Rick Dakan - Geek Mafia: Mile Zero

Praise for Geek Mafia!

The story is gripping as anything, and the characters are likable and funny and charming. I adore caper stories, and this stands with the best of them, a geeky version of The Sting this is one hell of a book.

Cory Doctrow, BoingBoing.net

Unputdownablehighly recommended

Seth Godin, Bestselling Author

Twists and turns will leave you guessing many of the time who is really scamming who. Dakan is able to write a 320 page book that is over all too soon.

410Media.com

Geek Mafia aint just any bookthe kids got chops, the books getting props, and the price is right. We bought one.

Vladimir Cole, Joystiq.com

A fast, fun novel from author Rick Dakan. One is reminded that living a sheltered, regimented life can be oh so boring and dull. Its time to get Off-the-Grid and experience freedom in a whole new way! A highly-recommended read!

USABookNews.com

GEEK MAFIA:
Mile Zero

GEEK MAFIA:
Mile Zero

Rick Dakan

GEEK MAFIA, Second Edition
By Rick Dakan

ISBN: 978-1-60486-002-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007906968

Copyright 2007Rick Dakan
This edition copyright 2007 PM Press
All Rights Reserved

PM Press
PO Box 23912
Oakland, CA 94623
www.pmpress.org

Layout, design and illustrations: Austin McKinley
Copy Editor: Anthony Salveggi
Cover: John Yates

Printed in California, USA on acid free, recylced paper by 1984 Printing.
www.1984printing.com

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Atrribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

This is a work of fiction. All characters in this book are fictional and events portrayed in this book are either products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously.

Contents

I dedicate this book to the memory of my uncle, Rick Nugent. Notonly am I named after him, but hes also one of my biggest inspirationsin life. He led the way, living life as a full-time artist on his ownterms, giving me the confidence to do the same thing myself.

I want to thank all the people who helped out in the early stages of thisbook by spending the time to read it over and give me some feedback.Karen Dakan, Stephen Dakan, Mark Friedman, Neil Hendrick,Austin McKinley, Sherrie McKinley, Brian Ries, Laura Roberts, LaurieRoberts Porter, Rebbecca Stults. And especially Judge Wayne Millerin Key West for giving me a guided tour of the citys seedier side.

S HE moved through the crowded streets like she owned the place. Hell,if things went as planned in the coming months, she might in fact ownthe place. Or some other place if thats what she wanted. If things went asplanned, there was no limit to what she could have. She smiled to herself asa crowd of sunburned, middle-aged men broke ranks to let her pass on herway toward Mallory Square. They had no idea who she was, but she likedto think that they could sense her strength and that it intimidated them. Notenough to stop them from staring openly at her chest of course, but what didshe expect? They were still men.

Duval Street, Key Wests main tourist drag, buzzed with early eveningactivity. The sun had set less than an hour ago, and the throngs movingup from the nightly sunset ritual in Mallory Square now wandered about,trying to choose between the dozens of bars and restaurants vying for theirattention. She moved against the general flow and seemed to know exactlywhere she was going. She knew these streets well and had planned out herroute ahead of time.

But something bothered her. That nagging feeling in the back of her brainthat shed long ago learned to heed even though it was wrong as often as itwas right. You couldnt survive in her world without learning to pay attentionto such feelings, and shed more than survivedshed prospered beyond thedreams of any young hacker or con artist. Heeding the subliminal warning, shechanged plans and stepped out into the crawling Duval Street traffic. A purpletaxi honked angrily but she just smiled as she strode across the street and staredintently at a display of cheap, tasteless T-shirts in a storefront window.

She had no interest in wearing anything with the phrase Fart Inspectoron it, whatever that meant, but she did want a chance to get a quick360-degree look at her surroundings and the people in them. A young couple,their baby strapped into a stroller and grabbing in vain at passersby. Fourgood-looking men in their 30s, probably gay, chatting amiably with oneanother. A pair of slightly chubby, badly sunburned young women headedinto the bar next door. Dozens of other tourists and a few locals. Nothingout of the ordinary for no, wait. There.

An older man with a well-groomed beard, indistinguishable from theothers except that he was alone. Shed seen him earlier, somewhere. Shecouldnt quite remember where, but hed been alone then too. He wastoo professional to jaywalk after her, but hed gone up to the next cornerand was now crossing over to her side of the street. She let him finishcrossing before she turned and started walking again, headed back up theway shed come from. At the corner of Petronia she turned right, towardTruman Annex.

Losing him now would be simple, assuming he was alone. But he couldhave help, and she wanted to string him/them along a little and see if anyoneelse had taken an interest in her. It didnt occur to her to be scared. Shedoubted that he/they meant her immediate harm, and besides she had plentyof friends in town if things got nasty. It was far from the first time shed beenfollowed by mysterious strangers, and she knew what she was doing.

She continued south on Petronia for the next block, which soon took herout of the crowded restaurant and bar scene. She risked a glance to her left,which allowed her to catch sight of her new friend in her peripheral vision.He was still there, only now he was talking on his cell phone. Or at least pretendingto talk on his cell phone. He could be calling for backup. She thoughtfor a moment about making a call of her own, but his presence where shecould easily spot him indicated that he was either unprofessional or workingalone and afraid of losing her. If he had nearby backup, they should have