F Wilson - Fatal Error

Szeto shook his head. "They think I am victim. I hide my holster under parked car. Police question me and I tell truth: I did not see man, his van is blue, and had Mississippi plates. I know nothing else. But I know how to find more."

He meant the woman, of course-Connell's sister-but knew better than to bring it up directly. Ernst decided to misinterpret his remark.

"Yes. Locate Brother Connell. If we are lucky, he will run to the police. If that happens, our brothers within the authorities will isolate him and interrogate him."

"What if he goes into hiding like sister?"

"We'll find him just like we found her."

"That was luck. We thought she was in Wyoming."

"But she came back. We weren't networking with the Dormentalists and Kickers then. Besides, I doubt he knows how to hide. But check his bank accounts and his credit and debit cards anyway. Track him that way."

The Order had members in all the large financial corporations and law enforcement agencies as well. No information was privileged.

"And when he is found?"

"When he is found, he shall lead us to his guardian angel. You will see to it that he cooperates. And then you shall have the pleasure of dealing with that one."

Instead of smiling, Szeto frowned. "We do not have much time. When Jihad brings down Internet, we will have difficulty tracing anything."

Ernst hadn't thought of that.

He was going to miss the Internet.

"Feeling better?" Weezy said, watching Dawn closely as she sat next to her on the couch.

Dawn nodded. "Much."

The juice and cheese had worked a mini miracle. She certainly looked better. A little color in her cheeks made a world of difference. But she looked disheveled. Her medium-length blond hair needed a brushing and her oversized blue sweat suit didn't do her figure any favors.

"Should I call your parents?"

Suddenly she looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

"Is something wrong?"

She nodded, biting her lip. Finally she said, "I don't have any. My mother… died…"

Weezy touched her knee. "I'm so sorry. Who are you staying with?"

"No one."

"You're living by yourself? Across the hall?"

She nodded.

But she looked so young.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen next month."

A teenager… living alone in this building. The rent was reasonable for the location, but not cheap. How did she afford it? Unless she'd inherited it. Like Weezy.

"I'm an orphan too, if it makes you feel any better."

Lame! she thought.

Dawn offered a weak smile. "No offense, but it doesn't." Then she quaked with a sob. "I miss my mother so much!"

Weezy hesitated, then put an arm around her shoulders. "It's been years and years for me, but I still miss mine. How long for you?"

Another sob and she pressed her face against Weezy's shoulder. "Not even a year."

Still a fresh wound, she thought. For some odd reason she thought of a couple of girls she knew who had gotten pregnant during high school. Their children would be just about Dawn's age.

I'm old enough to be your mother.

What a thought.

Dawn gathered herself and pulled away. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Really, it's okay."

She was overweight like Weezy had been until a few months ago. As Dawn straightened her sweat suit top, Weezy noticed the bulge of her belly.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

Dawn's face took on a guarded look. "Maybe."

"Are you pregnant?"

Weezy thought she was going to cry again, but she held it together.

"I was… until yesterday morning."

"You delivered yesterday? And now you're here alone?"

She nodded.

No wonder she almost passed out.

"Where's your baby?"

The tears flowed again. "Gone. He died."

Oh no. The poor kid.

Weezy squeezed her hand. "That's terrible."

"They said he had birth defects but they wouldn't let me see him."

"You didn't see your baby?"

She shook her head. "Only a glimpse when they rushed him away because he'd stopped breathing."

That was hard to believe, but she didn't seem to be lying. She seemed genuinely upset.

Weezy gave her hand another squeeze. "I'm so sorry. I-"

A knock on her door startled her. If that guy looking for his dog was back, she wasn't answering. She looked through the peephole and saw Jack. She'd given him a swipe card for the downstairs door.

Always glad to see Jack. Sometimes too glad, because sometimes it hurt to spend time with a man she wanted and knew she could never have. He was so attached to Gia and Vicky-hermetically sealed was more like it. She'd never pry him free. Didn't know if she wanted to, really. For his sake. Gia made him happy, filled in the spaces where he was empty.

Weezy could do that too, she was sure of it. And the thing was, she'd known him first, and should have had first dibs. But that had been such a-literally-crazy time in her life that she hadn't realized what was sitting right in front of her.

If only she could go back in time. She'd follow him to New York and become his partner in all ways. What a life they'd have lived-would still be living. He'd have never met Gia and would be unable to imagine a single day without his dear, sweet, ever-loving Weezy.

Instead of solace, fantasies like that had made her miserable and forced her to move out of Jack's place and find her own.

And now, happy as she was to see Jack, she wasn't happy with his expression. He looked concerned.

She pulled the door open. "Hey."

"Hey." He took a step across the threshold. "We need to-"

He froze, wide-eyed, as he stared over her shoulder, then ducked back into the hallway and to the side.

"Jack?" she said, following him.

"Close the door," he whispered.

She couldn't do that-she'd be locked out-but she pulled it closed without latching it. She'd never seen Jack like this. He looked agitated… flabbergasted.

"What's wrong?"

"Where did you find her?"

"I didn't find her." She pointed to Dawn's door. "She just moved in."

His eyes widened further. "There? Across the hall?"

"Yes. What's wrong with that?"

"Everything! Get rid of her. Get her out of your apartment."

"I can't do that. She's not feeling well and-"

"We've got to talk-about Eddie and about her. And I can't let her see me."

"Why not?"

"Because she knows my face." He backed away toward the elevator. "I'll wait downstairs and check back with you in a few minutes."

Just then she felt a tug on the door. Dawn pulled it open.

"I should be going," she said.

Weezy noticed Jack turn away. He stopped at the elevator and stood with his back toward them.

Still off balance from Jack's strange reaction, Weezy studied Dawn. She appeared composed now, and steady on her feet.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I'm much better now. I'm going to do a little food shopping."

"Do you need money?"

She smiled and started down the hall. "No, I'm good."

Weezy glanced past her and saw Jack still waiting for the elevator. She couldn't imagine what was going on between him and a nineteen-year-old girl, but was sure he had a good reason for not wanting her to see him.

"Wait. Let me give you my number in case you need anything."

She hurried inside and jotted it down on a sticky note. By the time she returned to the hall, Jack was gone.

She pressed the note into Dawn's hand, telling her she could call any time, then shooed her down the hall.

She couldn't wait to hear what this was all about.

"That's the girl I told you about," Jack said, pacing Weezy's front room like a caged tiger. "The one with the super oDNA baby that everyone's been looking for."

"Dawn Pickering?"