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Chapter 30
Aurora
Idon’t have a lot of time. Even when I’m being escorted off the compound’s premises, I’m surrounded on all sides by an army of guards. It’s honestly suffocating, but my heart beats frantically with anticipation. If Catherina’s done what she said she would, I have forty to fifty minutes of privacy with a laptop and an internet connection.
Given my computing capabilities, I’m confident I’m about to doa lotof damage. Konstantin won’t know what’s coming.
We really do arrive at the doctor’s clinic, and we really are taken to one of the examination rooms in the very back. Catherina is already there waiting for me, her arms crossed over her chest. There’s a clunky black laptop sitting on the exam table.
I can’t help but curl my nose at it. “Seriously?”
“Is there a problem?”
“This thing looks like it was made in the nineties.”
“It’s the best I can do on short notice. Can you make do with it or not?”
I pry open the laptop and boot it up. It’s running on Windows XP. I stifle the urge to roll my eyes. Not ideal, but it’s better than nothing. The internet connection isn’t as strong as I would have liked either, but I can make do.
“I want some privacy,” I tell her.
Catherina frowns at me. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I work best when I have space to breathe. I’m not going anywhere. You can have guards posted at the door if you need to, but I don’t want you breathing down my neck and distracting me.”
The woman huffs, throwing her hands up in some semblance of mock surrender. “Remember, the goal is to identify and get into Konstantin’s accounts.”
“I know, I know. Now, please leave so I can get to work.”
“I’ll be back when our time is up. Konstantin will be returning from a meeting downtown, and I’d prefer it if we got back to the compound before he did.”
I nod, setting the laptop on the doctor’s low desk. It’s built directly into the wall, a little wheely stool set out just before it. I take a seat, roll my head from side to side to stretch my neck, crack my knuckles, and get to work.
A man like Konstantin is careful. Why else would he split his money across several different accounts across the continent? I sincerely doubt he’d be stupid enough to leave his passwords just lying about somewhere. He probably has an accountant, someone to manage his books.Thatis my opening.
I take a deep breath, searching my memories. I think back to my internship at CyberFort and the day we were hacked because Buck made the stupid mistake of clicking a link from an unknown sender. A jolt of inspiration spikes through me. It’s a long shot, but it just might work.
Glancing at the time in the bottom right-hand corner of the laptop’s screen, I take note of how many minutes I have left. Thirty, maybe thirty-five. Given how slow my internet browser is loading, that’s not enough time to write a brand-new virus, but a keystroke logging program… That’s the next best thing.
I get to work, my blood thrumming through my veins. My mind is so thankful for the stimulation that I feel the genuine sting of tears in my eyes, so relieved to finally be doing something productive. I need to help Mikhail in any way I can. And since I don’t know how to fight, don’t know how to use a gun, at least I can do this much and tear Konstantin down from the inside.
A keystroke logging program is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a tiny little piece of software that’s capable of collecting every press of a letter and every click of a mouse. Every email, login username and password, and number input would be in the palm of my hands. I don’t see any point going after Konstantin directly, but his accountant? Chances are he’s too busy juggling all the Antonov Bratva’s accounts to realize something is amiss—until it’s too late.
Five minutes left. My program is almost done. Now for a few more pieces of vital information.
I carefully get up from the stool I’ve been seated on and stretch. My hand falls protectively to my belly. My gradual weight gain is starting to become noticeable, my joints somewhat swollen and my back always sore. I make a silent promise to myself that when this is all over, I’m going to take my baby somewhere safe. Somewhere they can grow up happy and healthy, far away from this Bratva nonsense.
I poke my head out the door to the exam room. Catherina stands on just the other side of the hall. It seems she’s taken to guarding me herself.
“Everything alright?” she asks, though I don’t think she’s so much concerned about me as she is with the task at hand.
I throw a cautious glance down the hall to make sure nobody is listening. “I need the name of the Antonov Bratva accountant.”
“There are several,” she points out. “Konstantin does not like to have all his eggs in one basket.”
“Then I needalltheir names. As well as their emails.”
“That might take me some time…” she admits. I appreciate her honesty. “I can’t go around asking for that information so brazenly. It’ll raise suspicions.”
