Technomancer (Unspeakable Things: Book One)

just not acceptable.”
    “I like the hat,” I offered. “It will make me fit in as a tourist.”
    She laughed quietly at me and dragged me back into the stores. I soon found myself wearing jeans, a hoodie, and running shoes.
    “This looks like what I got from—I mean, it looks like the outfit I came in with,” I said. I’d almost brought up Holly,but decided I didn’t want to answer any questions about her right now. When she had asked anything about what I’d been up to, I said I’d spent my nights hanging out with McKesson—which was technically true. But I’d spent the
days
sleeping on a stripper’s couch. Somehow, I figured that detail wouldn’t uplift Jenna’s opinion of me. How strange it was to be drifting from place to place—mostly from one woman’s borrowed bed to another. At some point I needed to find a place of my own. And some memories.
    “At least this outfit is new and doesn’t reek of wine,” she said. “Besides, it suits you. You aren’t going to pass for a tourist anyway—you look a little too dangerous. But this outfit will let you blend in, which will make our mission easier.”
    I eyed myself in a mirror, thinking about what she said. Apparently, I appeared somewhat thuggish in her opinion. I saw short dark hair and dark, serious eyes. I was average in height, but with broad shoulders and a strong chin. I needed a shave. I pulled the hood up experimentally. I had to admit, I looked like I might rob the store. As if to confirm it, the Asian woman who ran the small clothing place stared at me with a clear mixture of worry and suspicion. I put the hood back down, smiled, and paid with Tony’s money. As I did every time I spent his cash, I promised silently to learn the truth of his death.
    Next, I bought a new bag to carry all my new stuff. It was made of soft black leather, and I slung it over my shoulder. The smell of the fresh leather was pleasant. It brought back vague memories of plane trips and hotel rooms. I had the feeling I’d traveled a lot in my lifetime—I just couldn’t recall the details.
    Jenna kept talking about our mission, meaning the removal of McKesson’s watch. I was still uncertain about that part of her plan. I could see the value of having thewatch to find her husband, but McKesson wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. I was still hoping we could use it to find her missing groom, but preferably with the detective’s cooperation. I hoped she didn’t notice my reluctance in the matter. I had promised her I would help get the watch—but that had been under duress. Men were liable to say anything when faced with breasts after midnight. “How are you going to do it?” she asked me finally when we’d left the last store. In addition to the clothes, I now had a full shaving kit with all the essentials. After a few days of being homeless, I was looking forward to brushing my teeth with an actual toothbrush.
    “Do what?” I asked.
    “Do you think he ever takes it off?” she whispered. “Can we get it from his nightstand?”
    I stared at her for a moment. “I figured we would just put a gun in his face and take it,” I said.
    She looked horrified. “Let’s not try that.”
    I shook my head bemusedly as I led the way to the elevators. I had been joking about a stickup, but she hadn’t picked up on that. She kept scheming on the way back up to the eighteenth floor.
    Halfway down the hall to her room, I paused and put a hand up. She stopped talking in midsentence, looking around with wide eyes.
    “Is someone listening?” she asked.
    I pointed to the door handle. The tag we’d used to summon the maid service had fallen off and lay on the carpet. It was tucked half under the door. It had clearly been knocked loose and dropped as someone entered. The maid would have hung it back on the door handle, so I was suspicious. I pointed to it and leaned close to her ear.
    “Someone is in the room,” I whispered.
    Jenna stared at me and shook her head. I stepped to the adjacent door and tapped on it. There was no answer. I slipped on my sunglasses.
    I felt her hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure?” she whispered.
    “No, but I’m suspicious enough to
make
sure,” I said.
    The sunglasses worked, as always. I twisted the locked door open. It gave way with the steady application of pressure, causing only a small clicking sound. I pushed it open. No one was in the room. The bed was made and the room looked vacant. The two of us slipped