Page 63 of Resolutions

“That's what everyone says. Melanie, you should know, the ladies are hyper-focused on this case. They told me they've been waiting for the fall of the Emperor,” Law explains, absently stirring his coffee. “They've been chasing rumors of him for years. Now, having a name to connect to someone real. Well,” he shakes his head, “those two won't stop until they have everything.”

“Did you,” Evelyn's voice sounds haunting, “say years?”

“Yes.”

Evelyn looks at me as tears run down her face.

“What? What's wrong?” Law and I sit forward in our chairs, concerned with this sign of emotion.

She closes her eyes and says, “How many women?” She can't continue her sentence, but what she says hits me like a loaded freight train.

I glance at Law and see he's processing the same thoughts we are. How long has Michael been ruining people's lives? How many women has he tormented, terrorized, and tortured? Howmany realized in the last moments of their lives that all hope was gone? I put my head back and look at the ceiling, unable to do anything else. The three of us sit in silence.

After a bit, I ask, needing to change the subject, “Ah, how did,” I clear my throat. “How did Mouse and Keyboard end up working with you?” I'm both genuinely curious about the two unique ladies and desperate to stop my mind from thinking about all the women I didn't know about and therefore couldn't have helped. I knew there was something about Michael. We all did. Time after time, we just chose to make snide comments and excuse it away. What a fool I'd been.

Law sits for a moment longer, then exchanges a glance with Evelyn before answering. “They were caught hacking the Department of Defense, not to steal secrets, but to expose a contractor who was trafficking women through military bases. What they were doing was right, they just went about it wrong. They were facing serious prison time, but the FBI recognized their skills and thought they could be better used on our side. The ladies specifically requested to work trafficking cases, and since I handle a lot of those, poof, I'm now responsible for them.”

“Why would they request trafficking cases?” Evelyn asks quietly.

Law sighs, “It's personal to them. Remember when I said their families are best friends? I meant all their family members. The two families even lived next to each other in a village. Well, one day when the girls were young, just six, they witnessed their two aunts be forcibly taken by a group of men in a truck. They remember the back of the truck had several women already in it. Two of the men picked up the girls, but another man stopped them from taking them.”

Evelyn gasps, placing her hand over her mouth. I shake my head, shocked at how forceful and garish these people can be.

“The families searched for days, but nothing came from it. The ladies were so scared by what happened they slept under their beds for a year. When they got older, they vowed somehow they would stop traffickers. So, they started learning everything they could about computers, hacking, and trafficking. They did a deep dive into the dark web, establishing themselves as hacking forces to be reckoned with.” Law leans forward, placing his hands around his coffee cup. “They've found evidence to bust thirty-seven trafficking operations.”

“Did they find their aunts?” I whisper.

“No. But every case they crack, every woman they help save. Well, it's a way of honoring the memory of their aunts.”

We sit in silence until the food arrives. My heart aches over how wretched it must have been for those two girls to watch their loved ones be taken.

The food arrives, and I can't help but quietly laugh to myself at Evelyn's expression as the guys bring bag after bag of food to the table. Quickly, a veritable feast of containers fills the conference table; sauces and packets are everywhere. Mouse and Keyboard emerge from their tech cave like sharks scenting blood, making a beeline for their shared pile of food. Their playful personas snap back into place as they load plates with impossible amounts of food.

“Good choice,” Keyboard says, pouring a spicy-looking sauce over her rice.

“Yes, we need brain fuel,” Mouse adds, expertly wielding chopsticks despite typing one-handed on her phone.

“Your brains seem plenty fueled,” Evelyn observes, watching in fascination as they demolish container after container.

“Sugar rush is wearing off,” Keyboard explains.

“Yeah, we need a protein boost for the next phase,” Mouse nods.

“They always talk like this?” I ask Law quietly.

“Finishing each other's sentences? Yes, all the time. They say it's more efficient.” He shrugs. “I guess, when you've been in each other's heads as long as they have.”

“Have you two always been so good with computers?” I ask before biting into my egg roll.

“No, we learned, we started classes at eight,” Mouse offers.

“Did first hack at fourteen,” Keyboard adds.

“For eighteen birthday we hack the Pentagon,” Mouse smiles a toothy grin.

“Amateur hour.” Keyboard smiles the same grin. “Not now though.”

“No, not now.” Mouse giggles. “Finally, they listen to us and make changes.”

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