Page 19 of Dark Things (Payback Duet #1)

Rebelle

W e drop Cat off at home, pretend like we’re off to bed, and go right out of my bedroom window. This is the perfect opportunity to start getting some intel on Mario’s guys.

“Are you okay to do this still?” Haunt asks, grabbing my hand as we walk over to my bike.

“Yeah, I only had two drinks and that swig of whiskey. I’m fine,” I reply, squeezing his hand before lifting it to my mouth and kissing his knuckles.

“Tonight’s only about seeing if we can get close enough to Gino to clone his phone and then find out what he’s up to. We know he uses a burner, but Hex gave me this app that will allow us to at least get something from it.”

Hex is the guy that took over all our tech communications and hacking from the one who taught me how to access cameras. He’s around our age, a little quirky, and never says or does more than he’s required, but I’d consider him one of the good guys, if you could say any of us are like that.

I climb on the back of the bike and lean forward, wrapping my arms around Haunt’s waist. He starts the bike up, and we zip down the road heading toward the town over.

Gino usually eats at a twenty-four-hour diner on Friday nights, where he gets a certain type of pie before heading back home.

Hex used his credit card receipts to get that pearl of information, and tonight we’re going to see if it paid off.

Resting my head on Haunt’s shoulder, I run my hands up and down his abs, trying to soothe myself from the run in with the guys.

When Aslyn asked to meet up, I didn’t think I’d be slipping and calling Brooks BK, or having them watch me dance with Haunt.

Everything is so fucked up inside of me, and I’m not sure how I can navigate both plans without losing myself in the process.

I sigh and look out into the night, enjoying the breeze washing over me as we ride down the quiet country roads.

“You’re being quiet, what’s going on?” Haunt’s voice comes through the speakers in our helmets.

I click the button on the side and speak into the built-in microphone.

“All good, just wanting this to all be over. It feels like we’re so close but all the missing pieces are giving me a bad feeling.

Like why is Stan making his move now if he’s clearly already been onto where Mario is?

Planning something like this had to be months in the making and we only found out about it two weeks before we left for Saratoga. ”

He’s quiet for a moment, and then his deep voice comes through.

“Honestly, I think we only know half the story. As much as we think Stan is a moron, he’s like a cockroach.

He’s survived his own apocalypse and lived to create this massive mercenary network to get back at the people he thinks wronged him.

I don’t doubt for a second that he’s always known where Mario is and what he’s doing.

I just think he’s been waiting for something to happen before he jumped at the chance to take him down. ”

I had a similar feeling, but these last years have been about survival for me and figuring out how to get back to Magnus.

While Stan has always been a constant in my mind, he’s never been the main thing.

The boogie man in the closet or the monster under the bed, sure, but never the most important thing to me.

I maneuvered my life around him so that I could be safe enough to flee and take those I love with me.

Mario, the Russos, and even the guys never factored into that plan.

We pull up to an old looking diner, the kind that resembles a train car, and pull around back. Haunt cuts the engine and hands me a phone.

“All you have to do is sit close enough and open the app. Once it’s running it should take care of the rest. Try not to let him see your face or get close enough to recognize what you’re doing,” he says.

“What am I, new? Jesus, Haunt, it’s not like we haven’t done missions like this a thousand times before.”

I kiss him quickly to shut him up before I walk to the front of the building. I pull the hoodie of my jacket over my head and walk in. There’s not many people here, but for this time of night it’s more than I expected.

The diner’s decor is a simple country feel with shiny countertops and red plastic booths. The scent of coffee and bacon fill the air, and I wonder if I can get away with eating something before I have to leave.

“Sit anywhere you’d like, hun,” a waitress says from behind the register, ringing up another customer.

I glance around and see Gino on the side of the diner where the parking lot is visible.

His head is bent over a newspaper, and he’s eating his pie with the other hand.

Comfortable. Not even looking around for danger.

I slide into the booth in front of him, facing the opposite way. It puts me in a vulnerable position, but it’s the only way for him not to see my face or what I’m doing.

The waitress steps up and goes to hand me a menu with a smile. “I’ll give you a minute to decide what you want.”

I clear my throat, waving away the menu. “No need. I’ll have a cup of coffee and a side of bacon.”

She offers me a smile and turns to leave me be.

I slide my phone onto the tabletop and start flipping through it with my left hand.

On my right, I slip the phone Haunt gave me and open the app.

The program loads and green numbers and letters rapidly flow over the screen.

I glance at it to make sure it’s running properly before sliding it under my thigh out of view.

A text from Haunt comes in a moment later, and I lift my head to stare out the window.

Haunt: You good?

Me: Yeah, the program is up and loaded. How long did Hex say before I could leave?

Haunt: It needs about five minutes to get in and then it depends on how much data is on the phone. He said a minute or two if it’s not much. I have a visual on both of you, I’ll text if there’s any movement.

Me:

The waitress comes back with my coffee and bacon, placing it in front of me. “Need anything else?”

I shake my head and pick up the creamer to put in my coffee but she doesn’t leave. I look up and she’s staring down at me with curiosity in her eyes. Fuck.

“Haven’t seen you around here before. Usually only my regulars come in this late. ”

Internally I’m screaming at this lady to mind her own business, but I can’t draw that much attention to myself. “I’m actually on my way home from a friend’s. Figured I’d stop and get a coffee and some food before I keep on driving, ya know, to keep me awake.”

She smiles again and pats my hand. “Okay, let me know if you need a refill or something more than just the bacon.”

Offering her a tight smile, I go back to scrolling through my phone. The booth creaks behind me, and my whole body tenses. Gino gets up from his booth and circles around to the counter. He gives the waitress some money before he slips out the door.

I close my eyes and count to ten. The need to rush out and tackle him so I can get what we need is fucking infuriating. I glance down at the cloning device and see the program is halted on the screen.

The text comes through seconds after.

Haunt: Did you get anything?

Me: Have no idea. I’ll send it over to Hex and see if it was enough time.

I close out the app and click on the link to get to the message board that will bring me to the portal we use for our merc jobs.

Pitch: Sending over the intel now. Don’t know if it was a complete upload before the mark left.

Hex: I’ll take a look and let you know if I need more. May not be worth it for another go-round. These guys are smarter than the boss gives them credit for.

Pitch: What if I can get the phones of three more players. Think you could work your magic?

Hex: Have you met me? Of course I can make it happen

Pitch: You’re lucky I like you

Hex: You’re lucky to have me

I roll my eyes and get up from the table, finishing the last of my coffee. I don’t bother waiting for the check. I throw down a twenty and walk out into the night. Hopefully this fucking side quest wasn’t for nothing.