Finally.

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The burner cell phone skittered across the counter. Buzzing vibrations cut through flatness of TV talking heads droning on and on in the background. A quick jaunt across the expanse of the high-end open concept living area completed and the agitated device was in hand.

This burner phone was new, and one person had the number. Without checking the caller ID , no etiquette or pleasant greeting was offered.

“Yeah.”

“Did you make contact with the target?”

The voice on the other end of the call wasn’t the expected one. Instead, the voice that sounded like one and many had trickled through the line. How did it or they get this number? And how did they know what was going on with this timetable? Time to ponder what to say next was a luxury that wasn’t available when dealing with this caller.

Need to stall for a moment to get it together.

Hatred of how interacting with this caller always turned thought processes into mush, and fuzzy thinking weighed heavy.

How much to tell?

A nagging concern bounded forward. Danger and mystery always shrouded any dealings with the entity on the other end of the line. Here was another example of how quickly everything could turn wrong-sided. They called on a line that hadn’t been given out. It was a burner phone with encryption.

Ideas for needed updates to the project forged a hastened path to the forefront.

Top priority was to get through the call without giving too much information or showing weakness. Once that was done, would need to get rid of this phone ASAP—after the expected call came through.

No use tipping off the caller of that.

When the unexpected happened, the true artist incorporated the new element to make the piece greater. This call would become part of what made the art of this deal flourish. To be the best, one had to take everything thrown in and make a masterpiece.

Skill, talent, and flare—that was what the caller wanted, and why they’d approached to do this deal.

Keep it short and make it happen.

Would have to play off that curt phone greeting and recoup a sense of professionalism. Too much was on the line here.

A deep breath and normal breathing were restored without incident. Time to play the role and keep everything in play.

Role of the day—Goldilocks—not too much or too little, just right. Another breath did the trick to reset and infuse bright eagerness into the tone of voice, the words had to be perfect. Then they formed in thin air, like reading them on an invisible piece of floating paper.

“Yes. I’m waiting for an update now.” Whew, that statement came out on the money.

“Good. Don’t keep your information to yourself too long. There are certain expectations for you to fulfill.”

“I’m quite aware of that. Don’t worry. I’ll deliver.”

“So, you shall.”

The call ended without warning. Nerves rattled enough to produce the slightest shaking of the hands. That reaction to the unexpected couldn’t happen again. It was a sign of subordinate behavior and wouldn’t be tolerated. Only those traits of a powerful leader would be nurtured and allowed to thrive.

The client had won that little battle, but it would be the last one. It might be accurate to assume the client did these sorts of things to produce that type of fear and loathing. Unfortunately for them, this deal wouldn’t go the way they expected. Just a few more days and the payoff would be worth it.

Faint tremors still cascaded through when the phone buzzed again.

Damn it.

As if on cue the cell phone buzz with the anticipated expected call.

“Did you learn anything?” Unchecked emotion peppered the words. Needed to tone it down.

The arrogant laugh that snaked through from the other end gnawed and grated the nerves as it always had. This call couldn’t end too fast. Then, there would be time to rejuvenate properly.

Patience was the key. Just had to wait for the urge to lash out to pass by not giving in to cussing and fussing as a rebuttal to the theatrics.

The annoying laugh was left to support itself with silence on the other end. Point finally taken, words began to come forth to answer the question.

“Of course, I did.”

“And?”

“And, I need to meet with you to give you the information and other gifts we weren’t expecting.”

What the hell? There was no “we.”

Annoyance at how this was turning out to be another information dragging session threatened to erupt into full-blown anger. They’d been over the specifics of the project a thousand times. This was a part of a deal they had—nothing more.

Instead of bringing that up and making the call last longer than necessary, the best course was to whittle down to the information subtly and cleverly. That would be far easier than dealing with the begging and bargaining that would come with a flat-out no.

“This is a secure line. You can relay the info without concern.”

“Yes, but not all the information is verbal.”

Curiosity piqued by the obvious dangled bait, there was no other recourse but to bite.

“What kind of information are we talking about that you can’t give over the phone?”

“Physical information.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will when I give it to you.”

Damn it, that tone usually meant stubbornness had set in. There’d be no way around it. A meeting was the only way to resolve this but couldn’t let that be known up front.

“Okay, let me be the judge of whether this warrants a meeting or not. Give me something that you can say over the phone.” A stern incentive was added to run the point home that it better be good. “It’s time to see if you’re out for this type of work.”

“I’m more than cut out for it. If not, you wouldn’t have offered it to me.”

“Enough with the overconfidence. Tell me what I want to know, or I’ll punish you.”

The inhale of breath on the other end was audible and infused with emotion enough to know it had been the right course of action. Keeping this simple and straight to the point was the best way to deal.

“You always know how to get me to do what you want.”

“Yes, and don’t forget that. Now talk.”

“They were telling the truth about it all.”

“You’re certain? How do you know.”

“Trust me, I know from all the clues thrown off here and there. And, the test? It worked. Got positive confirmation.”

Based on how this was said, there was no reason to doubt it. Decision made, it was time to wrap this up. No use doing anything to encourage more chit-chat than necessary.

“Ah, I see. Very well, then. We can meet.” Had to stay in control and not leave anything up for grabs. Added a quick addendum for good measure. “Give me time to get to you.”

“Come tonight.”

Thirsty—good.

In dealings like this, it was always a great status confirmation to keep the upper hand in all transactions. A few mental calculations on the logistics of how to get there in hours done, the answer flowed out without a hint of consternation. Couldn’t let this current location be known. Thirsty could turn desperate and clingy too easily.

Plan mapped out on how to pull it off, nothing warned of hesitation in agreeing to come here.

“I’ll meet you at ten tonight at a location I’ll text to you in a few hours.”

“Why can’t I come to you now?”

Damn it. This was too much. It became clearer each day that working together would be way more of a headache than originally imagined. This was a bad idea.

Then visions of power and what was at stake danced in the logical region that always pushed forward to keep the project on the rails. The line fell silent as the idea to take a few beats before continuing came forward.

When the time swelled to allow rational logic to win out, a well-chosen word reigned supreme.

“Because…,” patience bore down to wait before saying anything else. The other end of the line didn't bite.

Continued patience to let the moment breathe allowed more time to handle the situation. An answer that would do the trick to keep the conversation under control formed. A quick clearing of the throat to remove any tale-tell signs of agitation helped to get the explanation out.

“Because there are eyes everywhere. We can never be too cautious. Do you want to be the reason this blows up?” No answer from the other end. Stern control guided the next words that were more commands. “Huh? Answer me. Say it.”

“No, I don’t want to blow this.”

“That’s what I thought. Pay attention and keep your head in the game. I’ll meet you at the location I text at ten tonight. Don’t call me at this number again. When we meet, I’ll have new contact information to give you.” About to hang up the call, another spark of insight into who was on the other line flashed to be used. “And, don’t, I repeat, don’t try to renegotiate anything when we meet. This is the way it has to be. I’m halfway out the door of doing this deal with you as it is.”

“No, don’t be like that. I promise, no funny business. I’m good. We’re still good, aren’t we?”

Yes, the upper hand was firmly reestablished.

“We’re good, for now. I’ll see you tonight.”

When the phone signaled a clear disconnection, no time was wasted smashing the device. A new box opened, and the new phone number obtained, the text message with information would go out in a few hours.

A quick check of the neural app’s data confirmed that the trigger had fired, and corresponding information had been received. It was interesting to see how well the subject responded so fast to the conditioning. Good but too soon to call it a success.

Refusing to celebrate too quickly and another rundown of all plans was enough to coax a small bit of relaxation. Not too much though. Precision was the key to everything. The perfect amount of tension and stress worked to ensure that the highest level of accuracy and vigilance was in action.

For now, it was safe to move forward. Tired wasn’t the word to describe the deep ache that radiated every part of the body.

“Forty percent. I’m just at forty percent of capacity. Got to press on.” The mantra seeped out with the ease of habit it had become.

There would come a time very soon that no one could impede on anything desired. The deal was in play and victory was close at hand. Just had to keep all the plates spinning for a little while longer.

Keeping all the players in the dark and at a distance was a priority. It had been too long in the making, but after these next few days, everything that had been worked for up to now would pay off.

“Yeah, you’ve got this. Go get yours.”

The text was sent, and a little sigh of relief escaped the prison of years of self-control. That cue was enough to reset and power up before tonight’s meeting.

Seated on the comfortable, plush sofa surrounded by the healing power of the many crystals, it was time to review, learn and adjust to the day’s events.

Waves of meditative frequency bathed the mind, allowing the body to unclench as scenes, thoughts, and ignored feelings and reactions replayed as if on a projection screen. Like a puzzle, pieces moved to rotate and show possibilities to fit into the grand scheme.

“Yes, I see it now.”

The audible words signaled brain frequency was back to beta and out of the vortex of consciousness. Eyes opened and ready to go; the immediate step presented itself on that invisible page inches away.

“Got it. Time to set the trap and bag the prize.”

An internal clock that always signaled the perfect time to move and do dinged. It was on. The new game was afoot. No more subordination. When the dust settled, all power would firmly rest within. No one and nothing would ever stand in the way again.

Next stop—power to infinity—forever.

The snicker was all that would be allowed to signal how corny that last bit had been. Hey, being tainted with humanity meant missteps could be made, for now. That status as a weakling wouldn’t last for long, though. Not with this doozy of a grand plan in the works.

The only undesirable part? Zia Carter.

A spark of hatred flared. That was another reason to loathe her existence. The primary reason was that the fat Mulatto was the key to making all the moving parts come together.