Page 68 of Blue Embers
“Angelica,” I said to her. “You’ve grown.”
“Si,” she nodded, stepping back. “Two inches since last year.”
“I hope your old man is ready to fight off all of your suiters,” I chuckled. “There will be plenty.”
“I am ready,” Miguel smiled, holding up his fist in a joking gesture.
“I have no boyfriend,” Angelica said bashfully. “I am too busy studying. I am going abroad this summer for language.”
“Ahh,” I raised my brows approvingly. “I hope my salary is paying for your education. If not, I’m sure your father will let me know.”
“Valentyne,” Draven groaned, his deep voice drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
I glanced back at him to see the focused look searing in his eyes and dismissed the pleasant reunions to get on with our business. After taking a few sips of water, I set my glass back down on the nearest coffee table and turned toward Antonio, who had proven himself to be the most alert when it came to my concerns.
“Antonio, I’m not here on holiday,” I said. “We need to get into my bunker.”
“Your bunker?” Antonio asked. “You said you would only need to get in there for emergencies.”
“Well,” I nodded. “I suppose this qualifies. There’s some unrest and I need to make sure everything is secure.”
“O--of course, Senor Valentyne,” he nodded, spinning on his heels and disappearing into another room. When he returned, he was holding a small ring of silver keys and began heading toward the balcony. “Everything is the same as when you left it,” he said.
“Wonderful,” I said, waving toward Draven to follow as I tailed Antonio to the open platform overlooking the beach.
Turning left, the balcony stretched along the cliffside in a narrow path and then down a small flight of stone stairs. At the base of the steps was a sky-blue, wooden door, which Antonio unlocked with one of the silver keys in his hand. Opening it, he stepped aside and motioned for myself and Draven to enter.
“If you need anything, please let us know,” he said.
I inclined my head with appreciation and stepped through a tunnel leading into the hillside. Ten paces in, there was a metal door and a touch pad where I swiped my fingers to wake the screen. Once the outline of a hand lit up on the pad, I placed my palm into the designated area and the screen brightened, scanning every line to confirm my identity. Once the system recognized me, the door clicked and the lock slipped out of place, allowing us entry. I reached for the metal latch and tugged on it as soon as I heard the sound, pulling the door ajar.
On the other side of the door was a large room and though it was mostly empty, it held some of the most valuable information about...well...everything. As soon as I crossed the threshold, sensors brought the ceiling lights to life, illuminating the chamber. On the far wall, three monitors were mounted above a long, metal desk on which the computers sat. There was little else in the bunker save for a couple shelves of storage boxes. There were also some other artifacts from my past that I’d barely thought about over the years since I’d stored them there. I made my way to the computers and began turning them on to see exactly what we were dealing with.
“You think our friend will show?” Draven said, stepping up beside me to watch what I was doing.
“He’s a hacker,” I said as the monitors lit up. “I’d be surprised if the thought even crossed his mind.”
Looking up at the screens, I began surfing my programs and files for anything that didn’t seem right. Anything that was out of place. I began scanning for weaknesses and changes, intent on blocking out any future invasions, when I found a file placed right in the open titled “LOOK HERE” in all capital letters. Draven caught it, too. The two of us glanced at each other to confirm we were both paying attention and then I proceeded to open the mysterious little file. Inside was a video called “Nice to meet you.”
“Cute,” Draven said, though his sarcasm held no hints of amusement.
I rolled my eyes and pushed play, hoping I wouldn’t be even more disappointed by its contents. Stepping back, I watched the video open with a photo of the very hacienda we were standing below. Draven’s fists clenched the coat in his hands, stressing the leather as he crossed his arms sternly over his broad chest. On the screen, words began to type out in front of us.
Hello,it greeted.I’m guessing you’re pretty disappointed to see that I’m not there in person. I was never there, honestly, and considering I don’t have the same wingspan as you, getting there would take days. We don’t have days, do we?
It paused for a moment as the letters faded off the screen, leaving just the photo.Ring, ring,replaced the previous caption and suddenly my cell began to vibrate in my pocket.
Both mine and Draven’s eyes darted toward it as I pulled it out to see the blocked identification slapped across the screen. Quickly, I activated a tracking program on the computer that was already attached to my cell, running it before I opened the conversation. I answered, leaving the phone on speaker. I didn’t talk as I watched the tracing program begin its work. I waited for the person on the other end to say something, but for a long few moments there was silence. Draven groaned with impatience, rubbing his brow with his thumb. Just then, a soft, male chuckle came from the phone.
“I’m assuming you’re not used to being toyed with,” a man’s voice spoke.
“Who are you?” Draven asked, getting straight to the point.
“Someone playing in the same game as you, but with different objectives.”
“What objectives?” I asked.
“Look at the screen,” the stranger instructed.
