by my next move, but any minute that leash was going to settle around my neck, so I didn' t have a choice. I had the little bamboo tube in my hand, behind my back, had loaded the dart when I thought they might fight. Waster stepped past Grizz and toward me, his fingers twitching on that leash. I reacted.
A blue flash, like sheet lightning, momentarily blinded me. When the stars in front of my eyes cleared, Grizz was opposite me with his hand over his heart. Waster was flat on his back at my feet.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I saw it in Grizz' s eyes. I might see it in Waster' s eyes when he recovered enough to open them. Then again, respect might not be Waster' s first reaction.
“Sweet,” Grizz said. “Sweetest takedown I ever saw.” His praise was sweet. I' d lost my new-girl cooties. I' d leveled up.
Grizz gave me a high five.
“He' s gonna wear your ass out good when he gets hold of you. Make tracks and stay clear of him until he' s had time to cool off.”
“You won' t fight with him when he wakes up?”
“You worried about Waster?”
I looked down, he looked so defenseless.
“You are. You got a soft spot for the guy.”
“No I don' t.”
“Well, I ain' t gonna hang around and fight him. Just get my ass kicked if I try. He' s one of the originals, one of the best hunters here.” I hesitated.
“Go on, girl. You got maybe three minutes left.” That' s about how long it took me, at top speed, to make it back to the wharf in the Quarterz. I left Waster' s boat where I found it.
The customer on the other side of the counter had the pinched expression most people had when they' d been battling their computer for days, unsuccessfully. Garnet Roberts, he wrote on the service request form. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and was wearing a suit that came from high enough up the food chain that Jolie, who rarely picked up on such cues, recognized he must have a platinum-backed bank account to support his wardrobe. How had a guy like that found his way to her? He finished filling out the form and paced back and forth in front of the counter while he shared his computer war story.
“It keeps getting slower and slower. I' ve run every virus and spyware program I can find and come up with nothing.”
Jolie had opened the laptop and gone immediately to safe mode as the computer booted. A quick glance through the system folder revealed the culprit.
“It's a downloader Trojan. That' s a virus that installs itself and then downloads a ton of other malware from the internet. With as many malicious programs as you have running, it' s best to format the drive and reinstall your operating system.
Garnet raked his fingers through the thin remains of his hairline. He looked at his watch and looked at her. “I don' t understand how this happened. I do all the security updates and I keep my antivirus up to date.”
“This particular virus comes through email, usually attached to a message that is faked to look like a message that came from one of the major parcel services.”
“Wonderful.” He looked at his watch again. “I' m staying at the B amp;B just at the edge of town. They recommended you.”
“They' re good people, nice place too-relaxing atmosphere.”
“Mmm.” Another look at the watch. “Well, I' ll just run across the street and grab a cup of coffee while you fix me up. Can I bring you back something?”
“I don' t think you understand. It takes several hours to run through this process.
We' re talking no computer until tomorrow.”
“But I can' t be without my computer that long.” His color rose and she was sure his blood pressure was rising with it. “I have to finish the reports I' m working on tonight. I have a presentation tomorrow morning and a plane to catch at noon.” I heard the soft buzz of a cell set to silent. He flipped it out, texted something with one hand and looked back at me.
“I' m guessing there aren' t any twenty-four-hour print shops in town?”
“Uh, no. There' s actually an ordinance that says businesses can' t operate past eight.”
His right hand, the one holding the phone started to twitch. For a moment he seemed to zone out and then he picked up the conversation right where he' d left it. “I have to get the reports done and to a printer before the shops close. I need my computer to get work done on the plane.”
“I can get the files you need off the computer before I erase the drive. You could take those to Mr. Baily. He has a print shop a couple of blocks down on your right. Your computer will be ready tomorrow if you have time to grab it before you go to the airport.”
The cell pinged and he glanced at the incoming text and then back to her. A light sheen of sweat gleamed on his forehead. Were zillions of dollars hanging in the balance?
“You don' t have a laptop you can sell me?”
“No. I repair computers and carry a few retail accessories. That' s it. The library next door has computers. They might lift the flash drive ban if you gave them a little donation and tell them I scanned the files for viruses.” He kept pacing while he was talking. “It' s going to put me behind, but I don' t have any choice. His phone buzzed and this time he took a call, mouthing, “Thanks for the help.”
The guy looked like he needed a week or two of unplugged, on a tropical island. He was wired, twitchy and his neck was still an unhealthy shade of plum.
“I' ll get this data for you,” she whispered, waving him out. “Go get some coffee.” An herbal tea and yoga break was probably a better prescription than coffee.
Back at her workbench again, she hummed as she pulled the laptop hard drive and popped the lid on the memory compartment. She always pulled the memory to let the power drain off the chips and remove the possibility of memory resident viruses.
Someone came through her door twenty minutes later. She expected Garnet. He didn' t strike her as a guy who could sit still long enough to finish a cup of coffee.
But, no, it was Abe, the delivery guy from Sue' s Florist with a big vase of flowers.
At least two dozen-orange, yellow and purple.
“Hey there, Jolie. Apparently you made some guy really happy.”
“Who?”
“You don't know?”
She shook her head. “If I did it was by accident.” Abe shrugged. “I don' t know him either. He said you would know.” She shook her head again. “I don' t even think I' ve smiled at a guy since I moved to town.”
Abe had a cackly laugh. “Well, you got a big enough smile now, so he must be on to something. He was a nervous guy, in a suit that could pay my mortgage for a year.”
“Ah, that' d be Garnet. He works fast. I haven' t even finished his computer.” Abe plopped the vase on the counter. “Maybe he thought flowers would get him special care.”
“He could have saved his money. Everyone gets my best.” Jolie dug in her pocket and he waved her off.
“The guy already tipped me, sweetie, and I couldn' t take a nickel from you after all the free help you give us over at the shop. Don' t know how you stay in business.” He waved and was out the door before she could argue.
“I don' t know how I stay in business either,” she said when Abe was gone. The money she made form Garnet' s job would help keep the lights on. She was planning to pay the electric bill with it.
She cupped a bright-orange bloom in her palm and inhaled the fragrance. She was standing just like that when Mack blew in.
“Whoa. Looks like someone' s having a good day.”
“But not you, if the scowl is an indicator. What' s up?”
“Sorry, just some minor annoyances I haven' t been able to get a handle on.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “But you' re looking chipper.” Jolie tipped her head to the side, slid a finger over the velvet petal of a yellow rose.
“I guess I am,” she said. “I' ve got work to do. That always puts me in a good mood.”
