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“Well, as long as you’re keeping safe, it’s fine.”

  “As safe as I can be,” I say.

  *

  The drive to Angel’s warehouse gives me time to think things through. I’m not going to mention the Dealers yet. Bert’s only monitoring audio as far as I can tell, so by extension, Joe Farrah and Lieutenant Hanson are also getting nothing but audio. If I don’t mention what they’re potentially up to, then I’m less likely to get Charlie killed.

  By the time I arrive, Bert is already perched outside waiting for me. “I really hope you used the open window to get in and out.”

  “Caw.”

  “Same as yesterday, okay? Stay put and monitor, no action unless I’m in serious danger.”

  “Caw.”

  Inside, Angel greets me with a friendly handshake. She notices me looking at the place where Locke died and says, “See? Told you I’d take care of it. Nobody is going to find him. It’ll be like he just disappeared.”

  “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”

  “So, you said you found links between Dean Hollister and Jonah?”

  “Yeah. I’ve got the full file here,” I say, pulling out a USB stick. “Basically, they’ve been working together for years. Hollister brought him to New Hopeland to work for Hollister and Holtz back in 2065. He mentioned being impressed with some of Jonah’s AI work. He then went on to open Familiar Enterprises in 2072, using a government loan likely funded by one of Hollister’s companies. What’s more, he owns shares in a number of companies that are not only owned by Hollister but used to employ Hollister as a trade negotiator.”

  “His AI work. That would be me.” She loads up the file on her laptop and starts browsing as she continues, “You know, it’s interesting. After you sent that message, I stumbled on something myself. I wanted to look at the founding of New Hopeland. Do you know who the original landowners were?”

  I relax into a nearby chair and reply, “Local government?”

  “Yes, but they weren’t alone. Get this; the buildings where Dean and Jonah live? They purchased the land in 2054.”

  “One year before the city was built?”

  “That’s right. I never knew Jonah had any stake in New Hopeland prior to moving here. Here’s another one. Have a look at this.”

  I walk over to the screen and see she’s highlighted a couple of the contracts Dean Hollister was involved with negotiating.

  She taps the screen. “I recognise all three of these companies. In fact, I’ve used some of their products.”

  “What for?”

  “I can’t remember exactly now. Explosives probably. Or torture tools. The thing is, my own orders with them were made using Jonah’s accounts. If Hollister now owns them, and was involved heavily with them back then, it could mean Jonah contacted him to see what the contracts I signed were for. If that’s the case, then I may have unintentionally led Hollister to me, and so been responsible for him bringing Jonah here. Looking at where Casille is now, it might be that Hollister finding out about me is what caused Rebecca Hanson to be sent to California, as well as Arthur’s eventual betrayal too. I should laugh, really. I may have almost brought about my own downfall without realising it.”

  “How long ago did you make the orders?”

  “The year I took over California—2050.”

  “Five years before New Hopeland was built and fifteen before Jonah came here. Could they really have been working together that long?”

  “To a point. I’m getting the impression Jonah is one cog in a much bigger machine. He’s clearly been hiding a lot more from me than I knew. Maybe ever since I was born.”

  “Born. Seems a strange word given what you are. How old are you, anyway?”

  “Chronologically, I’m forty-seven, not that my appearance changes much.”

  “Forty-seven? I know Jonah had his daughter late in life compared to most these days, but he must have been really young when he made you if that’s the case.”

  “Jonah was very young considering the complexity of the project. Nineteen to be exact. He was a very serious young man, driven and immeasurably proud of what he could achieve when motivated. It all made him very easy to manipulate. Or I thought it did, anyway. No. I did maintain control over him in some ways. But he clearly had enough sense to hide some things…Ah.”

  I spot the alert in the bottom corner of the screen at the same time as Angel. She clicks it, and a screen pops up showing the outside of the building. Joe Farrah is there, ducked down and on a phone. Angel’s lips twitch. She tilts her head back and looks up at me. “Are you armed?”

  I draw my Glock, and she nods.

  *

  From my position behind a stack of disused crates, I’ve got a good view of the front door. With no current movement, I pull up Bert’s app on my cell phone and send him the instruction to stay put. Then, I wait.

  Eventually, Joe Farrah enters the building, handgun in hand, and clad in his normal scruffy vest. I’m surprised he isn’t better prepared. He keeps his movement slow, scanning the area as she shouts, “Angel Tanner. Cassandra Tam. Get out here, you pieces of shit.”

  From somewhere across the room, Angel laughs and calls back, “You really don’t want me to come out there, Joe. I tell you what, leave now, and I’ll show you some mercy.”

  “Fuck you,” he replies and fires a couple of shots off towards where Angel’s voice came from.

  You can’t stay hidden, or Angel will know something’s up. I groan at the thought and then stand up and yell, “Joe.”

  Quick as a flash, he turns and fires off a couple of shots, causing me to duck back down. The bullets audibly hit the crates, at around the height of my head, but nowhere near on target. That has to be intentional. A few more gunshots ring out from Angel’s direction, and Joe scrambles back behind some debris and reloads. He keeps his eyes fixed on Angel but asks, “What the fuck are you doing here, Tam? Last I checked, you were on our side.”

  “Same as you, Joe. Just working, eh?” I lean around the crates and return the favour, firing off a few shots intended to hit the debris rather than the man. He swings the gun around and fires a single shot into the crate and then stands up and advances towards Angel, pulling the trigger whenever she starts to peer out from behind a bunch of overturned tables.

  Obviously tired of waiting, Angel shoves one of the disused lightweight office tables around, causing a loud scrape to echo through the room. Once it’s all the way out, she lifts it from the sides and throws it at Joe. It doesn’t go far enough to hit him, but the sudden movement makes him duck to the side, and Angel leaps out from behind the now falling office furniture. She swings a kick, smashing her foot into Joe’s left hand and sending his gun flying across the room. He rolls with the blow and draws a knife with his right hand. Smoothly, he swings it at the humanoid AI and causes her to drop her own gun.

  Joe looks confident as he moves in, but unknown to him, Angel is reaching for another gun stuck in the back of her trousers. I stand up, take aim, and fire off two head-level shots that fly in between Joe and Angel and embed themselves in the tables. Joe leaps back on instinct and, seeing what I did, rolls towards his own gun. He grabs it and tries to drive Angel back. They both take a direct hit in the arm, and stumble.

  I swing past the crates and run in just as Angel starts to steady herself for another shot. I tackle Joe to the floor and act as a human shield. We both make a show of struggling for position while Joe moves back towards one of the old machines. As he draws near, he physically kicks me off, a little harder than I’d like, and scuttles back behind the mass of metal. For my own part, I roll to the side, wheezing and coughing from the kick to my gut, and I’m a long way from faking it.

  When I look up, Joe has stepped out, gun trained on me but eyes at a point behind me. The moment Angel tries to intervene, he brings the gun up and fires, giving me time to hide again. With things having gone quiet, Joe ducks
back behind the machinery. When I look out at him, he’s trying to wrap something around his arm to stem the bleeding.

  Somewhere back in the direction of the room with the computers in, Angel laughs. “I have to say Joe, it’s a pleasure meeting the eyes and ears of the King’s Guard again. How were the hallucinations, by the way? Did you enjoy them?”

  “Shut up, ya demented bitch.”

  “Do you know what Joe used to do, Cassie? Before he joined the King’s Guard? He worked intel for the military. He was good, too, for a while. See, Joe uncovered some information about a small village being used as a home base for the terrorist organisation of the week. Being an obedient little soldier, can you guess what Joe did?”

  “I said, shut up!”

  Angel’s voice has been moving around. She’s trying to throw him.

  “Well, Joe made sure the right people got hold of the information, and they sent the troops in. The thing is, Joe was getting tired. He wanted to go home. So, he didn’t bother checking his facts enough. The troops, Joe included, slaughtered the entire population of the village. Men, women, and children. And here’s the kicker. Every single one of them was innocent. The terrorists had seen the weakness in Joe’s resolve and set him up, all with the intent of damaging the image of the US military in the area.”

  Joe slams his fist against something.

  “Joe was discharged due to the effect the event had on him. I mean, what else could they do? He was useless after that, and it’s not like his reputation was worth much then either. But I was curious about one thing, Joe. Nobody filmed the incident, so I had to use stock footage from other places. You were there, so tell me this. Was I close? Did I get the children’s faces right?”

  Joe lets out a guttural cry of rage and steps out into the open. He fires wildly towards Angel’s voice. Having gotten the reaction she wanted, Angel leans out and aims a well-placed bullet into Joe’s side, causing him to fall and take cover behind the table from earlier.

  Leaning out from my own hiding place, I can tell he’s hurting. Badly. He’s shaking.

  Looking around, he spots me gazing over at him. Calming for a moment, he pulls his vest aside, revealing what appears to be a lightweight bulletproof vest underneath. He points to a spot and then nods to my gun. Realising what he wants, I nod back and reload.

  Joe yells, “You fucking bitch,” and gets to his feet. He starts firing shots roughly at Angel’s position, keeping her at bay.

  I stand and call out, “Joe.”

  Joe turns, and I shoot him, aiming as close to where he pointed as I can.

  The bullet hits, and he drops, rolling to his stomach so Angel won’t see the lack of a major wound.

  Joe goes still.

  Angel now leans out and, seeing Joe on the floor, not moving, laughs. “Good shooting, Cassie.”

  I start to respond, but before I can, Angel raises her gun and aims two bullets into the back of Joe’s head.

  The blood drains from my face, and I’m powerless to stop the vomit spilling out of my mouth at the sight of what’s in front of me.

  While I try to recover, Angel walks over and casually kicks Joe’s corpse onto his back. She pulls his vest aside, revealing the body armour he’d shown me. She looks over to me and says, “See here? Your shot was good, but I thought it was odd he wasn’t protecting himself. I figured he was trying to give us a clear target. And he was hiding something. My advice? Always go for the head. Are you okay?”

  I shake my head and look away from the mess.

  “There was someone who worked for me in California who had a similar reaction to an execution. He told me it was due to still seeing the face. It reminded him of the life that had been snuffed out. I’ve read a few reports about you; Bert has killed for you, hasn’t he? The damage he can probably do must make it rough if this is how you react to death. It’s no wonder you don’t kill often. The truth is, Cassie, there will be more to come. Trust me. You can get used to it. If you want to.”

  She stands up and sighs. “Given that Joe made a move, it’s quite clear our location has been compromised. Help me pack some things up. We’ll have to move quickly.”

  I nod mutely and follow her to the computer room, doing my best not to look at Joe as I pass his body. She’s right, Bert does make it rough on the rare occasion he has to kill. It’s harder when I have to, but I can deal with it. The difference is, those people are trying to murder me. Joe wasn’t.

  *

  “Where are we going?” I ask, pulling the car out of the warehouse.

  “The apartment. I won’t be able to stay there long, but it’ll do until my contacts can get me a new place to set up shop.”

  “Are you going to deal with Joe’s body like you did Gary’s?”

  She shakes her head. “The network is too controlled for him to have obtained anything wirelessly, and I’ve taken all the hard drives from the base unit machines, so there’s nothing the King’s Guard are going to get out of this. I’ll let them recover the body themselves and dispose of it as they please.”

  “Doesn’t it worry you that they made a move?”

  “No. I knew they would eventually. All this means is we need to find stuff out quicker. Honestly, our best bet may be to orchestrate a direct confrontation. Not yet though.”

  I tap my fingers on the steering wheel, trying to sort my thoughts into a logical order. Finally, I settle on asking, “Was what you said about Joe true?”

  “Entirely. All the King’s Guard have their little secrets. Not having gained them in New Hopeland, it took a while to find out what some of them were. Other than Rebecca Hanson’s, of course. It also meant I had to get creative with how I built the hallucination holograms. Newsreels, movie clips, and the like. The main point is the facts were traceable with a little effort.”

  I sigh. “Newsreels. Hence the clips you used of my dad. You know, the day he…that was the first time I ever put myself in a position where I regretted my choices.”

  “Working with me doesn’t have to be another one, Cassie. If it helps any, I’ll make you a promise, right here and now. When all of this is done, you will be in a better position than you were when you started.”

  I pull the car up outside the apartment block and say, “Define better.”

  Angel pats my back and smiles. “Go and get yourself a drink somewhere. Moments like this always pass.”

  Chapter Six

  I’m in too deep. I went too far and got someone killed. Again. Even if he was an ass, he didn’t deserve that.

  I shake away the thoughts and push my way through the darkened, unassuming door situated halfway down an alley at the southern end of Main Street. It’s no wonder people don’t know about these places. Without coming down here, I’d have missed it, and even if I had walked this way without looking for it, I doubt I’d have spotted it. If it weren’t for Lori, I wouldn’t have known about this door at all.

  Inside, the alleyway cafe looks surprisingly nice. Dark, sure. And the mass of booths are obviously set up for more privacy than most require, but nice. It’s cleaner than The Last Clown if nothing else. I walk up to the bar and, taking Lori’s recommendation, make my order. “Green tea.”

  The bartender nods, and I pay with a banknote. He holds it up to the light and pauses, having obviously read my handwritten request: Call Devin Carmichael. He looks over at me, and I say, “Keep the change,” and find myself a nice empty booth to sit in.

  While I wait, I load up the spare NHC Blend I’ve been carrying around and open the file relating to Hollister’s old contracts. On my regular phone, I access the files relating to the Kitsune case, and scroll down until I find the company names Castleford uncovered during his digging into Casille’s accounts. If I’m gonna be stuck here a while, and I’m already too far in, I may as well check everything, right? And the more concrete evidence for a link between Casille and the government, the more certainty I’ll have be
fore doing whatever it is I’m gonna do next.

  A manual search reveals no full matches, but two partial matches. Both Grant and Thatcher Legal Group and Kendle and Sons Warehouses match up with the name on one contract, Grant Kendle. The name sounds familiar, so I run an internet search and learn he was one of the founders of and original financial backers for the creation of New Hopeland. Though he kept a relatively low profile in terms of public appearances, he was appointed the original mayor of the city, thanks to backing from the then mayor of Salt Lake City. There’s nothing too remarkable about him other than that he wasn’t a career politician at all; he was a military man who fancied a change of pace.

  His public profile states he retired shortly after I arrived in the city and now lives in a mansion out in Salt Lake City. So, I follow the breadcrumbs and run a search for both Grant Kendle and Dean Hollister. The only hit is an article talking about the negotiations to provide additional arms for a specialist patrol group, once again with the US military. The picture included with the article shows a younger Dean Hollister, Grant Kendle, and one other familiar face: Ethan “Sunglasses Paloma” Cobalt.

  The door swings shut with a loud thump, and I look up to see Devin swagger in and head straight for the bartender. He points me out and Devin starts to walk towards me, but I give him a subtle head shake, stopping him in his tracks. He tilts his head and taps one of his ears. I nod and return the gesture, confirming that yes, someone is likely listening. Devin rubs his stubble thoughtfully and then leans back against the bar and turns his head to the bartender. He says something before he strolls out of view and, I’m assuming, into another booth.

  The bartender delivers something to someone in the direction Devin went and then stops by my booth to hand me my green tea and a rectangular sheet of glass about the size of my phone screen. Within seconds of him leaving, the glass lights up with the message, This is a two-way communicator. Don’t worry, it’s only connected to its pair.