No Test for the Wicked: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Five (23 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Slash brought me home from the hospital. My ribs ached, my face looked as if I’d been run over by a truck and my neck had so many bruises it looked like I’d gotten a tattoo of a sprawling grapevine. I’d been able to take a shower at the hospital and my mom had brought me fresh clothes. I felt almost new again. Slash opened my apartment and led me inside.

I collapsed on the couch. “I can’t believe how happy I am to be home. One thing is for certain. I’m never,
ever
going back to high school again.”

Slash closed the door and joined me on the couch. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“I also can’t wait to be a brunette again. It’s the small things in life. Being blonde was so not working for me.”

Slash lifted a strand of my hair. “I kind of like it.”

“Ugh.” I stretched my legs out, put them on the coffee table. My sore knee creaked. “So, how goes the hunt for Broodryk?”

“Cold. He vanished, not surprisingly. But thanks to your earlier cryptic message to me about your teacher pal, Willem Jouret, we had a head start on him. We were eventually able to link Jouret to the Veiled Knights, and then by extension to Broodryk. As a result, we put some peripheral pressure on Broodryk’s network to keep him busier than he might have been expecting during the operation. What caused you to be suspicious of Jouret?”

I told him about stumbling across the file on Jouret’s computer and how Elvis had tied it to the Veiled Knights. Slash listened without saying a word. When I was done, I shifted my feet to the couch. “So, does this mean Broodryk gets off scot-free?”

“Not at all. We’re hunting him,
cara
. And not just us. He’s on an international list now. Our goal is to make his cyber life a living misery. We’ll do it, too, until we catch him. Trust me when I say all of his future plans will have a major crimp in them.”

“Good.” I shuddered when I thought of his white eyes staring at me.

“Besides, he got nothing. Not one bitcoin from the parents. Whatever he got paid by the terrorists will not have been enough for him.”

“He’s probably seriously pissed.”

“Undoubtedly. It was a risk for him and one that backfired badly.”

“I’ll bet other cybercriminals will think twice before working with him again.”

“It will be a significant blow to his worldwide operation.”

“Good.”

He took my hand in his and began massaging my palm with his thumb. “The agents at the FBI Cybercrimes Unit have been talking about you. Your cable-bending maneuver is going to be the stuff of legends.”

I grinned. “Ha! Good to know in case I need a reference if this X-Corp gig doesn’t work out.”

“Ah, not to worry. I’d have far better uses of your considerable time and talent.”

“Well, don’t tell that to Finn.” I wound my hair up into a ponytail and tied it up with the scrunchie I had on my wrist. “So what about Operation Dove? Is it now defunct?”

“Yes and no.”

“Well, that made no sense.”

He laughed. “Yes, the operation is defunct. But no, in the sense that the peace process will continue. The
Mehsuds
will come to the table and the
Shahids
are left in disarray and disgrace.”

“But the U.S.
was
involved secretly in the Pakistani peace process. From what I read in the newspaper this morning, the U.S. was putting pressure on the prime minister to exclude the
Shahids
.”

“First of all, it isn’t just the U.S. secretly involved in the process. Trust me on that. There are multiple countries from all parts of the world all offering support to the Pakistani peace process behind the scenes. You might be quite surprised if I told you who. Just suffice it to say more countries than you might imagine have a seriously vested interest in a stable Pakistan. Secondly, the
Shahids
made their own bed by engaging in terrorism to get what they want. Folding to terrorist demands is no way to run a country.”

“True. But what a mess.”

“Welcome to world politics.” Slash rose and retrieved his duffel bag. He pulled out a bottle of wine and a plastic bag filled with goodies.

I looked at him curiously. “What’s that?”

“Nonna’s recipe for hot-spiced wine. You’re going to like it.”

“If Nonna made it, you
know
I’m going to like it. But can I drink that with my painkillers?”

“The heat boils out most of the alcohol, but I’ll only give you a little.”

“Sounds heavenly.”

While he was in the kitchen fixing the wine, I plugged my phone into a speaker and turned on some Christmas music. I turned on my little plastic tree and felt eternally grateful that I was able to enjoy the sparkling lights.

I returned to the couch and dozed a bit as the smell of hot-spiced wine filled the apartment and an instrumental version of “Silent Night” soothed me. It felt good to be safe, alive and loved.

Slash deposited two mugs of the wine on the coffee table and sat beside me, sliding his arm around my waist. “It needs to mull a bit, but we can have a sip while we wait. I’d like to give you your Christmas present now.”

“Now?” I turned around in his embrace. “But it’s three days until Christmas. Your present hasn’t even arrived yet.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “My present? You got me something after all?”

“Of course I got you something, even though you didn’t come through with any advice. It’s scheduled to arrive on Christmas Eve. I thought that would be the appropriate time to exchange gifts. But I’ll show it to you online instead, if you want.”

“You have me intrigued. But you first.”

He rooted around in the duffel bag and pulled out two wrapped boxes.

My mouth fell open. “Two presents?
What?
You didn’t say there would be two of them.”

He laughed. “Relax,
cara
, and let me spoil you a little. Okay?”

“Jeez. Okay.”

He handed me the first present—a small box that fit in the palm of my hand. It had lovely dark blue glittery paper and a pretty blue bow.

“It’s too pretty to open.”

“Go ahead.”

I carefully untied the bow and then unwrapped the paper without ripping it. Then I turned my attention to a small black velvet box. I looked up at Slash and then down at the box as I slowly opened it.

Inside the box were two glittering, diamond stud earrings. I’m not an earring person, but even I liked these because they were simple, pretty and non-pretentious.

“Wow, Slash. They are...stunning.”

“Do you like them? I noticed you don’t often wear earrings, but thought you might like these because they aren’t anything too fancy.”

“I never thought I’d say this about a pair of earrings, but I love them.”

He took the box from me, removing the earrings. He pushed back the hair from my ear and slid one in the hole on my ear, fastening it. He did the other one and then leaned back to get a better look.

“Perfect. Don’t take them off, okay?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not like I’m an earring fashionista.”

He laughed and kissed me behind my right ear. “Good.”

He handed me the second box. This rectangle-shaped box was much bigger and heavier. It had the same wrapping paper, but instead of a midnight blue bow, this one had a pretty silver one.

I gave it back to him. “How about you save this one for my birthday?”

He growled and pushed it back at me. “Open it.”

“Can we negotiate?”

“No.”

“Fine. But I only got you one present.”

“Good.”

I took it back and began the slow, painstaking process of opening the present without tearing the wrapping paper.

“You can rip the paper, you know.”

“I know. But it’s so pretty.”

“I’ll buy you a dozen rolls. Just open it already.”

I glanced sideways at him. “I bet you were the first one in your family to open all your presents on Christmas morning.”

“We open them on Christmas Eve in Italy.”

“Oh.” I had almost removed all the paper. I pulled the last piece free, but before I could neatly fold it and set it aside, Slash snatched it from my hand.

“Go ahead. Look inside.”

The brown box had no markings. I carefully lifted the lid and then gasped.

“A gun? You bought me a gun for Christmas?”

“It’s a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.”

“You bought me a pistol? A semi-automatic? For Christmas?”

“Given the recent events in your life, I figured it was time you learned how to protect yourself properly. I actually purchased this before the school incident. Now the gift seems even more fortuitous. I’m going to take you shooting as soon as you’re feeling up to it. Somehow I feel like we shouldn’t wait another minute.”

“I...I can’t own a gun. I can’t go shooting. I’m a computer geek.”

He spread his hands. “So am I.”

I hesitantly picked up the pistol. It was heavier than I expected and the metal was cold. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. On the one hand, knowing how to handle a gun was a practical skill. Practical skills were useful. On the other hand, owning a gun meant dealing with the reality that I might one day actually need to point it at someone and use it. Then I remembered how Elvis had said he was taking shooting lessons and how I’d almost choked Hadim to death to save Wally and myself. Maybe learning how to use a gun wasn’t such a bad idea, the way my life was going.

“Thank you, Slash.”

Slash tucked a finger under my chin and nudged it up. “You’ll be a natural.”

“I’ll likely be a danger to all of society and myself with a loaded weapon. But I’m willing to give it a try, especially in light of what just happened. It’s thoughtful of you. I mean it. The earrings and the gun are nice presents. I never expected anything like this.”

“I’m glad you like them.”

“I do.”

We kissed while the song “White Christmas” played in the background. After a bit, I pulled back and stood up. “Would you like to see what I got you for Christmas?”

“I actually had something else on my mind, but given your injuries, exchanging additional presents might be best.” He smiled.

“Well, I hope you like it.”

“I’ve already received my Christmas gift. When I heard you were trapped in that school...” His voice wavered and he cleared his throat. “Let’s just say it was the worst day of my life.”

“I knew you were out there, Slash. It gave me strength.”

“I wanted to tear down the walls of that school and pull you out. It was all I could do to maintain my composure and sanity.”

“It helped knowing you were so close. I mean that.”

“Good.” He leaned over and kissed me again. “Mine. Always.”

I smiled against his lips and then pulled away. “So, are you ready to see your present...at least the online version of it?”

“If you insist. I told you a present wasn’t necessary.”

“Reciprocity is an important part of the relationship foundation. Didn’t we already have this conversation?”

“
Si
, we did. I eagerly await the presentation of my gift.”

I retrieved my laptop from my bedroom and returned to the couch. I booted it up and then found the photo of his gift, turning the screen so he couldn’t see it yet.

“I tried to think of something you might enjoy, Slash, but also something functional. Despite its origins a thousand years ago, you can still use it today.”

I turned the screen so he could see and heard the catch of his breath. He looked at the screen but didn’t say anything.

I continued nervously. “I thought an astrolabe would be fitting for a guy who likes math and numbers as much as me. I bought you a replica of one created by the Italian craftsman Prezioso in 1522. It’s made of pressed gold and metal and can measure most angles associated with navigational and astronomical sightings. There were other varieties, but Prezioso’s Western version was my favorite and he was also Italian, so I had a winner. So, if you’re ever without your GPS, you’ll be able to navigate just like travelers did a thousand years ago.”

After a moment, Slash plucked the laptop from my lap and set it on the coffee table. I stood as he pulled me toward him.

“No one has ever given me such a thoughtful gift. You surprise me. It is magnificent. Thank you.”

He gave me a long, deep kiss. “Merry Christmas,
cara
,” he whispered against my cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Slash.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Finn visited me the next day at my apartment after forbidding me to come to work. He gave me a careful hug when I opened the door.

“Lexi. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you. How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good actually. The ribs and knee are feeling much better. My face needs some more healing, however. I’m not entering a beauty contest any time soon.”

“Ha. I’m never,
ever
giving you an assignment outside the office again.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Actually, the odds of being trapped in a school with terrorists a second time are so incredibly small it’s almost not worth calculating. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

He grinned. “Good to know. Sit down and I’ll make you some tea. If you’re up to it, I’d like to hear what happened from the beginning.”

He took off his suit jacket and hung it over the back of the kitchen chair. My cell phone rang. I checked the number and put it aside.

Finn poured the hot water in the mug. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“It’s probably another reporter. I’ve already gotten fifty-two calls today, including three from
People
magazine and two from the
New York Times
. I stopped answering if I don’t recognize the number.”

“I can have the office issue a press release with a statement from you so they’ll stop bothering you.”

“That would be great, Finn. I’ll give Glinda a call later.”

We took the tea to the living room and sat on the couch. I quickly took him through an abbreviated version of the events, skimming over Willem Jouret’s death, the brutal execution of Mr. Fitzgerald and the part where I tried to choke a man to death. They weren’t things I wanted to keep dwelling on for the rest of my life.

“But, Finn, the best part is that I believe the WOMBAT problem has been solved.”

He shook his head. “Solved? How did you manage to do that in the midst of all of this insanity?”

“Well, it’s complicated and involves an internship at X-Corp...or three.”

His eyebrows rose. “Three?”

“Yes, one for the leader and two more for some of the most innovative kids on a keyboard that I’ve ever met. You won’t be sorry.”

“I’m sure I won’t.”

He reached across the table and took my hand. “I want you to take until after New Year’s Day to recover, Lexi. Don’t come in to work for the next two weeks. Stay home, enjoy the holidays, visit with family and friends and get some rest. Now, before you argue with me, it’s the prescription required for the addition of three new high school interns at X-Corp. It’s my Christmas gift to you, so take it, please.”

I smiled. “You know, you’re a really good friend, Finn. For a girl who never had many friends in her life, I’m lucky to have made some pretty good ones lately.”

“Good. So listen to your boss and rest, okay?”

He rose from his chair, washed out his mug and put it in my dish drainer. He kissed me on the cheek before he left.

After he was gone, I fielded a brief call from my mother. I assured her I was fine and thanked her sincerely for doing my laundry and restocking my refrigerator.

Shortly thereafter, Basia called me from LAX airport, ready to head out on her trip for Greece to meet up with Xavier. By this time, I was exhausted from all the talking.

“Lexi, are you sure you are okay? I can come home if you need me.”

“I’m fine. Really. Go to Greece. I’ve got my family, Slash and Elvis here. I have no life-threatening injuries. I’m actually overdosing on people and attention. I need some downtime. Please, just assure Xavier that Elvis and I are in good shape and not to worry, okay?”

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. Will you tell me all about it?”

“Someday. Just not today, okay?”

“Okay. I love you, Lexi.”

“Ditto. Have a great time in Greece.”

“And?”

I frowned. “And what?”

“Well, you figure it out.”

I pressed my hand to my forehead. “Wait. Is this the part where I’m supposed say I want to hear about your sex life when you get back? Because in all honesty, I really don’t.”

She laughed. “Ah, now that’s the Lexi I know. Talk to you soon, sweetie.”

I hung up the phone and took a nap. I’d awakened from a good three-hour rest and was headed into the kitchen for a cup of coffee when I heard the knock on my door. Wow. I had never been so popular and I felt a bit cranky about it.

I peeked through the keyhole before stepping back and opening the door. Brandon and Piper stood in my apartment hallway, clad in their winter coats. Brandon wore no hat while Piper sported a red beret. Brandon had both hands shoved in his pockets and Piper shifted nervously on boot-clad feet.

“Uh, hey, Lexi. Good to see you.” Brandon held out his fist and I gave it a bump.

“Hey, Brandon, Piper. Wow. It’s really great to see you.”

Brandon nodded. “Likewise. Can we come in?”

I opened the door wider. “Of course. After seeing your skills at the keyboard, I’m not going to ask how you know my address.”

Piper grinned as I stepped aside and they entered.

“We won’t take much of your time,” she said. “We just want to talk to you.”

“Sure. You can take as much time as you want. Want anything to drink or eat?”

“You got any soda?” Brandon asked.

“Diet Coke.”

“It’ll have to do.”

Piper removed her hat. “I’ll take some hot tea, if you have some.”

“Yep. Go drop your coats on the couch while I fix everything. We’ll sit here and chat in the kitchen.”

They did as instructed. After I’d fixed everything, we sat around my kitchen table, staring at each other and sipping our drinks. No one spoke. I figured I’d have to be the one who broke the ice.

“So, how are you guys feeling? I’m surprised your parents let you out of their sight.”

Brandon smiled. “We told them we had to do this.”

“Do what?

“Thank you. For everything. For holding us together. For saving our lives.” His voice wavered and he quickly drank a gulp of his Coke.

I shrugged. “If I recall correctly, you and Piper are the true heroes of this operation. Disarming alarms and leading the way to the security system via a secret and totally ace bridge is pretty impressive. By the way, Piper, Elvis said you have true wizard potential. Coming from him, that is seriously high praise.”

She smiled shyly. “He was incredible, just like you said. Lexi, you should have seen him work. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

“I have seen him in action. I agree his methods are truly breathtaking.”

“He was nothing short of amazing. He knew just what to do and how to communicate with the police undetected. He was so calm and focused. But when he saw you being attacked on the monitor, he grabbed my jacket and ran out of the office without a word. I had no idea what he was going to do. He just lost it. He didn’t have a single thought in his head for his own safety...for anything except you. It was all about you. I thought...I worried he might be too late.”

I swallowed hard, those moments still fresh in my mind. I couldn’t speak.

Piper continued. “It was brilliant how you figured the way the terrorists had wired the remotes to blow the vests. How did you know we were monitoring the security cameras?”

“I knew that if you got Elvis in via the bridge, he’d find a way. He sent me a message in the form of a double blip on the camera. I was looking for a signal and I found it. I’m just glad you knew sign language to help him out.”

“Well, I translated your words, but I didn’t have a clue what you were getting at. But Elvis did. Right away. You guys are really on the same wavelength.”

“Yeah, I guess we are.”

“Lexi, I also wanted to thank you for something else. My parents, well, my dad...he said he met you. He said you told him you were a lot like me in high school.”

“Yes, I met him, and yes, I said I was a lot like you. I was into computers just like you. Except I didn’t have a boyfriend in high school...especially not a guy as great at Brandon.”

He grinned at me while Piper blushed.

“But you’ve got Elvis now,” she said. “You’re really lucky, you know. He’s a great guy. Amazing actually.”

“I, um—Elvis isn’t my boyfriend.”

“He’s not? But I thought you guys are perfect for each other.”

Brandon put a hand on hers. “Pip, it doesn’t matter.”

“Sure, okay.” She looked confused. “Anyway, I guess I just wanted to thank you for everything. You were amazing. I wish you were really in high school. I think we could have been good friends.”

I would have given anything to have had a friend like Piper when I’d really been in high school.

“We can still be friends.”

Piper’s face lit up. “Really, Lexi? That would be prime.”

A warm glow spread through me. There was something special about the idea of having a friendship with another geek girl. Especially one in whom I saw so much of myself.

“Sure, as long as your parents approve.”

Piper’s happy expression faded. “Well, my dad doesn’t approve of the way I spend a lot of time online.”

Boy, did I understand that. “Look, Piper, your dad is just worried about you. He wants you to get out in the world, meet people and be more socially involved.”

I stopped cold as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

Oh. My. Freaking. Goodness.

I sounded
exactly
like my mother.

I sighed. “My best advice is to introduce Brandon to your folks. I bet that will definitely give your dad something else to worry about. Then just let him have some time to come around.”

“That’s what I wanted to tell you, Lexi. He already has. When I told him what happened, how you and Elvis had saved us, he said he never realized how important my skills could be. I owe you a big thank-you for that.”

“First of all, I didn’t save you. We all worked together as a team to save each other. Which reminds me...” I glanced at Brandon. “How did you get stuck disarming the booby trap on the door?”

He took a sip of his drink and sat it down. “I was the brawn of this group. Elvis and Piper were maintaining communications with the police. They didn’t need me behind the keyboard. So, the police explained exactly what I had to do. Elvis set up the camera view in a loop so it appeared that no one was at the exit. Then, it was just a matter of me getting there undetected and working as quickly as I could.”

“That’s pretty darn heroic.”

He looked down at his Coke. “It wasn’t too hard, except I was pretty scared and my hands kept shaking. I was completely exposed for about four minutes. If a guard had gone that way, I would have been dead. Plus, I had to use scissors instead of wire clippers, and that alone was rather nerve-racking because one wrong snip and kaboom. But I...I shouldn’t have left you in the stairwell, Lexi. I’m sorry.”

I placed my hands on the table. “Don’t be sorry. I told you to do it, and it was the right thing to do for all of our safety. What sense did it make for two of us to be captured?”

“I could have helped you.”

I shook my head. “No, you couldn’t have. There was no time. You would have been caught with me.”

“But you could have been killed.”

“We
all
could have been killed. At any moment. I’m thankful you left, and more importantly, you listened to me when I asked you to do so. Look how things worked out. It was exactly the right thing to do, Brandon. So, put it away and pack it up. That includes what happened with Mr. Jouret, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Piper reached across the table and took his hand. “By the way, Brandon and I talked to Wally. We know why you were at the school and that you’re some kind of cybersecurity expert for a company named X-Corp.”

“And?”

“And we’re going to shut down the WOMBATs. We weren’t the only three, you know, but we’ll be able to convince the others to stop. We were bored. I know we shouldn’t have done it. But Wally...he can be persuasive. Plus, it was mind-numbingly easy. The teachers were effortless targets.”

I smiled at that. “The weakest link in cybersecurity is the people. Keep that in mind when you’re on the other side of the fence.”

“Are we in trouble?”

“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I’d like to put your considerable talents to use on other, more intriguing matters.”

Brandon leaned forward. “Such as?”

“How do you guys feel about an internship at X-Corp?”