Rascal barked his agreement.
*
Piper called Fiona’s friend, Lulu Lo, and told her about my problem. Lulu agreed to meet us at lunchtime at the coffee bar in the Bigtime Public Library. We dropped Rascal off at my office with Chloe and headed over to the library.
I checked my watch for the fifth time. Lulu Lo was five minutes and forty-nine seconds late. “What does she look like?” I asked Piper. “Is she here? Or just late?”
“Believe me, you’ll know who she is when you see her. Lulu is hard to miss. At least, her hair is.”
Piper took another sip of her mocha latte and flipped through Confidante’s latest comic book. Evidently, Confidante had been lurking around during the library fundraiser, because this issue featured Fiera taking Milton Morris to jail.
My gaze flicked over the other folks slurping coffee, hot chocolate, and apple cider in the library’s coffee bar. Nobody met Piper’s description of a petite woman who used a cane to get around. All I saw were college students trudging back to the stacks, sad that their winter break was over. An older couple dozed in armchairs in the sunny spots inside the glassed-in garden. A floor above us, children laughed as a librarian read them a funny story. Up on the third floor, someone cursed the copy machine for jamming again.
A steady, solid thump-thump-thumping sounded above the hisses, gurgles, and burps of the espresso machine. I turned toward the entrance to the coffee bar.
“Let me guess. You hear her cane hitting the floor,” Piper said, not even bothering to look up from her comic book.
“Or something that sounds a lot like it.”
More thumps sounded, and a woman limped into the coffee bar. She was around our age—late twenties—and wore fitted jeans, sneakers, and a nice Bulluci pullover jacket. Piper was right. You really couldn’t miss seeing Lulu Lo. Because in addition to being very pretty, she sported neon blue streaks in her black hair. Lots of them. Lulu stepped through a patch of sunlight, which the metallic strands caught and threw back in my eyes. I squinted against the sudden glare.
“Hey, Piper,” Lulu said, coming over to our table. “How are you?”
“Good,” Piper said. “And you?”
Lulu shrugged. “Not bad, although I’m not loving being out in the cold and snow.”
“We wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important. I’ll let Abby explain. Can I get you something to drink? On us, of course.”
Piper didn’t have to offer twice.
“I’ll have a triple espresso with three shots of raspberry syrup, one of vanilla, and whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles on top,” Lulu said.
Piper left to place her order. Lulu sat down in Piper’s seat and leaned her cane against the table. She shrugged a backpack off her shoulders, put it at her feet, and pulled a slim laptop out of it.
“So, Abby, what’s the problem?” Lulu asked, powering up the computer.
“I have this flash drive,” I said, pulling it out of my coat pocket and showing it to her. “I put some information on it, and now it’s saying it’s encrypted and won’t let me access my files.”
“Encrypted, huh? We’ll see about that,” Lulu said.
She took the drive and plugged it into her laptop. The same password screen Piper and I had seen this morning popped up, but that didn’t faze Lulu. She started typing and muttering to herself about codes, passwords, and firewalls. I didn’t understand a word she said, but she seemed to be making progress.
Piper returned with Lulu’s espresso, and she reached out and took a big swig of it without taking her eyes off her laptop screen. If anything, the coffee made her type faster. Piper wandered off to see if she could find a superhero book she hadn’t read while I stayed with Lulu.
After about twenty minutes of typing, Lulu sat back in her chair and took another drink of her espresso. Her dark eyes flicked to me. “What sort of information did you put on this drive?”
“Just some client files,” I lied.
“Really?” Lulu said. “Nothing important?”
“Well, it’s important to me,” I said, trying to play along, even though I didn’t know where she was going with her questions. “Why do you ask?”
She turned the laptop around so I could see the screen. “Because not only is your flash drive encrypted, but your folders and files are in code as well. I’ve managed to get around the login encryption, but not the one that unlocks the information in the files. This looks like gibberish to me. Does it mean anything to you?”
Yellow folder icons covered the screen in a long row. They had names like Ivory Tower, Black Velvet, and Quicksilver. The only thing I could think of was superhero and ubervillain names. All of them had strange, colorful names like that. Talon had told me Tycoon was experimenting with radioactive materials. Maybe this was a hit list of superheroes or information on ubervillains Tycoon wanted to hire or even create himself. I didn’t know, and it frustrated me.
This was what Talon had risked his life for? This was why Bandit had trashed my apartment and almost killed me? To get a flash drive full of worthless information? How was this supposed to tell Talon who Tycoon really was and what the mob boss was up to? How was this supposed to help me get out of the mess I was in?
“Can you decode the files?” I asked. “I really need the information.”
Lulu gave me a sly look. “I can, but it’ll probably take me at least a day, maybe two. And it will cost you.”
“How much?”
I winced at the figure Lulu quoted me. There went the Weston fee and any chance I had of getting my loft back the way it was before Bandit had destroyed it.
“Or…” Lulu’s voice trailed off.
“Or what?”
“You plan parties, right? Weddings and stuff?”
“Yeah.” My voice was cautious.
“So do my engagement party and wedding, and we’ll call it even.”
I sighed. “Let me guess. You want to get the jump on Fiona and all the other brides-to-be in town and get married in some costly, overly elaborate fashion tomorrow night.”
“Oh no. Henry and I want a small ceremony. Probably twenty people, tops. And it’s still a couple months off, at least. I’m not walking down the aisle while I’m still using that.” She pointed to her cane.
Twenty people? That was all she was going to invite to her wedding? I could plan something like that in my sleep.
“Let’s do it,” I said. “Whatever equipment you need, just let me know, and I’ll cover the cost of that too.”
“Oh, don’t worry about the equipment.” Lulu waved her hand at me. An emerald engagement ring sparkled on her finger. “I have some friends who’ll give me the hookup. In fact, I think you know one of them—Jasper.”
“Jasper? The Jasper who lives across the street from me? You know him?”
Lulu nodded. “We’re old friends.”
I thought back and realized I’d seen her at the brownstone a time or two. I wondered if Lulu knew about Jasper’s role as a superhero informant or his connection to Joanne, but I didn’t ask.
Lulu studied me over the rim of her espresso cup, her face serious. I always got uncomfortable when people stared at me, and I tried not to fidget.
She leaned forward and dropped her voice. “Speaking of my friends, you might need their help, Abby. I don’t believe this flash drive belongs to you, and I don’t think you just have client files on it. I think you’re playing with something that doesn’t belong to you—and that you’re going to get burned by it.”
My heart froze in my chest. Did Lulu know? Did she suspect what was really on the drive? Did she know it belonged to Tycoon? Or even worse, did she work for him herself?
I decided to play it cool. “Maybe I should just ask someone else to help me with this, because you don’t believe me.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lulu said in a soft voice. “I don’t think you want anyone else to know you have this drive. Besides, I’m the best in the business. Nobody e
lse will be able to crack the code but me.”
“Really? There’s no one else who can decode it?”
“Baby, trust me. I’m the best. But don’t tell my fiancé. Henry likes to think he’s the best.” Lulu grinned. “But I’m going to need to take it with me to see what I can do with it.”
I hesitated. I hated letting go of the flash drive. If Lulu took it, what guarantee was there that I’d ever get it back? She might be Fiona’s friend, but she wasn’t mine. I didn’t know anything about her, except that she liked strong coffee and metallic hair dye, and that she was friends with the shady guy on my block. That didn’t exactly add up to someone I could trust.
Lulu sensed my hesitation. “Look, I need to make a copy of the drive anyway, just in case I screw something up while I’m trying to decode it. I’ll put the copied files on my laptop and let you keep the original drive. Does that sound okay?”
“That’ll be fine.”
“All right.” Lulu’s eyes met mine again. “And remember what I said about my friends. If you’re in trouble, they can help you. No matter who or what it is—or how bad it is.”
I thought about Bandit and how he’d almost killed me last night. I could still hear that bullet whistling through the air over my head. I tried not to shiver.
“Don’t worry, Lulu. I’m not in any trouble.”
“Sure,” she said in an easy voice, leaning back in her chair. “And I can tap dance.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Lulu made a copy of the files on the flash drive and left the library. I found Piper on the third floor, flipping through another Confidante comic book, this one about Swifte. I told her what Lulu said about needing time to decrypt the files.
“Well, I should probably get back to the office,” Piper said. “I need to review our latest earnings reports.”
“Me too. I still have work to do on the Weston event.”
“Call me the second anything changes,” Piper said.
I promised her, and we went our separate ways. It was almost two by the time I made it back to my office. Chloe sat at her usual station, throwing a tennis ball to Rascal and working on her computer while he ran after it, wrestled the ball to the ground, and chewed on it.
“There you are,” Chloe said. “I just got off the phone with Clean Dreams. They went to your apartment. They said your furniture was a total loss. So were your CDs. Most of the clothes were salvageable, so they took them to clean and repair.”
I sighed. Chloe handed me the message, along with a stack of others from clients wanting updates about their events.
Rascal bounded back to Chloe. She gently pried the wet, sticky tennis ball from his mouth and sent it skipping across the room. The puppy barked and raced after it.
“I also called Lou’s Locks and had them change yours. The locksmith dropped off your new keys an hour ago.” Chloe handed me an envelope. Then, she gave me a critical once-over. “Are you all right, Abby? You look tired.”
I rubbed my head. I was tired. In the past few days, I’d saved a superhero, slept with him, discovered his secret identity, been attacked by an ubervillain, and gotten caught up in some weird conspiracy.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” I cleared my throat. “But I wanted to say thanks, Chloe. I appreciate your hard work. I know I haven’t been myself lately. You’ve really picked up the slack around here. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Her face brightened. “That’s okay, Abby. I’m just glad you trust me enough to keep things running for you.”
“Thanks, Chloe. You’ve been a big help.”
“Oh, Abby!”
Before I could stop her, Chloe leapt up from her desk and threw her arms around me. What was it with her and the hugging? I started to roll my eyes but thought better of it. Instead, I reached up and patted her on the back. I supposed I could suffer through a hug. Chloe had been a lifesaver these past few days.
It was just too bad she couldn’t save me from Bandit as well.
*
I spent the rest of the day working. Calling clients, badgering suppliers, and trying to nail down the details for the Weston event and the others I was juggling. T-minus two days and counting until the party of the week went off, but things were coming along nicely, despite the warp speed with which I’d had to arrange everything.
Chloe left around five o’clock. I dug through the few CDs I had stashed at the office and put in American Pie by Don McLean. The singer started the title song, and I kept right on plugging away. It was amazing how much stuff could pile up on my desk in a few hours.
By about nine o’clock, I had finished up everything that absolutely had to get done. Rascal had long ago gone to sleep on one of the couch cushions I’d pulled onto the floor for him. Every once in a while, the puppy let out a squeaky yip and his brown paws twitched. Maybe he was chasing Bandit or some other bad guy in his sleep.
I got up from my desk and stretched, rolling my neck from side to side. It cracked once, twice, three times, and some of the pressure drained from my body. I usually had no problem dealing with stress, but the past week had been a doozy.
I walked over to the door, opened it, and stepped onto the balcony. A spattering of snow crunched under my boots, and a steady, cold breeze ruffled my hair. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned on the wall that ringed the balcony, staring out into the night. Late evening was my favorite time of day. It had been ever since my accident at The Blues. The Bigtime skyline glowed in the late evening, the buildings transforming into a soft, gunmetal gray around the white lights of the offices. Other beacons around the city added more diluted color, including the flashing red signal on top of The Exposé’s skyscraper and the blue one over at The Chronicle.
The sounds softened too. Street vendors had packed up their carts and headed home, while slowing traffic patterns lessened the rumble of cars and buses. A few people walked on the street, but the frenzied crush of commuters had already trekked to the suburbs to let the city sleep for a few hours.
As I stared down, I thought of how much my life had changed. This time last week, I’d been worried about pulling the O’Hara-Potter party together. Now I had another event to plan. Not to mention an encrypted flash drive half the city wanted to get their hands on and the unwanted attention of an ubervillain.
Oh yeah, I’d gone and fallen in love with a superhero too.
Maybe it was the hint of a smile that always seemed to be on his lips. Or his self-deprecating sense of humor. Or the fact that he didn’t take the whole superhero thing too seriously. But I’d fallen for Talon—and his alter ego, Wesley Weston.
I wondered where Wesley was. If he was out as Talon tonight. If he was any closer to discovering my secret identity as Wren. I hoped not. I didn’t know what I’d do if he learned the truth—or more importantly, how he’d react. Despite Piper’s assurances that Talon—Wesley—would understand, I wasn’t so sure. I’d drugged the man, after all. Dumped him in the convention center. Lied to him time and again.
I sighed. The cold seeped into my body, and I realized how tired I was. Time to go back to Piper’s and crash on her sofa for another night. Clean Dreams might have hauled away the damaged furniture and CDs from my apartment, but I wasn’t going back there. Not until Lulu decoded that flash drive and I gave it to Talon and the police. Not until I was sure Bandit and the mysterious Tycoon weren’t coming to my loft in the middle of the night.
As I turned to go inside, I noticed the bird feeder was empty. Normally, this wouldn’t have bothered me, but a solitary bird fluttered down from the sky and pecked at the empty feeder, searching for something to eat.
I stared at the bird. Big, bright eyes. Small body. Dull, brown color. A wren.
The bird hopped around the feeder, twittering a sweet, sad song. It stopped for a moment, shivering. I knew exactly how the wren felt—alone and cold.
So, I grabbed one of the bags of birdseed Chloe kept out here and scooped out enough to fill the feeder. Th
e wren fluttered away at my approach but returned as soon as I stepped away. It dug its beak into the plastic container, snagging seed after seed. I shook my head and turned to go inside.
Thwang!
Something shot into the wall above my head, showering bits of brick everywhere. I ducked, falling into a crouch and pressing my body against the wall. Had Bandit come for the flash drive? Decided to attack me in my office? Was he shooting at me right now?
I held my breath, opened my ears, and listened—really listened—but no more zips, zooms, or zings sounded. I heard nothing except the murmur of car horns and distant conversations. I looked up, but my supersensitive eyes couldn’t quite tell what had slammed into the building, and I didn’t want to stay out here and find out.
I crawled along the ground, staying as close to the balcony wall as I could. Then, I got up into a crouch, balancing on the balls of my feet and ready to leapfrog through the open door back into my office before Bandit put a bullet in my back—
A masked figure dropped out of the sky, landing on the balcony in front of me, like a dark angel falling from the heavens.
I shrieked and rocked back. My right foot lurched sideways, and my knees gave way. I smacked into the ground, almost whacking my head on the bird feeder. I shook off the pain rocketing down my side and scooted back. The icy balcony seared my hands.
The tall figure loomed in the open doorway. Something clicked, like the hammer being drawn back on a gun. The shadow strode toward me. Then—I smelled mint and sighed with relief.
Blue boots stopped in front of me, and Talon crouched down until his face was level with mine. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m all for this partnership thing, but couldn’t you have called first?” I groused. “I thought Bandit was shooting at me.”
Talon frowned. “Why would you think that? My grappling hook barely makes a sound.”
“Unfortunately, I have excellent hearing.”
“Really? How interesting.”
I couldn’t see his eyes behind the blue visor, but I could feel Talon’s gaze sharpening as he studied my face. I dropped my eyes and tried to figure out some way to get back on my feet without overly embarrassing myself—or shoving my ass in Talon’s face again. The superhero came to my rescue once more.