The contact was a spherical curve of liquid crystal cells that projected high-def images. Invisible to all but the user, the lens created a virtual display several feet from the face.

She fluttered her fingers, the metallic press-on nails catching the dim light. The radio-frequency identification-tagged fingernails allowed her to type in the air without a keyboard.

Before hooding Candy and Jaggers and loading them in the private jet, René’s men had searched their luggage compulsively for any communication devices. They had no way of knowing that Candy had been wearing her phone.

She let her gaze loosen to focus on the floating display. It always took some time for the double-blind comms connection to initiate.

The cursor blinked red, red, then finally turned green.

Van Sciver’s text scrolled before her face: HAVE YOU SECURED THE ASSET?

She lifted her fingers like a pianist and typed a reply text in thin air: POWER PLAY FAILED. WILL WIN HIM @ AUCTION TOMORROW.

She chewed her lip, waited nervously.

I’M UNWILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK.

OK. She took a deep breath, studied the bathroom walls. WHERE AM I? DID U BACKTRACE SATPHONE CALL?

REMOTE LOCATION IN MAINE.

Maine didn’t make sense given their travel time. To throw off their estimates, René’s men must have flown them back and forth in the jet before loading them into the helicopters.

She waited, watched the blinking green cursor.

After a moment another text appeared: WE GOT THROUGH THE CRYPTOGRAPHIC CIPHERS ON HIS SATPHONE, BUT WE ONLY HAD TWO SATELLITES VISIBLE FOR THE GPS TRILATERATION. WE’RE MAKING TIMING CORRECTIONS NOW, ZEROING IN ON PRECISE COORDINATES.

R U GOING 2 SEND A DRONE?

GETS TRICKY OVER U.S. SOIL.

She typed, WE LIVE 4 TRICKY.

I’M TAKING NO CHANCES, Van Sciver texted.

WHICH MEANS?

BOOTS ON THE GROUND.

She pursed her lips. A physical raid backed by numbers? Van Sciver didn’t operate this way. Ever. It would take a different level of coordination, logistics, mission planning. Which meant time.

CAN U GET HERE BY MORNING? she typed.

IF NOT, he texted, YOU’D DAMN WELL BETTER STALL THE AUCTION.

COPY THAT.

THERE IS NO VERSION IN WHICH ORPHAN X EXITS THAT BUILDING UNTIL I ARRIVE. UNDERSTOOD?

She took a breath. UNDERSTOOD.

The cursor went from green to red. She lowered her hands. The display vanished, leaving her looking at her own reflection in the mirror.

Her conscience, long buried and atrophied from lack of use, rolled over from its sleep. She kicked it in the face and put it back down. It had no business being awake for what she was about to do.

52. Some Kind of Advantage

52

Some Kind of Advantage

Despite the drugs Evan was awake and alert with the first light of dawn. He lay on his back. Waiting. He sensed the planks compressing in the hall before he heard them creak. Dex could put some serious weight down on a floor.