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wanted, which was for us to use the corporate jet. When Benicio offered the tickets instead, Lucas eager
to stop arguing and start investigating had accepted. Neither of us was happy about the obvious
manipulation, but the truth was that we could ill afford to be crisscrossing the country like this. Dana and
Jacob deserved better than a low-budget investigation, and we'd make sure they got it, even if it meant
accepting transportation expenses from the Cabal.
***
Of course, Adam didn't mind playing host and tour guide, not when it came with the opportunity for
excitement. I've known Adam for half my life, long enough to accept that he's the kind of guy who does as
little as he can get away with unless the "doing" involves straight-up ass-kicking action. Today, with the
prospect of some less-than-legal adventuring, he was keen enough to actually meet our plane on time.
Adam was twenty-four, and good-looking in a wholesome California way with a perpetual tan, light
brown hair sun-streaked blond, and the well-built body of a surfer. Like his stepfather, he was a
half-demon. Robert had long since suspected Adam was the most powerful subtype of fire demon an
Exustio but it had only been last year that he'd finally incinerated something and proved Robert right. That
marked the culmination of seventeen years of increasing powers, dating back to childhood, when Talia had
gone seeking answers for Adam's early displays of power, not content to accept a psychiatrist's explanation
that Adam's literally hot temper was only adolescent acting-out. Her search had led her to Robert Vasic,
who'd eventually given her the answers she sought . . . and fallen in love with her.
"So what's the plan?" Adam said as we climbed into his Jeep.
"We're starting right at the source," I said. "A home invasion, if we're lucky."
"Sweet."
"I thought you'd think so."
Less-than-Legal Adventuring
Everett Weber lived outside Modesto, in a small farmhouse, an ugly cinder block with a freshly
mowed lawn and tidy yard, but with woodwork years overdue for a paint job. Probably a rental, owned by
whoever owned the surrounding vineyards. Like most renters, Weber was quite willing to keep the place
neat but wasn't about to dip into his own pockets for repairs.
Weber worked at a place in Silicon Valley, so we hoped that at one P.M. on a Friday, that's where
he'd be. From Lucas's preliminary background check, Weber appeared to live alone. Add in the fact that his
house was on a dirt road, with no neighbors for a half-mile in any direction, and a daytime break-and-enter
wasn't as risky as it sounded.
The remote location made it perfect for a B&E but more difficult to get up close and check for
occupancy. We called the house from the road, and no one answered the phone, but that didn't necessarily
mean Everett wasn't there. After some skulking around, Lucas proclaimed the house empty, and we met at
the back door, whereupon we discovered that every window came complete with bars and security decals.
After a quick check, Lucas declared the decals legit. Weber had a security system, and it was activated.
"No disarming spells in your repertoires, I suppose?" Adam whispered as we huddled near the back
door.
Lucas pulled a small kit from under his leather jacket. "No, but I do have this."
"Cool." Adam crouched beside Lucas as he worked. "Now this you didn't learn in law school."
"You'd be surprised," Lucas murmured. "No, this comes from having Cabal contract employees as
clients. As you might expect, the Cabals don't contract them for their typing skills. In some cases, an
exchange of skills proves more valuable than financial remuneration." He fiddled with a mess of wires.
"There. Now comes the difficult part. I need to cut these three at the same time or I'll set it off. However,
if I do cut them, it's easily discovered, and Weber will know his system was breached. This may take a few
minutes." He reached into his kit. "First, I need to "
Adam reached down and grasped the mess of wires. A spark, then they disintegrated to ash.
"Or we could just do that," Lucas said.
"Damn those spontaneous electrical fires," Adam said.
"Been practicing, I see," I said.
Adam grinned and wiped the ash from his hand. He grabbed the door handle.
"Wait," I said. . '
I cast an unlock spell. Adam opened the door. We paused, but no alarm sounded. Lucas finished
replacing the wires, then waved us inside.
***
We soon understood why Weber put a security system on a rented farmhouse. Any money he'd
saved on rent, he'd invested in electronics, with multiple computers, a plasma TV, and a hi-fi system that
I'm sure rocked the neighbors even a mile away.
While Adam and Lucas started searching, I headed for my area of expertise: the computer. I
quickly discovered that Weber applied the same standard of security to his hard drive as he did to his house.
Although he was the only person living there, he had the computer password-protected. It took nearly thirty
minutes to crack that, only to find that all his data even his e-mail was encrypted. I burned the files onto
a CD for later. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]