Three weeks until the wedding.
“If I’m not back out in twenty minutes, assume they cut my throat.” I frown at the nondescript building tucked in the back of an average office park. There’s nobody else around except for a bunch of average sedans parked nearby.
Tigran laughs softly, sitting up in the passenger seat of my BMW. He’s got a pistol in his lap and a phone in his hand, casually leaning on his elbow.
“Mantis is ruthless, but they aren’t stupid. If they wanted you dead, they’d just shoot you in the back of the head and be done with it.”
He’s right, but I’m still more than a little wary.
Up to this point, all my contact with Mantis and their operatives has been through secure email. At least until this morning, when they sent me a job offer and a location.
I wasn’t sure I’d accept until I mentioned it to Tigran. He gently reminded me that I’m the one trying to keep a healthy working relationship with those vicious bastards.
Besides, the pay is very, very good. Double my normal rate for this sort of thing.
He didn’t have to come as backup, but I appreciate the extra muscle.
“If there’s trouble, I’ll just start shooting.” I push open my door and step out. “If you hear gunfire, come running.”
“Good luck.” He salutes me with his gun barrel, showing teeth.
Fatherhood slowed him down, but there’s still a dark hunger in his eyes.
I walk over to the suite doors. It’s for some company called Arcis Secure Tech. I do a quick search on my phone and get a few hits for AST from my personal LLM model. Turns out, they’re a legit cybersecurity firm, or at least on the outside.
Nothing Mantis does is legit past the surface. No time to do any serious digging, though.
It’s a Saturday, and the office looks empty. There’s a big man waiting at reception. He’s leaning against the counter and reading a home decoration magazine with a bored frown. When I approach, he glances up and holds out a single hand.
“Gun,” he says.
I hesitate, not happy about this, but Tigran’s words play through my head. If Mantis wanted me dead, they wouldn’t have invited me to a meeting in some normie office park.
I hand over my weapon, and he waves me on. “First conference room on the left.”
So much for shooting if things get dicey.
I find a younger man waiting at a large table. He’s sitting at the end and glaring down at his phone. He’s got on a sleek suit and looks more like a salesman than a member of a notorious criminal organization. His frown doesn’t change when I approach the table. I don’t sit down.
“Are you Iron Head?” I ask, studying him. I expected someone big and tough based on the nickname he uses in messages. But this man is sleek and athletic and seems better suited to desk work.
“That’s me,” he says, leaning back and crossing his arms. “And you must be the infamous Permafrost?”
I pull out a chair and sit down. I like that he’s using my hacker alias instead of my real name. For some reason, that puts me at ease. I’m positive he knows exactly who I am, but it’s a sign of respect that he’s not saying it out loud.
“I understand that you have a missing object you need me to find.” I meet his hard gaze. “Normally, I don’t take this kind of meeting in person, but given your status—” I don’t finish that sentence. He knows exactly what I mean.
Mantis is an organization that demands respect.
Iron Head slides a simple USB key across the table. “This contains everything you need. The device was stolen one week ago, and so far, we haven’t been able to track it down. We know it’s still in Baltimore based on our location data. We know it hasn’t been activated. But beyond that, there’s nothing.”
I frown at the key and raise it up. “What exactly am I looking for?”
“It’s a watch,” he says.
My eyebrows raise in surprise. “That’s not really my expertise. If you’re missing some jewelry—”
“But it’s much more than just a watch.” His expression is pained as he folds his hands together in front of him. “I cannot tell you exact details or what is on the device. Suffice it to say that the object looks like an antique pocket watch, but it contains extremely sensitive data. It’s rigged to ping location towers every hour on the hour; however, it’s currently not transmitting. The last few connections are detailed on that key. We are willing to pay you very, very handsomely to find the watch, return it to our organization, and hand over whoever stole it.”
I shift slightly in my seat. Hand over means Iron Head and Mantis are going to make a brutal example out of that poor bastard.
Not my problem, though.
Whoever did it must be fucking insane or very stupid if they stole from these people.
“If you can’t find it, why do you think that I can?”
“My people are currently busy with more pressing matters. Besides, we’ve been very impressed with your work for us to this point. We’re curious to see what else you’re capable of.”
It’s not just a job then.
This is a test.
For what, I’m not really sure. Black Mantis is an international organization, but they’re shadowy. Everyone knows they’re not to be fucked with, but beyond that? I can’t even guess the schemes they’re pulling.
Getting their business would be huge for the Brotherhood.
I’ve done small jobs for them so far. Little hacks like with that pervy senator. Stuff they easily could’ve done themselves.
But they paid me to do it instead, which says they’re curious about our operation.
“I’ll do it,” I tell him and push back my chair. “How long do I have?”
“As long as you need, but we will get impatient after a month.”
I nod and turn toward the door. “I’ll check in one week from today.”
“Good luck, Permafrost. This is very important to my organization. Please don’t mess it up.”
I leave Iron Head and head back through the building, pausing only to collect my gun from the goon up front. Once I’m outside, my head starts spinning as the implications start to press down on me.
“You’re still alive,” Tigran says, sounding amused. “I honestly wasn’t expecting much.”
I sink down into the driver’s seat and stare straight ahead. I’m trying to wrap my head around the problem at hand and everything that might come after if I pull this off, but I’m having trouble finding the right words.
Tigran leans closer, looking worried. “You good, Alexan? What’s wrong?”
“I think Mantis wants to work with us.” I show him the USB key and briefly explain the job. “This could be our chance, Tigran.”
His expression is grim. I can only imagine the calculus he’s doing right now.
It’s the same math I’ve got rattling in my brain.
Allying with Mantis would mean growth and connections overseas. It would mean a way into the notoriously difficult but lucrative Asian marketplace. It would mean more contracts, better importers, and cheaper goods.
“What do you think happens if you can’t make this happen?” he asks me very carefully.
That’s the other side of the equation.
Growth and opportunity come with risk. Mantis doesn’t get involved with just anyone, and they expect perfection from their partners.
“I’ve heard rumors. There was that crew out in Sacramento. They were raking it in until one of their guys got pinched, and when he flipped, Mantis left him dead and gutted in the prison yard. Then they hunted and murdered the rest of his people, even though they were innocent. Total scorched earth.”
“You think they’ll do that to you if you fuck this up?”
“Probably,” I admit with a shrug. “But it won’t blow back on you. Mantis is vicious, but they can’t destroy the entire Brotherhood. Not with our allies at our backs.”
“After you marry that Irish girl, we’ll be even stronger.” Tigran looks out the window, thoughtful now. “Maybe we don’t even need Mantis.”
“The McGraths are strong here in Baltimore, but that’s still small time. Mantis can turn us from one of the most powerful players on the East Coast into the biggest organization in the entire United States.”
“Is that what you want?”
I shrug slightly, looking back down at the little USB key. “I don’t know,” I admit. “But either way, I have to find this watch, right? Then if this test is what I think it is—”
“It’ll be for me and Arsen to decide.” He gives me a hard look now. “You know that, right? No matter what we say, that’s the law.”
“I understand.”
I put the car into gear and pull out.
