Pulling Strings Read online

  “Here?” he croaked. “You’re going to stay here with me?” Devon took a step back. “How do I know you aren’t the person sent to retrieve the information and aren’t going to kill me in my sleep?” Maybe he was being a little dramatic, but this was the weirdest situation he could ever have possibly imagined.

  “Yes. I’m starting to believe you, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. Those papers and drive are the only link I have to whoever is behind this, and I have to follow the lead to make sure this stops as soon as possible.” Powers took a single step back. “Do you like Chinese?” he asked, staring at the bits of macaroni on the floor, slowly shaking his head. “As a show of good faith, I’ll order us some delivery. There’s a good restaurant a few blocks away.”

  “Okay.” Devon was too shaken and surprised to say anything else. What the hell had just happened to him? All he wanted was his orderly, quiet life back, and every way he looked, it seemed to get farther away by the second.

  Chapter 2

  THIS WAS a mess, a complete mess. Powers placed the dinner order and shoved his phone into his pocket. This job was supposed to be an easy one—find out who was trying to steal Lionel Mauer’s new system for banking and money transfers. The system was going to revolutionize the transfer of funds around the world. Not only that, but law enforcement was itching for something like this because of the way it electronically marked the funds. It was a huge deal, and now… all he had was a scared rabbit of a man who had nothing to do with the theft. That was his only lead.

  Yeah, Powers believed Devon—faking that kind of real fear and naivete was hard to do.

  “When do you think this theft actually occurred?” Devon asked as he sat stiffly in his chair once again. The guy was wound tighter than the stick up his ex’s butt. But he was stunning, and more than once Powers had had to remind himself that he was here to do a job.

  “It was discovered three days ago,” Powers answered. “The day before the gala.” That had been the reason he was there. Powers, as well as company management, believed it was an inside job and that it was likely the perpetrators would be at the gala. Powers had thought there was a chance the gala itself was going to be used as the vehicle for passing the information. But that hadn’t happened, according to his sources, who had their fingers on the pulse of just about anything that came up for sale. The most interesting thing he’d seen all night had been Devon. At the time, he hadn’t thought he was involved, but when his source said the initial information pass was going down, and then Powers had seen Devon, he put two and two together and came up with six. It figured. At least he had something to go on now.

  “That’s pretty fast,” Devon said, tapping his hands on the arm of the chair.

  “Information of any kind has a shelf life. If someone else gets it, then what you have is worthless. It’s only good as long as you’re the only one who has what someone else wants.”

  “Okay. So who wants… that?” Devon asked.

  “That’s what I’m working to find out.” Hopefully now that he had copies of the specifications, Powers could review who had access to them and who checked them out of the program control system recently. Of course, he knew that if someone were nefarious enough, they could alter or delete the logs.

  “And you thought I could do all that?” Devon chuckled. “I’m pretty good at what I do, but I don’t have much knowledge of the access control systems. Have you talked to the people who manage that system? Someone has to have superuser access in case something goes wrong. Have you checked with them?”

  “Yes, they were the ones who reported the unauthorized access.” But that was something Powers needed to look into further. There had to be a hole in the system security that someone had exploited. The software company was already looking into it. “My job in this is to get the information back before it’s disseminated. Regular thefts are easy—you follow the trail of the item or the money.” He sat down across from Devon. “Almost everything leaves a trail of some sort. But this kind of thing is harder to follow.”

  Devon nodded slowly without looking up. “I suppose. It could have been downloaded to a CD or a flash drive. Then from there, copied to just about anywhere.”

  “Exactly. Time is of the essence. The farther this information gets, the less likely its spread can be contained. It’s like a disease. We have to get to the source as soon as possible, and we have to do it quietly.” Powers was about to tell a story about a case, but stopped himself. Devon wasn’t a colleague—he was a source, and possibly a suspect.

  “What do I do?” Devon asked.

  “For now, you have dinner when it arrives. I’m going to stay. Hopefully whoever put that in your bag will come by to try to retrieve it. Once they do, I’ll be able to grab them, and then I can be out of your hair.” Powers settled into the cushions, spreading his arms on the back of the sofa.

  “You really think it’s going to be that simple? There’s nothing in there that’s all that incriminating. I’m even willing to bet that the drive is password protected, so only the recipient, who knows the password, can access the information.”

  Powers had figured that too. “This is just a sample to whet the appetite of the buyer. But it’s the only lead I have right now. So I have to play it as much as I can.”

  “What about fingerprinting the envelope? A guy on the subway wearing gloves this time of year is going to attract attention.”

  “I sent a message, and someone from my office is going to come by to pick up the envelope. They’ll see what they can get off it.” Powers had handled the envelope as little as possible, and his fingerprints were already on file.

  Devon nodded. “I see, and until that comes back, you’re staying close.” He sighed. “I thought you believed me.” He sounded incredibly disappointed, and Powers felt bad that he’d popped Devon’s trust bubble. The guy looked miserable, with his hangdog expression. But Powers had been played before, so he was reserving final judgment.

  A knock on the door saved him from going into a long explanation. Devon rose to get it, but Powers shook his head and peered out to see who it was. Then he opened the door.

  “Lucy, come on in.” He closed the door behind her. She set a plastic case down next to the table and knelt on the floor. Devon watched her and didn’t say anything. Maybe he was retreating into himself once again. “This is Lucy. She works with me.”

  “Is this the guy you followed from the subway?” She turned to Devon and then back to Powers, an eyebrow cocking slightly, and then a smirk formed on her lips. Dang, Lucy was always way too observant. “I take it you thought he was involved in this?”

  “Let’s just say I’m hoping not.” That was the truth. Devon was a nice kid, and Powers hated to think of him getting involved in something like this.

  Lucy put on a pair of gloves and lifted the envelope, then slipped it into a plastic bag.

  “I touched the pages only around the edge. Devon didn’t touch them in my presence. Except for my prints, everything else should be of interest.”

  “Okeydokey. I’ll run the tests as soon as I can.” She turned to Devon, who sat as far back in his chair as he could. “Honey, if I could get your prints, I can verify pretty quickly if yours are present or not, and then the big lug here could relax.” She sighed. “I’ve known him all my life, and he’s the most suspicious man I’ve ever met… well, maybe with the exception of my ex-husband.”

  “Lucy. Always the comedian,” Powers retorted.

  “Hey. I get to pick on you. It’s what sisters do.” She went to work and took Devon’s prints.

  “You aren’t going to put these in a database or something, are you?” Devon asked.

  Lucy chuckled in her own disarming way. “Honey, as long as yours aren’t on those papers, I’ll destroy what I have and that will be that. No harm, no foul. I’m not part of the FBI or law enforcement.” She thumbed over her shoulder. “I work for him.” Lucy finished and stood up. “Can you imagine, I work for my brother.”

  “Which one of you is older?” Devon asked.

  Lucy smirked again. “He is, by eight minutes, and he’s never let me forget it.” She took the envelope with her, leaving another as a replacement, and left the apartment with a quick smile and a thumbs-up. She closed the door before Powers could throw something at her.

  “You’re a twin?” Devon asked, and held his head. “That’s so cool. I was a twin too, only my brother didn’t make it. I was apparently born first, and in the time before my brother could be born, something happened.” He looked stricken. “You know, I always felt like there was something missing from me. I know the twin thing can be pretty special, but I never knew Danny. That’s what my mom named him. We were living near here then but didn’t stay long after that.” He lifted his gaze. “No one in the family talked about him much, but I always wondered what it would have been like if he had lived.”

  “I’ve always had Lucy. She’s a force of nature. When I started Powers Solutions, she was my first hire. The two of us did about everything for the first couple of years. I think if something happened to her, I’d miss her like I’d miss a hole in my head.” He smiled to show Devon he was joking.

  Another knock, and Powers got it, checking the hallway before opening the door to Lucy again. She held up the bag of takeout. “Enough for three?”

  “You are a pushy broad, you know that?” Powers turned to Devon, who nodded, and he let her enter. This wasn’t how he envisioned this evening going. “Where are the materials?”

  “They’re locked away,” she answered. Her car, just like Powers’s, had a strongbox implanted where the spare tire would usually be. It ensured that they always had secure document storage wherever they went. “Once we eat, I’ll go right back to the office and get on lifting t
he prints, but I can’t work on an empty stomach.” She set the bag on the counter, and Devon got out plates and some bottles of water.

  “Oh, General Tso’s chicken,” Lucy crowed as she took the container out of the bag.

  “That’s Devon’s,” Powers told her. “You can share some of my beef and peppers, and there’s sweet-and-sour as well.” He always overordered, and now he finally understood why. Lucy had a sixth sense about whenever anyone else was eating. She always seemed to show up.

  “So what was he like growing up?” Devon asked, and smirked. “Was he always so broody?”

  Lucy laughed as Powers scowled at her. “Oh God, yes. He had that look down pat by the time he was eight. Our teachers used to give assignments, and if he didn’t like them, he’d give that ‘you’re going to die a horrible death’ stare of his.” She grabbed a plate, and Devon handed her a fork. “Why?”

  “It’s what he was doing at the gala Friday night.” Danged if Devon’s eyes didn’t twinkle with mischief. “Before he showed up here and nearly scared me to death, I thought of him as Tall, Dark, and Broody.”

  Lucy threw her head back and laughed. “Damn, kid, you got it in one. He’s all that and smart too. There have been times he’s been able to sniff out bad guys by their cologne.” She emptied half the container of beef and half the sweet-and-sour onto her plate and plopped into one of Devon’s chairs before shoveling in the food.

  “You need to eat less like an animal. I’m sure Devon doesn’t want food all over his furniture.” Powers handed her a napkin and sat down as well, making room for Devon. The only time Lucy didn’t run her mouth was when she was eating, so the apartment became quiet for a few seconds.

  Devon ate slowly, small deliberate bites passing his perfect lips. Powers had to stop looking at him, and as soon as he turned away, he found Lucy staring knowingly back at him. He hit her with a glare, and she shrugged, returning to her dinner, which she finished in under five minutes, and then she was on her feet again.

  “I’m going to let you boys talk some more and figure shit out. Powers, I’m heading to the office.” She put her dishes in the sink. “Devon, it was good to meet you. Don’t take any crap from him.” She winked and was out the door.

  “She makes me tired just watching her,” Devon said once Lucy was gone.

  “Lucy is a bundle of energy, but there’s no one I can better rely on to watch my back. She and I used to get into so much trouble as kids, and more often than not, Lucy would take the fall because Dad would go lighter on her.” Powers finished eating and took both his and Devon’s dishes to the kitchen.

  “I never had that. I have two older sisters. Marilyn is a professor at Drexel, and Greta is an OB-GYN in Harrisburg. They’re both very successful. Marilyn is closest to me in age, and she’s ten years older. They were at completely different stages in life than I was, and by the time I was in third grade, they had both gone away to college. Even today, though we get together, we aren’t particularly close.” Devon washed the dishes, cleaning up everything and putting the trash and the plates and things away. By the time he finished in the kitchen, it was spotless.

  “You’re nervous,” Powers stated, and Devon plopped back in his chair.

  “Can you blame me? I mean, I’m supposed to go to bed, sleep, and somehow be ready to go to work tomorrow as though nothing has happened, and yet you’re out here, and there could be someone trying to break in to the apartment. How the hell am I supposed to feel?” His leg bounced up and down.

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Powers said.

  “That’s a real big comfort, considering a few hours ago you were accusing me of industrial espionage, and now I’m supposed to go on as though everything is hunky-dory. Well, that isn’t going to happen.” Devon jumped to his feet and checked the locks on the door before leaving the room. He returned with a pillow and a blanket, held protectively over his chest. “I got you these, and the remote to the television is in the drawer.” He pulled it open to show him where it was. “I still have some work to do, and then I’m going to bed.” Devon shifted from foot to foot. “Ummm. Good night.” He left, closing the door to the other room.

  POWERS LAY on the sofa hours later, the television on low. He’d listened for anything from the other room, but only heard Devon typing for a while at his computer. He’d heard him use the bathroom, and then the light under the door went out. He’d heard nothing since.

  Devon confused him no end. Powers really wanted to believe him, but a small part of him wasn’t so sure, simply because he’d been played before, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again. Still… the last person he’d pick for any sort of covert action was Devon. He was nervous and maybe even had panic attacks, was socially awkward… and super adorable. Okay, so the adorable part didn’t have a bearing on the reason he was here, but still… it was a fact.

  Powers was still wide awake. Well after one in the morning, a couple things became clear to him. First, no one was likely to try to retrieve the papers tonight, and second, he was fascinated by Devon. Every time Powers closed his eyes, he saw that face light up like when he’d been on the dance floor, and how nice he’d looked in that tux, and how cute and earnest he’d been when he was flustered and desperate for Powers to believe him. There was more to Devon than met the eye, Powers was fairly sure of that. The thing was, his gut told him that it had nothing to do with this case.

  The door to Devon’s room opened, and he stepped out in a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. Devon walked through the living room and into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water, drank it down, and threw away the bottle. Then he shuffled back to his room and closed the door. The room was essentially dark, and the only light had been when the refrigerator came on. Powers chuckled, figuring Devon had been sleepwalking, and then thought about how those boxers clung to his hips as he moved.

  His phone vibrated.

  Is everything quiet? Lucy texted.

  Yes. Devon sleepwalks apparently. He pressed Send and got a smiley face in return.

  I finished the review of the pages. No signs of Devon’s fingerprints. There are some I’m working to identify, but the search continues. I’ll start up again in the morning. Will you be home at some point?

  Probably, Powers answered and set the phone aside. He needed to figure out what he was going to do and how he could turn what he was increasingly convinced was a material handoff mistake into an advantage he could exploit.

  He spent the next hour running through options in his mind, coming up with nothing. Eventually he turned off the television, got as comfortable as he could, and then closed his eyes. Sleep came surprisingly quickly.

  Long ago, Powers had learned to go to sleep at the drop of a hat and wake just as quickly. In his job, stakeouts and a lot of downtime were required, so he needed to be able to sleep on his feet. The sofa wasn’t bad, and he was comfortable enough. He woke at any strange sound, but no one tried to get into the apartment, and before he knew it, Devon was out of his room, dressed in a suit to go to work.

  “What’s the plan for today?” Devon asked as Powers stretched and got up, then folded the blankets as he watched Devon make coffee and some toast. “Do you want some?”

  “Coffee, black, please,” Powers croaked, then accepted the mug from Devon, wondering if he was at all aware of his nighttime wanderings and the little show he’d put on that Powers hadn’t been able to get out of his head.

  “I have to go to the office today. I’m not sure what you’re doing,” Devon said. “I need to leave in fifteen minutes if I’m going to make my train and get there on time.” He was pretty clearly being given the bum’s rush.

  “Okay. You need to be as normal as possible. If someone hints to you about anything strange in your bag or asks questions, just play dumb and look at them strangely, like you have no idea what they’re talking about.” Powers pulled out another of his cards and wrote a number on the back. “You call this number, and I’ll be over there as fast as I can. Remember that you know nothing, and for right now, ignorance could throw them off the trail.”