In for a Ruble by David Duffy Read Free Book Online Page B

Whoever it belongs to has sophisticated technology. I can also see some other weird shit, which I’ll check out as soon as I call Leitz.”
    “Hold on.” I pulled myself upright, which got everything that had calmed down angry again. “We’re dealing with shrewd customers. Leitz has a big temper. You tell him he’s been invaded not once, but twice, by persons unknown, he’s likely to go ape and do something stupid, like yank out both bugs. Better we’re there when he learns the bad news. Set up a meeting for tomorrow morning.”
    “He’s not going to like it.”
    “A few hours’ delay? The bad guys’ bug’s been there for weeks. They already know everything they want to know. My bug isn’t harming anyone, except maybe me.”
    “You gonna be able to make it uptown in the morning?”
    “I made it downtown tonight.”
    “That was more luck than skill. You’re gonna be hurtin’ tomorrow.”
    “Tell Leitz we’ll meet him first thing at his office. That way I only have to make it to Midtown.” I hoped Nosferatu didn’t have a 24-7 watch on the place. But if he did, he was watching East Sixty-second Street too. He could have had someone follow me yesterday. Regardless, we were going to meet again sooner or later, despite his admonition.
    “You look like hell, but I think you’re feeling better,” Foos said.
    “Does that mean I can use the Basilisk?”
    “Patience.”
    “I can blame both you and Leitz for the way I look. I’m not sure getting pummeled by a guy who takes obvious pride in his work is on the AMA-recommended heartache recovery program.”
    “What are we going to tell Leitz?”
    “Deliver the Repin. My job was to show how to get access to his computers. Not my fault someone else got there first.”
    “If I know you, you’re not leaving it there. Not after the beating you took. You could’ve told the vampire look-alike the truth about what you were doing and walked away.”
    As usual, he was right. I wasn’t leaving it there. But, equally, I wasn’t certain how far I wanted to take it. I’d completed the job, and Leitz’s hedge fund and TV bid were his problems. That said, Nosferatu tugged as hard as he punched. I didn’t like being beat up in my adopted town. I liked less the idea that it could be done with impunity. I liked less still the idea there was someone out there with ready access to what should be either classified or well-buried information about my past.
    “What’s Leitz going to want to do?” I asked.
    “His first impulse will be to protect his data.”
    “He’s behind the curve.”
    “Yeah. But he’s gonna be plenty pissed, so you’re applying logic to an irrational situation.”
    “So?”
    “Once he calms down, I think we can convince him to chase the fox, if that’s what we want to do, and we send the fox in an unexpected direction.”
    “Maybe, except I think this fox is a bear.”

 
    CHAPTER 6
    I took the subway, which was a mistake. The rush hour train was fish-can jammed. Every jostle and bump felt as though Nosferatu had hit me again.
    Force of habit, I suppose. The Moscow Metro is the only transport I use when I’m there. It’s efficient (not a ubiquitous Russian trait), and the stations contain better art than most museums. I used public transportation wherever I was stationed with the Cheka—New York, San Francisco, Washington, London—because it was one way to connect with the local populace. I’ve always tried to fit in, a legacy from the camps where one lived among multiple factions who didn’t always get along. I was a kid without formal allegiance—getting along was one way to make it through the day. I happen to like cars—I own two—but they do cut you off from your surroundings. They also provide cushioned seats and a steel wall of protection—more to the point this morning.
    I’d awoken aching all over. Shots of pain stabbed my back and chest when I moved. I get up at six, a lifelong habit, and I have an exercise regimen I