Chapter 6

Josephine O'Bannon loves her twin sister. Really, she does. Still seeing her get her happily ever after stings a little.

[6]

　

　

It never occurred to me how drastic my sister and Luke’s plan to give the internet technology they’d invented, Net Copz, over to the world without attempting to make any money on it was. I wasn’t as tech savvy as Jo, I had never been too big on computers. Jo on the other hand was a pro, even back in high school she was writing programs and making rudimentary games and passing them around to her friends. It didn’t surprise me that she’d chosen Computer Technology as a major in college.

 

In college I’d paid very little attention to Jo’s career goals. She mentioned computers but all I heard was blah, blah, blah, circuit boards, blah, blah, blah, gigabytes. None of it made any sense to me whatsoever but it didn’t surprise me in the least. I assumed she’d get some job in some company’s IT department and make a comfortable living. There was good money to be made in computers and most of it was sitting behind a desk, well out of harms way.

 

Jo being Jo she decided instead to join the police force. This bit of information had caused my family a great deal of stress. Jo graduated from one of the Country’s top schools with a degree in a highly sought after field and according to my mother she had a half a dozen job offers, all for nearly six figures. Instead she chose to go into civil service, choosing the most dangerous job imaginable. When I found out what she was planning I drove ten hours to talk some sense into her.

 

Becoming police officers was Luke’s idea. He had always talked about becoming a police officer and Jo adored him so much she’d follow him into any sort of half baked plan he concocted. Of course this is before they officially became a couple. Back when they were lying to each other and themselves about simply being best friends.

 

The Memphis Police Department had jumped at the chance to recruit two well educated, good looking officers. It all happened relatively fast. One week they were doing psych evaluations, then they were taking physical exams and then it was off to the police academy for six months.

 

My mother insisted she’d be kept out of harms way. She’d all but convinced the whole family that Jo would never be out on the street arresting bad guys. She was sure to be locked in some cold room mom said, working on computers. Sure they’d give her a badge and a gun and a cute little uniform to wear but she’d never be out on the street mom insisted.

 

Of course mom was dead wrong. Jo and Luke both went right out on patrol when they finished the police academy. If Jo even looked at a computer during that time I’d have been surprised. Almost over night she changed from the fun and free sister I’d grown lovingly annoyed by into this woman who reminded me to lock my windows when I left the house and who borrowed my car only to bring it back with Lo-Jack and the loudest anti-theft alarm I’d ever heard.

 

They both spent a few years on patrol before transferring to other departments. Jo went to Vice where I assumed they put her in some tight leather skirt and made her pretend to be a prostitute like they did on TV, and Luke transferred to narcotics. It wasn’t long before they both made detective and soon afterwards they transferred together to a newly formed White collar crime division that consisted of Luke, Jo, Luke’s narcotics partner Hoyt and a detective from Robbery, Rachel.

 

It was during this time that Jo and Luke began working on the Net Copz software. It wasn’t the type of thing either of them shared with me, one day they just told me they’d invented this software for the internet. They were always inventing something. Some of it pretty cool, some seemingly useless, so I nodded politely asked a few questions and forgot about it. It wasn’t until two months later that I realized what was going on, that the software they invented was a huge deal. Even now I’m not sure how it works but on May 12, D-Day as Jo liked to call it, the Justice Department in conjunction with Governments from around the world did a sting. A thousand of the worlds worst purveyors of Child porn were arrested, all at the same time, all on the same day.

 

Over the next few days my sister’s face was plastered all over the TV. The world had apparently gone crazy, the software was next used to track down money launderers who were using the internet as an anonymous shield. Drug dealers, terrorists, dictators, and run of the mill scammers and criminals lost whole fortunes. The government wasn’t saying how much illicit money they’d collected but estimates were in the tens of billions.

 

It didn’t stop there, hackers were next. The internet hacker-terror group The Unknowns were taken into custody. Forty of the worlds biggest hackers, spread around the globe, were arrested and locked away. Some of them who operated in communist countries or by countries run by maniacal dictators simply disappeared, probably forever.

 

The world had changed. The lawless nature of the internet perpetuated by anonymity was gone. Every person who logged on could instantly be tracked, no matter where they were or what they were doing. Several experts had attempted to beat the system and had been thwarted at nearly every turn. Even using IP address scams wasn’t a full proof option anymore. Also thanks to Jo and Luke the technology existed to instantly let a user know when his or her IP address was being used without their permission. The Government, the holders of the technology, were in the process of finding a way to traffic the technology as a whole. There were several options on the table but all were currently being held up in congressional hearings.

 

Of course Jo and Luke held patents on all the tech. I wasn’t sure why they made a point of getting anything patented if they were simply going to give everything away. It had seemed like a waste of time to me. That was until I opened up the rest of today’s newspaper.

 

The tech that Jo and Luke had given away was worth a fortune. According to the paper billions of dollars. More money than was humanly comprehendible and the two of them had simply given it away. I didn’t understand it until I sifted through the article.

 

Luke’s Harvard educated sister Patti, CEO of one of the world’s largest companies had pressed the government into a deal. The IP address tracking software, patented by Luke and Jo was currently going to be a must have on all computers in the country. Internet service providers and computer makers wouldn’t have the option of saying no. According to the article Patti Lucas was able to pressure the other major civilized nations into similar deals.

 

The article then did the math. If the deal upped the price of the computer by simply five dollars per computer sold, with an estimated 200 million computers sold annually that was a billion dollars in profit. According to the article charging five dollars seemed nearly incomprehensible. The figure would probably be closer to ten or twenty per new computer and monthly service charges would be tacked on to users Internet Service fees and would likely total five dollars monthly per user. There was no concrete data of how many people subscribed to ISP’s worldwide but the number totaled billions of dollars, annually. Of course this was all speculation, give or take a billion or two in either direction.

 

The whole thing was obscene. I couldn’t fathom how much money that was for Jo but the article clarified for me. According to the writer it put her net worth somewhere over two billion dollars. I couldn’t imagine that was right. Jo wasn’t rich. Her husband was rich. She didn’t have any money, certainly not two billion dollars.

 

I shut the newspaper and decided instead to watch TV. It was a Sunday afternoon and the Home Channel usually showed Home Buyer 911 marathons. Home Buyer 911 was my favorite show which followed home buyers on their search for their dream homes. I sat in my hotel room alone and watched TV, all afternoon.

~

　

By dinner time I’d snapped out of my self induced funk and took Tanner down to dinner in the Hotel’s fancy Eatery Belluchio. I didn’t bother making a reservation and expected to be turned away but the moment the hostess saw me she smiled pleasantly and greeted me by name. Tanner hung back a few feet as usual and watched as I was led inside.

 

Every eye in the room was on me as I glided across the floor towards my waiting table. The staring was the absolute worst part of having Jo’s face. Everywhere I went people stared at me as if I were on display. I can’t describe the feeling it gives you to live this way, always being looked at, always being whispered about. Having somebody watching every move you make kept you constantly on edge. It was stifling, like being locked in chains.

 

“Josephine.” Somebody called from across the room. I caught sight of Nicole instantly. Out of uniform she stood out like a sore thumb in the swanky atmosphere. She was wearing a pair of ripped black jeans with a black leather belt with a skull for a buckle. Her top was a fish net black shirt covering a white strapless half top. Her face was elaborately painted with black lipstick and thick blue eye shadow and she had a ring in her nose. Had I missed her having her nose pierced?

 

Nicole waved me over and the hostess stopped in place as I walked over to say hello. Nicole wasn’t dinning alone. Sitting beside her was an older man with Nicole’s eyes and a thick head of white hair. Also at the table was a man about my age with perfectly coiffed blonde hair, caramel colored eyes and the cutest smile I’d seen on a grown up man.

 

“Josephine, this is my father Geno Ambrosi and his business associate Wynn Ashby. Daddy, Ash, this is Dr. Josephine O’Bannon.”

 

Both men were off their feet and extending hands in my direction. Nicole’s father had a firm grip. Hard hands much like the men in Memphis. Hands of men who worked for years toiling away at factory jobs and other forms of manual labor to support families in search of the American Dream. Wynn Ashby’s hands were the hands of the men in my new life. The soft delicate hands of men who also made their livings with their hands but usually in other ways. Doctors, surgeons, people whose brains guided their hands to greatness.

 

“Gentlemen it’s a pleasure.” I said politely not really knowing what else to say.

 

Mr. Ambrosi smiled at me, the smile of a man who seemed genuinely happy to meet me. Ashby was more reserved. The corners of his mouth were curved upwards but his eyes were stuck on my face. Studying me. Finally he let his smile fall and extended his hand towards an empty seat.

 

“We were about to have dinner, if you’re alone you can join us.”

 

Wynn Ashby was devastatingly handsome. The kind of handsome that made girls go crazy. He was the complete opposite of the generically handsome Clint. Wynn was dark and mysterious looking, attractive without being obvious. He was dressed in a black suit with what appeared to be a black silk shirt that was left open enough to show off a smooth strong looking chest.

 

I glanced at Nicole, suddenly horrified that I was possibly scoping a guy she had her eye on herself. She was looking at me but didn’t seem to be concerned at all about Wynn Ashby. Instead she shrugged at me as if to say it was fine with her if I joined them.

 

I glanced over my shoulder at the hostess and she immediately took the hint and made herself scarce. In the distance Tanner motioned towards the bar with his head and I simply nodded.

 

“I have to say it’s such a pleasure to meet you.” Ambrosi said. He was dressed the complete opposite of Nicole and Wynn in a grey suit with an eye popping red tie. Respectable.

 

“You also. Your daughter has a lot of great things to say about you.”

 

Ambrosi looked over towards Nicole who shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “She told me you two discussed her going to medical school.”

 

Uh, oh. Butting in alert. “She mentioned being interested in medicine and I told her she should follow her dreams. She wants to cure cancer one day and who are we to tell her she shouldn’t try?”

 

Ambrosi nodded proudly. “Absolutely. I’ve always told her to follow her heart. Although I have to admit I thought she’d want to start some kind of rock band.”

 

I looked over to Nicole with a smile. “I told you. You look like a guitar player for some punk rock band.”

 

Nicole returned my smile for her trouble. “God, stereotype much,” she teased.

 

“If you insist on dressing the part of a delinquent you should get used to being treated as such.” Ashby said. He had the hint of a southern accent that I took to be more Midwestern Kentucky than southern Mississippi.

 

“Who asked you Ash?” Nicole said teasingly. She looked at me now. “Anybody who insists on calling themselves Ash opinion can’t be taken seriously.”

 

I thought the name sounded okay. It seemed like a cool nickname to me but I decided to keep that little nugget to myself. I wasn’t sure if rich types even used nicknames besides stuffy ones like Scooter and Muffy.

 

Ash smiled behind a glass of water he brought up to his mouth. Nicole turned back to me and arched an eyebrow.  “How was church?”

 

“Fine. Just like going home again.”

 

“Did I tell you my friends are all jealous I got to meet you. They’ve all been talking about your wedding toast, it was the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while.”

 

Wedding toast. “You heard that?”

 

She shrugged. “On the internet.”

 

“The internet? What is it on You Tube or something?”

 

Nicole laughed. “The ceremony streamed live online. Your toast, the best man’s toast all of that stuff is online.”

 

Seriously? Who would want to watch some strangers wedding on TV? It seemed a bit voyeuristic to me. I mean it was one thing if it was Prince William and Kate Middleton. Watching that made sense. Who didn’t want to see a girl become a real life princess? Watching Jo and Luke seemed a bit seedy to me however. It was one thing to be interested, it was another to watch it on the internet like some crazy stalker.

 

“Really, it was live?” I asked.

 

By the look on their faces they were amazed I didn’t know any of this. It was like I was in the middle of some TV show and was just now finding out that all my friends from the coffee shop weren’t real. Surreal was the word I’d use to describe it.

 

“You know back at Vanderbilt where your sister went to school they broadcasted it in some auditorium,” Nicole said.

  

“That sounds pretty cool. They did this special on the TV Show channel where they interviewed all these current students. It was weird though, there were all these girls wearing Tiaras and these guys wearing crowns.”

 

Ash decided to cut in. “The Order of the Kings.”

 

“What’s that?” Nicole asked. I was a bit curious myself.

 

“Actually it’s a very old tradition. The order of the Kings is one of the University’s oldest orders. A secret society. It’s like Vanderbilt’s version of Skull and Bones.” Ash explained. “It signifies that the participants are Royalty. Future Kings and Queens among mankind.”

 

“Of course.” I said before I realized I was actually speaking out loud.

 

The three of them turned to look at me and stared. I could see the confusion and judgment in their faces. Great. Nice way to make a spectacle of myself. Jealous b***h alert.

 

“Of course everybody saw it but me. It seemed like she had a sticker on her forehead that said ‘special’ that I was just too stubborn to see.”

 

Mr. Ambrosi smiled and began to shake his head. “Don’t feel bad. My father told me that I should join the Army because I had no vision. Sometimes the people we love the most see us inside this box that we can’t break free of. We usually only do it by proving them wrong.”

 

Ash nodded in agreement. “My mother told me to become a teacher.”

 

Nicole laughed out loud. “Really? Mr. Ashby’s science lab. That sounds like a horror movie.”

 

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed right along with her. Ash’s annoyance was obvious but he didn’t voice his frustrations. Instead he smiled politely and took a sip of water. I could tell by the look in his eyes he wanted to do or say something that he couldn’t. Probably because of Nicole’s father.

 

“Come on Nicole be nice.” I urged hoping to relieve his frustrations.

 

Nicole looked at him and to my utter amazement apologized. “Sorry Ash, I‘m sure you would have made a great teacher.”

 

His plastered on smile softened and I could see genuine amusement crawl across his face. “I would have made a dreadful teacher.”

 

Nicole laughed once again. “You totally would have sucked. You have no patience.”

 

Mr. Ambrosi gave his daughter’s shoulder a slight shove. “Come on Nicole you have to admit he’s a pretty good executive.”

 

Nicole didn’t cut him any slack. “He’s an alright boss I suppose but business is full of heartless jerks. He fits right in there.”

 

Thankfully the waiter showed up at the table and cut the conversation short. My happiness at his presence was immediately dashed when he smiled at me and told me how big a fan he was. Of my sister.

 

I smiled politely, something I was getting very comfortable doing in situations like this. “Thank you. It’s very nice to hear.” I told him.

 

I was never sure what I was supposed to say at times like this. Was I supposed to say something nice? Was I supposed to praise her? Was I supposed to smile stupidly?

 

“It’s so awesome that she was able to walk down the aisle. That must have been so cool to see.”

I continued to smile stupidly. What was I going to say?

 

“Uh, I think I’m ready to order.” Ash said abruptly, freeing me from the increasingly awkward situation. Somehow he must have been able to sense the last thing I wanted to do was talk about Jo.

 

~

Dinner stayed pretty casual after that. Every time Jo came up in conversation Ash stepped in to change the subject. If not for him I would have suffered through it miserably, my frustration and petty jealousy masked by a plastered on smile and kind words. I hated feeling this way but what was I supposed to do? I loved my sister but all anybody wanted to do was talk about her. Was it inappropriate to say I didn’t want to talk about her? Maybe that would be okay if everybody didn’t already think I was some lunatic crazy woman, now it was out of the question.

 

After dinner he cornered me near the door. His strong cologne engulfed the air around me, his half cocked smile burning a hole through my eyes. I shifted my gaze to the floor to avoid his look. There was something about his eyes that threw me off my game. They were cold, intense, the kind of eyes that burned your soul.

 

He cut right to the chase. “Would you be interested in having dinner with me?” It should have been a question but somehow it came out sounding like a declarative statement. Like he expected me to say yes and was only asking out of politeness.

 

I didn’t want to say yes right away but there was no reason not to. He was good looking, sexy in the way I’d always wanted a man I was seeing to be sexy. He didn’t say much but I could tell by the way he guided me safely through dinner that he wasn’t the sort of man I usually dated. He was a manly man and he played the part well. Over dinner he talked about all the manly things he did in his spare time. Hunting, fishing, and something he referred to as an action spy weekend with his brother in Nevada. I wasn’t sure what it was but it sounded pretty manly to me.

 

“Dinner sounds nice.” My mother had always told me to play hard to get. She said the easier time a man had getting you alone the faster he’d expect you to move. She’d made my father chase her all through high school. She’d finally agreed to date him before their senior prom. She told him that if he could show her the time of her life at prom she’d take him seriously. According to her he knocked it out of the park and soon after graduation got a job and managed to court her properly. My mother confided in me that they didn’t sleep together until their wedding night. My father, I was sure, had never strayed.

 

Jo and Luke had been friends for nearly five years before finally realizing they were in love with each other their senior year of college. They danced around one another for years, watching the other date people they knew weren’t good enough. Subtly sabotaging the other’s relationships. Outright refusing to make one another take a back seat to their boyfriends and girlfriends. Once they finally admitted their feelings for one another I expected them to get engaged and married right away. I wasn’t sure how long they waited to sleep together but I couldn’t imagine it was long. They were the most affectionate couple I knew. They were always touching one another, hugging, kissing. They were each other’s best friend and there was no doubt that they had sex as often as possible.

 

“Great. Tuesday night?” He said, another question that sounded like a statement.

 

Tuesday was fine. I had to pack a lot of stuff into tomorrow. Phone calls about jobs, Jo’s house, shopping. It was a lot to get done in one day, especially when I tried to squeeze a date into it.

 

“Tuesday sounds perfect.”

 

“So I’ll call you at the hotel if something changes. And let’s say seven.”

 

I shrugged. “Great.”