He couldn’t wait to tell her all about it. Just as soon as he finished with the job. Just as soon as he ditched the Lone Star State and returned to the mean streets of New York City.
Just as soon as I get paid…
“The evidence you planted on her work computer gave the feds all they needed to take her into custody. Nice job.”
“You gave me the documentation. I just did the dirty work of inserting it into her system.”
“Regardless, it was an unexpected bump in the road, and you helped us navigate it without blowing a tire.”
Vinny bit the inside of his cheek. Yang’s metaphors always sounded odd and slightly forced. Maybe it was his accent.
“Hey, is this Red Square deal legit?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Have they really seized the East Coast pipeline? Or is this more joint maneuvering to prove weaknesses in our infrastructure?”
Yang’s response was clipped. “The less you know, the better, Vincent.”
“Right.”
“I will phone you with any updates.”
Before Vinny could respond, the line went dead.
Just as well,he thought when the alarm on his phone chimed.
It was time for his nightly check-in with his grandmother. And if he was even a few minutes late, she’d worry.
4
FBI Field Office, 2111 West Roosevelt Road
“We have you dead to rights, Miss Blue.” The lead fed had turned out to be namedAgent Mulder, of all things.
“But I didn’tdothis.” Hannah pointed to the laptop screen that clearly showed shehaddone what they were accusing her of. According to their evidence, she’d given highly sensitive information to Red Square, which the group had then used to hack into the computer system controlling the Dominion Pipeline and the flow of refined oil to the East Coast.
Red Square was demanding a half billion dollars in ransom from Dominion or else they threatened to shut down the pipeline. Which wouldn’t simply result in a gasoline shortage at the pumps. It would result in a scarcity of the oil many people were using to heat their homes during one of the coldest winters the eastern seaboard had ever seen.
“How much is your cut?” Mulder asked casually. “How much of that five hundred million is Red Square paying you?”
“Someone’s throwing shade,” she insisted, hoping the agent could read the truth in her eyes.
He frowned. “Is that some sort of hacker lingo?”
“It means I’m being set up.Framed.If you’ll just let me…” When she reached for the laptop, Mulder snatched the machine toward his side of the table.
“Nice try.” He slapped the lid shut before sitting back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. The move caused his black tie to bunch in a little arc. Black suit. Black tie. Black loafers. The guy was really leaning hard on the whole MIB vibe.
The only thing he’s missing is a neutralizer, she thought a little hysterically because she wasthis closeto losing her damn mind.
How?Howwas she sitting in FBI headquarters being accused of selling out her country?
It felt like a dream.
No. A nightmare.
Wake up, Hannah! Wake up!
She pinched herself and was sorry to say the pain didn’t miraculously have her bolting upright in bed. Nope. She was still firmly seated inside the bleak interrogation room Agent Waller had frog-marched her to after frog-marching her out of the car, across the parking lot, and into the ten-story building.
Apparently, Agent Waller was a big fan of the frog-march.
