Nan raised her eyebrows and removed round aluminum containers. Somehow, she found a spot for paper plates between the laptops, printer, and monitors. There was an external hard drive, and a couple other electronic devices that Zoe didn't recognize on the chairs as well.
“First things first.” Nan placed a pile of textbooks on the floor and sat. “What’re you working on that would send some stalker after you? I thought we agreed that we weren’t going to take any more questionable jobs unless we talked it out.”
“I swear I’ve done nothing since my parents died.”
“Any freelance jobs on Craigslist?” Nan’s intense stare would make her an awesome cop someday.
“Absolutely not. I’m working for that place, Broad Street Computer Security. They have real clients, real paperwork. I even filled out a W2 form. They love me there. Might even give me a raise. Besides, I need the insurance for–” Zoe swallowed hard and looked down at her hands. “My therapist. You know I wouldn’t jeopardize that.”
“So when did you first notice this guy following you?” Nan slipped the chopsticks out of their paper, and separated them with a click.
“I don’t know…” Zoe found the least occupied chair, moved the stack of papers, and sat. “Maybe a couple weeks ago, but who knows how long he was following me before that.”
“Okay, download.”
“I noticed the guy when I left Broad Street. Second time this week that he’s been waiting for me after work.” The tremor in her hand made chopsticks an impossibility. She grabbed a fork from the drawer and plopped back down. “So I picked up my pace and thought I’d lost him. but all of a sudden he’s like right behind me. His hand almost grabbed onto my arm. He would’ve too, if this big guy hadn’t pushed him aside when I screamed.”
Nan shook her head and frowned.
“But that’s not the worst of it. I’m sitting on the subway and look out the window and there he is on the other side of the plate glass, just staring all weird-like. Creepy as hell. He makes a gun with his fingers. One thumb up and the index finger pointing.” Zoe emulated the virtual gun and pointed it at Nan. “And then he mouths the word, ‘Bang.’ I was shaking like crazy but I had my cell phone in my hoodie. So I snapped his picture.” She pulled her phone out and opened the photo. “I went three stops in the wrong direction before coming back here, just to make sure I wasn’t followed.”
Nan stretched to see the shot on Zoe's phone. “Too bad. He’s pretty hot. Nice suit, too.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “He’s not hot, he’s a nutcase.”
“Send me the picture. I just got access to some pretty cool facial recognition software. We can try it out.”
Zoe raised her eyebrows and sent the photo to Nan’s email. “Facial recognition software?”
“Relax. I’ve been helping out NYPD with some terrorist shit. They’re the ones that calledmein.”
Nan wiggled her eyebrows and it finally dawned on Zoe what was up.
“Thus, the suit? Oh my God.” Zoe squealed, jumping up and down in her seat. “You had an interview with NYPD?”
“Not exactly.” Nan stood, then twirled in front of her. “Do I look FBI?”
Zoe snorted. “Except for the sword tattoo up the side of your neck.”
“That oneishard to hide.” Nan grinned, pulled off her scarf, and unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her favorite camouflage cutoff tank top. “The department I’m interviewing for doesn’t seem to mind the body art.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zoe stabbed at a chicken ball.
“Happened last week. I haven’t had a chance.” Nan waved her chopstick in the air. “There was a terrorism attempt that I found out about. I was on site with a team, like in a big war room, helping out.”
“Were you snooping through government files again?”
Nan wiggled her eyebrows.
Zoe laughed and swallowed the wrong way. She grabbed a glass of water, gulped, and sat back down. “What if they caught you?”
“Never gonna happen.” Nan put down her chopsticks and typed at lightning speed on her keyboard. “Anyhow, looked like the city needed my help, so I pretended to be a terrorist.”
Zoe froze mid-bite. “You pretended to be a fucking terrorist?”
Nan shrugged and popped a chicken ball in her mouth, chewed, then smiled. “I just bought way too much fertilizer and some other stuff that I knew would flag me. And it did. I got arrested.”
“That’s kinda over the top, even for you.”
