Bitter Arrangement: Chapter 19

Rain pours down the alleys of Broadway East. Anyone who normally would sit on their stoops and watch the dealers pass dime bags is hiding inside. I’m in all black, raincoat to boots, and stomp through the puddles toward a lone bar with a bright yellow neon sign: HERE IT IS.

I don’t come here often. This isn’t Brotherhood territory. Local gangs control most of East Baltimore, especially Broadway, but Daron likes this crumbling dive. He thinks the name is funny.

But tonight, he’s not in a good mood. The locals are hunched over their tables drinking shitty beer and ignoring everyone around them. Half the old heads have cigarettes burning. Daron’s sitting in a booth with torn pleather seats and peeling laminate on the table. Above him, old advertisements from Europe with topless women are pasted to nicotine-stained wallpaper.

“What the fuck did you get me into?” he asks the second I sit across from him.

I glance around us. There’s nobody close enough to overhear, and even if there were, there’s a reason we come to HERE IT IS.

Nobody talks in this fucking place.

Secrets come in, and they never go back out.

Aside from Brotherhood venues, it’s about as safe as it gets.

“I take it you finished your job.” I lean back and study him.

Daron throws a manila envelope down in front of me. It’s fatter than I would’ve expected. “Yeah, I fucking finished.” He looks around again, fidgeting in his seat, before leaning closer. “The fucking Black Mantis, Alexan? Are you kidding me?”

I flip open the folder. The first page is a basic dossier on Jeremy Fong, or at least as much personal information as Daron could find. There’s an estimate on height and weight, a guess on age, some background history, but not much else.

The rest of the folder is all about his company and his office.

“This is good work,” I admit, honestly impressed. I knew Daron was good, but I didn’t expect this much so fast.

“I know that.” He looks frustrated as he picks up a glass of cheap whiskey and sips it. He makes a disgusted face like he’d rather suck down toilet water. “Now I get why you gave this job to me instead of the other two, but come on, Alexan. Don’t tell me you’re planning on doing something to—” He gestures at the folder.

Fucker’s too paranoid to even say their name.

I consider how much to tell him. If I were in his position, I’d also be pissed. He didn’t know Fong was part of Mantis when I first made the assignment. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have accepted it. But by the time he figured it out, it must’ve been too late to turn back. I’d bet he had more than half of this folder finished when he realized good old Jeremy is actually Iron Head, the notorious hacker.

“Not directly,” I finally say. “I should’ve warned you, but we both know you’re not stupid.”

“No shit. Which is why I’m not going to accept some half-assed explanation. What’s this about?”

I blow out a long breath and lean back in the booth. “They hired me for a job. There’s an object they want found, but I’ve come to realize that I can’t find it for them.”

“You can’t?” he asks, frowning slightly. “That doesn’t sound right.”

“Maybe more like won’t. The repercussions if I do—” I stop myself, trying to dance around the subject. “People I care about will get hurt.”

“I’m guessing that’s why you’re being so vague.”

“I’m protecting someone.”

He grunts and takes another sip. “God, this is fucking terrible.” He rubs his face with one hand. “Just tell me something. Are you going to get yourself killed?”

“That’s a distinct possibility.”

“And here I was, almost excited for this fucking crew we’re putting together.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to my hell.”

Daron glances toward the door. I can see him making calculations. Only I hope he’s not considering telling Tigran or Arsen about my side hustle.

“What else do you need?” he finally asks.

That’s not what I expected. For a second, I’m too surprised to answer. Daron’s not the kind of guy to stick his neck out for someone, not even for an old friend. I figured I could trust him to do some research, but that would be it.

“This isn’t your problem. You don’t need to get involved.”

“You said you’re protecting someone. Well, the fucker Alexan I know would never do that unless they were important to him.” He stares at me, face showing nothing. “And I did hear you got married recently.”

Motherfucker.

I don’t react. It takes a lot of effort to keep my face calm. Daron’s smart, but he’s guessing. Nobody would really think Riley might be involved with Mantis.

“I barely know my wife,” I say, which is true, if misleading.

“Maybe it’s not her,” he concedes, and a part of my stomach unclenches. “But whoever it is, they must really matter to you. I’m willing to help.” He smiles slightly, crooked and sharp. “To a point at least.”

“I appreciate that,” I say, pulling the folder toward me. I tap the cover with my palm. “But this is more than enough.”

“Just be careful. You know how they are. Fucking Mantis. I’d never get involved with those psychopaths, not in a million years.” He shoves himself from the booth and tosses a twenty down on the table.

“And here you are, offering to do it anyway.”

“Guess we’re getting soft in our old fucking age.” He scowls at me and shakes his head. “Tell me what you’re getting me into next time so I can take better precautions. I thought Fong was just some fancy cyber salesman.”

“If I get through this, there won’t be a next time.”

He laughs as he walks away. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

I let him go. HERE IT IS gets quiet after that. Old men drowning themselves. Young ones finding a place to keep their heads down. The bartender’s a hard, tattooed old lady. She smiles at me when I get up and leave another twenty on the bar just to make sure she forgets I was ever here.

Outside, the rain’s letting up. I head back to my car and flip through the dossier under the light of a sputtering street lamp. Fong’s company is doing pretty well for itself, though I doubt its actual main purpose is real B2B cyber security. They have offices in a secure location out in the suburbs. Twenty-foot fencing, barbed wire, guards on duty, and enough tech to protect Fort Knox.

If Fong’s got the key, he’ll keep it in there. No doubt in my mind.

I pull out and start driving. I’m distracted thinking about how I’m going to get out of this mess, and I almost don’t spot the truck tailing me.

But it gets a little too close, and I spot them. I can’t see who’s driving, not with the headlights and the puddles all over. They try to keep two cars back, and I consider trying to lose them. My heart rate picks up, and I think about what Daron said on his way out.

He should’ve been more careful.

No, I can’t be sure it was him. Mantis would be on his tail, not on mine. I’m betting this is them just making sure I’m doing my job. They have no clue I was in there talking about them. Fong’s being paranoid, and for good reason.

This watch is important, and he’s as dead as I am if I don’t come through.

I ultimately decide not to get into a car chase. Instead, I drift back home, going slow and steady. My tail sticks back there, being careful, but not too careful. I’m on edge by the time I park out front and hurry in through the front door.

I activate my security system.

“You’re home.”

Riley’s standing in the hallway. She’s got a glass of wine in one hand. Her hair’s up and messy, and she’s in a pair of wide-legged sweats with a tank top.

“You need to come with me.” I walk over and take her by the arm.

“Hey, what are you doing?” She struggles slightly as I drag her upstairs. “Seriously, Alexan, stop it.”

I don’t let go. I pull her into our room and slam the door behind me before making sure the blinds are drawn and the curtains are closed. It takes a lot of willpower not to activate my panic mode.

“What the fuck is up with you?” she says, glaring at me. “You can’t just come home and start pushing me around.”

I peek out one of the blinds. The truck that followed me is parked down the block. Its lights are off, but I recognize the bumper.

“Don’t go near the windows,” I say, snapping the blinds closed again.

“Excuse me? Have you lost your mind?”

“Stay in here for the rest of the night. Hell, stay in here for the next month.”

“Alexan.” Her jaw’s tight as she glares at me. “Tell me what’s happening.”

I have to take a calming breath. I’m overreacting, but I don’t like that Mantis is following me. They haven’t done anything threatening yet, though it’s only a matter of time before they get more aggressive. The longer it takes for me to show results, the pushier Fong’s going to get.

Until he runs out of patience and kills us both.

“I was followed.” I turn to face her. “Right now, I’d guess there are at least a handful of killers lurking outside and keeping an eye on us.”

Her face pales slightly. “Are you joking?”

“Not at all. I don’t think Mantis is going to start shooting, but that won’t last forever. I need you to stay away from the windows.”

She chews her lip, looks over my shoulder for a second, then down to my hand. “What’s that?” she asks.

I hold up the folder. “This is nothing.”

“Is that why they’re following you now?”

“No.” I tuck it under my arm. “Just be careful.” I brush past her and into the hall.

“Next time, try communicating before you start dragging me around,” she calls out.

I don’t bother responding. I put the folder down in my office and log into my computer system just to make sure everything’s okay. As far as I can tell, nobody has tried to penetrate my network.

I lean back and stare at the Mantis watch.

What the fuck am I going to do with that thing? And what in the hell am I going to do with my wife?