Page 68 of Fire for Effect

“She hates me.”

“After only one day home? What did you do?” She was laughing at me. “You came off too strong, didn’t you? Have you proposed already?”

“No,” I grumbled. “It’s… too soon for that stuff, so quit it.”

Though if I had any inkling that she was amenable to it, I’d consider just picking her up and moving her into my DC condo.

“Aw, are you getting sensitive because you know she’ll say no?” She gave me that pouty, annoying voice.

“You’ll get sensitive when I punch you in the ovaries.”

I turned a corner, and Taz began to slow down the car. I let off the gas to match her pace.

Sierra laughed, but then moved on, thank God. “Matthews was a part of an organization of former government agents and veterans who are quite dissatisfied with the administration,” she said, sounding like she was rolling her eyes. “They’re targeting Cerberus because they think we’re the president's personal hit squad.”

“Aren’t we?”

“Not the point, Kilo.”

“Fine,” I said with a roll of my eyes. And this is why there was government oversight on clandestine services. We couldn’t be trusted. Our compasses were too jammed up in the wrong direction. “How’d you find those details?”

Rural towns turned into a small city, and the long Mohawk River came into view. As we went over the bridge, I admired the red brick buildings, and old broken factories that constituted the downtown area. The place was a little rundown since industry went south in the 70’s, but the buildings that were made to stand continued to house a more transient population.

It felt like a city that would recover, one day.

“My new boyfriend loves his dog. Made the classic mistake of using his name as part of the password. Took almost no time to get in.” She was shameless. But I appreciated that she was on my side. “And before you ask, the process of hacking is mostly automated. I had access before I even kicked him out in the morning.”

“Bullshit. You didn’t let him stay the night.”

She didn’t stop in the town of Amsterdam, but kept on moving, until the road became rural again. Where are you going, my sweet little Firefly?

“You know me well,” said Sierra.

“Anything else other than that?” What about me? What about my woman?

“No.” Sierra was a single woman, with no family. Whatever demons she was running from, she could quiet them with work. A trait both she and Taz shared. “I promise, I am looking, though.”

And that’s what real friends were for.

I was half afraid to introduce them, because they’d get along too well, and I’d be competing for Taz’s precious time.

I figured out her intended destination too fucking late. If I had been a little sharper, and a little smarter, I might have fucking pit maneuvered her, or cut her off before she turned into a drive that looked like it led to a prison. And a prison was where most of those Prodigal Sons belonged.

“Hey, since you’re all about spying… do me a favor,” I said, feeling my knuckles clench on the steering wheel, as I had to pass in order to not give myself away. Taz might know I was trailing her, but I didn’t need to be on the radar of those fucking MC criminals. “Find out what you can about the Prodigal Sons. They’re an MC Club here in upstate New York, but I have no idea if they came from elsewhere.”

“Sure, no problem,” she said, dismissively. “Anything else, your majesty? Would you like me to wipe your ass for you too?”

“I mean… is that off the table? I feel like you’re being sarcastic.”

This time, she hung up on me.

Chapter 18

The Plan

Taz

The explosion was fast, bright, and loud as fuck, and I cackled with glee.

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