Page 88 of Sweetwater and the Witch

That wasn’t quite what he had hoped to hear, but it would have to do for now. What mattered was that he would see her that night.

He ended the call and looked at Gabriel. “Well?”

“Aiden got the reservations,” Gabriel said. “We’re going to nail Spooner and find out what the hell is going on with Vortex.”

Chapter Forty-Five

Taggert Spooner was standing in front of his office window, contemplating the spectacular view of the Dead City of Old Frequency while he savored his revenge, when his phone pinged.

Melody Palantine’s message was short and shocking.

Sweetwater is on the way to your office. He’s alone. I’ve notified security.

Taggert went cold. This could not be happening. Sweetwater was dead. The Concierge had sent a message informing him that the hit had taken place in a hot zone in the Mirage Desert and that the bodies might not be found for a few days, if ever.

Don’t panic. You can handle this. There’s no proof. Nothing. He can’t touch you.

The plan came together in a heartbeat. It was perfect. Should have done it this way in the first place, he thought. Simple. Elegant. Neat. He really had no choice. His destiny was on the line.

He sent a message to Palantine.

Hold security until you hear from me. I will deal with this.

He was sitting at his desk, both hands planted on top, when the door opened. Ethan Sweetwater strolled into the room. As Palantine had said, he was alone. That made things so much easier. It was a bit surprising, though. Apparently Ethan was not the most well-tuned chunk of amber on the family tree.

“Did we have an appointment?” Taggert said politely.

“No.”

Ethan closed the door and sat down with a cool ease that was unsettling. He looked very sure of himself.

“Out of curiosity, how did you get past security downstairs?” Taggert asked.

“I didn’t come through the lobby,” Ethan said. “I used the emergency exit and took the stairs.”

“The emergency exit is locked and alarmed.” Taggert leaned forward and stacked his hands one on top of the other. “There are cameras in the stairwells.”

“I noticed. Good tech, too. Straight out of one of your company’s labs. But I’ve developed this really cool jammer. I’m in the process of getting a patent on it as we speak.”

Spooner Technologies produced some of the most sophisticated technology on the market, but the locks, alarms, and cameras installed throughout the building were not yet on the market. The fact that Sweetwater had made it all the way up to the CEO suite without being detected was not good. Not good at all. Taggert told himself he would worry about the issue later. He had to deal with Sweetwater first.

“Why are you here?” he asked. He was pleased with the way the words came out. Cold. Calm. Controlled.

“I dropped in to tell you that I had a chat with the Concierge,” Ethan said.

Shit.Another jolt of panic shot across Taggert’s senses. It was followed by hot rage. It took everything he had to control his fury.

“I’ve heard of the Concierge,” he said. “Something of a legend on the dark rez-net, I believe.”

“You hired him to get rid of me,” Ethan said. “Twice. The fact that I’m sitting here in your office indicates you should have employed better talent.”

No, I should have handled it personally,Taggert thought.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “But I am surprised you were able to find him. They say he’s just a ghost online.”

“His business model was good,” Sweetwater said. “But there is always a weakness in any operation, isn’t there?”

“You tell me.”

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