” Blue promised.
Now the two men regarded each other. “Let me see what we can do,” Nuthatch said, withdrawing his phone. He sent a text, waited for the answer, and nodded his assent. “He’s coming. Cracker Jack has to let him in, he’s not a hacker.” Cracker Jack got up and headed for the door.
“So, Cyan, how’d you do it?” Nuthatch asked Blue.
“Do what?” Blue asked.
“Come on, you know what. How’d you crack the DoD?” Nuthatch said, leaning forward on his elbow, listening intently.
“Does a magician reveal his secrets?” Blue asked.
“Nobody’s been able to do it since,” Nuthatch said, shaking his head. Jane knew it was because Blue had taken over cyber security for the DoD, assuring no one would be able to hack it the same way he had. “Is it true you hacked the President’s bank account?”
Blue pretended to lock his lips.
Nuthatch’s attention was diverted behind them. “Here he comes.”
Blue and Jane tried hard not to tense expectantly. Cracker Jack and another man slid into the booth across from them, and all of Jane’s pretense slid away as recognition hit.