Oz paced, too anxious to be standing still, waiting. She’d insisted she and Frankie wait for their rideshare tucked away in a narrow alley between two buildings, but Oz still felt vulnerable. She stole a glance at Frankie. She looked calm, but the tension in her shoulders belied her nerves. Oz knew they’d both feel better once the short sale was complete and they could focus on ensnaring InvestBioX.
“Explain to me again how the short sale works.” Oz needed something to take her mind off their current situation. Frankie probably did too.
“Are you trying to distract me?” Frankie’s shoulders relaxed minutely.
“Of course not.” Oz moved closer to Frankie. It was impossible to stay away. Frankie was magnetic and Oz was scrap metal. “But if I were, how am I doing?”
Frankie moved into Oz’s personal space. She wrapped her arms around Oz’s waist and leaned her head on Oz’s chest. “You haven’t made a wrong move yet.”
Oz stifled a sigh. How was she supposed to function with Frankie so near? She took Frankie in her arms and held her close. Any doubts she’d harbored about her growing feelings for Frankie were banished the moment she returned the embrace and held Frankie tight. Both she and Frankie relaxed. The proximity seemed to be what both of them needed.
“You might be more dangerous than anything InvestBioX can send after me.” Frankie pulled away with an exaggerated look of horror on her face. “Do you secretly work for InvestBioX and you were sent to woo me?”
Oz couldn’t keep a straight face to play along. “Woo you? How is that done exactly? I thought you were immune to my charms.”
Frankie snuggled back against Oz. “I thought you wanted to know about short sales.”
“Did I? Why would I care about something like that?” Oz was having a hard time concentrating. Frankie felt too good resting her head on Oz’s chest, her breath tickling Oz’s neck.
“Oh no, I told you, no finding me irresistible. Keep your head in the game.” Oz could feel Frankie laughing silently.
Oz held her closer. “Go ahead, let’s talk work.”
Frankie pulled away and picked up a rock from the ground. “Pretend this rock is a stock I’m interested in shorting.” She handed the rock to Oz. “You own the rock but are willing to let me borrow it.”
Oz handed Frankie the rock. “Why would I want to give up a beautiful rock?”
“You’re not giving it up. I’m borrowing it while you’re not using it.”
“Fine, why do you want the rock?”
Frankie’s eyes lit up. “Because I’m going to sell it to that squirrel over there.” Frankie pointed at the rodent hopping along a branch. “Say I sell it for one hundred dollars. Now I’m richer than I was before I borrowed the rock.”
Oz was confused. “But what about me? Why do you get to make money off my rock?”
Frankie wagged a finger. “I haven’t actually made any money yet. I can’t pay off my debt to you until I get the rock back. Since I’ve done my research and am positive the value of rocks is going to fall off a cliff, I’m happy to wait until the rock price is very cheap.”
“How cheap is very cheap?”
Frankie’s face was full of verve. She clearly lived for this. “That depends on how long I want to wait and if I think there’s a chance the value will go back up. I don’t want that.”
Now Oz was confused. “Why exactly?”
“Because I still have to repay you. But squirrel has my rock. So I need to buy it back and I want to do that at the lowest price possible.” Frankie tapped the rock still in her hand. “Let’s say the rock now costs five dollars. I buy it back from squirrel and return it to you. Our business is now done.”
Oz held up a hand. “Wait, but what happened to the money you got from selling the rock to squirrel?”
“That’s my profit. My original sale minus expenses for the short is how much I take home. In this simplified example, I would have a profit of ninety-five dollars since I sold the rock for one hundred and bought it back for five.” Frankie’s face was flushed with excitement. She was astonishing.
“Final question.” Oz took Frankie’s hand, eager to reconnect. “Why are we going back to our city? InvestBioX has to be watching everything familiar to us.”
Frankie ran a hand through her hair. “I’m not happy about it either, but the asshole who’s going to do my sell orders is insisting I come and finalize the transactions in person.”
Oz startled. “Has he never heard of the internet? Email? Zoom?”
“He’s being a jerk because he can. I’m sure he knows he wasn’t my first choice and I’m desperate if I’m calling him.”
“So he makes the rules?”
“Afraid so.” Frankie looked disgusted.
Oz gave Frankie’s hand a little tug. “Our chariot back to the lion’s den has arrived.” Oz led the way to the electric blue muscle car waiting for them at the curb.
They climbed into the back seat and their driver, Fox, introduced himself. As he pulled away from the curb, Oz tried to let go of some of the tension gripping her. She couldn’t. She had an intransigent sense of dread.
“Any chance you ladies are in some kind of trouble?” Fox looked in the rearview mirror and caught Oz’s eye.
Oz was sure her blood pressure spiked twenty points. “Why do you ask?” Oz worked to keep her face calm and neutral.
Frankie squeezed Oz’s hand, hard, but she too kept her facial expression under control.
“Well, you see, this big SUV pulled away from the curb at the same time we did. He’s been following us ever since. He’s staying back, but I can see him.” Fox looked concerned.
Oz weighed a response. Frankie beat her to it.
“We’re not in a position where we’d like to be followed. You’re good at spotting a tail, any chance you could lose them?”
Fox looked like he could wiggle out of his seat with delight. “Yes, ma’am. I’ve been training for this moment for years.”
Oz started to inquire how he’d been training, but her inquiry died on her lips as Fox hit the gas and took a left turn on two wheels.
“My favorite video game trains you to become a spy. The driving training is my all-time favorite. I’ve played it probably a thousand times. You’re in good hands.” Fox looked in his rearview mirror and cursed.
A video game driving course didn’t set Oz’s mind at ease. She stole a look out the back window. A large black SUV was closing fast. She watched, horrified, as an assault rifle appeared out the passenger side window. “Turn right, Fox. They’re about to start shooting.”
“I can do better.” Fox yanked the wheel hard and accelerated into his skid. “Shoot at this, assholes.” Fox flipped off the SUV as he tore off down the road in the opposite direction. He side-swiped a bus stop but didn’t slow.
“Biscuits and chili cheese fries.” Frankie was gripping the door with one hand and Oz’s wrist with the other. She was holding on hard enough to leave a mark.
“I was going to say ‘fuck,’ but chili cheese fries works too.” Oz looked behind them again. The SUV had managed to turn around and was in pursuit. “Don’t crash for the next thirty seconds, Foxy, I’m coming up.” Oz unbuckled her seat belt and shimmied into the front seat.
“Get back here.” Frankie sounded four notches above scared.
“I’m not going to shoot back at them with you right next to me.” Oz drew her weapon and rolled down the window. “They’re going to shoot at what’s shooting at them.”
“Oh shit. Now we’re talking. You’re like my badass bodyguard. This is so awesome.” Fox slammed his hand on the wheel a few times and pumped his fist.
Frankie muttered something under her breath that Oz couldn’t make out. It didn’t sound polite. “She’s spoken for. Hire your own bodyguard.”
“Hey, sorry. I didn’t realize. I’ve got no designs on your lady.”
Frankie didn’t correct him so Oz let it go.
“They’re coming up on the right.” Frankie slid across the back seat to the left-hand side of the car. Smart woman.
“Shoot out their tires or disable their engine.” Fox sped up. The SUV didn’t counter their speed immediately and fell behind.
“That’s not as easy as it looks in a game.” Oz spun in her seat so she could see out the rear. “Let them get closer. When I give you the signal, change directions as fast as this muscle car will go. Got it?”
Fox looked a little pale, like all the fun and games had taken a turn toward misery and work.
“Can you handle this, spy master, or do you need me to drive?” Oz didn’t like conscripting a stranger to help them stay alive, but she didn’t currently have a lot of options.
“Of course I can, boss. Give me the word.” Fox gripped the steering wheel even harder than he had been. His knuckles were white. He slowed as Oz requested and they all watched the SUV approach.
Oz fought every instinct to tell Fox to turn. She needed the SUV closer, but closer meant more danger. She looked at Frankie in the back seat. That was a mistake. Her heart double-timed and she had a quick flash of Frankie covered in gunshot wounds. She gritted her teeth. It was up to her to make sure that didn’t happen.
“They’re almost here, Ozzie. Tell me when.” Fox’s voice was high-pitched and screechy.
The SUV closed fast. Maybe they mistook them for a weakened opponent or maybe they were eager to finish the job. Oz counted down from five silently.
Oz braced herself and relaxed her shoulders. She tightened her grip on her gun. “Now, Fox!”
Fox held his nerve and pulled hard on the wheel. “Fuck, yeah. Get ’em, boss.”
As they spun, Oz sighted and pulled the trigger. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, but she wasn’t going to let InvestBioX kill them either. Her shots shattered the front windshield and blew out a tire. She missed her target on the engine block. The SUV returned fire, peppering the rear passenger’s side.
Oz looked to the back seat, panicked. Frankie looked shaken but unharmed. She returned her attention to their assailants.
“I’ve always wanted to try this.” Fox kept his foot on the gas and the wheel cranked. The car continued its circular skid.
The right side of the SUV came into Oz’s line of sight. She took aim at the right front tire and fired. It blew and the SUV veered before the driver regained control. Sparks flew from the wheel, now scraping along the ground.
Fox grunted and held the wheel. His car had made a half circle around the SUV and he kept accelerating.
Oz waited until they had nearly completed the full circle before firing again. She took out another tire and ducked when they returned fire. More bullets sprayed along the rear of the car. She checked on Frankie again. She was still unharmed.
“Coming around again.” The muscles in Fox’s arms were straining and he had his tongue out in concentration. “Don’t miss this time, boss.”
“Do you want to do the shooting?” Oz shot back.
“Can I?”
“No.” Frankie and Oz echoed each other.
Oz sighted the engine block as it came back into range. She squeezed off three rounds. Steam erupted from under the hood and the SUV slowed and came to a stop. They were dead in the water.
Fox pulled hard in the opposite direction and then evened out. They rocketed away from their attackers. Oz slid into the seat, breathing heavily. She glanced back at Frankie who was still bracing herself, one hand against the back seat, the other on Fox’s headrest. Her eyes were wide, but when they met Oz’s she smiled.
“I guess you’re earning your money, stud.” She blew out a breath and slowly lowered herself back to seated, facing forward.
“Did you see that spin? I can’t even pull it off in my game. That was some next-level shit.” Fox’s words didn’t match his pale face and trembling hands.
“I’d say you passed your tactical driving test, man. You were awesome.” Oz patted him on the shoulder. “You can let us out anytime.”
Fox looked horrified. “No way. We’re almost to your destination. I got you.”
They were all silent the rest of the way. Fox overshot the curb when they arrived and smashed into a bollard. They all lurched forward. Oz caught herself on the dashboard. She glared at Fox who looked at her sheepishly and reversed before cutting the engine.
“Sorry.” Fox hopped out and pulled open the door for Frankie.
Oz’s legs were wobbly when she stepped out of the car and her heart felt like it was tapping out a double-time tango. She stumbled and landed against the side of Fox’s car.
“Hey, careful, Ozzie. I don’t want any dents in the shape of your ass on my baby.”
Frankie looked like she was having a hard time not laughing. Oz decided not to point out the crumpled front end, scraped sides, and bullet-hole-dotted rear quarter panel.
Oz took Frankie’s hand. She told herself it was to comfort Frankie and keep her close, but in truth she craved the contact as well. “Thanks for the ride, Fox.” Oz didn’t know how to express her gratitude for what Fox had done for them.
Frankie did a better job. She pulled him into a tight embrace and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Fox immediately blushed deep scarlet. “Any spy agency would be lucky to have you.”
It didn’t seem possible, but Fox turned an even deeper shade of red. A wide grin lit up his face. “You keep her safe.” Fox gave Oz a hard stare. “And don’t forget to leave a five-star rating on the ride.” He hopped back into his car and was gone in a busted up blue flash.
“I wonder what rating he’ll give us.” Frankie still looked a little dazed.
Oz couldn’t help it, she laughed. Then she couldn’t stop. Frankie joined her. “We didn’t get him shot so I think we’re still in line for five stars. Man, did we hit the jackpot with that guy picking us up. He was almost better than you on that motorcycle.”
Frankie looked affronted. “Excuse me?” She gave Oz’s shoulder a gentle shove. “Watch your mouth.”
“Pardon me, ma’am, what was I thinking.” Oz extended her hand in an exaggerated invitation for Frankie to lead them inside.
“Damn right.” Frankie pulled Oz after her and inside.
Oz stuck close while Frankie found the man they were meeting and signed his paperwork. Adrenaline was still surging through her. They’d need to find somewhere safe after this so they could both rest when the rush was gone and they crashed. She stuck her hands in her pockets to try to calm them. Somehow the pen she’d taken was still there. She pulled it out and clicked the top a few times. It did look like a spy pen. She should have given it to Fox.
Her mind wandered while she aimlessly played with the pen. Now that they were safe, she allowed herself the space to replay their wild ride. Her stomach seized painfully when she realized how close they’d come to dying. How close Frankie had come to dying. The thought sent chills through her.
What would I do without her?
The thought was formed before she had a chance to squash it and now that she’d thought it, the truth was impossible to deny.