10. Theo #2
“Because I research who I work with, you dumb fuck.” Shaking my head, I lift my coffee and take a sip.
I cast my mind back to when I bought stocks a year ago, to when the company was doing things for the tech world that impressed me.
Their drive was intriguing, their ideas futuristic.
But I don’t take anything for granted, and not a single dollar – whether one or one million – is chump change in my eyes, which means I keep my eye on my interests.
Those fuckers have been communicating with shady people the last month.
Emails have crossed the globe, and discussions have been had about wars that might be sparked because of who controlled certain assets.
This wouldn’t be a war between companies, but countries. And what does every war need to push ahead? Money.
I took mine and jumped ship; I refuse to have my name tied with theirs when they’re so set on destroying shit.
I’d hoped that by jumping, I was doing my part in slowing the war they wanted to start.
Now the fuckwit on TV is out his life savings, a tech giant that was dabbling in explosives has fizzled out, a war has been prevented, and I still have nine million dollars more than I had when I met those people.
Not a bad day’s work, really.
Finishing my coffee, I take the cup to the counter and stop in front of a full-length mirror.
I look… expensive, I guess, but without trying to.
Which is the exact look I need. Designer jeans, polo shirt, high-market hiking boots, a little jewelry, but nothing gaudy, combed hair, and on my way out the door, I snag a coat and pull it on to fight the chill in the air.
Olly sits across town from here, watching Libby on her last dayshift before her weekend begins and her week of nights sneaks up, so I slide into my car and pull out of the hotel parking lot.
It’s Friday, nine in the morning; today is the day I go home to the prodigal brothers.
They won’t know who I am, but I’ll be close enough I could take them out in a heartbeat. I could, but I won’t, because unlike the blood that runs through my veins, I’m not a murderer. I consider myself more of a cleanup crew; if they’re like him, they die. If they’re like Libby, they live.
But where Libby’s accounts are clean, I remind myself that theirs are not. Money doesn’t lie, and at this very moment, I have questions about where their cash came from.
Questions that they must answer.
This town is far smaller than the city I call home, so not only does it take just minutes to get from one side to the other, but I can swing past the police station too, just for the sake of being near her.
I need a cover story. A reason for walking into Checkmate Security. And though I should be concentrating on my mission at hand, I find myself focusing on Libby instead.
I want to get closer, I want to touch her, I want to have a real conversation, instead of her screaming at me. I want an opportunity to ask about my red sweater; why does she have it? And why, after so long, does she have it out and not stuffed away in a box at the back of her closet?
But to talk to her about my sweater means telling her about Gunner.
I pull into a parking space outside Checkmate, knowing they have this place wired up with security. My heart swells knowing their system is manufactured and owned by Griffin Industries.
I can control everything they have. I can shut it down, I can fry it, I can watch it from a remote location. I didn’t know at the time these units were being boxed and sold that they were going to Bishops, but it took only moments once I knew to look, to run a search and have names pop up.
Today, I go to them as Theo Griffin, and pray no one sees how similar our jawlines are.
Pushing out of the car and slamming the door, I beep the locks closed and head toward the front doors.
I know there’s a garage out back; I know that’s where most of them park and enter their workplace.
I know this place has Griffin sensors, so they already know I’m here.
Half of this town is wired for sound – not even remotely legal .
Dropping my hands into my pockets and willing my heart to slow, I step through the front doors, though I stop at the sound of laughter coming from further inside the building.
Raucous laughter, girly squeals, a heavy thump, and more laughter. My heart yearns for something it doesn’t know, but my eyes stop on a pair that hungrily eat me up.
“Well hello, handsome.” The woman that sits behind a V-shaped reception desk weighs three hundred pounds, easily.
Though I’m certain a third of that is in her tits, and when she stands and comes around the long desk, another third is in her ass.
Her hair is sleek and straight, with hot pink streaks that match her talon-like nails, which matches her glossy lipstick, which doesn’t match her leopard print bodysuit.
“Holy Lord up in Heaven. Dreams really do come true. What’s your name, sugar? ”
“Um…” So much for hardening up. I came here braced for Bishops, but I never expected to get weird goosebumps from their overly friendly receptionist. “Theo.”
“Theo.” She purrs – she fucking purrs my name – and meets me in the middle of the waiting area, then circles me as though I were a cow at show. “You’re handsome as hell, Theo. You go to the gym often?”
My brows shoot high when her hand slides over the small of my back.
What is this security system they have in the way of a three-hundred-pound woman? She wasn’t Griffin-supplied, but she’s far and away the best anti-terror device I’ve ever seen.
“Theo?”
“Um…” I clear my throat. “I like to work out.”
Finishing her revolution and stopping in front of me, she looks up and flashes a pearly white grin. “You do the squats, don’t you, sugar? Your butt is like a shelf.”
“Um…”
“Dolly!”
My heart spins out of control when the pregnant twin I’ve spent all week studying steps around the corner and scowls at the heavy receptionist. She – Jessica – walks with a kind of waddle, has a hand permanently attached to her back, and her hair tied up in a high ponytail that isn’t nearly as sleek as it was in all of the images that have slid across my screens.
She’s normally so high-market and perfect, but in person, she’s just super pregnant and a little tired.
No fancy heels, no designer jeans, she wears sweatpants and sneakers.
The sweats are hers, at least. As in, they fit her well, show off sexy thighs, stop above a pair of Nikes, and the thick waistband rests below her swollen stomach.
She wears a form-fitting, three-quarter-sleeved shirt, so front on, she looks pretty fucking sexy, but when she turns a little to the side, you see the real picture.
There are definitely two in there; perhaps twelve.
“You leave this nice man alone, Dolly. Jesus. Why do you have to terrorize every penis that walks through here?”
“Because he’s so damn handsome.” Dolly takes Jessica’s hand as though the girl needs the help to stand. “Look at his jaw, Miss Fancy. Look at his eyes. He’s so pretty.”
“And you’re edging toward a sexual harassment charge.” Jessica rolls her eyes and stops just three feet in front of me. As in, her face is three feet away, but her stomach is much closer. “Hello.” She extends a hand and smiles. “My name is Jess Lenaghan, welcome to Checkmate.”
I take her hand and wait for the electric shock. I’ve walked into the lion’s den, but no one knows me here. I’ve walked into enemy territory, and everyone is so relaxed that the most vulnerable one, the pregnant one, greets me.
“Hi, Jess. My name’s Theo.”
She gives my hand a fast pump that assures me she’s not shy.
Stepping back when we disconnect, she leans against Dolly’s tall desk and practically pants, as though she just ran a race.
“This is our place – we specialize in home security using the very best technology on the market,” Yeah, Griffin technology , “and we have the very best men to install and monitor it. I’m not actually employed here, but I’m slowing down at my real job as we prep for this .
” She points at her belly. “Our guys are out back, screwing around with a new system that arrived, so here I am doing their damn job. Maybe I can help you find what you need?”
She flashes a dazzling smile and proves how she brought Kane Bishop to his knees. She’s beautiful, and her kind greeting fucks with my head.
These people are the enemy, and maybe they haven’t sent their most vulnerable out at all. Maybe she’s their weapon; she seduces the enemy with her smile, and then the rest come up and take a man out.
The back of my neck tingles, and I swing my head around to check. But no one stands behind me. Turning back, I meet Jess’ eyes as she watches me with a lifted brow. She’s not impatient, just curious.
“It’s faulty!” a deep voice booms from the back. “It’s a piece of shit prototype bullshit thing. Just send it back, get them to replace it. If they don’t, we’ll shop elsewhere.”
Jess blushes when our eyes meet. “Our security tech rep told us about his company’s new system they’re looking to roll out onto the market.
He sent one out for us to try, but I guess our guys aren’t smart enough to figure it out.
They say it’s faulty, but I’m saying they didn’t read the instructions properly. ”
A part of me wants to go back there, to walk among the murderers and thieves.
I want to see their faces as my tech outsmarts them, and while they’re busy reading the upside-down manual, take them out and end this war.
But then a second beautiful woman steps into the reception space. A face I recognize.
She moves to Jess’ side, but her eyes remain on me. “Hey there, big chief. You need something?”