The Bonding Ritual (Girls Wearing Black: Book Four) (20 page)

As powerful as Clean Street was, there was another piece of software on Daciana’s computer that interested Jill even more.

I require a program that will give me unrestricted access to hundreds of bank accounts, in financial institutions across the world, and will allow me to see and control all of them from a single interface
.

That was the first sentence of Daciana’s original proposal for the software, a proposal Jill read one afternoon when she was snooping around on her father’s laptop. The proposal went on to describe in detail how the interface was to be laid out and how Daciana wanted the software to work. When Jill gave a copy of that proposal to the Network, they speculated that Daciana’s intent was to solidify her control over the clan.

“This is about controlling the bank accounts of all the vampires in America,” was what Gia Rossi had said about the software. “Daciana wants a simple interface where she can get a snapshot view of all the bank accounts of the clan at once.”

“It’s more than a view,” Jill had replied. “Look at some of the requirements in that proposal. Daciana wants unrestricted access.”

“Of course she does,” Gia said. “If you control a vampire’s money, you control the vampire.”

That conversation with Gia happened three years ago, but the memory of it was fresh in Jill’s mind.

If you control a vampire’s money, you control the vampire
.

Jill thought
you could take the logic one step further.

If you control a vampire’s computer, you control the vampire’s money.

This was the idea she had presented to Alvin a few days before. This was the idea that brought Jill, Eve, and Alvin to a run-down movie theater in Rockville. This was the reason Jill would stay in town for a little longer, risking her life even though the original mission seemed doomed.

It was dangerous for them to stay in Washington, and downright reckless for them to walk into Daciana’s mansion. But the potential reward was worth the risk. If Jill could sneak away from the party and find her way into the crypt, she could take control of Daciana’s personal computer.

And change everything.

Jill stayed at the movie theater in Rockville with Eve and Alvin all afternoon. She memorized the entire layout of Daciana’s house. She learned about the alarm system in the home, where the control panel was, who manufactured the control panel, and how it could be hacked.

She became familiar with the charm bracelet Eve had made for her, which was every bit the tool belt Eve described it to be. Breaking into Daciana’s crypt was a multi-step process that would require Jill to override the alarm, trip a circuit breaker, control the security cameras, and even pick an old fashioned lock. All the tools she would need to pull off the job were hidden inside the many pewter charms on her bracelet.

With Eve coaching her on how to move through a vampire’s mansion, and Alvin bringing up screen after screen of detail, they walked through the plan, starting at the moment Jill arrived and finishing when she returned to the party having completed the hack. By the time they finished talking and Jill exited the movie theater, the sun had gone down. When Jill slept that night, she dreamed about blueprints and charm bracelets.

The next morning she got a phone call from Ryan’s mother, inviting her to join the Jenson family on a short trip to a ski resort in Pennsylvania. She declined, making up an excuse about a commitment with her aunt and uncle in Virginia.

“Well then, I guess we’ll see you at our Christmas party when we get back,” Suzette said.

“Yes, I guess you will,” said Jill.

Later that week, Jill’s parents returned home from their business trip in Seattle. Jill was out walking in the woods when they arrived. By the time she got back in the house, her mother was already upstairs in her office, and her father was at the bar, making a martini.

“Hey there,” he said to her. “Can I mix something up for you?”

“No thanks.”

Walter Wentworth looked tired as he mixed vodka, vermouth, and ice in the steel shaker. His eyes were red. His hair was greasy and matted flat on his head.

“How was your flight?” Jill said.

“No problems,” said Walter. “Watched a movie, took a nap, you know how these things go.”

Jill was a good twenty feet away from him, but still could smell the Bloody Mary mix on his breath.

It was interesting to look at her father now. In the weeks before Walter and Carolyn had left for Seattle, the power dynamic in the house had shifted dramatically. Jill, having discovered the truth about her mother, had confronted Walter about the slave he had purchased from the Farm and made into his bride. Walter, in turn, had become a blubbering mess, years of guilt and regret pouring out in one awful conversation with his daughter.

Walter poured his martini into a glass and found his way to an easy chair.

“People are talking about you, Jill,” he said after taking his first sip. “Even on the other side of the country, I’m hearing some pretty incredible stories about you.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jill said.

Walter pulled the lever to recline his chair. With his feet up, he kicked off his shoes and took a long drag on his martini, then he said, “It sounds like you and Ryan have everything under control at school and the Coronation contest, and that you’ve outsmarted anyone who might stand in your way. I know it doesn’t mean much to you, but I was really pleased to hear that you got the best of the Renwicks. And I want you to know, whatever you need from me, even if it’s just to stay out of your way, you’ve got it.”

It was a concession speech. After years of fighting with his daughter about every little thing, Walter Wentworth was admitting he had lost. More than once in the past few years, Jill had imagined a moment like this. She was surprised to find that she wasn’t enjoying it at all.

“So you’re not angry I’ve been keeping secrets from you?” she said.

Walter let out a laugh. “Lord knows I don’t have any right to be angry,” he said. He gulped down another drink. “Listen, Jill, the last time we spoke, you said some things to me, about your mother.”

“Yes, and you promised me you were going to have a talk with her.”

“We’ve had that talk,” said Walter. “Your mother heard the full truth about her past, about where she is from and what I did to her when we got married—you never did tell me how you broke her programming.”

“And I never will.”

“Right. Well, I feel good about where your mother is at. I know what I did to her—it’s a big deal to you, and it should be. But believe it or not, it’s not a big deal to Carolyn. She just wanted to get back to work.”

“Of course she did,” said Jill. “She doesn’t know anything else.”

“It makes her happy, Jill. Can it really be so bad if it makes her happy? I mean, think of the life she would have lived had I not…”

He stopped mid-sentence to take a drink. Jill finished the thought for him.

“Had you not bought her illegally from Melissa Mayhew?” she said.

Walter cringed and looked around, as if to make sure no one was listening. When he spoke again, he did it in a quiet voice.

“Yes, had I not bought her, she’d already be dead. But now she lives in a beautiful house, she has a daughter, and she does what makes her happy. I hope that, for her sake, for all our sakes, you can let it go now. I’m sure you’ve heard that Daciana is back in town. It won’t be long before she has more work for us to do.”

“Just so long as the work she’s doing is her choice, not yours.”

“She loves programming computers, Jill.”

“I know.”

In her mind, Jill added,
I’ll make sure she has plenty of programming work in whatever new life she leads when all of this is over.

“I know you’re busy,” Walter said. “Don’t let me keep you.”

As Jill walked away, Walter turned on the TV to a college football game. She felt bad for him. In Walter’s mind, everything was settled and life could go back to normal.

If he had even the slightest clue about what his daughter was planning, he’d be in his bedroom packing a suitcase.

*****

The Jensons returned to Potomac two days before Christmas. Ryan wanted Jill to come to their house immediately to keep up appearances, but Jill put him off for a day. When she finally did see him, it was as a guest at his family’s Christmas Eve party.

“Ah! There she is!” was how Suzette greeted her at the front door. Suzette air-kissed both of Jill’s cheeks. “How are your folks?”

“They’re just fine,” said Jill.

“I wish you could have come skiing with us. We had so much fun! Except Roger, of course. He took a tumble on the first day.”

Suzette pointed to Ryan’s father, who was limping around near the Christmas tree. He had a brace covering the length of his right leg, and a big plastic boot on his foot.

“Ouch,” Jill said.

“Don’t ever get old. It’s hell,” Suzette said, then let out an awkward laugh. “If you’ll excuse me, I think Roger’s mother just pulled into the driveway. I’ll need to help her climb up the stairs. I believe you’ll find Ryan in the garage. We just gave him his Christmas present. You’ll want to see it. In a way, it’s your present as much as his!”

Jill pushed her way through the crowded party, meandering out of the front room, through the living area, and to the staircase at the back. She went down one level and entered the garage through a door in the game room.

She found Ryan standing alone, looking pensively at a bright orange…something.

“Ryan?”

“Oh, hey.”

Jill stepped inside, closer to Ryan and the orange hunk of glass and metal.

“What in God’s name are we looking at here?”

“My new car.”

“It looks more like a spaceship,”
Jill said. “A bright orange rocket straight out of a comic book.”

“See, I was thinking it looked more like a submarine from some old underwater adventure movie.”

Jill laughed.

“What in the world is this thing?” she said.

“It’s a Lamborghini,” said Ryan. “My dad’s always wanted one.”

“Oh, it’s your dad’s.”

“Nope. All mine,” Ryan said, with a bit of resignation in his voice. “My dad ordered it for himself a year ago. All sorts of custom features, everything he’d ever dreamed about having as a teenager, but when it arrived at the dealership last week, he had second thoughts.”

“Really?
Second thoughts about an apricot-colored space car? Seriously, Ryan, this thing looks like it’s ready to blast off.”

“I wish I could say my dad’s reservations were a matter of taste. But that wasn’t it. If my dad could drive this car, he would, but…here, let me show you.”

Ryan pulled on the handle of the passenger door, which didn’t open out, but up.

“It’s like a chicken wing,” said Jill.

“Makes me think of a penguin flapping its arms,” said Ryan.

“Who ever heard of an orange penguin?” said Jill.

Ryan laughed. “Go ahead. Get in,” he said.

Jill slid underneath the open door and into the passenger seat, which was tilted down at a sharp angle, thrusting her feet into the floorboard.

“It’s all caddywampus in here,” she said.

“That’s the problem,” said Ryan. “My dad was fifteen pounds lighter when he did a test drive last year.”

Jill looked over at the driver’s seat. The space between the steering wheel and the chair bottom was really narrow.

“He doesn’t fit anymore?” she said.

“He won’t admit it, but yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s why I’m getting a two hundred thousand dollar custom-made Italian sports car for Christmas.”

Jill leaned over and looked at the speedometer. The numbers on the dial went three times as high as on a normal car.

“Looks like it goes really fast,” she said. “It’s going to get a lot of attention in the senior lot.”

“Yes it is,” said Ryan. “I will officially be
that guy
. Oh, come look at this.”

Ryan held out his hand to help Jill out of the car. He continued holding her hand as he walked her around the back of the car to show her the license plate.

DREAMSICLE

“Oh my God,” Jill said, unable to stymie her laugh. “It’s got a name! I love it!”

“Don’t laugh too hard. You’ll be arriving at Daciana’s party in this car, just like me.”

“I’ll be proud to be a passenger in the Dreamsicle,” she said.

She found herself leaning into Ryan, pressing her arm against his while they still held hands.

He leaned back.

For a few seconds, it all slipped away from her. The Network. The plan. Daciana’s house. The stubbornness of the others and their vision of completing a mission that wasn’t meant to be finished.

The double life she had led for the past three years.

She leaned against Ryan and he leaned back, the two of them hand-in-hand, having a moment, living in the present.