Chapter Twenty-Two
“This is the worst idea ever.”It was the third time Sam had said that particular sentence since they’d left the manor, and each time he uttered the words, they seemed a little worse.
Catriona sat in the back, with Liam in the front passenger side, and Sam driving. Both men looked like marble statues.
In front of them, over the horizon was Chicago’s skyline. The three of them had left well into the night and took the same route back, but this time, they put the car on the boat. Archer ordered it as the plates couldn’t be traced electronically. The rest of the family had remained behind. Lazarus was not ready to travel, and everybody agreed that the mansion was the most secure place for the time being.
However, Cary and Ted were far from happy at her leaving. Ted didn’t say a word, but his eyes filled with tears. Cary expressed his disapproval with a monumental tantrum. He’d yelled and hit everything around him until he fled into Lucas’ room, followed by Ted. Chewy remained with the kids, and that appeared to calm the boys a little.
Lucas and Zoe had promised to keep an eye on them until they returned, but Catriona felt as if she were abandoning them.
The trip couldn’t be helped. Lazarus’ friend, the hacker so to speak, had agreed to help but would only do so if she came to Chicago, saying that his equipment was better and more secure at his location.
Catriona agreed to his demand, much to Liam’s disapproval. However, the cop in him couldn’t find any reason not to go, and Sam had his coat on the moment the decision was taken, although, as he repeated many times, he far from liked the idea.
Archer had made the arrangements, and also booked accommodations for them if they decided to stay the night, making sure none of their names appeared anywhere. The less Finch and his men knew about where they were, or if they were still in Chicago, the better.
Without a stop, they drove directly to the Loop, just as the city was waking up. Now that Christmas was over, the streets would be packed with shoppers, but for now, still early, everything seemed eerily calm.
Sam turned on another street before entering between a cluster of buildings. Catriona saw a blue logo and read it when it appeared on another building.
“Gamespyr?”
Liam was scanning the area, but half turned his head in her direction. “It’s the address. From what I know, Gamespyr is a video game company.”
With the number of buildings bearing the name in this prized location, Catriona figured it must be successful.
The place was deserted, everyone still on holiday, but one security guard was waiting for them at a side entrance.
Sam got out, followed by Liam, who told her to stay put. Both men had a hand ready to draw their weapons, but the guard must have said something to put them at ease because both her bodyguards relaxed. Liam gestured for her to climb out, and he tucked her under his arm before following the guard and Sam inside the building.
The guard escorted them to a private elevator hidden around a corner. Catriona wasn’t reassured, but she had to trust Lazarus. Liam’s brother wouldn’t have sent them into a trap.
The ride was a direct one to the top it seemed. When the doors opened, they were welcome by a scruffy man dressed in a torn pair of jeans and a t-shirt with colorful drawings on it. The man was young and very handsome, although he looked serious at the moment. “Welcome. You must be Lazarus’ brothers and Miss Catriona Walsh. Hope you won’t be offended if I jump right away at calling you Catriona.” At her name, his eyes traveled over her in one fell swoop and smiled even more when Liam inched even closer to her, as if staking a claim. “Follow me. If you don’t mind, I’d rather be done with this as quickly as possible.”
He led them to a door which Catriona guessed was his office, but when they entered, it looked anything like one. The place was a mix of a workshop with counters overflowing with implements and an office. She could see a corner lounge with wide, flat screens and video games lying about, and if she wasn’t mistaken, there was clothing on the floor and enough dirty dishes to make a complete set in the room.
“What’s your name?” Maybe she wasn’t allowed to ask, but unlike Liam and Sam, she didn’t have a clue to who he was and how he could help them.
There were computers everywhere in the room, but the man went instead to the wall and touched something on the paneling. A hidden door open and the man gestured them inside. “I’m Devin Curtis, founder of Gamespyr, owner of all you see and unwilling hacker at your service.”
Unwilling? Had Archer threatened him? They entered to see a completely different universe. The space was dark and looked as if she’d stepped inside a spaceship. He said he was a hacker.
“Mr. Curtis, are we putting you in any kind of trouble for doing this? I asked Lazarus to find help, but not if it jeopardizes your company.”
As he sat down behind a semi-circle of screens that was probably the command center, the man blinked a few times before cocking his head. “Please, call me Devin. You, Catriona, might be the first person requiring my services who’s concerned about my safety and welfare.” Something changed in his face, the sarcasm and annoyance gone. “I assure you that I’m happy to help, and it’s nothing I’m not prepared for. That’s why I’ve brought you here. This equipment is specifically designed for that purpose.”
Catriona wasn’t dumb. Nobody would purchase this kind of equipment on the off chance a just cause came along. However, Liam pressed his hand more in the small of her back, urging her to be careful in her questions.
Devin started typing and screens came alive. “I think that Jamieson Finch is a virus that infected this city, making it rot. Let’s say that he wasn’t on our radar, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t seize the opportunity to stop him. Carpe Diem... or Noctem, and all that shit.”
“We?” The question was out before she could stop it, and Devin gave her an amused wink before turning his back to her.
“So, Catriona, show me what you need me to see.”
In detail, she guided him to the point where she’d discovered the accounts linked to Lazarus. Now at the same place she’d been, Devin leaned toward the main screen. He looked at another one to his right, and then back again before shaking his head. “Strange. The flow isn’t constant.”
Liam leaned forward. “What does that mean?”
