Page 68 of Love & Power

“They can get that information right there on the spot?” I inquired.

Numbers, charts, and graphs were my specialty. In most cases, I preferred to avoid technology, knowing there was always a chance it could miss something if not imputed correctly. I’d much rather look at things on paper, running the calculation in my head, trusting my ability to memorize what I’ve seen and can never forget.

“Yeah, they have a handheld scanner. If she’s in any system, they’ll be able to pull up her information,” Ryker explained. “The only problem would be if she’s not in any system or had someone wipe her records clean. I don’t want to get too far ahead of this and lose sight of the real danger. That bitch is dead, and the person we need to pin down is whoever fucking sent her after Astin.”

When we arrived at the dining hall, Beatrice was there waiting for us. Once we reached her, she led us to what looked like an old barn on the outside, but when you entered, it had been renovated. There was every kind of supply you could possibly need to maintain the house in the front half of the barn. Passing through an unassuming door that looked like wood but was really metal was a fully stocked hospital room.

Laid out on a metal table was the dead woman with Cleto, the doctor’s assistant, carefully cutting away her clothes. The way he was handling the body made it seem as if he thought she was still alive. Then I saw the wires which had been hidden under her dress. She’d been strapped with a bomb as well.

“Are we sure that’s safe?” I called out. This is where I would remain until it was made clear to me the bomb was disarmed. Almost getting blown up once was more than enough for me.

“Sure is. I pulled the detonator out myself,” Von answered, tossing the metal pin in the air before catching it. “That shit was amateur hour, but would have done the job if Astin hadn’t killed her before hitting the switch.”

Instantly, my mind replayed the moment I saw Fiona reaching for something under her dress. It had been that moment Astin’s training took control and snapped her neck. Even if it hadn’t killed her right away, the woman would have been paralyzed. Rounding the table, I lifted the skirt of the dress and found a garter on her thigh, but this one looked as though it was specifically made to hold something.

“Did you find the arming device she had hidden here?” I asked.

Something tapped against my good arm, pulling my attention from the body. There stood Bear, offering me an object that looked about the size of a large Sharpie marker. How a man his size and stature could move so silently, I had no idea, but it was impressive.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the trigger from him. “Von, are we sure the bomb doesn’t have an additional switch or anything that I might trigger? I would prefer not to be blown up after surviving the first attack.”

Von walked over to join me where I stood, shoving Bear out of her way. Grabbing a handful of wires, she yanked them out of the device strapped to the woman’s chest. “Okay, now I’m sure,” Von announced. “No way it can work without something attached to the receiver to get the message.”

Cleto let out a strangled noise of concern before his legs gave out, sending him crashing to the floor. I peered over to make sure he hadn’t hit his head or anything on the way down, but he appeared fine.

“I might be wrong in saying this, but I’m not sure this man has the ability to do this job,” I mused aloud.

Von barked out a laugh, shaking her head. “You know I think you might be right there, Plato.”

“It’s Atticus,” I corrected.

“Oh, I know, but when I think of you, the first thing that comes to mind is the Platonic philosopher, Atticus. He was wicked smart and kind of odd just like you, but the whole world remembers him as one of the great minds of the past,” Von explained. “Plus, I give everyone a nickname, and you have no say in what it is, so don’t even try to change it.”

Utterly surprised by the correlation she came up with, I had to admit it was rather flattering. “Now that I understand the logic behind your choice of nickname, I will accept it with honor.”

She grinned at me, clearly pleased with my choice. “I see why Queenie likes you so much, Plato. You are not a man to play games… it is what it is with you. I dig it.” Hopping up on the exam table, she put two fingers in her mouth and blew a shrill whistle. “All right, detective, it’s safe for you to do your thing.”

A middle-aged man dressed in a navy blue police uniform entered with Gemma from a different door than we’d used. Cleto had regained consciousness and moved out of the way so the inspector could get close enough to the body. Pulling a scanner out of his front jacket pocket, he rolled one finger after another over a small gray square. Once all five were complete, the larger screen lit up with a loading bar.

“Have we done our part and looked over all the images we have to make sure we don’t already know who she is?” Ryker questioned.

“Yes, Master Ryker, there is no one in the entire Raffa Family who resembles either the man or the woman. I pulled an image from the man’s face off security cameras to use as a comparison,” Gemma shared since we all know there wasn’t anything recognizable about what was left of the head. “I should also mention we found a flask filled with acid on her as well, but nothing to show she had any intention of throwing it. There is a chance it could be for her to use in case she was caught, but there are faster and easier ways to kill yourself.”

I was glad to see I wasn’t the only one impressed with the information Gemma had gathered while we dealt with taking care of Astin and Boykov. We’d all been slightly suspicious of her at first, but it was beginning to look as if those judgments had been made in haste.

“She’s in the system, and I have a name… well, several names,” the detective announced.

Ryker held out his hand for the device. Besides Liu, Ryker was one of the most proficient in speaking and reading Nepreeian. I was picking things up quickly, but I still had much more to learn about the nuances of the language.

“Where’s Ivy?” Ryker asked as he continued to read. “I feel like she might know who this woman is… looks like they run in the same circles.”

“Ah… Poison had to deal with a situation,” Von offered, but her choice of words and hesitation had me thinking there was more for us to know.

The frown on Ryker’s face told me I was right to think that. “What does that mean?”

Von hopped down off the table and shrugged. “Look, it’s not for me to tell, and you’re just going to have to trust me when I say it’s nothing you need to worry about. Let me take a look. I know pretty much everyone in our line of work from the lowlifes all the way to the bosses.”

To my surprise, Ryker didn’t argue or press the issue like he normally would, but I noticed he wasn’t looking at Von. Ryker had his attention locked on Bear who had a lip curled in a snarl, making it clear why he agreed to drop the matter, which was the wise choice.