Текст книги "Luke"
Автор книги: M. Malone
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chapter three
†
LUKE
By the time Tank comes back two days later, I’ve worked up a pretty decent looking website. I wasn’t being modest when I told him that web design isn’t my thing. I can create the back end but I have no eye for what looks good. Luckily, Tank forwarded my list of questions to Emma and she gave me some direction.
Emma couldn’t come so it’s just Tank and I sitting in my usual booth in comfortable silence. Our silence is only broken when my mom brings another Coke for me. She’s been trying to wean me off for years but it’s my only true addiction. Considering the things other kids my age are usually into, I think she’s finally accepted that sugar overload isn’t the worst vice to have.
“Did you want anything else, Tank?”
He laughs and rubs his stomach. “No, I think I’d better stop while I’m ahead. I’ve already had to up my workouts after coming here so much.”
Mom balances the plate in the crook of her arm and collects my empty glass. “Life is too short not to eat good food.” Then she pats him on the shoulder and moves on to check on the customers in the booth behind us.
“I guess I’ll get out of your hair now,” Tank says as he stands. “Thanks for doing this.”
“Let’s just hope Emma likes what I did.” I stand too and stretch my arms overhead, stiff from so many hours sitting in one spot.
“She’ll love it. Especially since you did it for us. She’s sentimental that way. For some crazy reason she thinks you’re cute.”
Laughing, I shove him toward the door. “Go home. And next time just call. I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do than come down here just because my mom is worried.”
“More important than making sure my little brother is okay? This whole thing has been pretty fucked up but if you know nothing else about me Luke, know that there’s nothing I classify as more important than family. And that’s what you are.”
He claps me on the shoulder awkwardly and it feels like a battering ram drilling me into the floor. Brotherly bonding isn’t a thing I’m used to since I grew up as an only child but I’m learning.
“Thanks, man. I really—” I lose my train of thought when a large black SUV pulls up directly in front of the bakery. Two large guys get out of the back and enter. The one in front scans the room and when his eyes land on me, his gaze hardens.
Oh shit.
My mind races, immediately reviewing my activities over the past month or so. Ever since a few brushes with the law as a teenager, I’ve been careful to keep my nose clean online and stay away from any database or server connected with the U.S. Government. There’s no way anything I’ve been working on lately would warrant a visit from scary men in black suits. Yet, here they are.
“Luke Marshall?”
I nod slowly, noting that the other big guy is standing directly in front of the door, blocking us in. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“We need you to come with us.”
“Wait a minute. Is he under arrest?” Tank takes charge immediately, shifting his large body in front of mine.
My mom comes from the back and then halts when she sees us standing in the middle of the floor. Her eyes roam over the guys in their black suits and then she looks out the window at the black SUV at the curb.
“Luke? What is going on?” Her face falls and I know what she’s thinking. That I’ve gotten myself in trouble, hacking into something that I shouldn’t have. It kills me that I ever caused her so much worry but it hurts a little that she immediately assumes the worst. I haven’t been in trouble for years.
“Mom, I swear I didn’t do anything.”
I’ve consulted with the FBI before for one of the cyber security task forces but I was always informed beforehand. It wasn’t like this.
One of the guys holds out his badge so we can inspect it. FBI. Just as I thought. When Tank is done looking at it, he puts it back in his suit jacket. “We just need to ask him some questions.”
By the tone of his voice, it’s pretty clear that resisting won’t end well for anyone.
I turn to Tank and my mom. “It’s no problem. I’ve consulted with the FBI before. It must be pretty important for them to come fetch me like this. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Tank doesn’t look satisfied but puts an arm around my mom’s shoulders. “I’ll just hang out here and annoy Anita until you get back.”
Mom looks up at him gratefully and for the first time, I truly appreciate the brothers that have bowled their way into my life.
“Thanks.”
I follow behind the big guy as he leads me out of the bakery and to the SUV at the curb. He doesn’t speak, just shuts the door behind me and then climbs into the front.
Even though they haven’t said I’m in trouble or anything, something about this feels completely off. Not just the way they showed up out of the blue but the cloak and dagger way they’re behaving. There’s something they aren’t telling me.
“So, any chance we can stop for burgers on the way? I’m starving.”
Big Guy and Even Bigger Guy glance at each other in the front seat but don’t respond. The atmosphere in the car goes from awkward to hostile and I get the feeling that my participation in this meeting isn’t as voluntary as I was hoping.
“Or we could just ride in silence. That’s cool, too.”
I sit back and watch the streets pass by, hoping I’m ready for whatever the hell I’m neck deep in now.
†
Big Guy One and Two leave me in a sterile white room and file out without another word. I’m getting more and more uncomfortable with the direction of this unscheduled meeting.
Scratch that, I’m pissed as hell.
Previously, my meetings with Agent Walker took place in Washington D.C. I would drive up, get a hotel for the night and spend the next day in meetings with the cyber security division. I was able to provide some insight into certain cases since I had the unique experience of actually pulling off some of the crimes they were investigating.
Allegedly, anyway.
But this is different. We drove for about thirty minutes to Langley Air Force base which is located in Hampton, the next city over from West Haven. We parked in an underground garage and then they led me here, no explanation for why I’m here and no indication of when I’ll be leaving. This is feeling less like a consultation and more like a detainment.
The door opens and Agent Walker enters. Luckily, he’s by himself.
“Hey, Luke. Sorry about the way you were brought in. I didn’t know about that until it was in process.”
The apology cools my anger. Slightly. “What’s going on?”
He indicates that I should have a seat and after a moment of hesitation, I pull back one of the metal folding chairs at the table. I could stand on principle but there’s no reason for me to be uncomfortable.
He takes a seat across from me and leans in. “Your name came up in conjunction with another case. If I’d been aware, I would have stopped it before it got this far.”
“Wait, you mean my name came up as a suspect in another case?”
He winces, so slightly that I almost miss it. “You aren’t a suspect. We know you’re in the clear. You’ve been a great asset to us over the years.”
I lean back, mimicking his casual, we’re all friends posture. “And of course, it doesn’t hurt that you’ve had me under surveillance for years, either. So you know I haven’t been involved in anything illegal.”
He goes still. Clearly he thought I was unaware of that. The agents weren’t hard to spot and even after they stopped following me physically, I knew they were watching me online. I was aware of it every time they tried to hack me and sometimes I even let them do it.
Of course, I only let them intercept what I wanted them to see.
“Well, anyway. That’s not why you’re here. We need your help.” He coughs and raps his knuckles against the table. “With a suspect.”
Okay, now things are getting interesting. In all the years that I’ve been consulting with him, he’s never allowed me to have direct contact with a suspect before. Maybe because I was underage some of that time. Or maybe because he didn’t trust me yet. After all, the only reason our paths ever crossed was because I was hacking into the Pentagon.
Allegedly.
Truthfully, keeping me away from the suspects was probably a good call because when I was younger and a little more reckless, I might not have been able to resist the urge to learn. The guys they’re after are usually on a different level. These aren’t your run of the mill hackers trying to break passwords so they can steal credit card information or some bullshit like that. These are guys that want to hack into official databases, topple corrupt regimes and reveal secrets to the world. These are guys with a mission. The top of the food chain.
Guys like C7pher.
Even though I know it’s wrong, it’s impossible not to respect their skills and their passion. For someone like me, it’s a slippery slope.
“There was a breach reported earlier today at Langley. Someone accessed the servers reserved for a special project. A project very few know about. We logged the I.P. address of the unauthorized access and agents were dispatched to the location. It was a warehouse with only one person inside. It’s almost like she wanted to be caught.”
“She?”
He stands and I stand, too. “Yes. There was nothing in that warehouse except for a girl on a laptop.”
“Huh. Why would someone hack a government database from an empty warehouse?”
“That’s what we need you to help us find out.”
I’m following him from the room when it hits me. “You know I’m happy to help out but just out of curiosity, how did my name get involved in this? I mean, why did your boys think I was involved to start with?”
He stares at me for a long while. “Because when she was first detained, the suspect listed you as her emergency contact. She says she’ll only talk to you.”
†
If I thought that I was going to meet this mysterious woman right then and there, it was because I’d forgotten the snail speed at which everything government moves. First, I was presented with a bunch of paperwork to sign, basically agreeing not to ever reveal anything that happened. I’ve already signed this stuff before but I guess they have a different layer of legalese if you’re in actual contact with a cyber terrorist.
It’s about an hour later when I’m led down another hallway. There wasn’t much time for me to review the folder of information on the suspect. I got nothing more than a name. Sarah Parker. It means nothing to me.
Agent Walker stops right outside a nondescript gray door.
“We’ll be right on the other side of the glass. Don’t accuse her of anything but try to get her talking about her mission. Find out what the hell she was looking for and how she even knew where to start.”
“Right. Get her talking. I can do that.”
He hesitates and then opens the door. I step inside and wait until I hear the gentle click of the door shutting behind me. The knowledge that I’m being watched behind the large mirror on the wall doesn’t help my anxiety any.
The table in the center of the room is empty. I turn around, looking behind me. I’m about to bang on the mirror and ask what the hell is going on when I notice her in the corner.
She’s small, so small I almost mistake her for a child. A curtain of long, dark hair covers her so completely that all I can see are the tips of her Chucks. They’re electric blue.
Then she looks up.
We stay suspended like that for what I hope is just a few seconds before I find enough brain cells to speak. It’s the girl from the rain.
“Hey. What are you doing on the floor?”
Large, dark eyes continue to watch me as I take a seat at the table. I’m trying not to move too quickly or do anything to spook her. She already looks pale. She’s probably terrified. I remember what it was like being interrogated by agents as a teenager. I fear any sudden movements will just freak her out more.
Aware that we’re being watched, I’m unsure of how to proceed. Walker said she put my name as her emergency contact. But I’m positive that I’ve never seen this girl before that day in the rain. So why would she claim to know me? More importantly, what could she hope to gain by using my name? Not too many people know about my consulting with the department in the first place. There’s no way she could have known that my name would even work in her favor.
None of this makes any sense.
The FBI is tiptoeing around this innocent-looking little girl when she looks more likely to hack into the Disney servers to get some free Princess shit.
“Hey, why don’t you tell me what happened. I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong.”
She’d gone back to staring at the tips of her shoes but at my words, her eyes swing to mine. I almost shift backward in my seat at the sudden cunning gleam in her eyes. This is not some innocent little kid.
“Are you sure about that? I’m no angel.”
It’s the first time she speaks and the soft whisper of her voice sends a little shiver down my spine. Then she leans forward and once our eyes meet again, she smiles.
“Well, I'm an angel online but only after dark.”
My heart stops in my chest and as we stare at each other, our eyes play out a hundred conversations that we can’t speak aloud. There’s no mistaking the emphasis she put on the word dark. Except for a few slip-ups when I was a teenager, I’ve been careful about covering my activities online and there’s only one person who has been around long enough and is skilled enough to figure out my real identity. If she knows about my online alter ego, DarkAngel, then there's only one person she could be.
C7pher.
As soon as the thought occurs, it’s disregarded as impossible. Maybe she just happened to choose a strange way of phrasing things.
As if she can sense the shift in my thinking she says, “You always said if I needed you, just call.”
In those few moments, my entire world realigns and everything I thought was real becomes a dream. After all, how can you rely on anything if the person you’ve trusted the most isn’t who you thought they were?
I stand so fast the metal chair screeches against the floor. Just before I reach the door, she calls out.
“Luke!”
My hand stills on the doorknob. There’s nothing we can say with an entire roomful of agents watching. The conversation that needs to take place between us cannot happen here. Because no matter how pissed I am, I can never forget that this is the one person who can destroy me.
“Just a minute, Sarah. I need to explain to Agent Walker that there’s been a misunderstanding.”
I deliberately raise my voice and turn toward the mirrored wall. A few minutes later, Agent Walker comes in.
“What’s going on, Luke?”
I point at Sarah. “I didn’t realize who you had in here. She’s not a terrorist. She’s a white hat. Top Fortune 500 companies hire her to test their systems. She tries to break in the same way any other hacker would, then provides them with an assessment of their vulnerabilities.”
Walker glances between the two of us suspiciously. “So, you do know her? Why didn’t you say so?”
“I, uh, didn’t recognize the name at first.”
Sarah stands then and glances at me. “Luke and I have fallen out of touch recently.”
“You were on a job when they grabbed you, right?”
She nods. “But it’s all supposed to be confidential so I wasn’t sure if it was safe to talk. But yeah, I was hired by a private company to test their security. I had no idea that was a government server until it was too late.”
Agent Walker doesn’t look completely satisfied but at least he doesn’t look quite as hostile.
“Sarah is skilled enough that if she was trying to hack into something unauthorized, she wouldn’t have done it without rerouting through some foreign ISP first. Can you show us the emails from the company that hired you? That should give the FBI something to go on in tracking these guys down.”
“Of course.”
“And we can go back to my place and catch up.”
They both stare at me.
“W-What? Your place?” Sarah swallows and then glances over at Agent Walker. “Right. I am pretty tired.”
“Now, wait a minute—“
I hold up a hand. “You would have had me under surveillance when I left anyway. Now you can watch us both together. Look, you know she’s not behind this. It was obviously a setup and she’s going to cooperate fully. At least let us get some sleep.”
I can tell he doesn’t like having the decision taken out of his hands but doesn’t have a good reason to stop us. And I have no doubt that the look in my eyes is pretty scary right now. Because I have a mission of my own tonight.
To interrogate the beautiful little liar who has been trolling me for the past decade.
†
The ride back home is even more awkward than the ride in. A different set of big scary guys drives us back to the bakery. Even though they drive off, I have no illusions about privacy. They’ll be nearby watching our every move.
Through the glass, I can see my mom talking to a customer. She and Tank are going to want an explanation and I have no idea what to tell them. And despite how adamant I was about this plan, I’m wondering if it’s really a great idea to bring this chick I obviously know nothing about back to my place.
But then I remember who she is and more importantly what she knows. If she’d wanted to hurt me, she could have done it by now a million times over.
“I never thanked you for cleaning up behind me.”
At the puzzled look on her face I add, “The Pentagon.”
Then, for the first time, she smiles. “That was a hot mess. You were smart enough to proxy through a few servers before you attempted to hit their network but not smart enough to delete the logs. It’s a good thing you bragged about what you did otherwise I wouldn’t have had time to get them all!”
As hard as it is to believe that this hauntingly beautiful girl is C7pher, with just a few sentences, I know without a doubt it’s true.
“Why did you? I always wanted to ask why you would have put yourself at risk for a kid too cocky to realize how much he didn’t know yet.”
She turns and looks over her shoulder at the bakery behind us, the carefully detached expression she’s been wearing melting into obvious longing.
“It was the way you talked about your mom. It was obvious how much you loved her. Through your stories, I got a glimpse of the one thing I’ve never had. A family. And your family became mine. Truthfully, I think you saved me long before I saved you.”
I wish I could hold on to the anger. Anger would be so much easier than this. Her words touch me in a way I wasn’t expecting, moving me to sympathy and then to shame. All the things I take for granted are things she’s never had.
“Thank you for covering for me back there.” She digs her hands in her pockets. The motion makes it even more obvious how thin she is. Too thin.
“You’re welcome, Sarah.”
She chuckles. “It’s Seven. No one calls me Sarah unless I owe them taxes.”
Seven. Somehow as soon as she says it, it makes sense. Her name fits her.
She runs her hands up and down her arms as if warding off a chill. “I guess I should get going then. You should get inside. I’m sure your mom is worried.”
I’ve complained about my mom’s overprotective nature so many times over the years. But now every complaint seems so petty and ungrateful. All those times I complained to her and she has no one. How shallow I must have seemed.
“Come inside. Let’s get something to eat. The goon squad dragged me away before I got any dinner.”
She hesitates. “You don’t have to do that. I know you were just saying that to get out of there.”
My stomach chooses that moment to rumble loudly. “I was bluffing my ass off for sure but not about that. Come on. Besides, I meant what I said about us talking.”
She looks cornered, like an animal in a trap that isn’t sure whether to show its neck or snap your hand off if you get too close. But I need to know her deal. And if she walks away from here tonight, she’ll disappear, FBI surveillance be damned.
“I think I deserve more than a one word email, don’t you?”
Her eyes meet mine and then she nods slowly. “Yeah, you do. But you might not like what you hear.”
chapter four
†
SEVEN
When I imagined meeting Luke for the first time, I dreamed up every possible scenario. My favorite was that fate would somehow throw us together and Luke would fall for me without any idea who I was. I also imagined that I would one day be confident and cool enough to just walk into the bakery where he spends so much time, sit down across from him and introduce myself.
I never imagined it would be in a cold, sterile room while we were being watched by the FBI. And I never thought I would have to lie to him.
Maybe he isn’t the only one who has gotten cocky over the years.
As I follow him into the bakery, I dimly register the old-fashioned decor and the waitresses in their crisp white aprons. The air smells like sugar and spices and every wonderful thing and just being there is like being wrapped in a warm hug. Luke stops to talk to someone and I hang back, not wanting to intrude but the truth is I want to throw myself right in the middle of it all. I want to belong someplace like this, where everyone knows each other and there’s enough love to go around.
Luke motions for me to come closer. As I step up beside him¸ the man he’s talking to glances at me. I instinctively shrink back. Geez, he’s huge. Luke is tall but this guy is even taller and built like a mountain.
“Seven, this is my brother Tank.”
I glance at Luke uncertainly before extending my hand. But as soon as he looks at me, the big guy breaks into a smile that looks like it might crack his face.
“Nice to meet you. I wasn’t sure any girl would put up with this guy.” He glances at Luke with a strange expression and I catch Luke rolling his eyes.
“Oh, we’re not—” I gasp in a slight breath when Luke squeezes me to his side so hard that I lose my train of thought.
“Seven hasn’t eaten yet, so I’ll see you later. Thanks for staying with Mom while I was gone.”
“Of course. I’ll call you later.”
Luke leads me to a booth in the center of the room. He still has a tight grip on my waist and warmth travels through me at the unexpected touch. He gestures for me to sit in the booth and then to my surprise, slides in next to me.
“Something’s about to happen and I need for you to play along. How’s your poker face?”
“My poker face? It’s pretty damn good but we’re not playing poker.”
A woman stops next to the table and puts a glass of soda down in front of Luke. Her long dark braids are held back by a ribbon that matches the blue of her uniform. Then she looks from Luke to me and back again and smiles brightly. Luke heaves a little sigh next to me.
“Hey, Mom. Sorry about earlier.”
My attention snaps back to her in surprise. Now that I’m looking, I can see a slight family resemblance, though her skin tone is much deeper than his. With her wide smile and bright eyes, I would have never guessed she could be old enough to be his mother.
“Mom?” I squeak.
Luke glances at me. “Seven, this is my mother, Anita. Mom, this is Seven. My girlfriend.”
My eyes widen slightly before I remember his comment about maintaining a poker face. “Hello! It’s so nice to meet you. Luke has told me so much about you.”
She glances at him with a fond smile. “He has? Well, that’s nice to hear.”
Luke leans forward. “I didn’t have time to eat anything earlier and Seven’s hungry, too. We’ll take whatever the lunch special was today if there’s any left.”
Anita clasps her hands together. “Of course! I’ll bring you some of the corn chowder and some bread.” She takes one final glance between us and then practically skips off.
He glances over at me. “That wasn’t as bad as I expected.”
“And you told her I’m your girlfriend because…”
“What else was I supposed to say? Hey Mom, this is my best friend that I didn’t know was a girl until an hour ago?”
“I see your point.”
We sit in silence for a minute before he blurts out. “Were you ever going to email me back?”
My eyes roam around the diner, taking in the people eating their goodies and talking with their companions. How can I make him understand? Someone like Luke has always had a place, always been surrounded by people who love him. But none of this is usual for me. The idea of unconditional love and acceptance is about as comfortable as a new shoe.
“I was going to email you back. But I needed time to figure out how to approach you. I wasn’t ready to let it go yet.”
“Let what go?” he asks.
“You.”
We’re interrupted then as Anita sets down a glass of water for me, two bowls of steaming soup and a plate of bread. Luke thanks her and she leaves but not without another pleased smile in my direction. It warms me, that smile, and without saying another word it seems that Luke understands.
He lifts his chin toward the bowl. “Eat. We have a lot of work to do later.”
Obediently, I take a big spoonful of soup, my toes curling as the creamy broth hits my taste buds.
“Work? I have no work to do. I finished with my last client before I came here.”
The last part of the sentence dies in my throat when I remember that I’m not supposed to tell him that. I cover with a little cough and reach for my water.
He hands me a piece of bread. “Work is probably the wrong word. We have stuff to do. First, we have to figure out this whole thing with the FBI.”
“You’re going to help me? Even after … everything?”
“Of course I’m going to help you.”
He looks uncomfortable but finally meets my eyes. He doesn’t exactly look happy with me but there’s something there that melts all the tension and stress of the past twenty-four hours until I’m suddenly very tired.
“Thank you, Luke.”
He pushes the bread plate closer and turns back to his bowl, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. “Don’t thank me yet. Just eat. If you’re good, you get pie.”
†
After I finished my bowl of soup and more helpings of bread than was probably wise, Anita brought out pieces of pie that were almost as big as the plate. I’m stuffed and replete, the warmth of the pie making me sleepy. Most of the other customers have left except for a few die-hards in the corner booth and the other waitress has gone home for the night. Anita takes off her apron and hangs it on a hook by the swinging door into the kitchen.
That must be some kind of signal I’m unaware of because Luke tenses. He grabs my hand and then tugs me out of the booth. After retrieving his laptop from behind the counter, he pulls me toward the door.
“Well, we’re going to go. Night, Mom!”
Anita waves and I’m sure I must look like a deer in headlights as I follow Luke out into the soft night air. He’s still got a hold of my hand and the warm pressure around my fingers is really distracting. But I don’t say anything, just let him lead me across the gravel parking lot to a sporty little black convertible.
“Cute car.”
He shrugs. “I figured I should spend my money on something other than computers for once.”
I settle into the plush interior and let out a sigh of appreciation. How different would things be if I spent my money on a few more creature comforts? If I could save up a little nest egg and make a place for myself somewhere? No more chasing the craziest job offers, no more risks for the highest payout.
But as sweet as that sounds, the things I’m working for mean more to me than my own comfort. Anything else is just a fantasy.
“So, where are we going?”
Luke fastens his seatbelt and waits until I do the same before he pulls out of the parking lot. I’ve never been to Virginia before but West Haven reminds me of several of the small towns in New Jersey where I lived as a kid. Lots of trees, cute little houses that look like they hold happy little families.
Places I never belonged.
“My apartment is close by. I usually hang out at the diner just so that my mom isn’t alone at night. But now I’ve hired her private security, which she doesn’t know about.” He glances at me.
“Hey, I won’t tell her.”
“So I don’t have to stick around as late anymore. My brothers recommended I do that last year and it’s taken a lot of stress off my mind.”
We take a few more turns and then he pulls up in front of a modern apartment complex. Considering what I know about his situation, it’s not as fancy as I was expecting but then maybe Luke is like I am. Saving his money for more important things than impressing others.
I follow him inside and up two flights of stairs. He opens the last door on the hall and ushers me inside. There’s a small lamp burning on the side table next to a beige couch. The rest of the apartment is dark.
Luke walks around, turning on lights and then sits down on the couch. Unsure of where to go, I perch on the edge of the cushion next to him. All of my stuff is still back at my hotel.
“You could have used anybody’s name for your emergency contact. So, why me? After that email, I was pretty sure you didn’t want us to meet.”
I close my eyes, fighting exhaustion. When I open them, Luke is watching me. His dark eyes make me feel things. Things I’m not ready to examine just yet. But he deserves an explanation, especially after the way I blew him off.
“When we first met online, all those years ago, it was at a time when I’d just been put into a new foster home. Remember when I told you that I don’t like staying in the same place for too long?”
He nods slowly, his eyes following my every move. I can feel him assessing me, trying to figure me out. “I remember. I figured you just didn’t want to be tied down.”
“Being tied down isn’t the problem. I’ve just never had anyone who wanted me to stay. The first family was fine until they took custody of their nephew. Then they couldn’t keep us both.”
He shakes his head. “Sorry. That sucks.”
“I was moved around to a lot of different situations that were temporary for various reasons but as I got older, it was harder and harder to place me. And when things got really bad …”
My hand goes up to my cheek again and Luke’s eyes follow the movement. His jaw clenches. Suddenly, he doesn’t look so easygoing anymore.
“Someone hurt you?” he growls.
“One of my foster fathers … I accidentally knocked over his drink. And, well, the bottle was handy, I guess.”
His face twists into a mask of outrage. I look away, unnerved by the display of such raw emotion. This is why I don’t discuss my past. It’s just too hard.
