Page 93 of Master of Lies

“For SmokeScreen, yes. But I still don’t understand how this exchange could possibly take place. How could I secure it? I have to protect my interests.”

“Let him go and you’ll have me,” I blurted. “I’ll enter all the codes for you.”

Boer thought about that. “I have a better idea,” he said. “Logistically simpler. You just give me the codes right now, over the phone. And I will let him go.”

His oily condescension barely touched me. “I can’t,” I said. “I’m sorry, but the codes are incredibly complicated and long. I have to do it in person.”

“I’m sure I can manage it,” he said.

“No, really,” I improvised wildly. “I couldn’t tell you how to do it, I swear to God. It has to be done on the fly, once you begin, everything is extremely time sensitive. You get one thing wrong and you’re out.”

“Try me,” he said.

“But…but the program generates random patterns the user has to respond to in real time,” I said. “It would take months to coach you into being able to do it. Only my two brothers and I can do it.”

“Hmmm. I don’t believe you, Freya. That’s unfortunate for your friend Jed.”

“Oh, for God sake,” I said tartly. “Do you think I want to walk into your clutches? Trust me, I don’t have any choice except to come and do the job myself.”

Boer let me sweat while he covered the phone with his hand, conferring with someone else. He came back on the line. “Let me tell you how this will work,” he said. “Clearwater doesn’t know how to open the algorithm, so I have no reason not to start cutting him if I get bored and need entertainment. You, on the other hand, claim to have what I need. I know where you are right now, thanks to the location device in the burner phone I gave to Rachelle. I see where you are, and if you are not there when my people arrive, I’ll take it out of Jed Clearwater. In flesh. Is that clear?”

Dread was heavy in my belly. I’d just burned my last bridge behind me.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “I’ll wait for them.”

“And if you don’t come through with the code? Then it gets much worse for your fuck boy, and you get the front row seat. Close enough to catch the splatter.”

“I get that,” I told him

“Wait where you are,” he said. “Don’t talk to anyone. I’ll call when it’s time to come out of the cabin. When I call, you will come out with your hands raised above your head, and nothing in them but the phone. Is that clear? Keep the phone on you until I call it. Any funny stuff, Jed gets cut. Delays, Jed gets cut. Weapons, Jed gets cut.”

“Got it,” I repeated, robotically.

“I’ll be watching you, Freya. Every fucking second.”

The connection broke. I let slip the phone back into my pocket and got out of the car, forcing my numb legs to move.

Panic was stimulating, if you rode the crest of the wave. My first move was to tear apart the Badass Bitch Bag. I rifled through my little tricks, which seemed very lightweight and frivolous in the face of Boer and his threats. I wished I had something bigger, more lethal. But they were going to search me thoroughly.

The one thing I dared to take was the little transparent thumb ring. It braced a mechanism that had a tiny pop-out blade made out of resin that hid behind my fake fingernail. Everything else was too obvious, and would show up in a search.

But even this ring could get me and Jed killed. Another life or death decision.

Yes, to the ring. I also pulled out one of the tooth tracers. It slipped over my back molar, so anyone with the frequency could follow me. If anyone looked in my mouth, it just looked like a crown. Biting down activated the signal.

And that was it. Those were the only things in my bag of tricks that had a hope in hell of getting past Boer’s security search.

On to the next hard conversation. I pulled up Ethan’s number, braced myself.

My brother answered instantly. “Jesus, Frey. You hung up on me!”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Bro. I’m in trouble. I’m on a really tight schedule. So listen up.”

“Frey, stop being a baby, and listen—”

“Boer’s coming for me here,” I said. “In just a few minutes.”

“What? So go! Run! Now!”

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