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“My father bought this property," Henry begins proudly, his back stiffening, "along with most of the land in this area.”
“Which is exactly why you wouldn’t want these ledgers leaked. I’m certain that you are aware of how this land was acquired and what will happen if the district attorney were made aware of the situation.” Henry doesn’t move. His eyes get a vacant blank stare, which tells me his mind is reeling, trying to find a way out--but there isn’t one. I’ve got him by the balls and he knows it.
Finally, he nods. “But if you fail, I die. Vic will know I was involved. As it is, I'm having difficulty shaking that little shit.”
“That’s why I came to you. I know you’ll want to eliminate any pertinent threats and, now that he’s blown up mine, Vic will be on your doorstep next. This is a preemptive move for you. Since you’ve been playing nice, he won’t see it coming.”
Henry sits down behind his desk and leans back into his chair, tapping his fingertips together. I remain standing, my arms folded across my chest.
Mel flops on a couch and lets out a howl.
“Holy mother of--what the hell is this made of? Bricks?” She rights herself and rubs her elbow.
Henry looks over at her, then Avery, who is sitting on the arm of a couch. “I prefer my things hard.”
“Like your head.”
“Among other things,” Henry says with a smirk before returning his gaze to me. “I’m inclined to agree with you, especially since he already managed to remove the matriarch of your family.” The bastard sits there, audaciously smiling over the death of my mother and the loss of our home. “Project 597 was the prototype. I combined the patent I bought from you with hardware I already had, to create something of a marvel. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to profit from it yet. They need a test run.”
“You already have a buyer?” I know he does, and I know who the buyer is, but I want to hear what he has to say about it.
“I do," he says, nodding proudly. "However, we’re at an impasse until I prove Project 597 is in working order.”
Avery speaks up. “What are you talking about?”
She was there when Henry bought the patent, but she didn’t know what he planned to do with it. I didn’t think he’d get it working, but he did.
Henry smiles at her. The way his eyes sweep over Avery makes me want to punch him in the face. He remembers something, something sexual. I bury the impulse to throw him through the wall.
“Project 597 is a chaos device.” He opens the top desk drawer and pulls out a small box. As he speaks, he opens the lid and takes out a small black bead. “It boasts many marvels, but in this case it functions as an anti-security device. You could compare it to a magnet on a hard drive.”
Mel asks, “It fucks stuff up?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. It renders computers useless. Sean’s patented material combined with my technology made it possible. And the best part is no one will notice a thing until it’s too late. Unlike other devices that disable cameras, computers, and locks--this one successfully tricks the security programs--allowing one to move through a system undetected. If you shut a security system off completely, the computer alerts the owner and authorities.”
Mel asks, “So why won’t this trip the alarm?”
He glances over at her. “Simple. It’s because the computer thinks it is still running. The cameras will begin to play backward, so it doesn’t appear frozen. This device alters the timestamp and initiates the pause by proximity.”
“So this has to be near the main computer system Vic uses?” Avery stares at the little black bead and swallows hard. She knows what’s coming, what I’m going to have her do.
“It does, which is why it’s housed in this cute little contraption.” Henry holds up the bead in the light.
“Add a gold chain and that looks like Black’s bracelet.” Mel realizes the plan as she says it. “Aw, shit! You’re sending us in? That’s the plan. Avery and I sneak in, then you guys kill everyone?”
Henry laughs and holds up his hands. “I’m not killing anyone. In fact, I’m not going.”
“Can’t get that sweater dirty, huh?” Mel’s gaze narrows while she looks at Henry. When she turns to me, she’s all business. “What’s the plan, Ferro? All of it--spill!”
“Black will get an order she can't refuse. Avery will walk right into the trap, and she’ll be sent to Vic. He’s been wanting her and knows Black can’t say no. Black has been doing everything within her power to get Avery to say yes, so go in and agree. Wear your bracelet like you always do and we’ll know where you are. Vic is going to take you to his house. He’ll want to boast before he does anything and show you what he took from you. Before he can do anything, I’ll come for you. Then we’ll show him how it feels to see his home explode. He’ll get to watch from the inside.”
“Sean,” Avery’s voice is weak. Her jaw is hanging open. “How do you know he’ll take me there? What if he goes somewhere else?”
I cross the room to her. Mel moves and I take her seat on the couch next to Avery.
“You don’t have to be the one to go in, but if you do, it’ll be less obvious that we’ve got him. He won’t know we’re there until it’s too late. The fact that he kept you alive says a lot. Vic hates you. He won’t just shoot you. That’ll end too fast.”
“What if something goes wrong? What if you can’t get to me in time?” Avery’s skin is becoming paler, glistening. Her breathing is quickening, and when she takes my hand, she holds it tighter and tighter. I wish we didn’t have to do this, but we have to.
“I will. I’ll get to you. And if something goes wrong, Mel will be there.”
Her eyes meet mine and hold. Fear is overflowing, but she just nods.
“Sean, you know why he wants her, right?” Mel sounds uneasy. Her voice is tight and she’s lost her normal carefree vibe. “Vic is well beyond being a perv.”
“I know.”
“He wants to have sex with his sister… after he kills her.”
Henry chokes suddenly and stands up.
“What? How do you know that?”
“He’s been asking for her, you’re right," Mel says, glancing briefly at Avery and then back at me. "He didn’t say exactly what he wanted to do, but it just clicked. He wants someone he can’t have--Black puts a higher price on that. Avery's his half-sister. Then it falls under the other contract with the crazy high fees because Black is kidnapping someone for him. Black asked him if this was a reorder, but he said he wanted something different. The other women vanished, no bodies, but the last two--they turned up.”
“What are you saying?” Henry places his hands on the desk and leans forward. “That he’s killing these women?”
“Yes but, more than that, I think he’s crossed the line.”
“Yeah, well, wanting to bang his sister proved that point.”
“You’re thinking something else,” I say, prompting her to continue.
“I’ll find out for certain if we go through with this. It’ll show up.” Mel stops talking and paces the room. She’s never this quiet. I know what she’s thinking, but Avery and Henry don’t.
“You can’t stop there!" Henry looks at me and realizes that I already know. "What does he want with her?"
“Let her confirm the order when they go
to Black’s office. It’ll tell us how much time we have. Mel, can you tell Gabe we’re coming? We’ll need him out of the way to take out Black.”
“Done," she says, nodding. "What about Black? You’re going to lure her there?”
“Black will want to gloat," I begin slowly. "She’s been jealous of Avery from day one. I’m sure you noticed the way Black was behaving around you?” I take Avery’s hand. “She wanted to break us apart, and I now believe it had more to do with our past relationship than I originally thought. I didn’t love her, but it's clear how I feel about you.”
Mel starts to mutter something, but Avery glares at her. Mel swallows her words and turns toward Henry, wide-eyed without comment. Henry smirks.
“Can you two give us a moment?” Avery's voice is strong again, certain. Henry rolls his eyes, but grants her request.
“After you, my lady.” He bows in front of Mel.
“Don’t make me kick your ass in your own home," she snaps. "That’d be embarrassing.” The two exchange quips all the way into the hallway, and it’s not until the heavy wooden door closes behind them that the sound completely fades.
“Sean, do you really think this will work?” Her brows wrinkle together as she watches me, worrying.
“I do.” I take her hands in mine and rub the back of her hand with my thumb. “In the past, I’ve held back. I haven’t used every resource available to me. I’ve tried to shield you and keep you out of it, but they won’t leave you alone. Not now, not ever. This is a plan he won't see coming. He already knows Black has been trying to get you to agree. Black is a patient woman. This has been in the making for months and we'll use it against her. Ultimately, it’ll cause her downfall.”
“She still loves you, doesn’t she?”
I close my eyes and look away. Shaking my head, I tell her the truth.
“I don’t know if she ever loved me. I think she just enjoyed the concept of being a Ferro. She chose her life and I chose mine. She thought I was unattainable, but then you caught me. Jealousy rears up for many reasons. We’re going to use that to our advantage.”
