Page 57 of Cops and Robbers

The person speaking to Kate stopped midsentence as if something had happened in the room.

“Welcome to my Hackers Gala,” Ziegler’s static voice boomed in Raz’s earpiece. “We’ll jump straight to why we are here. Are the hackers ready?”

On the untouched left screen, a red buzzer lit up, as if Clyde had announced his readiness. At the top right, a box sat open with speech text copying what Ziegler had said.

“Looks great, competitors,” Ziegler said. “Hands off your keyboards until I tell you or you’ll be disqualified. The first one to find the identity of Philip Jason Mineer, along with his location, to steal it for my personal use, wins the million-dollar purse. The prompt will show how to spell his name.”

Mineer? Shit. That was the head of the national task force putting a case together against some of Matsuda’s local men. Raz hated to think what Matsuda or even Ziegler would do with that information. Helplessness closed in on him. He couldn’t warn the man without endangering Kate’s mission.

“Since all of you are patched in, all your progress will be live,” Ziegler continued. “Without further ado, let the games begin. You may start.”

Applause erupted into Raz’s ear, making him curse from the sharp pain.

The screen on the left side of the laptop whirled to life, letters and numbers flying across the surface as Clyde woke up the programs.

“I have the program searching for the other competitors now,” Clyde said. “And…I’m almost connected to all of them.” Five screens started to populate Clyde’s—the computers of the other hackers, if Raz had to guess. “Okay. Everything looks great. I’ll let it track and copy their progress while I work on Ziegler’s hacker.”

“Oh! What fun,” Kate beamed.

“Explain to me again what Clyde is doing?” Raz asked. “I nodded through that explanation since she wasn’t using layman’s terms.”

“Short version?” Sid relaxed back into his seat. “He’s hacking through every encryption Ziegler’s hacker has on his system to reach the security program attached to the sub. Remotely accessing it here will later allow us to tap into the surveillance cameras on the sub. A few video re-loops later, we can take what we need, and no one will be the wiser.”

“Got it.”

Silence dampened the car. Sid breathed deeply, eyes on the laptop. “So, Kate’s a Fallen, huh?”

The hair on Raz’s neck stood on end, but he didn’t gaze away from the screen, which was filling with code he didn’t understand. “Yeah.”

“Not what I expected. I thought there’d be an obvious clue to their spirit energy.”

“Same.” A weight slowly slid off his shoulders. The need to talk with someone else about her hit him hard.

“And she’s yours?”

Discord built up like fire at the rear of his throat. “Don’t want to talk about that part.”

“We could all sense your Mark on her. What changed?”

“I’m not going to act like linking with her wasn’t inevitable, but that personality of hers gets me. She makes me feel…maybe a little too carefree, but fuck if I’m letting that go.”

“She’s dangerous.”

“Whatever may come, it’ll be on me.” Raz sighed. “Wish she didn’t have to be…”

“A thief?” Sid said. When Raz couldn’t muster a protest, Sid continued, “It’s kind of hot. Don’t try to deny it.”

Raz punched him in the shoulder. Sid sat forward, chuckling.

Kate’s giggling filled his earpiece, the too high-pitch grating compared to her genuine laughter.

Sid asked, “Can we trust her?”

Raz’s heart dropped, feeling that tendril of blackness curling along the link. The part she tried to conceal from him. “She can’t fake her emotions on the link. I know she’s hiding something, but she’s genuine about the situation. She wants to stop Matsuda.”

“I hope it works out. Just glad it’s you and not me. The whole other half thing doesn’t suit me.” He flashed Raz a grin.

“Shut it.”