she was thankful for. She couldn’t argue while all these sharp emotions were rolling around in her chest and her eyes burned. Her voice would crack and maybe other things would crack and come spilling out.
Finally, Lauren broke the silence, leaning forward, tucking a curl of dark hair behind her ear. She glanced quickly at both Jacko and Metal as if seeking their permission. “We’ll keep you safe, Felicity. Jacko and Metal are really good at that. It’s what they do.”
“You were kidnapped and Jacko was shot. How safe were you then?” Her head was bent and she spoke to the table.
Something perverse in Felicity made her say the words, just pushed them out of her mouth. She regretted them the instant she said them. These three people were doing their very best for her, though they’d never met her before. And she’d only known Lauren online. She’d stumbled, wounded, into Lauren’s house and they’d done nothing but look after her and care for her.
She lifted her head, forced herself to meet their eyes, one at a time. Lauren. Jacko. Metal. “I’m so sorry,” she said miserably. “That was uncalled for—”
“But true.” Metal sighed. “No offense taken. We thought the danger was over and it wasn’t. We don’t make mistakes like that twice, though, believe me. So no one is going to be catching us unawares until this whole thing is resolved. You have my word.”
Oh
,
Metal
, Felicity thought sadly.
Some things are never resolved
,
not even over a lifetime.
Her father’s issues had never been resolved and he’d been frightened, looking over his shoulder, for as long as she could remember.
Of course her father had been a physicist, not a warrior. But still.
“Let’s go over the known facts,” Metal said. “What’s our basic intel?”
She nearly smiled to hear him speak soldier-speak. Al, an FBI agent his entire life, would have called it intelligence.
“I understand from Lauren that you help people disappear.” Metal directed his even gaze at her.
“No,” she said. “It’s more complicated than that, and that’s not my main job. My main job is as an IT consultant. This is more of a…a sideline. I create background identities and social media profiles for the…the government on a freelance basis. But I do that rarely. Mainly, as I said, I work in computer security.”
Metal leaned forward a little. “So you don’t think the most likely explanation is that someone you gave a new identity to wants to erase his tracks and eliminate the person who knows his new identity? You don’t think it’s connected to someone you’ve helped?”
If only it was so easy. Felicity shook her head. “No, for three reasons. First, I don’t actually create the heavy-duty documents, particularly passports. I created an Ohio driver’s license for Lauren, but that’s because she was my friend. She had a very nasty man after her. I looked at his computer files and he was crazy and bad, a nasty combo. Like Deathstroke. You’ve got Deathstroke after you, you need help.”
Metal smiled. “Unless you’ve got Arrow on your side. Then you’re okay.”
Felicity smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. “Unless you’ve got Arrow on your side,” she agreed. “But Lauren didn’t have Arrow. She does have Jacko now and, no offense, Jacko, and I mean this in the best possible way, you look like a real badass. Not many people would want to cross swords with you. But when Lauren and I first connected she was alone with bad guys on her trail. Which is why I agreed to provide actual documents. Usually I provide background ID and social media backstopping for the FBI.”
Both Metal and Jacko reacted as if they’d been touched by a cattle prod. “The
FBI?
” Metal asked.
“You didn’t tell me that,” Lauren complained.
“No.” Felicity sighed. “I keep it to myself. But I figure I can tell you two without compromising national security.” She peered at the two men. “What
Finally, Lauren broke the silence, leaning forward, tucking a curl of dark hair behind her ear. She glanced quickly at both Jacko and Metal as if seeking their permission. “We’ll keep you safe, Felicity. Jacko and Metal are really good at that. It’s what they do.”
“You were kidnapped and Jacko was shot. How safe were you then?” Her head was bent and she spoke to the table.
Something perverse in Felicity made her say the words, just pushed them out of her mouth. She regretted them the instant she said them. These three people were doing their very best for her, though they’d never met her before. And she’d only known Lauren online. She’d stumbled, wounded, into Lauren’s house and they’d done nothing but look after her and care for her.
She lifted her head, forced herself to meet their eyes, one at a time. Lauren. Jacko. Metal. “I’m so sorry,” she said miserably. “That was uncalled for—”
“But true.” Metal sighed. “No offense taken. We thought the danger was over and it wasn’t. We don’t make mistakes like that twice, though, believe me. So no one is going to be catching us unawares until this whole thing is resolved. You have my word.”
Oh
,
Metal
, Felicity thought sadly.
Some things are never resolved
,
not even over a lifetime.
Her father’s issues had never been resolved and he’d been frightened, looking over his shoulder, for as long as she could remember.
Of course her father had been a physicist, not a warrior. But still.
“Let’s go over the known facts,” Metal said. “What’s our basic intel?”
She nearly smiled to hear him speak soldier-speak. Al, an FBI agent his entire life, would have called it intelligence.
“I understand from Lauren that you help people disappear.” Metal directed his even gaze at her.
“No,” she said. “It’s more complicated than that, and that’s not my main job. My main job is as an IT consultant. This is more of a…a sideline. I create background identities and social media profiles for the…the government on a freelance basis. But I do that rarely. Mainly, as I said, I work in computer security.”
Metal leaned forward a little. “So you don’t think the most likely explanation is that someone you gave a new identity to wants to erase his tracks and eliminate the person who knows his new identity? You don’t think it’s connected to someone you’ve helped?”
If only it was so easy. Felicity shook her head. “No, for three reasons. First, I don’t actually create the heavy-duty documents, particularly passports. I created an Ohio driver’s license for Lauren, but that’s because she was my friend. She had a very nasty man after her. I looked at his computer files and he was crazy and bad, a nasty combo. Like Deathstroke. You’ve got Deathstroke after you, you need help.”
Metal smiled. “Unless you’ve got Arrow on your side. Then you’re okay.”
Felicity smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. “Unless you’ve got Arrow on your side,” she agreed. “But Lauren didn’t have Arrow. She does have Jacko now and, no offense, Jacko, and I mean this in the best possible way, you look like a real badass. Not many people would want to cross swords with you. But when Lauren and I first connected she was alone with bad guys on her trail. Which is why I agreed to provide actual documents. Usually I provide background ID and social media backstopping for the FBI.”
Both Metal and Jacko reacted as if they’d been touched by a cattle prod. “The
FBI?
” Metal asked.
“You didn’t tell me that,” Lauren complained.
“No.” Felicity sighed. “I keep it to myself. But I figure I can tell you two without compromising national security.” She peered at the two men. “What
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