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starting college hadn t broken its fragile shell.
It wasn t till her dad and stepmom had died that she really felt the outside
world. It had rushed in like the ocean s tide, sweeping her up in its violent
wake. If it hadn t been for Geoffrey, she would have drowned.
Shaking off her melancholy mood, she opened the envelope. Inside was a
key and a piece of paper with a series of numbers. Pen in hand, she pulled
out a new copy of the Dharma Bums from her backpack. A simple google
search had matched the Jack Kerouac quote from Geoffrey s email signature
to that novel. Cracking open the spine, she got to work, using the book to
decode the numbers using a simple replacement cipher. When she was done,
there was an address to go with her key.
She used to get a rush when she got one of these. For a while, she had
looked at it as an opportunity, a chance to lead a new exciting life. Now she
was just...tired.
Geoffrey s opinion of the situation was probably spot on, but she couldn t
help but wonder if this whole cloak and dagger business was still necessary.
Maybe he was being paranoid. Sooner or later Karl, would give up looking for
her. Maybe he already had. She wanted to stop running, to be able to pick a
place and stay there.
Eva would never admit it out loud, but she longed for a home. And for a
long time, she d actually believed the home she d wanted was in Manhattan
working at Damov Industries. Close to Sergei. Not one of her better
decisions.
After finishing her hot chocolate, she wiped her mouth, letting the rough
texture of the napkin linger on her lips. For a moment, she had a fleeting
image of him from that night, Sergei's face above hers before he lowered his
head to kiss her.
Forcibly pushing the memory away, she blinked as a rush of hot tears
threatened. She was never going to see him again. Reminding herself that
that was a good thing, she grabbed her stuff and headed out to the address
Geoffrey had sent her.
Later that night, she burned her old IDs in an ashtray at the budget motel
she was staying at. Adelinde Turner was gone. Hello Evelyn Alvarez, fresh
IDs courtesy of Uncle Geoffrey s paper man. She d found them at a bus depot
locker in a small bag.
And there was something more this time. A short letter with a series of
instructions on how to access a new type of digital currency called
DaricDollars. It was something similar to Bitcoin, a crypto-currency used to
buy all sorts of things some legitimate, some not.
Geoffrey hadn t given her money since the beginning. They were both
pretty sure Karl was having Geoffrey s funds monitored somehow. There was
too much of a risk that Karl would be able to track her if her godfather sent
her some of his own money. After she d started earning enough to keep
herself going, it hadn t mattered much. But there had been lean times. Very
lean.
Fortunately, her last job, and the inordinately long time she d stayed in it,
had ensured that she had real money to start over. There was more than
enough to last her quite some time if she watched her spending. The crypto-
currency was an unexpected gift. The money was untraceable but also very
volatile. Its value fluctuated wildly. She would have to think very carefully
about how and when to spend it.
Still heavy-hearted, she got ready for bed. At least this time she could use
her real name, or something close to it. Geoffrey had definitely noticed how
upset she d been when she d told him she was finally going to move on. He
must have sensed that she needed something real to hold onto this time.
Using the name Evelyn she would be able to go by Eva again. It wasn t
much, but it was something. Now she just needed to decide where to go.
Huddling under the thin hotel blanket, she decided that wherever she went,
it was going to be someplace warm.
****
Every department has reported in. Nothing is missing. Not one cent. And as
far as we can tell, Ada didn t access any privileged intellectual property
outside of the research you specifically asked her for, Tim said.
Ada had been gone a full two weeks, and they were no closer to finding out
where she had gone or why she had used a fake name.
That doesn t mean she didn t use or copy the information she accessed
legitimately somehow, Giancarlo pointed out from his position on the
leather couch.
He was surrounded by piles of papers, reports, and ledgers from the
different departments of Damov Industries. But because he was Gio, the piles
were divided into neat square stacks organized along parallel lines around
him. Calen had gone home to his new bride, but Gio had volunteered to stay
behind and help Sergei with his internal audit.
Sergei thought that was above and beyond the duties of friendship, but Gio
honestly loved that sort of thing. He was a paper pusher at heart, not a
shark, despite his success at the helm of his family s bank. And the fact that
he imagined a femme fatale had gotten her clutches into Sergei and his
business had roused his protective instincts. Enough for him to stay on in
Manhattan while Sergei tried to figure this mess out.
She was not here to steal anything, Tim argued, not for the first time.
He d been defensive of Ada and emphatic about her innocence despite the
suspicions aroused by her fake credentials. Feeling a tirade coming on,
Sergei decided it was time Tim got back to work.
Have each department double check. And go see if Michael is settling in
properly, he said.
Fine, but we all know why she really left. I don t blame her for making
herself hard to find, the younger man muttered on his way out.
Gio sighed. Has there been a lot of that? he asked as Sergei collapsed
deeper in his chair, face in his hands.
From pretty much everyone who knew her, Sergei said in a disgusted
tone, putting down his hands and leaning back to look up at the ceiling.
What happened in Rome has become public knowledge. Everyone blames
me. Hell, I blame myself.
I m surprised you didn t fire him for spreading rumors. Even if they were
true, Gio murmured.
There was a time when Gio would never have approved of firing someone
for such a reason, but he d hardened somewhat after the divorce. Especially
when it came to protecting one s reputation.
He wasn t the one who spread the story. It was a junior member of Niko s
staff. It seems Tim wasn t the only one angry with me for seducing my
assistant. But at least Tim knew enough to keep quiet about it, even if it was
more to protect Ada s reputation than my own, Sergei said, rubbing his
aching temples.
To his relief Gio simply nodded, this time refraining from launching into
another lecture about Ada and her likely guilt. He didn t say anything about
it, but Sergei knew he didn't approve of getting involved with a subordinate.
Gio's fastidious professionalism balked at the thought, but given Ada's
falsified background, he was biased against her and not his friend.
Convinced Sergei had been seduced by a corporate Mata Hari, he was
scouring the records of every major account himself. He was also
corresponding with his own computer security personnel from the Morgese
bank, charging them to look for any viruses or worms that might be hidden
in the computer banks. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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starting college hadn t broken its fragile shell.
It wasn t till her dad and stepmom had died that she really felt the outside
world. It had rushed in like the ocean s tide, sweeping her up in its violent
wake. If it hadn t been for Geoffrey, she would have drowned.
Shaking off her melancholy mood, she opened the envelope. Inside was a
key and a piece of paper with a series of numbers. Pen in hand, she pulled
out a new copy of the Dharma Bums from her backpack. A simple google
search had matched the Jack Kerouac quote from Geoffrey s email signature
to that novel. Cracking open the spine, she got to work, using the book to
decode the numbers using a simple replacement cipher. When she was done,
there was an address to go with her key.
She used to get a rush when she got one of these. For a while, she had
looked at it as an opportunity, a chance to lead a new exciting life. Now she
was just...tired.
Geoffrey s opinion of the situation was probably spot on, but she couldn t
help but wonder if this whole cloak and dagger business was still necessary.
Maybe he was being paranoid. Sooner or later Karl, would give up looking for
her. Maybe he already had. She wanted to stop running, to be able to pick a
place and stay there.
Eva would never admit it out loud, but she longed for a home. And for a
long time, she d actually believed the home she d wanted was in Manhattan
working at Damov Industries. Close to Sergei. Not one of her better
decisions.
After finishing her hot chocolate, she wiped her mouth, letting the rough
texture of the napkin linger on her lips. For a moment, she had a fleeting
image of him from that night, Sergei's face above hers before he lowered his
head to kiss her.
Forcibly pushing the memory away, she blinked as a rush of hot tears
threatened. She was never going to see him again. Reminding herself that
that was a good thing, she grabbed her stuff and headed out to the address
Geoffrey had sent her.
Later that night, she burned her old IDs in an ashtray at the budget motel
she was staying at. Adelinde Turner was gone. Hello Evelyn Alvarez, fresh
IDs courtesy of Uncle Geoffrey s paper man. She d found them at a bus depot
locker in a small bag.
And there was something more this time. A short letter with a series of
instructions on how to access a new type of digital currency called
DaricDollars. It was something similar to Bitcoin, a crypto-currency used to
buy all sorts of things some legitimate, some not.
Geoffrey hadn t given her money since the beginning. They were both
pretty sure Karl was having Geoffrey s funds monitored somehow. There was
too much of a risk that Karl would be able to track her if her godfather sent
her some of his own money. After she d started earning enough to keep
herself going, it hadn t mattered much. But there had been lean times. Very
lean.
Fortunately, her last job, and the inordinately long time she d stayed in it,
had ensured that she had real money to start over. There was more than
enough to last her quite some time if she watched her spending. The crypto-
currency was an unexpected gift. The money was untraceable but also very
volatile. Its value fluctuated wildly. She would have to think very carefully
about how and when to spend it.
Still heavy-hearted, she got ready for bed. At least this time she could use
her real name, or something close to it. Geoffrey had definitely noticed how
upset she d been when she d told him she was finally going to move on. He
must have sensed that she needed something real to hold onto this time.
Using the name Evelyn she would be able to go by Eva again. It wasn t
much, but it was something. Now she just needed to decide where to go.
Huddling under the thin hotel blanket, she decided that wherever she went,
it was going to be someplace warm.
****
Every department has reported in. Nothing is missing. Not one cent. And as
far as we can tell, Ada didn t access any privileged intellectual property
outside of the research you specifically asked her for, Tim said.
Ada had been gone a full two weeks, and they were no closer to finding out
where she had gone or why she had used a fake name.
That doesn t mean she didn t use or copy the information she accessed
legitimately somehow, Giancarlo pointed out from his position on the
leather couch.
He was surrounded by piles of papers, reports, and ledgers from the
different departments of Damov Industries. But because he was Gio, the piles
were divided into neat square stacks organized along parallel lines around
him. Calen had gone home to his new bride, but Gio had volunteered to stay
behind and help Sergei with his internal audit.
Sergei thought that was above and beyond the duties of friendship, but Gio
honestly loved that sort of thing. He was a paper pusher at heart, not a
shark, despite his success at the helm of his family s bank. And the fact that
he imagined a femme fatale had gotten her clutches into Sergei and his
business had roused his protective instincts. Enough for him to stay on in
Manhattan while Sergei tried to figure this mess out.
She was not here to steal anything, Tim argued, not for the first time.
He d been defensive of Ada and emphatic about her innocence despite the
suspicions aroused by her fake credentials. Feeling a tirade coming on,
Sergei decided it was time Tim got back to work.
Have each department double check. And go see if Michael is settling in
properly, he said.
Fine, but we all know why she really left. I don t blame her for making
herself hard to find, the younger man muttered on his way out.
Gio sighed. Has there been a lot of that? he asked as Sergei collapsed
deeper in his chair, face in his hands.
From pretty much everyone who knew her, Sergei said in a disgusted
tone, putting down his hands and leaning back to look up at the ceiling.
What happened in Rome has become public knowledge. Everyone blames
me. Hell, I blame myself.
I m surprised you didn t fire him for spreading rumors. Even if they were
true, Gio murmured.
There was a time when Gio would never have approved of firing someone
for such a reason, but he d hardened somewhat after the divorce. Especially
when it came to protecting one s reputation.
He wasn t the one who spread the story. It was a junior member of Niko s
staff. It seems Tim wasn t the only one angry with me for seducing my
assistant. But at least Tim knew enough to keep quiet about it, even if it was
more to protect Ada s reputation than my own, Sergei said, rubbing his
aching temples.
To his relief Gio simply nodded, this time refraining from launching into
another lecture about Ada and her likely guilt. He didn t say anything about
it, but Sergei knew he didn't approve of getting involved with a subordinate.
Gio's fastidious professionalism balked at the thought, but given Ada's
falsified background, he was biased against her and not his friend.
Convinced Sergei had been seduced by a corporate Mata Hari, he was
scouring the records of every major account himself. He was also
corresponding with his own computer security personnel from the Morgese
bank, charging them to look for any viruses or worms that might be hidden
in the computer banks. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]