“How could you conclude that this doesn’t concern me?” she demanded. “I wrote that note to Mark myself, remember? You’re the Keyholder. Mark’s the Keyseeker. I’m the goddamn key. Me, Noah. So yes, I’m pretty fucking concerned.”
“You’re not getting anywhere near it,” he said.
“I appreciate your protective instincts, but Mark won’t walk into your trap so easily. Plus, I assume you mean to take him alive, so you can question him about Luke. Then there’s the safe, which is a huge threat to everyone as long as he has it.”
“Anything else?” She was on it, he had to admit.
“So, with all that, you still think you have to go after Mark alone because only superduper you can handle him? Get over yourself.”
Sisko crowed under his breath. “Amen, sister. Nailed it.”
Noah exhaled slowly. “But it makes sense,” he said tightly. “It was my decision to let him run around loose for so long, so it should be me who makes it right. Plus, we’re evenly matched. Same advantages, no surprises. It’ll be like fighting myself.”
“Yes, except that he’s a psycho.”
“I don’t intend to fight fair,” Noah said. “When my AVP is running hot, I could give fucking Satan a run for his money. I can send Mark a video of you when we make contact with him.”
“Send him what you want, but he still won’t show for a meet-up unless he knows for sure that I’m there,” Caro said. “And he’d be an idiot to come alone. So you can’t either. It would be a suicide mission. I’m vetoing it.”
“Is that right.” His hands clenched into fists as the data scroll speeded and flickered. “Since when did you get veto power?”
“Since I took it for myself.”
They stared at each other as her sig billowed out. If he were outside the house, he’d see it filling the whole dark forest. Rising up into the night sky.
“Throwdown time.” Sisko’s voice was hushed.
“Shut up,” Noah snapped. He turned back to Caro. “Got some brilliant alternative?”
“No,” she said. “So far, my biggest ambition was just to prove that Mark killed Dex, and see him go to prison. Everything’s different now that you guys are involved.”
“Yeah, well, somebody has to die,” Sisko said. “And it’s not going to be any of us. If he lives, he’ll punish us by hurting Luke. Unless we take him alive.”
“Don’t know if we can,” Noah said. “He was the best back in the day, and he’s had twelve years to hone his killing skills. And even if we did take him alive, that doesn’t mean we’ll get Luke’s location out of him.”
“That’s true,” Sisko conceded.
The man was on his side again, at least for now. Noah continued. “We all had strong resistance to interrogation vectored into our genes. Midlander researchers probably built in some tricks to pry us open, but I don’t know what they are.”
“If we make contact, he’ll follow the breadcrumbs right back through our security and Luke will be fucked,” Sisko said. “We need someone else to be our front man. Someone with no connection to us and genuine ties to the criminal underworld. Only a real-life, drug dealing, human-trafficking crime boss would be credible to Mark.”
Noah’s heart thudded heavily. As if it was his body that had this crazy idea, but his brain lagged behind, unwilling to allow it fully into his consciousness.
Even though it was kicking and banging. Breaking down the door. Asa.
Sisko went on with his musing. “But dealing with those guys is such a fucking mess. Like handling a bag of rattlesnakes.”
“A con.” Noah blurted. He stopped, and swallowed to keep his voice from vibrating. “You’re talking about running a con. On Mark.”
“I am?” Sisko said. He and Caro glanced at each other, uncomprehending.
“What do you mean?” Caro asked. “What kind of con?”
“You lost me,” Sisko said.
“Shhhh. Let me think.” He buried his face in his hands.
This explained that crazy imbed. His subconscious mind had already known exactly what he had to do. This was the only way through this mess.
But it was going to cost him big.
He pulled out his phone and retrieved the message he’d received the other day after Caro’s dance. Waiting wouldn’t make this idea any less insane. He hit ‘call.’
The line connected. He didn’t look at Caro or Sisko, who both watched him, bewildered. Five rings. Six. Seven . . .
Click. He waited in the taut silence of the open line for a few seconds.
“Danny.” An expressionless baritone voice. Deeper than he remembered.
“I don’t answer to that name anymore,” he said. “I’m Noah now.”
Asa grunted. “OK. So what? Did you know it’s two AM? Don’t you sleep?”
“Hang up, if you feel inconvenienced. I won’t bother you again.”
Asa just waited. “So?” he said, finally. “What do you want?”
Noah controlled himself somehow. Too much backed up feeling, unsaid words. Keep it simple. “I need your help,” he said.
“Tell me more,” Asa said.
“Not on the phone. Are you in the Seattle area?”