Gone Dark (The Stefan Mendoza Trilogy Book 2) by P R Adams

Author:P R Adams [Adams, P R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Promethean Tales
Published: 2018-02-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Clouds of steam slithered like gray snakes through the dark of night, veiling what little starlight slipped through cotton ball clouds to speckle the black water. We were parked on a concrete slab that looked down on an abandoned beach that might one day be revitalized. One day. For now, it was overrun with bloated fish corpses, which were sickly gray strips in the dark sludge that had replaced brown sand. The construction craze of some years back had taken its toll, leaving behind rotting wood and half-buried rusting metal structures. Once-blue water had turned toxic, become choked with hostile algae and other growth.

I shivered, more from nerves than the cool air coming in through the car’s windows. The stench from the beach had been nauseating at first, but it was now bearable. Water lapped gently against the shore, calming.

But the shakes were coming, regardless.

Only Huiyin seemed calm, staring down at the Cytek facility from the front seat of the other car, as if the data center were a puzzle she could solve by exerting her will.

Chan turned from the computing device that dominated the dash of the car we shared and considered the MSS agent. “Trust her?” Chan certainly didn’t seem to.

I didn’t know how honest to be, so I said, “I trust my team.”

“But you slept with her.” Chan never looked away from Huiyin.

“You leave a camera in my room?”

Chan glanced down at the computing device display. “Security, right?”

“And there’s privacy, too, Chan. That’s not acceptable. Have you been recording everyone?”

“Just at that place. It was scary. Spread out. Felt…alone.”

Heat flashed along my neck, warring with the chill of the shakes. “Hope you enjoyed the show.”

“You’re not like Jacinto.” Chan leaned in closer to the display, but not close enough to hide the glistening of tears. “Gentle. Kissing.”

The heat along my neck spread. “Jacinto was an animal.”

Chan nodded and wiped away tears. “Sorry.”

“Forget about it. Just don’t do it again, please.”

More nodding. And sniffling. “Ichi’s jealous.”

Who hadn’t seen us? “She’ll just have to deal with it. Huiyin’s free to sleep with who she wants.”

Chan looked up, eyes damp, brow wrinkled beneath magenta bangs. There was a moment where something more might have been said, then it was gone. All attention returned to the display.

Good. I didn’t have time for the drama. Never have sex with someone on your team, I reminded myself. Emotions. Chaos.

I needed to change the conversation. “I’m confused why they sent some data traffic to Biloxi and other data traffic here.”

“Different functions.” Chan came across a little cold-shouldered.

“Isn’t that a bit expensive, having two data centers for separate functions?”

A shrug. “Rappaport? That guy you killed outside Denver? Standing up six data centers. Global. For a company that doesn’t even exist.”

“SunCorps?”

“Yeah.”

Even in a stagnant economy, that had to be a lot of money. And for what?

The passenger door on Huiyin’s car opened, and Ichi climbed out. She was a shadow, quiet and swift, barely shifting the car when she took the seat behind me. She crossed her arms over her chest.

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