Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
I add the pocket watch with a big smile.
If it weren’t for Alexan’s texts, I never would’ve had the courage to go for it, and with my dad standing right there too.
That must’ve been my best score to date. A quick and easy lift, and nobody’s the wiser.
Later tonight, or maybe not even until tomorrow or the day after, Jeremy’s going to realize his watch is missing.
And he’ll never suspect sweet little Riley McGrath.
Chapter 5
Alexan
Three weeks until the wedding.
“If I’m not back out in twenty minutes, assume they cut my throat.” I frown at the nondescript building tucked in the back of an average office park. There’s nobody else around except for a bunch of average sedans parked nearby.
Tigran laughs softly, sitting up in the passenger seat of my BMW. He’s got a pistol in his lap and a phone in his hand, casually leaning on his elbow.
“Mantis is ruthless, but they aren’t stupid. If they wanted you dead, they’d just shoot you in the back of the head and be done with it.”
He’s right, but I’m still more than a little wary.
Up to this point, all my contact with Mantis and their operatives has been through secure email. At least until this morning, when they sent me a job offer and a location.
I wasn’t sure I’d accept until I mentioned it to Tigran. He gently reminded me that I’m the one trying to keep a healthy working relationship with those vicious bastards.
Besides, the pay is very, very good. Double my normal rate for this sort of thing.
He didn’t have to come as backup, but I appreciate the extra muscle.
“If there’s trouble, I’ll just start shooting.” I push open my door and step out. “If you hear gunfire, come running.”
“Good luck.” He salutes me with his gun barrel, showing teeth.
Fatherhood slowed him down, but there’s still a dark hunger in his eyes.
I walk over to the suite doors. It’s for some company called Arcis Secure Tech. I do a quick search on my phone and get a few hits for AST from my personal LLM model. Turns out, they’re a legit cybersecurity firm, or at least on the outside.
Nothing Mantis does is legit past the surface. No time to do any serious digging, though.
It’s a Saturday, and the office looks empty. There’s a big man waiting at reception. He’s leaning against the counter and reading a home decoration magazine with a bored frown. When I approach, he glances up and holds out a single hand.
“Gun,” he says.
I hesitate, not happy about this, but Tigran’s words play through my head. If Mantis wanted me dead, they wouldn’t have invited me to a meeting in some normie office park.
I hand over my weapon, and he waves me on. “First conference room on the left.”
So much for shooting if things get dicey.
I find a younger man waiting at a large table. He’s sitting at the end and glaring down at his phone. He’s got on a sleek suit and looks more like a salesman than a member of a notorious criminal organization. His frown doesn’t change when I approach the table. I don’t sit down.
“Are you Iron Head?” I ask, studying him. I expected someone big and tough based on the nickname he uses in messages. But this man is sleek and athletic and seems better suited to desk work.
“That’s me,” he says, leaning back and crossing his arms. “And you must be the infamous Permafrost?”
I pull out a chair and sit down. I like that he’s using my hacker alias instead of my real name. For some reason, that puts me at ease. I’m positive he knows exactly who I am, but it’s a sign of respect that he’s not saying it out loud.
“I understand that you have a missing object you need me to find.” I meet his hard gaze. “Normally, I don’t take this kind of meeting in person, but given your status—” I don’t finish that sentence. He knows exactly what I mean.
Mantis is an organization that demands respect.
Iron Head slides a simple USB key across the table. “This contains everything you need. The device was stolen one week ago, and so far, we haven’t been able to track it down. We know it’s still in Baltimore based on our location data. We know it hasn’t been activated. But beyond that, there’s nothing.”
I frown at the key and raise it up. “What exactly am I looking for?”
“It’s a watch,” he says.
My eyebrows raise in surprise. “That’s not really my expertise. If you’re missing some jewelry—”
“But it’s much more than just a watch.” His expression is pained as he folds his hands together in front of him. “I cannot tell you exact details or what is on the device. Suffice it to say that the object looks like an antique pocket watch, but it contains extremely sensitive data. It’s rigged to ping location towers every hour on the hour; however, it’s currently not transmitting. The last few connections are detailed on that key. We are willing to pay you very, very handsomely to find the watch, return it to our organization, and hand over whoever stole it.”