Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight (Stephanie Plum #28)(70)

We got to the top floor and Oswald motioned for us to go to the end unit. He unlocked the door and we stepped into a large condo with windows that looked out over the city. It would be beautiful when it was renovated. At the moment it was a wreck. Dingy wallpaper, half peeling off. Wood floors that were scarred from carpet removal. A bare bulb where a chandelier once hung. The kitchen was mostly intact. There was a pump bottle of dishwashing liquid by the sink and a small dish drain with clean dishes and cutlery in it. The counter held a roll of paper towels, a salt and pepper shaker, and a charging station. A small fry pan was on the electric stove top. Everything was very neat and relatively clean. The dining area held a card table and four chairs.

“Is this home?” I asked Oswald.

“Such as it is,” he said. “What it lacks in luxury it makes up for in safety and convenience. The building hasn’t been condemned, so it’s remained accessible. My car is hidden. It’s not in a neighborhood where people pay attention to their neighbors. The building next door is due for demolition.”

“I’m curious,” I said. “Why were you going back to the empty Baked Potatoes’ houses?”

“I collected equipment as best I could on my redemption visit. When I brought it all back here and I started downloading and looking at files, I realized I didn’t have what I needed. So, I went back to do a more thorough search. In the case of Charley Q, I stayed a while because it was comfortable and it had fast internet speed. You ruined that for me. Just as you ruined my use of the rental property.”

Lula had settled herself on a folding chair in the dining area. She was sitting straight, careful not to squash the explosives that were taped to the vest she was wearing.

“Now what?” I asked Oswald.

Oswald shrugged out of a backpack. “Now I get in touch with Diesel, since he’s inserted himself into the middle of this operation.”

Oswald took cell phone photos of Lula and me and sent them to Diesel.

“I’m sorry I won’t get to see his reaction,” Oswald said. “Our paths have crossed several times but never at this level. The stakes were never especially high before this. This time the stakes are significant, and you’re frosting on the cake. I really hadn’t counted on capturing you, but I couldn’t resist when I saw you park your car. Especially since your friend was an easy mark. I had the cuffs on her before she even woke up.”

“You better not have taken liberties with me while I was sleeping,” Lula said to Oswald.

“Women remember my liberties,” Oswald said. “If you aren’t in pain and you don’t have scars, I didn’t take liberties.”

“That’s sick,” Lula said. “You should go get help. There are programs for sick people like you.”

“I like being sick,” Oswald said. “I get pleasure from it.”

“I thought you got pleasure from hacking,” I said.

“I get satisfaction from hacking. And I get money and respect. Pleasure is in a separate category. Before we’re through I hope to get some pleasure from you.”

A lightning flash of revulsion mixed with terror shot through me. I felt cold sweat beading on my upper lip and my palms were sweaty. I bore down on the fear and ordered myself to get it together.

Oswald’s phone rang and I knew from his face that it was Diesel.

“Yes?” Oswald said, answering the ring. He listened for a beat and his expression changed from one of enjoying the moment to one of hard contempt. “Here are my terms,” Oswald said. “I want Charley Q and HotWiz. I will exchange them for Stephanie Plum and her large, loud friend. Right now, she’s intact, but that will change if you don’t deliver. If you don’t know where the last two Potatoes are you need to use every resource to find them. If I don’t hear good news from you by midnight, Ms. Plum will lose a finger. And she will continue to lose fingers every hour after that until I have the hackers.”

Oswald disconnected. His face was pale with red splotches on his cheeks. “I will not be denied,” he said.

“I don’t think he knows where they are,” I said. “I tracked them down and briefly spoke to them, and then they went into hiding.”

“Not my problem,” Oswald said. “If I don’t get satisfaction from eliminating the last of the Potatoes, I’ll get satisfaction from you, so you’d better hope your boyfriend finds them.”

I wasn’t sure if he was talking about Morelli or Diesel, so I ignored the boyfriend remark.

“I don’t understand this redemption vendetta,” I said, speaking slowly, making an effort to maintain control over my voice. “Why is it so important that you eliminate the Baked Potatoes?”

“They had the audacity to hack me.”

“My understanding is that they thought it was a challenge. They didn’t realize you’d be upset.”

“They knew exactly what they were doing. They were unseating the king. If it became known what they accomplished, it would be a crushing defeat for me.”

“They’re just some B-level hackers that got lucky,” I said.

“Those lucky hackers managed to infiltrate my servers. And one of them managed to install ransomware that locked down an entire system.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe it.”