Trust Me, I'm Trouble (27 page)

“It’s
my
family, Sam. My responsibility.”

Sam frowns. “It’s technically your parents’ responsibility. But I’ll overlook that and go straight to we’ve been friends since the fourth grade. We’ve been there for each other since before either of us even knew what that meant. So the last thing I’m going to do is let you shoulder this thing by yourself.”

I do know that, and despite him leaving me last year when I really needed him, I’d do the same for him.

“I get what you’re saying,” I say. “But still, she gave you a reason not to tell me. I need to know what it is.”

He pauses for a long moment. “She said if you found her, you would lose your father.”

I sigh. “Shows what she knows. I’ve already lost my father.”

The sound of the Chevelle’s engine grows in the distance, which means Dani is getting close. I hadn’t expected to see her tonight, so either she couldn’t stay away from me, or, and more likely, she has bad news. But I’ve had so much bad news lately that a little more won’t hurt, and the thought that I get to see her makes my heart flip. Queen of messed-up priorities—that’s me.

“You’re into her, aren’t you?” Sam asks.

I don’t answer because I don’t need to. If he’s asking, he already knows, and me answering will just open the door for him to get all judgy about it. And in any case, it’s none of his business.

“You’re a total moron, you know that, right?” he says.

“Yep. I am well aware.”

“She’s a
mob enforcer.
”

I’m starting to get exceptionally tired of having this conversation. “I’m a criminal, too, Sam. We’re all criminals, remember?”

“You are a fixer. I am a hacker. We skirt the law. We don’t
obliterate
it by murdering people.”

“I know what she does, but it’s not who she is. And it won’t change how I feel anyway. I’m too far gone for that.”

Only I know him well enough to see the slight tightening in his features that says he’s fighting a wince. Seeing it makes me both sad and angry.

“It’s impossible, Julep. You have to see that. Tell me you see that.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I grumble, annoyed that I have to say this out loud. “She won’t let anything happen.”

“Thank god,” he says, relieved.

I glower at him. “Don’t get too comfy in your moral superiority, there, Sam. At least she stayed.”

“Julep—” He tries to touch me, but I stand up and out of reach.

“Just do your job, Sam, and I’ll do mine.” Then I turn to march inside, but Dani is there before I have the chance.

“Get in the house,” she says. “Both of you.”

Sam and I head straight for the house without question. Dani scans the fence line as she waits for us to cross the threshold. Then she slams and locks the door behind her, drawing the curtains.

“What’s going on?” Mike says, taking out his phone.

Dani pulls me to the center of the room, away from all the windows. “Someone has picked up the contract.”

Angela’s face turns a few shades paler. I’m sure mine is a match. I think about my close call at the quarry and start trembling again, damn it.

“Do you know who?” Mike asks.

“Yes,” Dani says, as she closes the blinds in the living room. “His name is Spade. He is not just a professional. He is
the
professional you call if you are not getting results.”

Mike rubs his face. “I’ve heard of him. From D.C., right?”

“D.C., Los Angeles, Istanbul. He is a force of nature.”

“Fabulous,” I say, hugging my soon-to-be-dead self. “Do you suppose it’s too late to take out a life insurance policy?”

• • •

“Really, Dani, you don’t need to come in with me,” I say as we troop up the sidewalk toward Bar63. “There’ll be a huge crowd. It’s not like Ackley’s going to pull a gun on me or anything.”

“It is not Ackley I am worried about. Crowds can be just as much cover as darkness if used correctly,” she says. “I am not letting you out of my sight.”

“I suppose I can live with that,” I say, smiling. “This disability has interesting side effects.”

She growls at me. “This is not a joke.”

“I know,” I say, laying a hand on her arm. “And I’m grateful for your help. I am. But lighten up a little, all right?” Urban streets give way to neck-craning skyscrapers and when we get to Bar63, we bump right into Aadila.

“Who’s this?” Aadila asks, gesturing to Dani.

I loop my arm through Dani’s. “This is my girlfriend, Dani.” Then I beam up at her to see her reaction. She turns eight shades of red and glares at me when Aadila turns to the bar to get us a couple of glasses of something sparkling.

“Nice to meet you, Dani,” Aadila says vaguely, her attention already elsewhere. She gestures at the mike set up in the corner. “They’re doing these lame toasts to Duke. Anyone can jump in, so feel free.”

“I think I’ll pass,” I say. “Where is everybody?”

Aadila gestures with her chin to where Joseph is sitting in shadow, nursing a glass of water. He looks listless and rough. Duke’s death is hitting him particularly hard.

“I should go over and check on him,” I say to Dani. “Keep Aadila company for a minute?”

Her glare sharpens for a second, but then she nods. It’s not like she can’t see me from the bar.

“This seat taken?” I ask as I slide in next to Joseph.

He shakes his head. He glances at me briefly but then goes back to staring at his water glass, looking for answers that I know from experience aren’t there.

“I lost a friend once,” I say. “A good friend. It almost wrecked me.” For once I allow the full feeling of those months after Tyler’s death to infuse my voice. “I have to admit, Dr. Raktabija’s theory about the light never really worked for me.”

“What did work for you?” Joseph asks.

I meet his eyes, letting mine tell the truth. “I’ll let you know when I find out.”

He swallows hard. I put my hand on his arm—it’s all I can do. And it’s not nearly enough, because if I’m right about Ackley, then it’s my family’s fault Duke is dead. Whatever’s on that flash drive has to do with my family, and Duke could still be alive if he hadn’t gotten involved.

“I need to go.” Joseph gets up quickly and walks to the other room. I don’t follow. Instead, I go back to where Dani is sitting with Aadila, who is apparently chattering her head off about Dani’s Chevelle.

“Having fun?” I ask her.

“You are the luckiest— How did you not tell me that you get to ride in a 1969 mint-condition Chevelle on a daily basis? Do you have any idea how
cool
that car is? You don’t, do you? Oh, the waste!”

“Well, I know how cool it is
now.
Besides, the Chevelle and I have a terrific relationship based on mutual respect and understanding.”

Aadila rolls her eyes at me. “You are so weird sometimes.”

“That is an understatement,” Dani pipes up. I elbow her in the ribs for her trouble.

“Speaking of things that are beautiful, have you seen that guy before?” Aadila asks, pointing surreptitiously at Sam.

I’d laugh, but then I’d have to explain myself. “Um, he’s an initiate, I think. A new one.”

“Weren’t you working on the initiate files?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. She’s referring to the files I rifled through in the document room.

“His wasn’t in there, I don’t think. Not that I remember anyway. Why? Are you interested?” I ask, starting to feel annoyed. I’m not here to facilitate Sam’s love life.

“He’s too old for me, I’m sure. I was just curious if you knew him. Maybe he has a younger brother.”

Nope. Just Sam. No siblings. Tough luck. “Why don’t you ask him?”

Aadila makes a face. “No way. I don’t really care about this internship, but I don’t want to lose it in disgrace for hitting on an initiate. Even if I’m not really hitting on him.”

Okay, this conversation is officially getting weird. Time to redirect. “Who else is here?” I ask.

Aadila shrugs. “Everybody. Ackley’s coming late. Something about a doctor’s appointment. Whatever.”

“Wait, what?” I say, heart suddenly pounding. “Ackley’s not here?”

“Nope, and I can’t say I’m super sorry to be missing his smug…What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Oh, nothing. Just got a little dizzy. I’m going to go sit down for a minute.”

I grab Dani’s arm and tow her over to the bench Joseph vacated. My fingers fly over my phone screen as I text Sam to meet us outside immediately.

“Change of plan,” I say to Dani, trying to keep my voice as low as possible in the din. “We have to get out of here.”

Dani, bless her, isn’t a question asker. She swings immediately into action, threading through the crowd to the door.

“Ackley’s craftier than I thought,” I say when we catch up with Sam. “He never showed. He must have figured out I was playing him.”

“How do you know?” Sam asks as we head to our cars. “Maybe he just ditched the wake.”

“I can’t take that risk. I have to assume he’s searching the Ramirezes’ house,” I say, sending a text to Angela.

“Why there? Why not Salinger’s office?”

“Because the flash drive isn’t at the office. I have to act on the possibility he’s anticipated me and…” I dial Angela’s cell—no answer. “That’s not the worst of it. God, I am such an idiot.” I dial the house phone—still no answer. “Angela’s there by herself. Mike’s working late tonight.”

My phone pings with a text from Lily.
I need to talk to you.
I dismiss it.

“What about the FBI detail?” Sam yanks open the driver’s-side door of his Volvo.

I rush past him toward the Chevelle. “The FBI is there only when I am—after five and on weekends.”

Once we’re in and buckled up, Dani floors it. The Chevelle’s tires squeal as we swerve into traffic, cutting off a BMW SUV. Sam’s Volvo weaves into the lane right behind us. The roar from the Chevelle’s engine does little to calm my racing heart. If anything happens to Angela, I’ll never forgive myself.

Sam and Dani slice through the tail end of rush-hour traffic on 290, driving on the shoulder when necessary. It must look like we’re in a race against each other, when really we’re racing the clock. If Ackley gets to the blue-fairy flash drive before we do, we’ll lose what little upper hand we have. Plus, there’s no telling what could happen to Angela if she tries to interfere.

Ackley didn’t seem that dangerous, not really, but I know nothing about the people he’s working for. And if he
is
searching the Ramirezes’ for the blue fairy, then I’ve already gravely underestimated him. I am such an
idiot.
I thought going up against Duke was the challenge. But Duke was never the problem. I’ve been looking in the wrong place the whole time.

Dani swerves to avoid a semi, then shifts into fifth again. “Five more minutes.”

Sam maneuvers ahead of us and switches lanes, slowing down to let us in just before we reach the off-ramp that leads to Mike and Angela’s. We speed through the red light, taking the corners fast enough to make even the Volvo sweat.

When we skid to a stop in front of the house, there’s a gray van out front that I’ve never seen before. I throw open my door and run toward the house. Sam grabs my arm, holding me back long enough to let Dani pass me. Dani barges through the front door, gun drawn.

I hear someone shout “What the—?” as I rush in behind Dani, who has a portly man I don’t recognize pushed against the wall, her gun to his forehead.

“What the hell is going on?” Angela yells. “Dani, unhand my plumber!”

“Are you sure he’s a plumber?” I ask, drawing Angela to the opposite end of the room.

Sam darts into the kitchen. “Clear!” he shouts as he abandons it to check the other rooms.

“Yes, I’m sure!” Angela says, tugging her arm out of my grip. “I’ve known him for eight years!”

Sam comes back, nodding to Dani. Dani slowly releases her grip on the plumber, holstering her gun without taking her eyes off him. The plumber, his small eyes open as wide as they go, wipes the sweat pouring from his forehead.

“Will someone please tell me what’s happening?” Angela says, her nurse’s no-nonsense tone getting more pronounced with every word.

I leave it to Sam to explain as I run back to the guest room to check for the flash drive. The room feels eerie, too quiet after the rush and noise of racing to get here and confronting the plumber. But nothing is even a hair out of place. My schoolbag is still slumped half open in the desk chair. Yesterday’s clothes are still in a pile on the floor. My notebooks are still stacked haphazardly, just the way I left them. I allow myself a brief flicker of hope before pulling open the desk drawer I stowed the flash drive in last night.

But my stomach sinks to the floor when I discover that the drawer is empty.

The blue-fairy flash drive is gone.

“D
o you have the blue-fairy flash drive?” Joseph asks me.

Startled, I look up from staring unseeing at my computer. “What did you say?”

“The asset backup drive,” he says. “I can’t find it.”

I blink, shaking my head. Of course, he wouldn’t say blue-fairy flash drive. It’s just my distracted brain filling in the blanks when I’m not listening.