Chapter Eighteen
Erin
The next morning I am tempted to stay in bed solely to defy the infuriating man who found out my secret identity yesterday.
But judging from what I’ve seen so far, he would only glower, throw me over his shoulder like some manic caveman and carry me to his destination.
I’ve also wondered if it would be worth it to move out and find someplace else, but as it looks, I don’t even have the kind of money to hire a cab, even less to pay a security deposit and the first month’s rent.
And above all, a tiny part of me, a part I don’t want to acknowledge, is curious about the nerve center of his operations.
So I get out of bed and prepare for my new job .
But if he thought I would put on any effort to look my best, he was sorely mistaken.
I throw on a cropped T-shirt under a hoodie, distressed jeans and black sneakers and I am almost ready.
The only concession I make is putting on some light makeup.
Because this shit is like a psychological shield, and God knows I will need mental protection today.
Surprisingly, I’m not feeling any fear for my life.
As I turned and tossed in bed last night, I came to the conclusion that he could’ve ended my life right here if he’d wanted to.
But as baffling as it sounds, he didn’t.
And he asked me to join forces. What for, I don’t know.
To find out how much I know about Manticore?
To keep an eye on me because he knows I am investigating them—him?
Whatever his intentions are, I will play dumb and find out what he is hiding. Game on, Erebus.
At eight sharp, there is a knock on the door and I open it with resignation.
Matteo is standing there, tall and arrogant as ever, his rugged jaw sporting his trademark five-o’clock scruff.
His suit hugs his broad shoulders and trim waist, intensifying his forbidding presence.
The top button of his white shirt is undone and, despite myself, my gaze traces the pattern of the ink creeping from his neck down to where it disappears under his shirt collar. I swallow hard.
His dark eyes immediately find mine and he holds my stare for what feels like a lifetime. I snap my gaze away first to see that he is holding a to-go cup in one hand and a paper bag in the other. When he sees me watching, he holds both offerings out to me.
“Ready?” His voice is gruff and rough, and it slithers down my skin, making my toes curl.
“No, but do I have a choice?” I snag the bag and cup from his hands and stomp out, brushing past him with purpose. It turned out to be a colossal mistake, because his cologne hits me like a tidal wave and I inhale sharply to get as much of it into my lungs as possible.
Shit, I am in so much trouble .
I hear his low chuckle behind me. “No, you don’t.”
He ushers me into the elevator with his hand on the small of my back, and the warmth spreads through my clothes.
We ride to the underground garage where he motions toward a matte-black Escalade, and I have to snort because this car is so him—big, obnoxious and all ruthless power.
He opens the passenger door and I slide into the soft leather seat.
He closes the door and rounds the car to settle behind the wheel.
“What, you don’t like the car?” he asks, genuine curiosity in his eyes as he starts the engine.
I give him a side look. “It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just so…you.”
He shrugs. “It’s useful.”
That has me snapping my head toward him, wariness creeping in. “What…you mean like for smuggling weapons, transporting dead bodies and abducting unsuspecting victims?”
He gives me a long, hard look. “To drive from point A to point B.”
That deflates me. “Oh…”
I take a sip from the cup and find out that the coffee is exactly how I like it, rich and black, its aroma smooth and smoky. My brain begins to kick-start. I open the bag and find a bagel with cream cheese.
Shit how does he know what I crave for breakfast?
No! Never mind, I don’t want to know how he found out.
I bite into the creamy deliciousness and let out a groan. Best. Bagel. Ever.
Feeling like myself again, I turn to him with a blinding smile. Only to see that his hands are gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white, and there is that muscle jumping in his jaw.
Hah! Looks like my good mood just ruined his moment. I smile even brighter and chirp brightly, “So, where is the office, boss?”
He doesn’t reply, but that muscle twitches harder and I am so transfixed that I don’t even register the direction we head to.
After not even ten minutes, he drives down into an underground garage of a tall and sleek building. He kills the engine and before I have finished unbuckling, he has opened my door. I slide out, trying to avoid brushing against him again.
I am ushered to an elevator, but I don’t see any buttons. Instead, there’s an enormous touchscreen and a biometrical scanner. He places his hand on the scanner and the touchscreen comes to life, offering several choices like ‘Gym’, ‘Penthouse’ or ‘Hell’. Huh?
He taps ‘The Veil’ and the elevator whirrs to life. When the doors open, I can’t contain my excitement. “So this is where you rule the cyber-underworld?”
He merely grunts and steps out. I go after him and my jaw drops to the floor.
The place is huge, the office space sprawls over an entire quarter of the floor.
Tall floor-to-ceiling windows span two sides of the vast space, giving a breathtaking view over the water.
But what has my mind blacking out is the amount of tech equipment filling up the open space.
Huge-ass flatscreens are lining the two other walls and there are several blocks of sleek, modern furniture with designer desks covered in screens.
The chairs look comfy enough to make any hardcore gamer weep.
Soft-looking sofas are thrown here and there in a coffee corner, giving the place a Google hub vibe. I gasp.
“This is where you work? This is a freaking Batcave!”
At my astonished outburst, two chairs at the far end swivel and two men look at us in astonishment. They look to be around my age. Matteo gently steers me toward them and introduces us.
“This is Allan”—he gestures toward the man on the left who gives me a small wave and a smile—“and Dave.” Matteo gestures to the man on the right and goes on. “Meet Erin, who will be working here as a consultant for an undetermined duration.”
Dave jumps up from his chair to extend his hand. I take it and he shakes it with a grin.
“Nice to meet you, Erin, it’s not every day we see a new face here.”
“Hi, nice to meet you.” I push down my shyness and beam up at Dave.
Then something hits me. “No way! Don’t tell me you’re a dev’ named Dave!”
His grin deepens and he looks endearingly embarrassed. “Yeah, that’ll be me.” He chuckles.
I gasp dramatically. “Wow, I never thought I’d see one of you for real, you really do exist!”
“Yeah, living and breathing.” He makes a show of bowing as if in front of a public and I laugh out loud.
“You’re like a unicorn.”
“A handsome one, I hope.” He winks at me and I laugh harder.
Working here is going to be so much fun!
“Go back to work, you’re not paid to fool around all day,” a cold voice cuts in and Dave pales. He sits back down, all traces of mirth scrubbed from his face. He and Allan swivel their chairs back to their screens without a backward glance.
I glower up at Matteo. But he merely grabs my arm and drags me to a door at the faraway wall. There is another biometrical lock that he unlocks with his palm then he shoves me in what looks like to be his office.
I turn to him, annoyed. “Did you have to bark at them like that? You should treat your employees better.”
He strides to a desk, rounds it and sits down. Then he looks at me with his cold stare. “They’re not paid to gossip over tea all day.”
“Well, I hope they’re paid enough to put up with their asshole boss,” I mutter.
He doesn’t bother replying, so I turn around to assess his office.
The place is sleek and bright, with the daylight streaming in from the windows.
One wall is a single huge screen which is presently blinking idly.
There is Matteo’s desk in front of the windows, a conference table for at least twelve people in the center of the room and there are several independent areas, each with a full tech setup.
I’ve never seen a place like this before. I turn to Matteo.
“So, where is my contract? Do I have to go to HR to sign it? Where do I sit?”
He just stares blankly at me as if he is still questioning what he will do with me.
“Pick any desk.” He motions to the desks around his office.
“What? I’m not working out there?” I hope my horror doesn’t show too much on my face.
“Of course not,” he grouses. “The team there is working on mainstream projects, data analyzing, surveillance protocols, business coordination. You will be working here where I can keep an eye on you.”
Of course he would keep me under surveillance. I grit my teeth.
“How many people are working on this floor for you?” I ask, curious. The place looks like it is set up for at least fifty people, it must be bustling with activity during the day.
“Two,” he replies, deadpan. “Three now, with you.”
I didn’t think my jaw could drop any lower. Apparently it could.
“What? There’s only the two of them? For your whole organization?”
His eyes narrow. “There are whole companies handling the day-to-day business. This is the inner circle where only the most…sensitive information is handled.”
I let out a shaky breath. Okay, this really is his Batcave .Now that I’ve seen the place, what will he do when he doesn’t need me anymore?
I turn around slowly, then choose a desk in the far corner.
As far away from him as possible, but angled in a way where I can see what he is doing.
There is no way I’ll turn my back to him.
I sit down and boot up the device, and suddenly I’m in.
I’m almost giddy with excitement. I’m inside his fortress !
I shamelessly snoop around, seriously impressed with his network.
After I rummage around for a while, I start setting up my own contained space, from where I will be able to navigate the underworld.
“What exactly am I looking f—” The words die in my mouth as I look up at Matteo.
He is staring intently at his screen.
A pair of nerdy black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
And my panties just caught fire .