26. Elliot
Elliot
She’s running her own operation. Lee runs an entire underworld operation, taking jobs from the dark web.
Her main source of income is contract killings and using guns for hire.
I figured that part out when I picked up Calum bloody from a job she only described as “undercover.” I saw right through the lie. I didn’t see the depth of it, though.
And it isn't just that. She’s methodical in her hacking. Theft, fraud, you name it, and I have it on her. She’s smart enough to make me proud if I wasn’t so busy trying to keep her out of prison.
While she slept, I installed a program that mirrored her computer to my laptop. Another felony for the pile.
Not sure why I didn’t trust the department’s tech and went with my own. Well, that isn’t true. I know exactly why. I’m falling for her. Oh hell, I’ve already fallen.
If the director sees this, she’s done. Done as in life in Guantanamo Bay.
My phone vibrates in my hand.
I don’t need to look at the screen to know who it is. I have my phone location pinging from my house, so I suppose that’s where they think I am.
I’m in a seedy motel trying to avoid the FBI. So that I can spy on my girlfriend without anyone knowing and hide evidence from my boss.
Who says romance is dead?
“Yeah.”
“Report.”
Fuller’s voice is flat. He never wastes words. It might be the only admirable thing about him.
“You get anything from her computer? You were there for ten hours yesterday,” he says. “Anything?”
A not-so-subtle reminder he’s watching me. I stare at the dark trees past the porch.
Saying yes would be easy. I could forward the files and close the case. Honestly, I’d be a hero.
But saying no changes everything. Not just with Lee and Fuller, but with me too.
“No.”
Silence on the other end lasts long enough that I know he’s listening for something under my tone.
“You’re close to her. I expect more,” he says.
I don’t react. This is such a shit show. He declared her guilty before he knew anything. Unfortunately, he was right.
“I’m getting closer. She’s too smart to be rushed. I’m doing my job.”
“Be sure you are.”
The line goes dead.
That was the first time I lied to cover for her. Since then, it’s been a string of deception, covers, and attempts to figure out Project Vine and Fuller’s involvement. It’s when I knew I needed Julian, and I wasn’t going to be able to keep that from her, so I broke us apart.
And now I think I’ve fucked us up again.
Fuller’s ten minutes late. The longer I sit here, the more certain I am that something’s off. He’s not stupid. If he was, he would’ve been caught a long time ago.
I tap my phone again. Still nothing.
The office building is dead quiet around me. Dust hangs in the air, thick enough to taste when I breathe in. My gun presses heavy against my lower back as I pace the length of the empty room, the old floorboards creaking under my boots.
I pull up the cabin feeds and swipe through the cameras until I find her.
My blood boils as I remember the recording from earlier.
Julian stood over her while she slept. His hands shook when he brushed her hair back before he walked out. I watched it three times. Each time made me want to put my fist through something. She lay sleeping; he left clearly devastated.
I don’t know what the fuck he was thinking. But when I see him again, I’m going to knock out his teeth for leaving her alone at the cabin.
There are wolves there.
I zoom in. Lee is on the computer now. She laughs at something on the monitor. The way her dimple pops when she does that makes it hard to think. She’s so beautiful.
I send Julian another text. He’s clearly ignoring me. I don’t want to think about the alternative. That he might not be able to answer. What is he up to?
The minutes drag. Every second feels heavier than the last.
I check the camera again. Lee is lacing her boots now in the computer room. She looks determined. She is not staying put like I hoped.
She grabs a black hoodie off the back of the chair and pulls it over her head. Then she turns and looks straight at the camera. Like she knows I’m watching. Like she’s looking right at me.
My pulse kicks harder.
She rummages through the desk drawer then turns her back to the lens. When she faces the camera again, she’s holding up a torn piece of paper. Two words are written in bold letters.
I don’t need to zoom in to see what she’s written on it.
Fuck You.
“Well, I wouldn’t say no to that, kid.” I huff a laugh. I can’t help it. She's always so far ahead of everyone else, of course she knew I had a camera there.
She scribbles something else on the paper and holds it up again.
That wasn’t an actual invitation.
Flipping her middle finger over her head on her way out, she leaves the cabin.
I dial Fuller once more, and he sends me to voicemail. He tried to hide his location, but I’m better. So is Lee. My bet is she’s on her way to him now.
Fuller wants to fuck around and find out.
Fine.
My boots hit the concrete hard. I’m going to get to him first. Fucking cliché, going to the warehouse where they are making Vinculum.
I step outside into the dark and start moving toward the black site. The night air is cold and still. I keep my gun at my side, eyes scanning every shadow.
I make it ten yards before I hear the scuff of boots behind me. The first guy is on me fast, bigger than I expected, his right fist crossing my jaw.
“Are those fucking brass knuckles? What the hell, man? Little bitch,” I say. He rushes me, but my gun puts a hole in his belly.
I shove him off, annoyed he’s still breathing.
One comes behind me, and I drive my elbow straight into his throat. He chokes and staggers, but two more shadows peel off the wall to my left. A third comes from the right and tackles me grabbing at my knees. We both fall on the concrete.
Fuck. Four of them.
“Stay down.”
“Fuck you.” I hardly get the words out before the butt of the gun hits my temple and everything goes dark.