Why not? Sarah said.
Everything else they've done has been too thorough. They're not going to make a mistake that obvious.
How else could you get in and out at night? Sarah asked.
Look, you wouldn't have to be Houdini to slip past the receptionist during business hours and hide in a bathroom or wherever until the place had emptied out. There wouldn't be any electronic evidence of that.
But they knew exactly which offices to go to, Sarah said.
Your names are on the wall outside them. Not that anyone would need even that. This wasn't planned overnight. They've been studying your firm's filing system, they've been watching you, for months.
Even so, Alex said, I think we should contact security.
No, Ben said.
Why not?
First, like I said, it's a waste of time. Second, you've introduced me to enough people in your firm as it is. I don't want the attention.
Sarah, pissed, started to say, Sorry to put you out, but managed not to.
You trust your boss? Ben said. The cowboy?
Alex wanted to say, I don't trust anyone. Instead, he said, Why? You think he's involved?
Ben shrugged. He was here early this morning.
He keeps odd hours. Anyway, why would he do it?
How should I know? He's your boss.
He's making seven figures a year. I don't think his motives would be financial.
Ben laughed. Is it ever enough?
The room was quiet for a moment. All right, Sarah said, option two. What are we talking about exactly?
Ben looked at Alex. Can you work with that backup file?
Of course, Alex said.
Then do it. Grab a few days' worth of gear, find a secure place to hole up, forget about everything else, and figure out what's so special about this technology.
It doesn't sound like much, Sarah said.
It's not. But it beats Alex waiting around for someone to put a bullet in the back of his head.
She realized he was only talking about Alex holing up. What was she supposed to do? Two people were dead. Someone had stolen something from her office. They'd hacked the PAIR system, they'd broken into Alex's house. The thought of the only two people in the world who understood what was happening just leaving her was frightening.
Yeah? Alex said. What's Sarah supposed to do?
Sarah was so grateful she had to force herself not to smile at him.
The same thing you're doing, Ben said. Lay low. Wait for you to figure out what the technology really does.
I can figure that out faster with Sarah than I can alone.
Sarah blinked. Did that just come from Alex Treven?
Ben shook his head. I think it would be more secure if-
If what? Alex said. If we separate? I don't see how. And you said it yourself: the thing that's ultimately going to make us secure is knowing why someone wants this technology badly enough to kill for it.
Ben scratched his cheek. All right. Suit yourself.
Alex looked at Sarah. Can you disappear for a few days?
She let out a long breath. Maybe if I were sick you've been sick, right? The flu?
Until this morning, anyway, Alex said. Osborne saw me on my way in.
Sarah tried to smile. I guess I could catch what you had. And you could have a relapse.
Alex looked at Ben. What about you?
What about me?
Alex sighed. Can you spend a little more time on this? A little more time with Sarah and me?
I don't think you really need me.
Alex put his palms on his desk as though seeking support, or trying to steady himself. Yes, Ben, we do. We're just a couple of lawyers, as you noticed. Look how fast you found me the last time I tried to hole up' on my own. Someone else could do the same. We need to stick together.
Ben looked out the window. He clenched a fist. The knuckles popped.
Stick together, he said.
Alex looked at him. That's right.
Ben nodded. All right. But you two have your jobs, and I have mine. Your job is to figure out the technology. My job is everything else. I'm in charge. You don't question me. You don't lecture me. You do as I say. This is my world you're in now, not yours. Understood?
Alex said, Fine.
Ben looked at Sarah. Sarah returned his stare--fucking control freak-but said nothing.
Understood? he said again.
I understand you, she said.
Yeah, he said. I understand you, too. Let me see your cell phones.
Sarah thought, Now what? But she said nothing. She handed Ben her phone. Alex did the same.
Ben turned each unit off and dropped them into a leather bag on the desk. Sarah said, What are you doing?
You don't question me, Ben said.
I do if you just take my phone. And just because I'm not supposed to question you doesn't mean you have to get off by never offering an explanation, either.
Ben chuckled. She wanted to slap him.
I know it's hard for you to accept this, he said, but someone has gotten seriously into your lives. Your homes and workplaces. The cars you drive. The places you go. The things you do. Are you getting it now? I can guarantee you that if I were the one hunting you, I'd be glued to your cell phone signals unless you were giving me something even easier to follow. Do either of you have any kind of emergency roadside assistance or concierge service subscription along with a car GPS?
Sarah nodded and saw Alex do the same. That word he'd used so casually-hunting-had chilled her.
Well, congratulations. I'd be all over that, too. You say you're ready to disappear for a while, but you don't know how to do it. It's not supposed to be easy. You're going to have to give up a few conveniences. Okay? Do you need any more explanation than that, or do you get it now?
They were all quiet for a moment. Sarah realized what he was saying made sense, but still resented the way he said it.
What do we do? Alex asked.
Ben looked at Sarah. Exactly what I tell you, he said.
Chapter 18 BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
They went to the Four Seasons in Ben's rented car, Alex driving, Sarah shotgun, Ben in back. Ben was pissed. He'd been back for, what, twelve hours? And he'd already lost control of the situation.
He didn't trust the girl. She was obviously political, and it wasn't inconceivable she had an uncle or a cousin in one of the security services. It would have been easy enough for her to make a call-hey, Uncle Ahmad, you should take a look at this technology I'm trying to patent. It's the kind of thing you told me to keep an eye out for. Yeah, maybe it was unlikely, but he knew Iran's cyberwarfare efforts were real.
And someone had taken those documents from Alex's office. Someone who knew where to go, or who had been given some very precise information. There had to be someone on the inside. Who else had the connection? And who else would have the motivation? The fact that she claimed to be missing documents, too, only made him suspect her more.
It was a huge risk to bring her along now, but he didn't really have a choice. He'd seen the way Alex was looking at her, and he could tell the idiot was half in love. Well, he couldn't exactly blame him. He had to admit she was attractive. But Christ, she was a handful. He shouldn't have said anything about Iran; it could only serve to tip her off. But sanctimonious and naA ve was a combination guaranteed to piss him off.
And he didn't like that comment about the Istanbul hit at all. Yeah, it had been all over the news. She was Iranian, she was political, she would have seen it. But still.
Anyway, he was going to get Alex out of his latest mess. Not that Alex deserved it, but Ben was going to do it anyway because that's the kind of guy he was, even if Alex couldn't recognize it. And now his little brother had made it clear that it was a package deal: he had to help the girl, too. Christ, he should have seen it coming. It was just like Alex: suck him in, get him committed, and then tell him, Oh, just one other little thing
Overall, he gave the situation a suck factor of about 9.8, but there was a tiny silver lining. If the girl really was working for the other side, he could use her as a conduit for false information-essentially as an unwitting double agent. He'd have to take extreme care because she'd also have plenty of accurate information she could pass along-their current location, for example-but if he could control for that downside, he might be able to use her to draw her people into an ambush. He started thinking about how.
He had Alex take them to the Wal-Mart on Showers Drive in Mountain View. Ben picked out wool hats for them. Sarah wanted to know why.
I want to make us a little harder to recognize, and a little harder to remember. Just in case. Is there a downside?
I'm just asking, she said, or do I have to obey without question?
Ben tossed her a hat. You just have to obey.
He paid for the hats and a prepaid phone. On the way out, he entered the number in his speed dial. He handed the unit to Alex. This is if you need to call me, and for me to call you. No other uses, no other calls. Understood?
They understood.
As they pulled off 101 onto the University Avenue exit that would take them to the hotel, Ben said, Don't pull into the hotel parking lot. Take the next right, Manhattan Avenue, and park it there.
Why? Alex asked.
Your car and her car are compromised. I don't want-
My name is Sarah, Sarah said, turning to look at him. Use it. Stop talking about me as though I'm not here. It's rude.
Christ. Well, I wouldn't want to be rude.
No, you obviously do want to be rude, otherwise you wouldn't be. Which is why I'm telling you to cut it out.
Yes, ma'am.
She shook her head slightly as though in disgust, then turned away again. All right, maybe he'd been too hard on her. He wasn't even sure why, exactly. It wasn't going to help him use her to set up the opposition, assuming she really was playing for the other team. She just pushed his buttons. He was already carrying Alex, he didn't need to shoulder her weight on top of it.
Your car and Sarah's car are compromised, Ben said. I want to make sure this one stays clean.
Sarah looked back at him again. You think someone's at the hotel?
I doubt it. But like Alex said, I found him here. Someone else could have done the same. If there's a problem, it'll likely be waiting at Alex's car. You can't just sit around a hotel lobby forever without attracting suspicion. So for now, we'll stay clear of Alex's car and go in carefully, just in case. Got it?
She nodded and turned away. Alex said, What do you mean, for now'?
Ben opened the Wal-Mart bag. One thing at a time. Put your hats on.
They all pulled on the hats. Ben also slipped on his gloves. Dressing for an op was always easier in the cold.
They got out and walked, squinting against shards of morning sun slicing through the spaces between the buildings they passed. Manhattan Avenue was inaptly named: in fact, it was a quiet tree-lined street fronted by a few small lower-rent apartment complexes and a coin-operated laundry-artifacts of what the neighborhood had been before the sparkling hotel and office complex had been erected next door. Ben led the way back to the main entrance and into the hotel, scanning as they moved. He detected no problems.
A silver-haired guy in a charcoal suit by reception waved to Alex. Hey, Alex. Nice to see you here. Breakfast today?
Hey, Tracy, no, I'm staying with you this time. Some work being done on my house.
The guy smiled. Nice to have you with us.
They kept moving.
Ben was incredulous. Who the hell was that? he said.
Tracy Mercer. The manager.
You know the manager?
I do a lot of business meals here.
Ben wondered how someone so smart could at the same time be so galactically stupid. Didn't I tell you to stay someplace where no one would know you?
Well, yeah, but
Ben shook his head. Forget it, he said. Was Alex a moron? Did he have a death wish?
They went to Alex's room, and while Alex collected his gear, Ben looked out the window at the highway below and the massive sprawl of an Ikea shopping complex on the other side of it. None of this had been here when Ben was a kid. East Palo Alto had been a no-go zone then, unless you wanted to buy pot, and even then you wouldn't go at night. Times had changed. He was amazed that Alex could casually take advantage of something like this. This hotel had to be at least four hundred dollars a night, and Alex was using it as a safe house without giving a second thought to the bill. It was almost funny, the different economic strata they found themselves in. Of course, Ben's half of their parents' estate wasn't insubstantial, but he never touched that money. In his mind, it didn't even exist except as a last-ditch insurance policy should the shit he dealt with every day ever manage to squarely connect with the fan.
They headed back down to the lobby. Sarah said, I need to use the bathroom.