Page 14 of Bitter Arrangement

I walk over to the suite doors. It’s for some company called Arcis Secure Tech. I do a quick search on my phone and get a few hits for AST from my personal LLM model. Turns out, they’re a legit cybersecurity firm, or at least on the outside.

Nothing Mantis does is legit past the surface. No time to do any serious digging, though.

It’s a Saturday, and the office looks empty. There’s a big man waiting at reception. He’s leaning against the counter and reading a home decoration magazine with a bored frown. When I approach, he glances up and holds out a single hand.

“Gun,” he says.

I hesitate, not happy about this, but Tigran’s words play through my head. If Mantis wanted me dead, they wouldn’t have invited me to a meeting in some normie office park.

I hand over my weapon, and he waves me on. “First conference room on the left.”

So much for shooting if things get dicey.

I find a younger man waiting at a large table. He’s sitting at the end and glaring down at his phone. He’s got on a sleek suit and looks more like a salesman than a member of a notorious criminal organization. His frown doesn’t change when I approach the table. I don’t sit down.

“Are you Iron Head?” I ask, studying him. I expected someone big and tough based on the nickname he uses in messages. But this man is sleek and athletic and seems better suited to desk work.

“That’s me,” he says, leaning back and crossing his arms. “And you must be the infamous Permafrost?”

I pull out a chair and sit down. I like that he’s using my hacker alias instead of my real name. For some reason, that puts me at ease. I’m positive he knows exactly who I am, but it’s a sign of respect that he’s not saying it out loud.

“I understand that you have a missing object you need me to find.” I meet his hard gaze. “Normally, I don’t take this kind of meeting in person, but given your status—” I don’t finish that sentence. He knows exactly what I mean.

Mantis is an organization that demands respect.

Iron Head slides a simple USB key across the table. “This contains everything you need. The device was stolen one week ago, and so far, we haven’t been able to track it down. We know it’s still in Baltimore based on our location data. We know it hasn’t been activated. But beyond that, there’s nothing.”

I frown at the key and raise it up. “What exactly am I looking for?”

“It’s a watch,” he says.

My eyebrows raise in surprise. “That’s not really my expertise. If you’re missing some jewelry?—”

“But it’s much more than just a watch.” His expression is pained as he folds his hands together in front of him. “I cannot tell you exact details or what is on the device. Suffice it to say that the object looks like an antique pocket watch, but it contains extremely sensitive data. It’s rigged to ping location towers every hour on the hour; however, it’s currently not transmitting. The last few connections are detailed on that key. We are willing to pay you very, very handsomely to find the watch, return it to our organization, and hand over whoever stole it.”

I shift slightly in my seat.Hand overmeans Iron Head and Mantis are going to make a brutal example out of that poor bastard.

Not my problem, though.

Whoever did it must be fucking insane or very stupid if they stole from these people.

“If you can’t find it, why do you think that I can?”

“My people are currently busy with more pressing matters. Besides, we’ve been very impressed with your work for us to this point. We’re curious to see what else you’re capable of.”

It’s not just a job then.

This is a test.

For what, I’m not really sure. Black Mantis is an international organization, but they’re shadowy. Everyone knows they’re not to be fucked with, but beyond that? I can’t even guess the schemes they’re pulling.

Getting their business would be huge for the Brotherhood.

I’ve done small jobs for them so far. Little hacks like with that pervy senator. Stuff they easily could’ve done themselves.

But they paid me to do it instead, which says they’re curious about our operation.

“I’ll do it,” I tell him and push back my chair. “How long do I have?”

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