Page 44 of Wired Fear

Jake’s office door opened. “Terence. Mr. Dunn.” A young woman with a regal bearing stood in the doorway.

“I told this woman she couldn’t just barge in,” Felicia hollered from the reception area. “But she did anyway!”

“This is my cousin Emma,” Terence said. “Em, thanks for coming and bringing what I asked you to.”

Jake could see a resemblance to Terence in the woman’s tilted brown eyes and full, determined mouth. Emma wore jeans and a bright purple shirt emblazoned withBadass Bitchin glittery writing. Her arms jangled with gold bracelets, and she wore a pistol strapped to her hip.

“Don’t know why we need these stupidhaolerent-a-cops,” Emma growled in Terence’s direction. “We can handle this.”

“You didn’t see what he did to my uncle,” Terence said.

“Even so. But it’s your dime, cuz.” Emma stomped across the room and slapped down a small external storage device in front of Jake. “Terence, he da boss. He say come, bring you this, I bring you this.”

“What is it?” Jake held up the drive.

“A complete list of all of the Chang family and their closest associates. Those who might be aligned with Akane are marked with an asterisk.” Emma put her hands on her rounded hips. Her dark eyes flicked over Jake contemptuously. “This better not get out of your hands, or I know where to find you.”

“It won’t. We’ll give you and your cousin the same top-quality service we give all of our clients,” Jake said. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

“No. I have a memorial service to plan for Terence’s uncle.” Emma sailed back out of the office and slammed the door.

“She’s a bit of a hothead, my cuz,” Terence said. “But she kicks ass.”

“I have no doubt.” Jake waggled the drive in Terence’s direction. “Lucky for you, Sophie, who’s our computer expert, just got back on island. She’ll be able to hunt for more detail online with this info. It might give us an idea of who’s hiding him, where, because he must have help.”

“No doubt.” To judge by his scowl, Terence seemed to be waging an internal debate. Finally, he said, “What do you think about using Sophie for bait? To lure Akane out into the open?”

“Screw that. Let’s useyouas bait, Terence,” Jake flared. “You’re the one he really wants.”

Terence’s eyes widened. “How did you know?” he whispered.

Chapter Thirty-One

How had this musclehead, Jake Dunn, guessed that Akane wanted Terence most of all? As far as Terence had been able to discern, no one was talking about the massacre of Akane’s family.

Terence looked down at his hands, turning them over. He must have touched some part of Uncle’s body, because dried blood made dark lines in the folds of his fingers.

And it was on his clothes. He’d wiped his hands on his shirt at some point.

He had no memory of any of that.

What Akane had done to Uncle had been too terrible even to process, but bits of memory blasted his brain randomly with images he could never unsee: Uncle’s chopped off, curled-up hands, one on either side of a plate set on the dining room table. His torso, spilling entrails on the kitchen floor. His legs, propped as if sitting, on a chair.

Akane’s version of humor.

The next stop for Terence, after this, was his lawyer’s office.

Terence looked up at the Security Solutions agent at last.

Jake Dunn was staring back at him from smoke-colored eyes, his chair tilted back, his fingers laced over his belly. He looked hard, dangerous, like a damn good poker player.

Maybe the guy wasn’t as dumb as he’d assumed.

“You can tell me the real reason you’re here any time now,” Dunn said. “Or not. Makes no never mind to me. You signed a contract, and we’re on the clock. It’s running on your dime now, as your cousin said.”

“All right. I’ll tell you what I can. I’m in the middle of a war with Akane for control of Chang Enterprises.” Terence sat back and imitated Dunn’s pose. “It’s important that I win. For everyone’s good.”

“Ah. You’re taking over the family for the good of all.” Dunn’s tone dripped sarcasm. “I’m looking at the next Big Island mafia boss right now. Don’t know what you need Security Solutions for.”

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