Code Conspiracy. Carol Ericson

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СКАЧАТЬ always operate on the up-and-up.”

      She withdrew her hand from his and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth.

      Had he gone too far? He held his breath.

      Her cell phone buzzed on the counter where she’d plugged it in to charge.

      “Hold that thought.” She raised her index finger.

      Hold the thought? His appeal had gotten a better reception than he’d thought it would. He let out a noisy breath and picked up his pho again as she answered the phone.

      “What is it? Thought you were at a party.”

      He almost spit out the pho he’d just put in his mouth. Did she have a boyfriend now? Just because he hadn’t been able to move on after their breakup didn’t mean she hadn’t found someone to keep her warm at night.

      “Wait, wait. Slow down. Who’s following you? Did you get a look at him?”

      This time he almost choked on some noodles. Listening in on Jerrica’s phone conversations was proving hazardous to his health.

      “Where are you now? Is Kelly with you?” She snapped her fingers at him and pointed to a pen and an envelope on the counter.

      Maybe not a boyfriend. He shoved the pen and paper toward her and then went back to his soup, trying to concentrate on avoiding the slimy-looking veggies floating back and forth and to tune out Jerrica’s escalating tone of voice.

      “Stay right there. I’m serious. I’m coming.” She glanced up at Gray. “We’re coming.”

      He raised his eyebrows and tapped the handle of the spoon against his chest.

      Jerrica nodded and ended the call, stuffing the envelope into her back pocket. “You wanted inside information on Denver? Here’s your chance.”

      “What’s this all about? Who was on the phone?”

      “That was one of my coworkers at Dreadworm.” She downed the rest of her wine. “He thinks he’s being followed.”

      “What does that have to do with Denver?”

      “Amit was working on delving into some classified correspondence regarding that weapons stash at the embassy outpost in Nigeria.” She grabbed her backpack and slung it over one shoulder. “Denver was on that, wasn’t he?”

      “He was, and now your coworker is being followed.” Gray cocked his head. “He’s not…like you, is he?”

      She wrinkled her nose. “What exactly does that mean?”

      “You know, slightly paranoid.”

      She punched his shoulder with a right jab that made him flinch. “Get your stuff. We’re meeting him in twenty minutes at a coffeehouse in the Village.”

      He grabbed his flannel and rubbed his shoulder. “Can we walk?”

      “Subway. I’ll make a New Yorker out of you yet.”

      As they raced down the building’s stairs, Gray poked her back. “Why are we running to meet Amit? If you need to talk to him in person, why doesn’t he come here?”

      “He’s scared. I could hear it in his voice. That’s the best time to get them talking.”

      “Dreadworm shares information with the world. Are you telling me that its employees don’t share with each other?”

      “Employees? We’re not really employees.”

      She hiked up her pack and strode down the sidewalk of her Lower East Side neighborhood where people still milled around after their dinners and ducked in and out of shops. Gray kept pace with her.

      Jerrica made a sharp right turn to head down the stairs to a subway station.

      He followed her down and grabbed her arm as she started to push through the turnstile. “I need a Metrocard.”

      “Oh, I forgot.” She led him to a machine and he purchased a single ride.

      If Jerrica planned to dart around the city dragging him along with her, he’d better get a pass next time. But really, the woman had enough money stashed away to hire a car service. He did, too, but he felt about as disconnected from his money as she did from hers—probably for similar reasons. Neither one of them had earned the money on their own.

      The subway swallowed them up and spit them out somewhere on the edge of Greenwich Village.

      “Do you know where you’re going? You haven’t looked at the address since you wrote it down in your kitchen.” He lengthened his stride to match her smaller but more numerous steps.

      She patted the back pocket of her jeans. “It’s right here if you wanna have a look, but I memorized it.”

      His gaze darted to her backside, shapely in her tight jeans, and his knees weakened for a second before he stuffed his hand in his own pocket. “That’s okay. I trust that brain of yours.”

      “It’s not much farther. Probably just around the next corner.”

      He didn’t even bother asking her how she knew that. He’d accepted her calculating mind. What he couldn’t accept was her guarded heart, but then he’d exceeded her distrustful expectations by dumping her once he’d found out she worked for Dreadworm. She’d fully gotten and relished the irony of his asking for her help, using the same skills he’d lambasted before.

      He could live with eating crow—a lot of it—if it meant clearing Denver and getting to the bottom of this terrorist plot.

      Jerrica tugged on his sleeve. “This way. You were about to pass it right by.”

      He veered to the right, dodging oncoming pedestrians. How could Amit know anyone was following him with all these people coming and going?

      “This is it.” Jerrica tipped her chin toward a building with a blue-and-white striped awning over the front door. “I hope he’s still here and didn’t get spooked.”

      Gray lunged past her to open the door, and the soft strains of a guitar melody curled around them, drawing them into a dark space where he caught a whiff of roasted coffee beans. He couldn’t drink coffee at this time of night, but the smells took him back to late-night conversations with Jerrica, who seemed to run on the stuff when she was working on a gnarly hacking job for Dreadworm—when he’d believed she was just a programmer dedicated to her clients.

      He glanced at her, eyes closed and nostrils flaring, getting a caffeine buzz off the fumes.

      Her lids flew open and she scanned the room. “Damn, I don’t see Amit.”

      “Do you want to get something and wait?” He gestured toward the counter. “I could go for a chocolate croissant.”

      “You go ahead.” She swung her backpack around and dipped into the front zippered pouch, pulling out her phone. “I’m going to text him.”

      As СКАЧАТЬ