Free Chaos by David Meyer Page A

blended in perfectly with the darkness, rendering him nearly invisible. Silently, he watched as Cyclone Reed strode down the opposite sidewalk.
    Standish barely recognized him. Reed appeared distracted, lost in thought. He was but a mere shadow of the fearless, reckless man Standish had confronted back in Colombia. Something must’ve ripped the wind right out of his sails.
    Something recent.
    Something at that apartment building.
    But what?
    After reemerging from behind the staircase, Standish walked down the block. He’d followed Reed for hours, searching for insights into the man’s personality.
    Standish wanted to know everything about Reed. His interests. His desires.
    His weaknesses.
    Everyone had weaknesses. There were no exceptions. And if exploited correctly, those failings could turn even the most determined person into nothing more than a simpering fool.
    The trick was to find such weaknesses. Most people hid them. But if one kicked over enough stones, they always came to the forefront. Some cared for ailing family members. Others got weak-kneed for fast women. Still others would do anything for power.
    Standish found it all rather pathetic. He didn’t mind powerful emotions. Not at all. They were an essential part of humanity. And with the right discipline, they could be a source of great power as well. But he had no patience for boundless feelings. Emotions, like so many other things, were best experienced in moderation.
    Initially, he’d looked forward to uncovering the chinks in Reed’s seemingly impenetrable armor. But as the night wore on, he found himself increasingly agitated. No strip clubs, no drugs, no gambling, no alcohol. At least for the moment, Reed seemed incredibly focused and businesslike.
    In other words, boring as shit.
    The visit to the Upper East Side represented the first ray of hope in an otherwise bleak night. Clearly, Reed took an intense interest in the tall apartment building on Standish’s side of the street. For a minute, it even seemed like he would attempt to enter it. However, a sudden gust of wind apparently changed his mind.
    Standish thought about following him, but ultimately chose to stay behind. Something about that building mattered to Reed. Mattered a great deal. And Standish wanted to know what it was.
    Stopping outside the structure, he peered up at it. It looked normal enough, albeit a bit dingy for the area. Standish walked a few more steps, taking refuge under a concrete overhang. Then, he examined the list of names mounted on the wall next to a buzzer.
    He stopped on D. Blair.
    Short for Diane Blair.
    A wide smile stretched across his face. He’d been so busy trying to get under Reed’s skin at the Explorer’s Society that he’d missed the obvious signs. Reed knew Diane. Knew her well. Perhaps even intimately.
    Standish turned around and retraced his steps down the block. As he walked, he felt a surge of pleasure. The information was better than he could’ve imagined.
    Standish had met Reed many years ago. And although he didn’t know the man very well, he’d always considered Reed exceptionally tough. But in the end, Reed was just another fool, one with a soft spot for a woman.
    It was a simple flaw, a common flaw.
    A pitiful flaw.
    But most importantly, it was a flaw that could be easily exploited. And when the time was right, Standish intended to exploit it to its fullest advantage.
    Dance, puppet. Dance.

 
    Chapter 12
    “You’re late.”
    Beverly’s annoyed tone cut through the pouring rain like a machete through overgrown thicket. I stopped next to a tall black beam. Two cubes were stacked on top of it, one colored green and the other displaying the MTA’s logo. “How late?”
    “Does it matter?”
    “Of course it matters.”
    “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”
    I feigned surprise. “Really? And here I thought I was early.”
    She looked at me from underneath the hood of a black windbreaker, her angry violet eyes like a pair of