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  She must have drawn down her accounts. Maybe Kappert had transferred the money for her. If so, she was planning on staying underground for a while. Which meant Thia had better find her before she got good at it. She leaned back and stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray on the nightstand, then settled in for a long night of searching.

  After a greasy hamburger and four hours of trawling through call records and security camera feeds at Nicholle’s favorite haunts, Thia came up with nothing. She was tired and bored, but if spycraft had taught her anything, it was that persistence paid off.

  She decided to try battering nodes. Maybe Kappert’s friends knew something and had a penchant to talk. Thia ran down the usual rectos and found the usual chatter—advice on node programming, news articles on quantum theory, announcement of a batter death. Arn Trumblis. Apparently dead after a sortie into American Hologram, which apparently used illegal military sentinels. The announcement called for a blitz on the company. Any and all interested batters were told to try and compromise their systems.

  Interesting.

  Thia tapped into the admin privileges and accessed the WP address of the recto post. It would take no time at all to match the addy and locate the address.

  Bingo. District Heights, 700 block. Addy belonged to a Cor Wynst, not Chris Kappert. Still, it looked promising.

  Midnight. Thia would get three hours’ sleep, then leave to check on the address. Right now, she was tired. She spiraled out, then leaned back on the pillow and closed her eyes. As soon as she did, her incoming call light flashed, yellow cubes melding with red circles. Wu Ji. What did he want at this hour?

  She winked open a line and the angular face of Wu Ji hovered over her. His usual brooding eyes held an unusual brightness, and a wry smile creased his face.

  “This had better be good,” Thia said.

  “Hello to you, too.”

  “I’m on assignment, Ji.”

  “And I thought weekends were for me.”

  “Assignments take precedence.”

  “This will just take a couple hours. A company representative wants to buy enzo chips from a Chinese supplier. I need you to negotiate the deal.”

  “I don’t even know what an enzo chip is.”

  “I’m hiring you for your negotiation skills, not scientific knowledge.”

  “What is it, anyway?”

  “It eliminates enzymes from DNA samples.”

  “Whatever that means. Isn’t it kind of late for a business deal?”

  “It’s under the radar.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Downtown, Clinton Building. Columbia conference room, fifth floor.”

  “How much?”

  “Five hundred thousand.”

  “Seven.”

  “All right. One a.m. I’ll have my attorney meet you there with the papers. His name’s Edor Fol. And be on time.” Then he was gone.

  Either Ji was in a hurry or this deal was really important. He hadn’t even taken the time to try and bargain her price. Wasn’t like him. Her curiosity was definitely piqued, but it looked as if it would be an all-nighter.

  Thia rolled out of bed and grabbed a protein bar, wolfing it down on the way to her car. She kept a suit and a gown in the trunk for unexpected events. They also doubled as personal body armor, which had saved her on more than one occasion.

  b

  The Clinton building boasted the city’s only zero-energy system. Glazed mirrors reflected the surfaces of the surrounding buildings, which lent an oppressive air to the structure.

  Thia wriggled in her navy suit as she pressed the button for the fifth floor, trying to shrug off the extra ten pounds of body armor. She only wore it when she would be walking into an unfamiliar, potentially dangerous situation. She didn’t really want to be here, but the money was too good to pass up.

  Not knowing the players, she was going in cold, but businessmen tended not to carry around heavy firepower—just their bodyguards, who were trained and predictable—so she felt relatively safe. But she’d rather be chasing down Nicholle, if nothing more than for the privilege of finding Wills and holding a pulser to his head. She could almost smell the fear in his sweat.

  The elevator carried over the mirror theme, and she was treated to two full-length views of herself; the other two walls were decorated with faux green marble.

  The doors opened and two beefy bodyguards stiffened. They flanked the entrance to the conference room, marked by a double faux green marble door. Thia calculated how she could take both of them with the bakepar shuriken hidden in her upswept hair, then smiled.

  “I’m Tyra Thibodeaux,” Thia said. “Here to negotiate the enzo chip deal.”

  “Mr. Zhao send you?” the guard on the left said.

  “No, Mr. Ji.”

  “I’ll need some ID.”

  “No problem.” Thia opened her purse and rifled through her wallet, looking for the Thibodeaux ID card. It was nestled between Sanbora and Venat.

  “Ah, here we go.” She handed it to the guard, who inspected it with the intensity of a bondage club bouncer, then handed it back.

  “We’ll have to scan for weapons.”

  “But I see you have two weapons,” Thia said, winking.

  The guard looked away, but smirked as he pulled a metdet camera from his jacket and viewed her through the scope. She was wearing her chain mail underwear, and she enjoyed watching the guard’s reaction to the view. It also didn’t hurt that he didn’t notice the trace metal in her shoe.

  “Am I clear?” she said.

  “All clear, ma’am. Welcome.” He opened the door onto the proceedings and Thia stepped inside. The conference room was wood paneled, and the plush gold carpeting muted the voices of those inside. A rectangular wood table sat in the center of the room, flanked by eight chairs. A large translucent image of what Thia surmised was an enzo chip hung suspended in the air above the table.

  How cheesy, she thought.

  There were two men and one woman in the room, making it look as if she were the last to arrive. But they probably hadn’t just gotten a phone call an hour ago telling them to show up. The woman was the first to approach. She had a confident stride, but she retained an air of malice about her.

  “Hi, I’m Juna Hix. You must be Tyra Thibodeaux.” She reached through the holographic chip to offer her hand and Thia wanted to squeeze it until the smirk on her face disappeared, but took her hand and shook it firmly.

  “Why, yes I am. So nice to meet you.” She affected a southern accent, which usually lulled people into thinking she was nice. “Can we turn this image off?”

  “This is my partner, Ruyan Wexted, of Wexted, Hwan, and Chelo,” Juna said. She motioned to the man sitting at the table, who got up and reached over for a handshake. He was tall with a potato-shaped face, receding hairline, and a quiet confidence that made him attractive. Thia exchanged pleasantries, letting her hand linger in his a second longer than necessary. He didn’t seem in a hurry to let go.

  She turned to meet the other man, who stood on the opposite side of the table. He had café au lait skin and shoulder-length dreadlocks, quite easy on the eye. If it weren’t for the skank in the grey suit, she’d have been in hog heaven.

  “I’m Edor Fol, attorney for Kunver Enterprises,” he said.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Thia said.

  “Well, shall we start?” Juna said.

  Juna was rushing the meeting, a bad sign. Thia slipped off her jacket and threw it on one of the chairs. It was hot in the room, a common tactic to make the other negotiators lethargic, in this case her and Edor. Juna didn’t know Thia had spent weeks in the Australian outback on survival training. She was going to have to do a lot better than this if she was going to fluster her.

  “Just a moment
to consult with Mr. Fol,” Thia said.

  Juna gave her a tight-lipped smile, but said nothing. Thia took Edor to the back corner to discuss the deal.

  “Notice how hot the room is, and that they didn’t even offer us anything to drink? They’re trying to play psychological warfare. What’s the maximum you want to pay for these enzo chips?” Thia said.

  “They promised a deep discount, so we’re willing to go to ninety million.”

  “How much are they usually?”

  “About one hundred fifty million for a truck load.”

  “A forty percent discount. Do you usually traffic in stolen goods?”

  Edor straightened, an indignant look on his face. “Certainly not.”

  “In denial, eh? Well, Wu Ji must like you because he sent me. Follow my lead and you’ll be paying seventy-five.”

  “You seem rather confident.”

  “It’s a rarefied air. Breathe deep and enjoy yourself.” Thia strolled to the table and sat down, then spoke in a loud voice, interrupting Juna and Ruyan.

  “Let’s get started.”

  Juna gave her another tight-lipped grin, put her hand on Ruyan and whispered something to him, then came to the table and sat down. She crossed her hands in front of her.

  “Getting comfortable already? Let’s try to get this over with as soon as possible. I’m sure you’re tired,” Juna said.

  Try staying up three days in downtown Copenhagen chasing some asshole terrorist, she thought. Tired was not being able to sleep because you had to hold a weapon on some lowlife scumbag all night to keep him from killing you.

  “Not at all. In fact, I’m just getting warmed up. Now, you have some chips for sale. What’s your price?” Thia said.

  “Hm, straight to the chase. I like that. We’re willing to sell at one hundred twenty million. And we can deliver on Friday or the following Monday. Which do you prefer?”

  “That’s cute, the old double option close. Listen, we’re willing to pay fifty million for delivery on Friday. I think that’s a reasonable offer.”

  “Fifty million? Surely you jest. We’re talking Dyna8 chips, top-of-the-line merchandise.”

  “You mean stolen merchandise.”

  “Stolen? How dare you?” Juna paused to give Thia a nonverbal dressing down. “We offer a guarantee of satisfaction. How could we do that if the merchandise was stolen?”

  “You didn’t use the subjunctive. That tells me something, unless you’re ignorant of its use. The timing of this meeting tells me another. Don’t take me for a fool, Ms. Hix.”

  “No one’s calling you a fool, Ms. Thibodeaux.”

  “I didn’t say you were calling me one, I said don’t take me for one. Sixty million, take it or leave it.”

  “I see you’re not taking this deal seriously. Very well.” Juna began gathering her papers. “We can deal with other companies. I’m sure there are—”

  “Ms. Hix, please. Let me talk to Ms. Thibodeaux outside for a moment,” Edor said.

  Thia rolled her eyes, then clutched the table to push her chair away. She joined Edor outside the oak doors, down the hall from the two guards.

  “What are you doing? We’re about to lose the deal,” Edor said. His face contorted, drawing his eyebrows together.

  “Don’t tell me you fell for that.”

  “I’m not about to take a chance on this. Either you close this deal, or I’m calling Mr. Ji.”

  Edor’s back was facing the two guards, blocking their view of her. Thia reached in her pocket and extracted a switchblade, which she held to Edor’s neck, pressing the blade into the soft underside of his jaw. The shocked look on his face told her he was unaccustomed to extreme negotiations.

  “Listen, bitch. I’m the one calling the shots here. I’m the one Ji called.” Thia spoke in a low voice. “I’ve got more important things to do than sit around all night, flapping my giblets, trying to save you a few million. Now, you want this deal closed, fine. I’ll close it. But don’t piss me off, or they’ll find your DNA on those little chips of theirs. Understand?”

  Edor’s silence and wide eyes gave her the answer she wanted. She lowered the blade, retracted it, and slipped it back into her pocket. Then she straightened her jacket and walked back down the hall, her heels clacking on the faux marble tile.

  Thia flung open the oak door and paused, hand on her hip. “Ninety million, best and final offer.”

  “But—” Juna started.

  “Do I have to repeat myself? I said best and final.”

  “I’ll discuss it with my partner,” Juna said. She got up and took Ruyan aside as Thia walked around to her side of the table. Edor stepped inside with a cautious look on his face. He sat down at the corner of the table, on the edge of the seat, far from Thia.

  Thia drummed her fingernails on the table as she blew out a puff of air that lifted her bangs.

  Juna finished consulting with Ruyan and sat down at the table opposite Thia. Her eyes flashed an air of arrogance that Thia wanted to squeeze out.

  “We accept your offer.”

  “Good. Edor, pull out the—”

  “But…at such a low price, we will have to revoke our guarantee.”

  “Revoke? You hadn’t planned on offering it in the first place.”

  “I resent—”

  “Just sign the papers so we can all go home.” She’d had enough of this run-around.

  Juna bit her lip, but retrieved a pen from her jacket and gathered the papers that Edor and Ruyan had placed on the table. All the parties signed, and the respective attorneys filed them away in their briefcases. Thia pushed away from the table and stood up.

  “Nice doing business with you,” she said.

  “Quite. That was easier than the deal with Janice Brown,” Ruyan said.

  “Janice Brown? The personal attorney for Wills Ryder?” Thia said. The one he cheated on her with. Ho.

  “Ye-es. You know her?” Ruyan said.

  “Old friend of mine. We go way back, although I haven’t spoken to her in a while. Did she buy chips for Wills, too?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t divulge any information. Attorney-client privilege, you know.”

  “Oh, I understand.” She winked at Ruyan. “Well, I’d better be getting back to my hotel. Thank you, Juna, Ruyan, Edor. I hope this will be a profitable deal for all.”

  Edor held his peace as he shut the briefcase, barely giving her a glance. Thia stifled a grin, then left the room. The two guards were still eyeing her as the elevator doors shut.

  Thia rode down to the parking garage and walked to her car. She climbed inside and sat, waiting for Ruyan to come down. What the hell would Wills want with enzo chips? She was determined to find out. Ruyan himself might not know, but he knew more than he was telling, and she meant to find out what.

  After a couple games of sudoku to help keep herself awake, she saw Ruyan alight from the elevator with Juna. He seemed to be trying to persuade Juna to come with him, but she begged off. Good. He walked to a blue Javelin and got in.

  She pulled behind him as he rounded the corner out of the garage. If he were an out-of-towner, it would be to her advantage, as he would probably be staying in the Taylor, which was just a few blocks away. If not, she might be in for a long drive to the purlieus.

  Ruyan eased around the corner, down half a block, then pulled up to the valet parking in front of the Regal. Lazy ass, she thought. Still, the Regal was certainly no dive. It catered to those who could afford the steep price, usually rich diplomats and billionaire friends of the president. Why was a mere attorney here? Unless he was on the payroll of someone richer than his client.

  She pulled up behind Ruyan and hopped out of the car, calling his name just as he was about to enter the hotel.

  “R
uyan!”

  He turned, his face registering surprise at first, then delight. Old guy was probably lonely. Thia slipped the valet a $1,000 bill. Normally they only let in guests who were staying at the hotel, but she kept area hotel and restaurant valets, hostesses, and waiters on her payroll. She had gotten more than one good tip from a waiter with an eagle eye.

  “Miss Thibodeaux. I didn’t know you were staying here,” Ruyan said.

  “I just checked in before I went to the meeting. Running late.”

  “That’s easy to do in this area. Care to join me for a celebratory drink?”

  “I’d be delighted.” Thia wrapped her arm around Ruyan’s and strode through the open doors. He led her over to the bar and pulled out her chair at a small table in a back corner. The shadow of the candle flame danced across the wall, licking the stucco as it went. A waiter appeared as soon as they were seated, and Thia wondered if word of her valet tip had made the rounds yet.

  “What will you have?” Ruyan said.

  “Scotch on the rocks.”

  “I’ll have the same.”

  The waiter made a note in the air, then left. Thia caught the bartender’s attention and put up two fingers. The bartender, Vas, nodded in reply. Ruyan leaned forward and began rubbing his five-o’clock shadow, a puzzled look on his face.

  “He owes me one. I was just telling him I wanted these on the house,” she lied. Vas would think she had just tracked down another pedophile and would mix in her special powder in his drink.