Page 61 of Cops and Robbers

“Except I don’t have what I want.”

“I can’t help you. My player’s system was fried as well.”

A vein in his neck protruded, and his face grew red. “You’re going to give me the information about Mr. Mineer.”

She hesitated. “Why do you need it so badly?”

His bloodshot eyes flickered to the TV.

Someone was behind that dark screen. As she pieced together who it could be, her arm hair stood straight up. Ziegler only feared one man.

Matsuda.

It can’t be him. Please don’t let it be him. Numbing fear loosened her tongue; the words tumbled from her mouth. “Have it. You can have the information. I only wanted to show my hacker’s abilities. They aren’t efficient if they can’t cover their tracks.” She placed her glass down and stepped away from the bar. Twining her arm with Caige’s, she guided him forward to block her from the TV’s view. Was there a camera she couldn’t see?

“Wow,” Ziegler said. “You’re giving up?”

A ringtone blared into the room, startling her. Ziegler held up his finger as he fished the phone out of his pocket. When he read something on the device, his jaw twitched. “Seems you’ve caught my sponsor’s attention. He would like an audience.”

Kate swallowed dry air.

Ziegler lifted a remote from behind some bottles and pointed it toward the ominous black screen. Her fingers itched to snatch the remote from him. She didn’t want to see. Didn’t want to know. The TV ticked on and brightness filled the room.

“Hello, Elizabeth Hackerm,” a familiar male voice said from the speakers. The voice was hypnotizing as much as it was robotic. Silken as much as it was vicious. Twining around her larynx, the very sound suffocated her.

What if he recognizes me? The woman he had known her as had been Japanese, but were more than four generations of mixed genes strong enough to change her appearance? Her leg muscles went rigid, ready to run. As she turned, her view of the TV glassed over.

“I’m Eiji Matsuda.”

She focused on the plain white background behind his figure. No. Please. Get me out of here.

“I didn’t know you were acquainted with Elizabeth, Jack,” Matsuda said.

Jack? Right, Caige’s alias. Matsuda knows him personally? Wooziness accompanied the thought.

“I’m not, sir,” Caige said. “I’m here on her dime.”

“Kate, breathe.” The timbre blazed through her fading consciousness. The lingering warmth along the link in her mind tugged at her. Raz. “Come on, baby. Clyde’s got it. I’m on my way, but I need you to breathe.”

A sharp sting on her arm shocked her. She gasped. Caige released his pinching fingers. She breathed in deeply, and the purple dots receded from her sight. She swallowed, trying to recover. “Gomen-nasai.” She bowed at the hip.

The swooping black eyebrows above Matsuda’s deep brown eyes pinched together. “Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka?”

Shit. She had reverted to her native language and mannerisms, and he asked her whether she knew Japanese. “A little. Jack here has actually been teaching me. I may have stolen him because of his status on your roster. He adores your secret works.”

“Really?” His eyes hit that light amber of appreciation that used to get her whatever she wanted. And if she could bump Jack’s favor in Matsuda’s eyes, this interaction would be worth it. But that was only if Caige could pass the test. “What’s your favorite?”

Please don’t fail me. Matsuda’s art was a talent he tried to keep hidden given his fragile ego concerning them. Still, anyone who did extensive research on him would know about them.

“Ame no naka ni bara is my current favorite piece,“ Caige said.

Kate sighed internally and tried to unclasp her fingers from around Caige’s arm. His Japanese wasn’t even that bad.

“Ah…you humble me. Elizabeth, thank you for the show. I haven’t seen talent like that in some time.”

Age had been kind to him. No wrinkles had accumulated over the fifty years. He still had strong features, giving him a fierce, youthful appearance. His oversized Gucci-printed sweater added to the effect. He had always loved keeping up with the latest trends. Her jaw clenched, hating herself for still harboring that knowledge. He isn’t the man you knew. You fell for someone who doesn’t exist.

“Thank you.” She met his eyes. The gaze that had once made her feel like an eagle in the sky now made her feel like dust on the floor. But his lack of bravado made it seem as though he had no clue who she was.