“Finally finished,” a bleary-eyed and extremely tired Zoe said to herself two weeks later. She had moved around a lot during the last fourteen days and had just checked into the Norwalk Bed & Breakfast in Norwalk CT that morning.

The Norwalk Bed & Breakfast was the first good place she had stayed in and the most expensive. She had chosen it because it was small and the couple that ran the place believed in privacy while only being moderately more expensive than the area’s other hotels. It had been a way to treat herself, especially the bathtub. All the moving around had forced her to take more precautions and time with the Bratva slice than she had wanted.

“This should get Haru’s uncle off my back,” Zoe mused.

The oyabun had demanded updates on the slice three times a day in addition to Zoe working quicker. After Zoe had complained about being forced to relocate due to the purity church’s pursuit of her, the yakuza boss ended up meeting with Blake, his brother, and their team a week after the boat basin fires. The fires had been all over the news and the investigation was still ongoing. The yakuza refused to tell Zoe the outcome of that meeting. So, she suspected the yakuza had arranged for the church to back off while Zoe worked on the Bratva slice for them in exchange for either her or at least her location.

This suspicion made Zoe continue moving around and never staying longer than a day in any hotel or town. It had also led her to use Crystals and couriers to communicate with the yakuza instead of direct messages or calls. She checked her messages in public places to see the yakuza’s responses. Not only was she changing towns and hotels, but Zoe was also doing so in a random pattern moving from state to state.

Zoe felt she was acting paranoid but wasn’t sure if she was being paranoid enough. Then again, maybe the yakuza had issued death threats to keep her save. She had no way of knowing, so being paranoid won out.

Zoe was using the money Jimmy had left her instead of her own account to pay for things which included a new backpack and two changes of cheap clothing in addition to a few other necessities. The 10000 had already been cut in half because of the expense of the hotels, clothing, and more importantly having her bike discreetly painted in New Jersey.

“I really miss that blue, but I’ve seen enough gray GT4s around that mine should blend in with the rest instead of standing out so much now,” Zoe told herself. She checked her connection and made sure it was as secure as she could make it. “Let’s see if this slice works and what the Bratva has been up to.”

*

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but Zoe wasn’t a feline and didn’t suffer the same fate. Her pack was packed and sitting beside the door just in case she had to flee. She was also fully dressed for the same reason. Even if they weren’t needed, Zoe felt the preparations were good for her and something she had started doing when she started hiding.

“Looks like the Russians are just up to their normal tricks,” Zoe muttered as she read over the data she had taken. She copied the data to another data crystal and arranged for a courier to pick it up. “Claire should appreciate the info.”

She prepared another Crystal with the slice access for the courier to take to the yakuza. Zoe took them down to the front desk and left the crystals along with payment for their delivery. With her business done, Zoe returned to her room.

“Just one more bath,” Zoe said as she gazed at the jet tub in the bathroom and scratched her back where her shirt was irritating her skin. “I hate these cheap clothes.”

*

A knock at the door woke Zoe. She jerked upright and water sloshed out of the tub. Zoe glanced at her fingers and smiled upon seeing them pruned up. She was amazed her subdermal weave allowed for that to happen though she shouldn’t be considering the weave also allowed for her skin to itch. Zoe got out of the tub, opened the drain, and started toweling dry. The knock came again.

“Wow! I really overslept,” Zoe told herself after checking the time. She checked the hotel’s camera network and saw one of the housekeepers outside her door. The woman used her credentials to open the door.

“Housekeeping.”

“Just a moment,” Zoe called out. “I overslept.”

“It happens,” the woman laughed. “I’ll be right outside.”

“Thanks!” Zoe replied as the woman left the room.

*

Zoe checked her messages at a diner in Larchmont NY when she stopped for a late lunch. She had slept through breakfast and had been hungry.

“There’s no way I’m meeting the yakuza or the church,” Zoe whispered to herself. The message had claimed that it was safe for her to return to New York City if she allowed the yakuza to host a meeting between her and the church’s team to work out their grievances.

Zoe paid her bill and left the diner. She erased the yakuza’s message, shivered as the northwest wind picked up, and smiled to herself while putting on her gloves. Zoe reexamined her idea of heading to Orangeburg NY. The small town would allow easy access to New Jersey or upstate New York if she had to run. She nodded her head in satisfaction as an idea blossomed in her mind as she put on her helmet.

“I got myself into this mess and I’ll get myself out of it too.”