“Madison!”
“Don’tfollow me!” I call back.
He calls after me once more, but gives up when I don’t even pause. He probably realizes I need to cool off. And honestly, if he did try to come after me right now, I probably would slap him.
Not that I condone violence against your partner. Just… I’m all fired up and not feeling very rational.
I glance out the kitchen window, finding George’s doghouse on the other side of the pool patio. He’s asleep, head resting on his front legs. Despite the swirling anger and hurt, I smile to myself, remembering my threat. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea—that house looks roomy. Plus, I need to lick my wounds anyway.
My phone buzzes, and I grab it from my pocket. It’s an… alarm notification from my security app. When I swipe over to the live video footage to see what triggered it, my stomach and jaw both drop.
Is that… Todd? Is that Todd hefting my desktop computer over his shoulder and trying to sneak out my front door? What… the… fuck? What the fuck is he doing?
My feet start moving immediately, Wesley’s name forming on my lips, but I stop myself.
Todd works for SmarTech. He’s got a connection to the company we know is part of this. Maybe he evenisthe General…
That one almost makes me laugh out loud. There’s no way Todd is the General—the one with a network of hitmen at his disposal; the one not even SpyderMan could find. My dumbass neighbor, who can’t even come up with insults that hit? That just… doesn’t fit. He doesn’t have that reach. He’s not capable of that kind of cunning and skill…
But he’s just stealing my computer for some reason. And while it’s definitely the most valuable thing in my apartment, it’s theonlything he’s taking. That computer has all my private files and years of stolen intel, including everything I took from SmarTech. If the General works at SmarTech and I became a target after I stole that data, it seems logical to me that the guy wants it back. And Todd has ‘disposable henchman’ written all over him.
Or maybe Todd is just being a douchebag.
Either way, the point is, if I tell Wesley, I won’t get to find out what’s going on. The fact that there’s a connection here to SmarTech and the General means that I get cut outfor my own safety.
But… if I check it out myself…
A plan starts to form, and I know I need to act quickly. If I can catch Todd red-handed, it would be best. Since Tío already faked my death, I probably don’t have to worry about assassins hanging around my place, but the police think I’m missing, so I can’t be stupid. I need a disguise, a car—Eleanor probably won’t mind if I borrow hers—and a gun.
Aloadedgun.
I fly up the stairs to the room I’ve been sharing with Wesley and change into some different clothes. First rule of a disguise is not being recognizable, so my usual uniform is out. I shuck on some of Wesley’s sweats, trying to ignore how tight they are across my hips. I look like a curvy teenage hoodlum. If I grab a hat from the coat closet downstairs, and some big shades, it won’t be immediately obvious who I am to any of my neighbors, let alone strangers on the street.
Checking the hallway to ensure I won’t get caught sneaking out, I descend into the foyer and pull what I need from the closet.
For the most part, this place keeps peopleout—but I’ll need a code at the gate. Lucky for me, Eleanor is the type who uses the same code everywhere, and I watched her type it into her phone the other day. So I grab her keys from the communal dish by the door and waltz out to the garage, feeling like I’m breaking all kinds of laws. My heart is racing.
The car starts with no issues, and I barrel down the drive. Holding my breath, I type Eleanor’s code into the keypad. When the gate swings towards me, I bite down on a smile.
While I make the drive back across the city, I consider my plan. Getting inside the building will be easy enough, but to be most effective I’ll need to surprise Todd. That means breaking into his place. I don’t know how to pick a lock… so how do I get in?
I find a spot right out front, check my reflection in the mirror to ensure the hat covers my hair and the glasses are doing what they should to hide my face. Satisfied, I trot up the front steps. Going to my own door is an autopilot response, so I force myself to walk to the next door down the hall. And I stare at it.
I mean, I could justknock… right? I could cover the peephole and point my gun at him when he answers the door. But there are lots of ways that could go wrong—he could see it and scream for help, he could slam the door, he could be overly cautious and open it with the chain so I can’t slip through, he could be wearing headphones and not hear my knock…
Or… I eye the door handle. It can’t… it can’t be that easy, can it? No way that douchebag sits in his apartment with the door unlocked—
The knob turns in my hand.
Fuck. Yes.Badass spy Madison, reporting for duty.
Since the immediate living areas are empty and our apartments have the same layout, I know exactly how to get to his bedroom. I find him in there, sitting on the floor with a screwdriver, my computer propped between his legs. He looks up when I step into the doorway, and his face turns bright red, then pales out completely.
“M-Madison?” he croaks. “You… you’re supposed to be dead!”
I grin, because he genuinely looks like he’s seen a ghost, and lift my gun. “Boo!”
35
