Brain Read Online Free

you safe during the transition period, until you get back on your feet under your knew identity.”
    He sighed when I didn’t respond, and told me, “You never scoped Fox. I didn’t use him much, but he was dressed in various civilian clothes when he tailed you, and always in a different car. We worked a deal with the rental company to return and get a new car as often as we wanted. When you ditched your bike, I hoped you’d ride the trolley somewhere, and had him close by the nearest trolley stop in case you did. I watched another, after I lost you, but he got on right behind you and then followed you off.”
    “How did you know what name I was registered?”
    I got his cocky-assed grin again, and, “Can’t give away all my secrets.”
    I pulled from what I knew of the RTMC. They were known to rough people up, but they protected women, even the prostitutes they pimped out. I didn’t know if they were above murder, but I hoped they were. They knew I could never go to the cops and report them for kidnapping, though, so my seeing their faces didn’t necessarily mean I was doomed to death.
    Wulff seemed to be trying to protect me from Fox, but then again, this could be the classic game of good cop/bad cop.
    I needed more information.
    “What’s your end game?” I asked Wulff.
    He shook his head. “If I could’ve caught you in the first twenty-four hours, it would’ve been to hack whoever you sold our info to, so I could delete it before they had a chance to go through it. Now? I still need to delete it, but much of the damage is done.” He sat up, ran his hand through his hair, and sighed. “I can’t tell you our plans for damage control, only that we need to do it. Also, I’d rather have you working for us in the future, instead of them, so we’ll talk to you about putting you on retainer, but only if you prove you can be loyal.”
    “So, you’re starting out nice because you don’t want to make an enemy of me unless you have to?” I’d secretly hoped he liked me and couldn’t bring himself to hurt me, and if I were honest, I’d have to admit to being a little disappointed at his logical reasoning.
    “I’m starting nice because I think it has the highest chance of getting the desired results. If it doesn’t, we’ll go to Plan B.”
    “And what’s Plan B?”
    “Not nice.” Steady gaze, unapologetic tone of voice.
    I looked at him a few seconds and asked, “Can you send Fox away so we can talk?”
    “No.” He didn’t hesitate, didn’t even consider it.
    I bent my knees, pulled my legs up, and wrapped my arms around them. “While I admit the idea of going back on the grid and living a normal life sounds tempting, I’m not sure it’s me. I mean, what does this girl do for a living? Can I do it? Would I want to?”
    “She’s an ex-prostitute with brain cancer. She’s never been arrested, and has a clean driving record. She has no family who’ll miss her. She lives in South Carolina, so as long as you stay away from there, no one you meet is likely to hear the name and think of her. The name isn’t terribly unusual, though, so it’s likely you’d be okay even in the same town.”
    God, I needed to go for a run. I still felt sluggish, whether from whatever they dosed me with, or from sleeping for so long, I didn’t know, but pounding the pavement a few miles would work it out and clear my cobwebs. I looked up, knowing the answer, but I had to ask anyway. “I think best when I run.”
    “Yeah, I get that, but you have to know it isn’t an option.”
    “Can I do something else to step to the side of the problem? A strategy game, or maybe a firewall to break through, some encryption to beat?”
    “Not letting you on a computer, but there are some board games in one of the bedrooms.”
    “You realize she’s just trying to buy time, right?” Fox asked, his voice incredulous.
    “No, I get it. It’s a big decision and she needs to keep her conscious brain busy so her subconscious