Life in the Shadows: Netwalk Sequence, #1

LIFE IN THE SHADOWS

THE NETWALK SEQUENCE BOOK ONE

JOYCE REYNOLDS-WARD

Second Edition, Author’s Preferred 2022 Edition

Copyright © 2022 by Joyce Reynolds-Ward

Cover art by GrinPhoto, purchased from Depositphotos.

Design by Joyce Reynolds-Ward

Dahlia, Winter Shadows, Shadow Harvest, and Christmas Shadows previously published in LIFE IN THE SHADOWS: DIANA AND WILL: A Netwalk Sequence Omnibus, Copyright © 2014

Some Words, Cold Dish, and To Walk Toward Your Doom previously published in NETWALK: EXPANDED EDITION, Copyright © 2013

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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CONTENTS

1. LEAVE HIM — OR ELSE

Leave Him — Or Else

2. DAHLIA

Dahlia

3. WINTER SHADOWS

Shadows Rise

Shadows Approach

Shadows Unfold

Shadows Fade

Winter Shadows

4. SHADOW HARVEST

A Ranch Destroyed

Inheritance Dance

A Fish Dinner in Greenways

Conversations One

Discoveries

Conversations Two

Shadows of the Past

Shadows of the Present

War Machine

Shadow Harvest

5. LUCIFER HAS FALLEN

What Is Truth?

Discernment

Lucifer Has Fallen

6. CHRISTMAS SHADOWS

A New Home

Complications

Planning An Intervention

One Hell Of A Christmas Dinner

7. VALENTINE DISRUPTIONS

Getting Away?

Interruption

Scary Disclosure

Confrontation

Valentine Escape

8. NIGHTMARE

Kidnapped!

Negotiations

Double Cross

Compromised

9. INCONVENIENT TRUTHS

Funeral Problems

Funeral Complications

Revelations

Survival

10. SOME WORDS

Some Words

11. COLD DISH

Walking Away

Ghosts

Preparing For Activation

Past Shadows

Evasion Techniques

Pursuit

Final Approach

Action

Waiting

An Ending—Or A Beginning?

Cold Dish

12. TO WALK TOWARD YOUR DOOM

To Walk Toward Your Doom

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About the Author

1 LEAVE HIM — OR ELSE

JANUARY 2041

LEAVE HIM — OR ELSE

Someone’s here.

Even before the overhead motion-cued light flicked on, Diana Andrews registered the presence sitting calmly in the darkness, whoever it was breathing lightly and steadily.

Hacked the security sensors—trouble!

She dropped her ski bag and whirled toward the corner where the person was, shaking the highly illegal zapper made by her boyfriend Will Landreth out of her wrist holster, sighting down the barrel toward—her mother.

Sarah Stephens stared steadily back at Diana, legs crossed and hands relaxed on the arms of the old wooden captain’s chair Diana had borrowed from her father.

The other option.

Diana softened, sighed and dropped her hands, flicking the zapper back into its case.

I don’t know which is worse, Mother or a kidnapper.

I do hope I didn’t see what I thought I saw, her mother said dryly.

Diana swallowed hard and picked up her ski bag. Sarah Stephens could make trouble for Will if she pushed it. Best to distract her and not fight.

What are you doing here? Diana ran her finger down the bag’s seam and started dragging out her wet equipment. It had been a thoroughly mucky day on the slopes, temperatures barely above freezing, fog and mist and gloppy sticky snow that grabbed skis and snowboards.

But glorious nonetheless, because days like this were when she could meet Will with little risk.

You’ve been out late, for conditions like they are today. Sarah steepled her fingers and touched her index fingers to her lips.

I’m an adult. Diana grabbed a towel. As she dried her skis, she laid them on the plastic sawhorses that served as a waxing station. I’ll be at work on time tomorrow. That should be all that matters.

You expose yourself needlessly. Still no emotion in her mother’s voice.

I had company. I wasn’t alone. I had Security—Brenda, and she brought others—and friends. Zoë Wright. Zoë had her own Security.

Sadly, she hadn’t much time alone with Will. But given the recent visibility of Stephens Reclamation in the news, bringing Security along not only gave Diana protection from anti-Third Force guerillas seeking to find leverage to blackmail her mother, but provided cover for her time with Will.

And William Landreth. I warned you about him. Now the tiniest bit of anger crept into her mother’s voice, a sharp tone matched by a scowl and furrowed brows.

Diana bit her lip to keep from lashing out in response. Anger was the easy way, but it just created more issues with her mother in the long run.

She continued unpacking her gear while she thought about what to say next, stuffing her boots on their dryer and hanging her parka. Then she slipped out of her soaked ski pants, conscious of her mother’s angry glare following her every movement.

How did she find out?

Brenda Garcia and Tony Hernandez were her personal employees, not her mother’s. Still, good as they were, good as Zoë’s Security was, her mother had access to better tech.

Will had warned her this could happen.

When it does, admit it, he had suggested. Don’t risk an incident. We’ll figure something out.

I saw Will, she said, keeping her voice low so that the anger choking her own throat wouldn’t betray her emotions. I’m an adult. He’s not a competitor.

"Like hell Landreth Technologies isn’t a competitor! her mother snapped, grabbing the chair arms and sitting stiffly upright. Your precious wastrel may just be a trust-fund snowboarder, but damn it, if you think Parker Landreth isn’t going to pump his son about what he learns from you, you’re an idiot!"

Will doesn’t talk to his father about us, just like I don’t talk about Landreth Technologies to you, Diana said flatly.

She pulled off her sweater and sat in another captain’s chair across the room from her mother, forcing herself to relax every inch of her lanky frame in the hard chair. Her base layers gave her little cushioning, but at least she was somewhat warm.

"Jesus, Diana, Jesus!" her mother spat, shooting out of her chair to pace the room.

Diana forced herself to breath slowly and steadily.

She reacted first.

Now if she could only keep cool in the face of her mother’s anger, she’d win this round.

Silence mounted as her mother strode back and forth, back and forth. Diana watched sharply as Sarah worked to calm herself.

What’s got herself worked up so badly this time? Sure, my relationship with Will interferes with her plans to marry me off to one of her allies. But this anger suggests more than that. What the hell happened?

Still, she stayed silent. Let her mother be the first one to talk.

At last Sarah dropped back in the captain’s chair. She mirrored Diana’s pose, leaning back in the chair, resting her hands lightly on the arms, legs stretched out in front of her. Her artificially white hair hadn’t moved a strand during that quick flash of anger and Diana stifled a shudder as the brief wrinkles from Sarah’s scowl unnaturally smoothed themselves out.

What kind of nanos is she playing with now?

Parker Landreth issued me an ultimatum, Sarah said, voice almost mechanical. "Get your damn daughter the hell away from my son, or I’ll own Stephens Reclamation." Her intonation was almost a letter-perfect copy of Parker Landreth’s snarl.

There’s no grounds for him to be able to do that, Diana pointed out mildly, mind racing even as she worked to keep her own voice calm. Will’s an adult.

He has a position with Landreth Technologies, and he still has access to his trust fund.

So? We’re adults. And that trust fund is tied to Will’s mother, not his father.

Parker’s fingered some tech he says you’ve been using, and he wants it back. With penalty compensation.

That tech is Will’s own creation, free and clear. I can document it.

"I don’t want that tech mixed up with ours!" Sarah sat up, then visibly forced herself to relax.

"It’s not mixed up with ours. It’s linked to my own project which has nothing to do with Stephens Reclamation!" Diana sat up.

"Everything you are doing is tied to my company!" Sarah growled.

Diana took a deep breath. Not this. I so did not want to talk about this yet. This is a personal project that Will and I are developing. I don’t do anything on it at work and I’ve kept documentation, electronic and visual, to confirm.

In other words, you’re stealing time and resources from me.

I’ve been very careful about when and where I do things. Look at the evidence. I’ll gladly show my logs to you.

That’s still sucking off time and energy that would be better spent on Stephens work. Sarah pointed a finger at Diana. "Since you seem to have all of this time available to work on side projects with William Landreth, then obviously you haven’t been busy enough. Pack your things. I’m sending you to Vietnam."

But my biobot project⁠—

What’s more important—your biobot project or William Landreth?

Diana inhaled, shuddering. She didn’t look away from her mother.

Vietnam. One of Stephens Reclamation’s most difficult projects, not just in the work but the political dances required to keep it going.

Exile.

But it wouldn’t be forever. Just long enough to reimburse her mother for the investment in schooling, the bills that had been carefully handed over with the unspoken demand that you will pay these off before you go out on your own. Two more years, until she was twenty-six and gained control of her trust fund. Two more years until full independence.

And besides, if Diana could make Vietnam succeed, then that would make her work stronger in the future. It held possibilities, where if she chose to betray her feelings for Will—there would be no turning back from that choice. Sarah wouldn’t let her change, even in two years. There would always be something obstructing a relationship with Will.

A dry chuckle. I thought so. Sooner or later, you’ll learn that every man betrays you, Diana. Sarah tapped her fingers on the chair arms. I had hoped you were ready to move into corporate management. That little idea of yours is promising. But I can’t guarantee that you’ll keep it free from William Landreth, so— She shrugged. Might as well have you doing something useful, like fieldwork.

Then I guess I had better start packing. When do I leave? Diana pushed herself up.

You aren’t going to argue further? Her mother’s brows furrowed.

Why? What good will arguing do? You’ve clearly made up your mind.

A second positive to choosing Vietnam without argument was that her mother wouldn’t dare send Diana’s brother Peter along to bother her. Peter was too precious to risk in Vietnam for very long. If Diana stayed in North America and followed her mother’s plan for her, if she pretended to renounce Will—then Peter’s constant presence would be guaranteed.

She’d have a better opportunity to sneak out and see Will in Vietnam than if she lied and stayed.

So be it. Her mother slapped her hands against the chair and rose. You leave tomorrow.

Understood.

Sarah marched to the door, then turned. And don’t get any ideas about creeping out to see Landreth tonight. Peter’s on watch.

All right.

Hopefully her mother didn’t know about the comm Will had given Diana just today.

No Landreth tech goes with you, Sarah continued.

Understood. She would have to activate the comm’s self-destruct. But she just needed to make one last call to Will.

They glared at each other.

Sarah shook her head. Stubborn, just like your father.

Then she was gone.

Diana exhaled. She looked around the condo. What to pack, what to bundle for storage—she groaned and collapsed back into her chair.

Vietnam, damn it.

Will’s comm buzzed. Diana picked it up, fingers trembling.

We’ve been discovered, Will said.

I know. Mom is sending me to Vietnam, tomorrow.

The Petroleum Autonomous Zone for me. Will’s voice was flat. I’ll learn about the contract when I get there. Oh girl of mine. We screwed up.

We’ll be able to see each other on visits. I was told to leave any Landreth tech behind.

I’ll figure out a way to contact you. We’ll see each other again. Landreth Technologies has a Vietnam office. One way or another, we’ll stay in touch.

One way or another, Diana repeated. But it’s only two more years, Will. Only two years.

Two very long years. But then—we’ll be together. Stay safe, my love. I love you.

I love you, she said back to him.

Gotta go. He disconnected.

Diana sighed. She went into the kitchen, pushed the self-destruct button, and dropped the comm into the sink. Once it was destroyed, she exhaled and looked around.

Time to pack.

2 DAHLIA

JULY, 2041

DAHLIA

Diana took back skimmer control from the autopilot as it wound through the old pear orchards on the northeastern flanks of Mt. Hood, near the Columbia River. Rain clouds thinned into wisps, allowing the morning light to cast a glow on the brown grass of the ridges to the east. A faint anticipatory tingle made her shiver as she slowed, watching for the old white farmhouse that was part of the winery/farmstand where Will waited for her.

There.

She landed the skimmer near the bed of blooming lavender.