Page 12 of Finders Keep Her
I begin to back out while simultaneously attempting to cover my tracks.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I say it over and over again until I’m fully out.
My heart thuds in my chest, my screen now black. I notice that my hands have a slight shake to them. I ball them into fists a few times before I grab my shit, getting out of the coffee shop as quickly as I can.
I throw my stuff across the cab of the truck as I hop in and take off. I don’t head toward home. I fucked up. I push harder on the gas, going in the opposite direction of home. I don’t stop until I’m out of the city.
When I find an empty road, I pull over. Getting out of my truck, I go toward the back, climb in, open the toolbox, and grab one of the burner phones. I do something I never do.
I call for help.
It rings a few times before Zero answers, but he doesn’t speak.
“It’s Marks.”
“Okay,” he responds.
“What’s going on?” I hear a sleepy Cosima say in the background.
“It’s all right,” he tells her. “Go back to sleep, sweetness.”
A wave of emotion crashes over me. He’s so good with her, always taking care, wanting the best for her. I’m into a guy, and I might have just gotten him killed or put a target on his head.
“What’s the problem?” he says a few seconds later.
“I fucked up.”
“Must be bad if you’re calling me.” Isn’t that the truth? I’m always solo. That’s why Bruce and I bicker so much. He prefersteams. The last time I was supposed to go in, it was with a big group, and I tapped out, taking off.
“I might have put a target on Ronan’s head.”
“Ronan is a living target.”
“I’m not joking,” I growl.
"Ronan can take care of himself."
"But someone knows I'm watching him. They might go after him."
"He can handle himself. That I can promise you."
"Damn it, Zero, you have no clue who I'm talking about."
"It doesn't matter. It's late, and my wife is asleep. I'll be in touch tomorrow." He kills the line. I stare at the phone like a dummy. I clench it in my hand, debating what to do. I stand, dropping it in the bed of the truck, stomping on it before I grab another.
I’ll call Ronan and warn him. Easy enough. I can do this. I could go there too. Telling him in person might actually be a better idea. That could mean literally bringing danger to his doorstep, though. I chew on my bottom lip, debating what to do. I’ve stayed away from their family estate, but now Cyberius might know about Ronan. He’ll use him against me.
I was stupid. I let my guard down for two seconds, and everything blew up in my face. That must be instant karma for watching Ronan. How the hell am I going to explain this to him?
I won’t. I’ll just tell him that someone might be after him and know where he is. He’s not going to take me seriously if Zero doesn't. If I went in person, he might. He can’t hang up on me, but Ronan might also not let me past his gate. It’s not that far of a drive.
I give myself another pep talk before I pull the trigger and call him. It rings and rings, and he doesn’t answer. Oh God! What if something already happened?
“I need to calm down and stop being dramatic.”
I scream when the phone starts to ring in my hand. It’s Ronan calling me back. “Hello?” I want to kick myself when it comes out like a question.Be cool. I tell myself to be cool, but how can I remain calm when I’m informing someone that I might have sent one of the craziest hackers in the world after them?
“Relax.” Ronan’s deep voice comes through the line. Did he just tell me to relax?
