Black Pawn (Michael Cailen Book 1) Read online

  “I need a Russian translation program. I need to decrypt something right away. I didn't know where else to go. Maddy is in the Bahamas for another couple weeks. I really hope you have one.”

  “Girl,” Suki laughed. “We got everything. You're gonna die when you see our set-up. Come on,” he said as they all started walking towards the back of the club.

  Michael put his hand on Jessica's shoulder and held her back. “Who's Maddy?”

  “The man who saved me,” she whispered. “He goes by MadHatter, but we call him Maddy.”

  They followed Jessica's friends into an office. There was a desk, not surprisingly a computer and some filing cabinets. They walked to another door at the other side of the office that had a keypad on the wall next to it. Suki punched in a code with lightning speed and the door unlocked.

  Jessica was breathless as she looked around. There were ten overclocked computers set up on tables. Some were nitrogen-cooled. Wires were neatly bound and wrapped around the room. She could make out fiber optic cable and there was a server in the corner. They had come a long way from when she had been there. They had only four computers that were top of the line but nothing like what they had now.

  “My God,” Jessica was in awe. “This is like a hacker's wet dream.”

  Everyone chuckled.

  Michael didn't know what he was looking at, but it looked expensive. “Business is good I take it.”

  “Not this good,” replied Snipe. “Most everything you see is courtesy of Maddy.”

  “Who's this Maddy everyone keeps talking about?” Michael asked.

  “Only the best hacker of all time. The man is a legend,” Suki chimed in.

  “Looks like he's loaded,” Michael said looking around the room.

  “If you had his skills, you'd be loaded too,” said Snipe.

  Michael smirked. He had skills. Just a different set of skills, he mused. This Maddy guy really had him curious. He had saved Jessica and now he knew the guy was a hacker and apparently also was rich. It seemed everyone Jessica knew was a hacker.

  “Here you go, love.” Suki handed her a CD.

  “Awesome. Thanks so much.”

  The door opened and a pretty brunette entered. She looked exotic and Michael couldn't place what nationality she was. She had medium brown hair with blonde highlights and chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing black Capri pants and a bright green v-neck snug fitting shirt.

  “Jinx!” Jessica cried out.

  “Oh my God, Summer!” Jinx exclaimed in as much surprise as Jessica. They hugged like long-lost sisters and even teared up.

  Michael cleared his throat and looked at Jessica. He was getting impatient. They needed to decrypt that message. She took the cue.

  “Oh, guys there's kind of a clock ticking on this message I have to decrypt. Can I just get this done real quick?”

  “Okay, but then you have to stay and have a drink with us,” replied Jinx.

  Jessica looked to Michael for approval.

  “We could probably stay for a little while.” He didn't know if that was true or not. It would all depend on what was in that message. But he figured he'd appease everyone for now.

  Jessica grinned and gave Jinx another big hug. Everyone piled out of the room while she set up her laptop on one of the tables.

  Michael walked the room while she got to work. He looked down at one of the monitors and saw the security feed from the cameras. There was feed coming from the front door. He hadn't seen a camera there, it must have been hidden. There were also a few cameras inside the club. He could see Jessica's friends standing around talking. They all looked pretty excited. Guess they were happy to see Jessica.

  “Got it,” she said. “I don't know what this is.”

  Michael walked over and took a look.

  “Maybe I used the wrong code,” she pondered out loud.

  “No,” he said. “I think you did it right.”

  “You know what that is?”

  “Yeah.” He didn't seem too thrilled. “Those look like CIA mission files.” He looked downright unhappy.

  “How do you know?”

  “I did some work for them, remember? That's the way they code their mission files. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. I don't know how these are going to help us. It's not like we have access to their mission files.”

  “I need to talk to Kevin,” she blurted out.

  “Who's Kevin?” he asked as she dropped the name from out of nowhere.

  She looked at him.

  “Maddy.”

  He looked at her like she had just lost her mind. Did she not understand the danger they were in? This wasn't the time to reunite with old friends.

  “You're gonna get everyone killed.”

  She took a deep breath. “Look, Jessica Nickoli has nothing to do with any of these people.” She took another breath. “Jessica Nickoli didn't even exist until six years ago. My real name is Jessica Bowen.” She didn't look up. She was afraid of what his reaction would be. He didn't say anything for what seemed like an eternity.

  Michael was trying not to be angry. He was having a hard time with that.

  “You don't seem to understand the situation we're in.” She could hear the anger in his voice.

  “It doesn't get more connected than the CIA. They faked your death for God's sake.” Jessica felt a pit growing in her stomach and she gulped hard. She couldn't look at him. “You act like none of this is relevant. Your Russian friend who's into God knows what and is most likely now dead because of it. The envelope he sent you, which you conveniently forgot about. And now you tell me about your other identity!” His voice raised.

  “How am I supposed to protect you if you keep hiding things from me?! This is the CIA, Jessica! You think they can't see through a fake identity?!”

  He waited for a response. She looked like she was going to be sick but she didn't say anything. “We have to get out of here, if they found out who you really are, then we could be totally screwed and your friends could be dead. Pack it up.”

  Michael checked the security feed. Everything was still quiet. Her friends were sitting at the bar. They were waiting for that drink.

  “They can't connect the two identities,” she said softly.

  “I think you're wrong.”

  “I never used my real name after I ran away. I never used it for anything. As far as I was concerned Jessica Bowen died in that alley. I never even told Kevin my real name. He never asked.”

  “How did he set up your new identity?”

  “I don't really know. You'd have to ask him. All I know is he hacked into quite a few databases and changed some data. There was a refugee couple from Romania who died in a car accident the first week they were here. They supposedly didn't have any other family but Kevin changed it so that they had a daughter, me. He fudged some records and I was born, so to speak,” she explained. “He made me cut all ties with everyone I knew. He wanted me to have a real job and a real life. Knowing him or any of my old friends could jeopardize that. Can't exactly do what I do and get caught hanging out with criminals.”

  “But you still talk to him? You said he was in the Bahamas, so you do talk?”

  “Yeah, but only on prepaid cell phones and I pay cash for them. He's adamant about not having any traceable contact,” she explained.

  “Was that the cell you lost in the cafe?”

  “No, that was my regular cell. I had planned on buying a new prepaid when he got back from the Bahamas.”

  Michael was feeling a little better about the situation. It seemed unlikely they would be able to tie “Summer” with Jessica. He was still upset she hadn't told him all of this earlier and he still felt uneasy.

  “Are there any other revelations you'd like to tell me now while we're at it?” She shook her head no. Michael was still peeved, but had calmed down. “Do you still want that drink with your friends?”

  “More than ever.”

  “I'm sorry I yelled at you.”
/>   “It's okay.” Her hand visibly shook as she brushed her hair behind her ears.

  “They're going to wonder what I did to you,” he smiled at her.

  She smiled. “I'll just tell them you slapped me around.”

  “You do that,” he laughed. She laughed with him.

  He wasn't in such a hurry to leave any more. “We should probably try to see what's on that flash drive from your friend.”

  “If I know Alex, it's heavily encrypted. Will likely take a while to crack.”

  “Alright, let's have that drink with your friends then and get going.”

  Jessica packed up her laptop and they headed for the bar where everyone was waiting.

  “What are you drinking, Summer?” asked Jinx. “And you, Jake?”

  Michael took a seat at the end of the bar. “I'll just have a beer.”

  “I'll take a margarita.” Jessica wanted something strong.

  Jinx got the drinks while everyone else started peppering Jessica with questions. They all wanted to know what legal hacking was like. Michael just listened.

  Finally, Jinx asked the question everyone was thinking. “So are you going to tell us who this mystery man is? Is he your boyfriend?” She had a big smile on her face.

  Jessica looked at Michael as if he would answer that. He just looked at her with an inquisitive expression and said, “Am I?”

  No help from him, Jessica thought.

  “Yes, he's my boyfriend.” She didn't know what else to say. Would be more questions if he was just a “friend.” Michael just had a big grin on his face. Then the usual questions followed.

  “Where did you guys meet?” asked Sun.

  Jessica wasn't sure how to answer that one, and thankfully didn't have to because Michael stepped in. “I picked her up in a coffee shop.”

  Everyone seemed shocked. “Really? A complete stranger? And she actually talked to you?” everyone asked.

  He laughed. “I was very persuasive.”

  Ain't that the truth, thought Jessica. They were all amazed.

  “You must have a golden tongue, bro,” said Suki. “Cuz this is one tough chick to crack.”

  Michael grinned. “Oh, I know.” Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket, texted something and put it back. Jessica was watching him. He just looked at her and smiled. She wondered what that was all about.

  Snipe asked how long they had been together. Michael lied and said four months. One week might have seemed a little strange. The conversation wound down and Michael said they should get going. It was almost 4:00 p.m. and he didn't want to be there when they opened. Plus, he really wanted to find out what was on that flash drive. He hoped it was something better than the mission files that right now seemed worthless.

  They said their goodbyes and Jessica hugged everyone. Michael wanted to ask to check the security cams before leaving, but he thought it might look too strange. Instead he let one of her friends open the door and quickly scanned the street before leaving the building. He managed to pull it off without looking suspicious. He was on edge as soon as they stepped outside. Everything seemed fine though. They got in the truck and waved at Jessica's friends standing in the doorway of the club.

  “What do you want to talk to Kevin about?” he asked as they started to drive away.

  “I think he can help us.”

  “Help us how?”

  “I don't know yet, but he might have an idea.”

  “I take it you learned computers from him?”

  “You would be correct. He's probably ten times better than me.”

  “I find that hard to imagine.”

  “What was with that text message?” she asked.

  “Just a lead.”

  “You wanna tell me about it?”

  “No. I'll tell you if it pans out to anything.”

  “Wait, so you can keep things from me, but I can't keep things from you?” she asked, irritated at the double standard she was seeing.

  “Yep.”

  “How is that fair?”

  “It's not.”

  “So you agree it's not fair, but you're still going to do it?” Now she was really irritated.

  “Lots of things in life aren't fair,” he stated coldly. “You have to understand I will keep things from you. You don't need to know everything and you're better off not knowing everything.”

  “Shouldn't I be the judge of what I need to know?”

  “You're not going to change my mind, so let's not fight about it,” he said firmly.

  Jessica clenched her jaw and looked out the window. She was angry. Michael knew it, but he wasn't going to give in to her. There were things she was better off not knowing, and that was that.

  They drove to the hideout in silence. Jessica was seething by the time they got there. The truck hadn't even come to a complete stop before she was out of it, heading towards the street. Michael quickly put the truck in park and hopped out.

  “Jessica! Quit acting like a spoiled brat!” he yelled out to her. Probably wasn't the best thing to say because she only walked faster. “Jessica!” He jogged to catch up with her.

  “Leave me alone,” she angrily replied.

  “You know I can't do that.”

  She kept walking. He grabbed her arm and she shook him off. Michael was getting agitated. He grabbed her arm again, but this time she couldn't shake him off. She struggled but he was much stronger than her.

  “Jessica, stop! I don't want to hurt you.”

  “Let go of me!” she screamed.

  “Calm down!” he shouted, as she fought to break free from his grip. Michael had never met anyone so overemotional. He was quickly losing patience. He wanted to just grab her and carry her inside.

  “My life is ruined,” she cried. “I'm hiding in a warehouse, running from people who want to kill me for reasons I don't know, my apartment was burned down, my friends think I'm dead. And you're keeping things from me.” She began sobbing.

  Michael softened, realizing she was just frustrated. He let go of her. She stepped away from him and crossed her arms.

  “I'm sorry, Jessica. You need to trust me though. There are some things you are happier not knowing.”

  Still visibly angry, she wouldn't look at him. Without a word, she just started walking back to the hideout. Michael grabbed the laptop from the truck as Jessica went inside ahead of him. Once inside, he saw the bathroom door was closed. Great, he thought, I wonder how long she'll be in there? He sat down on the futon and looked at the bathroom door again.

  Jessica had walked straight into the bathroom, closed the door and leaned against it. She was filled with mixed emotions. She was angry with Michael, but she also felt he was trying to protect her and she didn't want to be angry with him. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the door. She took a deep breath before moving in front of the sink. She washed her face and took another deep breath before opening the bathroom door. Michael was leaning against the wall by the door.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I'm sorry.” She looked down.

  He reached an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He stroked her hair, and kissed her forehead. “You're gonna drive me to drink,” he teased.

  She laughed. “As long as I can drink too.”

  He smiled and kissed her lips. “You think you could get started on that flash drive while I get us some food?”

  “Sure. How about Italian? I'm in the mood for some lasagna.”

  “You got it, kiddo.” He grabbed his jacket and left, locking the door

  She looked over at her laptop bag on the floor by the table. She really wasn't in the mood, but she started anyway. Before she knew it, Michael had returned. She hadn't made much progress and was frustrated.

  One look at her and Michael could tell it wasn't going well. “Take a break. Let's eat.”

  Gladly putting away her laptop, she grabbed one of the plastic forks in the bag and started on her food while Michael dug into his.

&n
bsp; “So this Kevin guy was a hacker when he took you in?” he asked.

  “Yeah. After a few days when I was feeling better I asked him what he did on the computer. He was on it all the time. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell me, but he did and I asked him to teach me.”

  “Why did he make you go legal?”

  “He thought I was getting out of control. He was afraid I was going to get caught.”

  “You? Out of control?” he said sarcastically. “I can't even picture it.”

  She rolled her eyes but couldn't restrain a smile.

  “He laid a guilt trip on me,” she continued. “Said he didn't save my life just to watch me throw it away. I didn't want to give it up. I did it for him.”

  “Sounds like he really cares about you, and you him.”

  “We're close,” she smiled.

  Michael finished eating, sat back in his chair and watched her. She was gorgeous, and as he got to know her better she seemed to be even more beautiful. She was smart, funny, well-liked, a bit overemotional, but he kind of liked it. She looked up and caught him staring at her. She was embarrassed.

  “Why are you still so shy around me?” he asked.

  “I don't know.” She looked down at her now empty plate.

  “I would think after everything we've been through, and done together, that you would feel more comfortable around me.”

  “I'm actually pretty comfortable around you,” she said while avoiding eye contact.

  “You could have fooled me,” he laughed. “You won't even look at me.”

  She forced herself to look up at him. He was undeniably handsome and when he smiled at her she felt butterflies in her stomach. She smiled back timidly.

  “It looks like you were having trouble decrypting the drive,” he said, changing the subject.

  “Ugh, it's a bear,” she replied in disgust. “I'm having trouble concentrating, I just keep thinking about everything that's happened. I want to talk to Kevin. I don't know if I can do this.”

  “Can you copy the contents to your laptop?”

  She answered emphatically, “No.” She went on to explain. “Alex booby trapped it with a nasty virus. I was prepared for it so I was able to stop it, but since I can't tell what anything is on there, I won't risk copying the virus to my hard drive. I have to be careful every time I access that thing.”