Page 61 of A Brother's Secret

We went back inside, and I went to my well-worn and comfortably broken-in desk chair, dropping into it. A swipe of the mouse, and a few clicks of the keyboard and I was in business. I was going through the motions, getting settled into binary and back servers when she slipped into my space. She was like a key in a lock, a custom fit and meant to be there. She didn’t pull up a chair, but rather sank to the floor beside me on her knees, her eyes skating over the screens and lines of code that might as well be alien translated into Greek toher…

She put her hands on my leg, folding them one on top of the other and I closed my eyes for half a second, drawing her energy in, holding it close even though I couldn’t hold her. I opened my eyes and refocused my own energies on getting this accomplished for her. I nudged under firewalls and moved through the web as if I’d spun it myself and found myself in the directories of the security company for IndigoCity.

“You’re really good at this,” she murmured as the camera views for the place flickered to life in all their night vision glory on the high-def screens and monitors.

“No, he’s the best,” Trigger said from the doorway.

“You are not lying, brother…” I murmured flicking through screens onto the big screen forher.

“That’s my portfolio,” she said, pointing to one in a line on the front counter, off to oneside.

“Which one’s your station?” Revelator asked.

“That one,” she pointed at a back wall of the shop. I went through images until I got a decent close-up.

“Someone’s been using the shit out of it, but that’s all my stuff,” she declared, rocking back onto her heels.

“Well then I say we get some sleep, we’ve got a long ride tomorrow,” Trigger declared.

“Wait, what?” She turned to take in each of our grave expressions as Reaver walkedup.

“We riding?” he asked.

“Looks like it,” Rev declared.

“Gotta be tomorrow,” Trig stated. “We got clients the night after. It’ll be tight, but doable.”

“Woah, woah, woah…” Mali chimed in. “We justgothere!”

“You can’t let that shit go, Queenie,” Revelator declared and he was right. Every tattoo she’d ever done was in that portfolio. The proof of her abilities. It would take years to rebuild that and her reputation? She was already back to square one with it. With going back to her original name, Lexi Duran didn’t exist.

She looked agonizingly torn and I knew why… She just wanted to gohome.

“I have to think about this,” she hedged.

“Better think fast, baby,” Trigger threw in and she looked at me, hopeless, helpless, and I understood. It was a big decision.

“Why don’t you ask them cards of yours?” Reaver said, smiling but not unkindly.

A look, almost of relief crossed Mali’s face and I would do anything to keep it there, to give her peace of mind and so I asked her gently, “What am I after?”

She didn’t know where my club room was. She looked up at me and hesitated for half a second and finally said, “In my messenger bag, wrapped in the purple silk scarf. I need my tarot cards.”

It was late, we’d been up nearly twenty hours, but I wouldn’t deny her anything. I nodded, got up and took myself down the hall quickly and fetched what she asked for. When I returned to the common room, I found her at one of the tables, eyes closed, head bowed; waiting and, I think, finding her Zen or whatever.

I set the carefully wrapped pack in front of her and she sighed. I stood apart with the guys and let her do her thing. Watching her with the cards was something different, something new. I had bought them for her, for her birthday, mostly because I had loved the artistry of the deck and I knew she would, too. Also, because she had been super into her heritage that year. You know, as a gypsy… being descended from the actual culture, her dad filling her head with all these stories growing up when he wasn’t being a bag of dicks. I guess it was only natural she should want to find herself.

Apparently, this was one of the things that stuck. Mali had never, not once, expressed any interest in religion when we were kids, but she was spiritual. A deep, hidden kind of spirituality, but there and solid none the less. She’d always believed what she’d believed and fuck anyone who tried to gripe her ass aboutit.

I watched her carefully turn and study each card. Watched her frown over some, nod over others, and generally do her best to find her way. Finally, her shoulders sank and she gave an exhausted and defeatedsigh.

“Looks like we’re going backward to move forward,” shesaid.

“Right, get some sleep, talk to your women, and meet back here. Say,” Trigger checked his watch, “No later than noon tomorrow?”

“Sounds good,” Revelator declared nodding.

“You know I’m in,” Reaver echoed.

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