Page 44 of The Primary Pest
“But—”
“Do you want this to be over or not?” Bartosz rounded the car to join them.
Ajax closed his eyes and counted to ten. “Of course I do, but—”
“Then Ajax Freedom will livestream using an Iphicles encrypted laptop,” Dmytro informed hin. “And Zhenya will reroute that content to the server of our choosing. He and Peter want to lure whoever’s stalking you to the safe house door. Do you understand?”
Ajax gave it some thought. “What do I get out of it?”
“You’ll be alive?” Bartosz gave his opinion. “That should be enough, even for you.”
“What about my laptop? Since I’ll be using a VPN, why can’t I have my laptop?”
“Because from what Zhenya tells us, you’re a first-rate hacker, a danger to yourself, and a menace to society at large.” Dmytro folded his arms and leaned against the fender of Muse’s car. Ajax was surprised it didn’t crumple under the weight of his disapproval.
“Uncle Zhenya said that?” Ajax was very pleased to hear it. “That’s cool.”
“Ajax.” Dmytro sighed. “Zhenya will only let you use your powers for good. For now.”
“At least you’ll get to play with a computer.” Bartosz gave Ajax’s shoulder a pat.
“Thanks.” Ajax shot him a sarcastic smile. “But as much as I want to please my parents, I’m the one with actual skin in this game. From now on we work as a team, or I call my private lawyers and you’re all fired.”
Dmytro narrowed his eyes. “Why would you do that.”
“Because I’m sick of being told what to do. I’m a legal adult. I can totally bounce if I don’t want to be here, and there’s nothing you or my parents can do about it.”
“All right.” Dmytro spoke through clenched teeth. “As long as you know being difficult could harm your situation. Do you promise to—
“Stop talking to me like a child.” Ajax made up his mind to be more proactive. Maybe it was thinking about Anton, wondering what would make him proud, like Dmytro said. Maybe it was just… ennui. “I’m a grown-ass man, and I’m done letting people tell me what to do. Better tell everyone. I’m putting my own best interest first.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dmytro
Ajax Fairchild.Rich fags like you should die bleeding and screaming for your mothers.
Dmytro,Zhenya, and Bartosz had gone over Ajax’s messages and formed their plans while Ajax slept. In light of Ajax’s intransigence, Dmytro and Bartosz thought it best to be extra cautious about letting him loose, but in the end, he only insisted on breakfast.
Zhenya agreed because he believed the decoy they had in place was working. Dmytro didn’t hate the odds either. They’d taken a random vehicle. This was a random destination. He and Bartosz believed no one knew where they were except Iphicles.
The coffee shop wasn’t much to look at, but the place smelled delightful, a combination of maple and bacon and the yeasty, malty aroma of homemade waffles.
Gulls wheeled overhead, soaring and dipping to bother families eating outside and fishermen casting off the docks,pecking at bits of bait and diving to swoop things up from the water.
“This is so strange.” Ajax stepped onto the boardwalk. “Another little town I’ve never been to. I think I love the central coast.”
“It’s quaint enough.” Dmytro stayed on high alert, just in case.
“Too small for my taste. I need the crowds and filth of LA or San Francisco to feel halfway at home.” Bartosz stopped outside the gaily painted wooden door of the tiny café. “In you go, both of you.”
Dmytro opened the door and said, “After you.”
Ajax had dressed incognito as he’d promised. He’d slipped a beanie Dmytro found over his curly hair. He’d borrowed Bartosz’s sunglasses, making him look like a child playing spy.
Ajax started toward a table inside, near the window, where they could look out on the water but not be ravaged by the briskly blowing breeze. Instead, Dmytro chose a recently vacated four-top that put him in line of sight to every threat that could possibly come at them. He and Ajax sat with their backs to the wall, facing the entrance. Bartosz sat across from them, his body angled toward the boats.
Dmytro took in the view—gray-blue sky, sailboats bobbing serenely in the murky water, seabirds angling for their breakfast—and all the things that had been twisting him up inside unknotted. He began to relax. There was still an unease inside him. He could see he’d confused Ajax, maybe even hurt him by acting as if they’d never spoken the night before. As if they’d never exchanged confidences or condolences.
