Rundown (Curveball Book 2) (38 page)

I
position the club between my legs and clasp my hands over it, leaning
on it for support while I casually wait for Mark to respond.  He
hits a ball and then takes on the same stance. 

“
Are
we done here?” he asks.

“
No. 
Actually the real reason I asked you to come here is because I want
to talk about Alexis.”

Mark’s
demeanor relaxes slightly as he turns to look out at the green, and
for a long time he’s lost in thought. “You’re a lot like your
sister,” he says, completely serious.

“
Come
again?”

“
Alexis
was smart but she was stubborn and easily provoked.”

It’s
like I’m talking to a different person.  I’m not sure how to
handle a genuine Mark.

“
How
did you know Alexis?”

“
Alexis
was…I was very fond of her.” Mark sighs.  “Being the point
person for Innovation Airways IT security, she came across a breach a
few months into the job and pursued it.  Pretty quickly she was
able to trace the breach back to her manager and his involvement with
the anti-technology group I had infiltrated.  I became aware of
Alexis because of the items she sent to Breanne.  It was around
that time that the agency approached Alexis about working with the
CIA as an informant.”

“
Alexis
was working with the CIA?”

“
Yes. 
We convinced her not to quit her job so that she could provide us
with information.  Instead of raising flags about issues with
the code, she stopped asking questions and performed the work her
manager asked of her.  Of course, her goal was to make progress
at a slow rate and create enough errors in the development of the
code that if her manager decided to find someone else to complete the
work, the person would have to start from scratch.”

“
So
you used her?” I bark.  “She helped you and what did you do
for her in return?  You obviously weren’t protecting her
because if you had been she would still be here.”

“
Alexis’s
manager was putting a lot of pressure on her and I sensed she was
struggling with what we’d asked of her.  She wanted time off
so that she could come see you.  She was cracking under the
stress. 

“
Her
manager interpreted her actions differently.  He thought she
secretly completed the code and was going to use it for her own
gain.  The car accident was staged so that he could search her
belongings; he was convinced she had the code on her. 
Obviously, she didn’t.”

Mark
sets a ball down, driving it into the night, hitting the farthest
target.  Turning back to me, he continues.

“
Based
on emails we’ve seen since her death, we now know that her manager
followed her and purposely ran her off the road.”  Mark sets
his golf club to the side and shoves his hands into his pockets. 
“Her help in our investigation probably saved hundreds of lives in
the long run.  The last thing anyone on our team wanted was for
her to be hurt, and not just because of her contribution.  She
was a good person.”

Knotting
my hands behind my head, I let his words sink in.  “What was
so important about the code she was working on?”

“
I’d
rather talk about that tomorrow with Breanne present.  It’s
complicated.”

As
much as I hate the guy, I’m grateful that he told me about Alexis.
 

“
Hey,
one last question and then we’ll call it a night,” I say and
glance back at Everett.  “Was the CIA responsible for
O’Conner’s death?”

“
Indirectly,
yes.”

“
Can
you elaborate?”

“
We
believed that Alexis had important information at her house that we
needed in order to make progress with the case.  Due to her
unprecedented security system, it wasn’t possible to stage a
regular break-in given the time required for how thorough we needed
to be.  My team received intel that you’d be visiting, so we
took advantage of the opportunity.”

Mark
pauses, his eyes traveling to somewhere behind me.  I glance
over my shoulder to where Everett is leaning with his back against
the wall and his arms folded across his chest. 

Mark
continues.  “O’Conner was outside doing a parameter check
when our team attempted to secure him.  From what the agents on
the ground described, he presented heart attack symptoms almost
immediately.  They couldn’t tell if it was because of the
substance he was injected with, or if there were other factors. 
He was rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. Regardless, a
life was lost and we deeply regret that.”

If
the CIA is responsible for O’Conner’s death, then they also put
Everett and I in that sketchy hotel.

“
Why’d
you fabricate the story about me getting wasted with two women and
then stash us in a hotel?”

Mark
chuckles and I’m finding it extremely hard not to pummel him.  

“
We
needed an explanation for your memory loss.  Given your history
of partying and womanizing, it was the only scenario that was
plausible.”

“
And
the most convenient for you given your intentions toward Breanne.”

He
doesn’t respond.

“
When
is this going to end?” I ask. 

“
Soon,”
he says with certainty before walking back to his car. 

When
I get back to Breanne’s place, I find her sleeping on the couch and
my heart swells.  
She tried to wait up for me.
  I
carefully scoop her up and she immediately stirs.  

“
Go
back to sleep.  I’ll tuck you in.”

“
Don’t
go,” she mutters.

“
Did
you not see my suitcase?  I’m staying here until you’re
ready to move to our house.  We are, however, getting a new
mattress tomorrow.”

She
chokes me with a bear hug around my neck and hums sleepily in
appreciation while I take long strides up the stairs.

“
Tell
me what happened tonight,” she requests.

I
set her down on the bed and change into a t-shirt and sweats.  I
walk over to where she lies and stare for a long minute.  I
intended to sleep on the couch but the spot next to her is looking
much more inviting.  I swore I’d never consider this.
 Sleeping in the bed she shared with Mark isn’t all that
appealing, except I’m the one who gets to be here.  Shouldn’t
that count for something?  Does it matter that she has a past?
 Not once has she judged me on mine.

No,
I decide.  It doesn’t matter.  Joining her under the
covers, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her as close as
possible.  

Breanne
nestles her back against my chest.  “So…tell me about
tonight.”

“
Practice
was good,” I say, squeezing her midsection as a reminder that the
house is bugged.  “You’re tired, let’s talk about in the
morning.”

“
This
should be interesting,” I mutter.

Standing
with my arms folded over my chest in front of an oversized corkboard
that extends the majority of Spencer’s apartment wall, my eyes
trail over various pictures, documents and small pieces of paper with
phrases and arrows linking different people and events.  It’s
like I’ve stepped onto the set of Law & Order. 

This
shit actually happens in real life?

At
10am, Everett pulled into an apartment complex on the outskirts of
the city where our crew met Spencer and Mark.  We’re
apparently going to review a plan to bring all of this to an end. 
Why they can’t arrest Vivian knowing that she’s the devil
incarnate is beyond me.  I have no idea what Mark wants or how
we can help, but after what Mark shared with me last night, I’m at
least more interested in hearing what he has to say than in wanting
to beat the shit out of him.  

“
Before
we get started, I’m going to remind you that this information is
classified and therefore cannot be shared with anyone outside of this
room.  Are we clear?” Mark asks.

Breanne,
Everett, Corinne and I look to each other as if group consensus is
required.  Once we’re all in agreement, we’re ushered to the
couches and chairs opposite of ‘the board’. 

“
Black
Widow Threads, more often referred to as ‘Threads’, is an
anti-technology group.”

I
close my eyes as a memory flashes images of a black widow spider with
the word ‘THREADS’ overtop. 

“
Their
original charter was to educate Americans about the dangers of
technology.”  Mark sifts through the papers on the table. 
Finding what he was looking for, he scans the paper and hands it to
me.  “Look familiar?” Mark asks. 

It’s
the same logo I just envisioned.  I look to Mark expectantly.

“
The
organization was named after the way their members
communicate–stealthily through carefully designed channels. 
Black widow spiders are known for their intricate webs.  The
female species have a reputation of killing their partners. 
While that’s not accurate aside from some classification of the
black widow family, the Threads adopted that ideal by using their
female members to make connections with powerful men, thereby
increasing their influence and capital.  Overtime those
relationships, which the women controlled, proved they could be
deadly.”

He
walks over to the board, takes down a picture and circulates it
amongst our small group. 

“
I
found out about Threads by chance.  While on another case I
started working at the VC firm where we met,” he says to Breanne. 
“It lasted for nearly seven years and toward the tail-end of that
assignment, I discovered Vivian’s involvement in Threads.  At
first, I kept a watchful eye, keeping my supervisor and mentor
abreast of their activity.  I infiltrated the organization by
getting Vivian to confide in me and kept a watchful eye for several
years.  Nothing noteworthy was going on and the agency was at
the point where they were going to back off.  That was the plan
until the founding leader, referred to as the Architect, suddenly
disappeared.