The Housewife Assassin's Killer App by Josie Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

TREVOR????
    A moment later, she texts back: B home in 5
    Relieved, I smile. “Jeff, afterward, you’ll help Mary with the dishes. Trisha will set the table. For lunch, there’s chicken salad in the fridge, with organic greens.” I grab my purse. “Until Aunt Phyllis gets here, don’t let anyone in the house except for Mary.”
    “Not even Trevor?” Jeff asks slyly.
    “Especially not Trevor,” I say, as I follow Jack out the door. “And please stay inside.”
    Not that they’d want to go out, anyway.  
    There’s a storm brewing.  

    By the time we get to the office, the rest of the mission team is already assembled in the conference room with Ryan. There are at least twenty tech-ops personnel, as well as their fearless leader—Arnie Locklear, who personally provides tech-ops for Mission Quorum, which is headed up by Jack.  
    Emma Honeycutt, my mission team’s communications intelligence specialist, is also here. She’s engaged to Arnie, and is now well into her seventh month of pregnancy.   I wish I could say that things have been smooth sailing for those two, but after the initial proposal euphoria, reality has set in.  
    They must be in the midst of some new battle, because they’re sitting on opposite sides of the room. They haven’t even tied the knot, but already they fight like an old married couple.
    Other members of the Quorum mission team have also been summoned. Abu Nagashahi, a field operative who is our mission’s cut-out and cleaner, is sitting behind Emma. And, finally, there is Dominic, who, like Jack and me, is an F3—he finds, fixes, and finishes—on black-ops missions.  
    For the majority of these operations, we’re naked—and by that, I don’t mean we aren’t wearing clothes (albeit in some cases, we aren’t), but that we go solo.
    When it’s Jack’s turn to go naked, I hold my breath until he walks back through the door.  
    He does the same for me. Too much can go wrong. We know this from experience.
    Frankly, when it comes to my dealings with Lee, I’m totally naked—figuratively, that is.  
    No doubt he wouldn’t mind if I were in the literal sense either.  
    But that ain’t happening. I think I’ve given him that message loud and clear. At the same time, I’ll be honest: I don’t mind being the pawn—make that the queen—in some deadly chess game of wits and power with Carl.
    I have a vested interest to keep Carl in check.
    Now that everyone is here, Ryan gets right to the point. “Acme has been called in to do an audit of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s main database. Apparently, the IC’s intrusion software is less than stellar. Security vulnerabilities have been found in our most highly classified files concerning terrorism, both foreign and domestic.”
    Jack gives me a sidelong glance. I know he’s now wondering if this was the reason for Lee’s call to me. I look straight ahead, as if I’m not aware of his stare.
    He’s about to say something to me when Ryan holds up his hands to counter the shocked murmurs and questions from the crowd. “We don’t know much, but from what we can tell, the hacker is a pro, not just some kid looking to prove something. It is cyberespionage of the highest order. And yet, he chose to leave a calling card. Three, in fact.”
    From his iPad, he flashes an image onto the wall-sized video screen: a wild-eyed man in a top hat—the classic illustration of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland . Only this hatter is sitting with a laptop. Alphabet letters swarm the screen like flies. When they align, they read:

    It is better to be feared than loved.

    Spooky.  
    Dominic taps his lips with a forefinger. “From what I remember of Alice in Wonderland , that line was spoken by the Red Queen.”
    Ryan nods. “Thanks for that, Dominic.”
    The next clue says: What a funny watch! It tells the day of the month, and doesn't tell what o'clock it is!  
    “Alice, of course,” Dominic says, matter-of-factly. This knowledge