Videos and Big Problems
Vex
My favorite new toy is Dahlia’s security system. Not being able to see her in the evenings when I’m at the club wasn’t acceptable. Now I get to watch over her even when I’m here.
Dahlia is tired. Not the type of tiredness that comes from being unhappy. But I still hate the idea that she’s working as hard as she is.
The smile on her face is worth burning the world to the ground.
Baking means more than a simple gift. It makes her happy.
But that doesn’t matter. She’s still not making cookies for another man. Those are all mine.
Just like she’s mine.
Who would have thought watching a woman kneading dough would be as sexy as it is?
A knock sounds at my office door, and I want to throw something at whoever it is. “WHAT?”
Shock pokes his head in. “I have that report for you.”
He got out of his chair to bring me a stack of papers. “How bad is it? ”
“Um… If anyone else but you had asked, I would have run and hid under a rock somewhere for the next decade.”
Don’t tell me that. I don’t want to hear stuff like that. All I want is a simple this guy is or isn’t a human trafficker so I can deal with him or move on. Problems like the ones found in a stack of paper mean time. Time away from Dahlia, and time cleaning up messes that I don’t want to deal with. What did Dyce get me into?
She owes me for this.
Big time.
“What am I going to see when I look at these papers?”
“A ton of money. Too much money for a small-time creep. This is organized, well-funded, and practically invisible.”
Don’t shoot Shock because he gave you news that you didn’t want to hear. Focus on Dahlia’s smile. Is she humming to herself as she’s rolling out the dough?
You do this, so women like her can sleep without knowing evil like this exists. “How well organized?”
“Like I’ve never seen before. This can’t just be happening here.”
No. No. No. I scan the pages, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see all the different accounts that have deposited money into offshore accounts for our friendly cop.
A headache is what this is. A massive headache that’s going to take me away from the cute woman sprinkling who knows what on top of the dough she just rolled out. “Can you get me more info?”
Shock dances around the room. He seems to have two speeds, complete stop or squirrel. We should cut down on the number of energy drinks that are stocked in the fridge to a reasonable number.
Knowing Shock, he’d just have them delivered.
“These people are bad news. Like obituaries that your family finds six months after you’ve been buried kind of news. ”
And what else is new with my life? “So am I.” Shock hasn’t been involved in my escapades past a little bit of research, but he knows what I’m capable of.
“It’s going to take a while.”
Time that I don’t want to give it. “Fine.”
“I’m going to need some equipment.”
He always needs something new. “Order what you need.”
“That’s the thing. I can’t just order it.” Shock stops and taps one of the armchairs. “It isn’t available to the public.”
“What do you want me to do, steal it?” Focus on the happy face on the security footage, not the desire to whap one of the best hackers in the world upside the head.
Shock shrugs. “Maybe. But you might be able to ask for it first.”
Like some tech company is just going to hand me unleased technology.
“You're friends with Maximus Vincenti, right?”
No.
Couldn’t it be anyone else?
There’s no way he’s going to hand it over without explanations after I gave him two black eyes the other day. “Ask for something else.”
Shock stops. “It doesn’t work like that. Vincenti is rumored to have—"
I hold up a hand before Shock bores me to death with a seven-hour discussion of some tech specs that I don’t want to know in the first place. “The ‘only’ place I can get this is from Vincenti?”
Shock nods.
“Fine.” Now, I’m going to need to have to have two conversations that I don’t want to have. “Is that all?”
Shock puts a note on my desk with the tech he wants and starts pacing again.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want to do my own project.”
When have I ever complained about him using — “What kind of project?”
He’s lapping my office at a dizzy pace. “Don’t want to say. It’s private.”
“On my equipment, is it that private? ”
“Yes.”
What could it possibly — “Are you in trouble?” It’s not a good time to fix whatever mess he’s gotten into today.
“No. No. It’s not about me.”
“Then why won’t you tell me?”
Shock blushes.
This is about a girl. “Do I know her?”
The blush gets more intense.
“Fine. But don’t do anything stupid.” That’s impossible when it comes to men and women. I’m the stupidest of all.
“She’ll never know—”
“Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. Now get out of my office before you ask for something else and irritate me.”
Shock rushes out.
He’s an odd man.
Not wanting to deal with Max, I message Maddox Locke first.
Me: We need to talk.
Maddox: When?
Maddox, unlike other people, knows when to not ask irritating questions.
Me: As soon as possible.
Maddox: I’m in my office if you want to drop by.
Me: Be there in 15
There’s no point in putting off what needs to be done. I message Max.
Me: I need a meet.
Max: Is this one going to involve your fists?
Hopefully.
But unlikely. For an ask like this, Max is going to want details. I might as well give them a little info.
Me: This is serious.
Max: Enough for my dad to attend.
Probably .
Me: Yeah.
Max: My house two hours?
Yippee
Me: I’ll be there
Where I won’t be is in Dahlia’s house eating whatever that bread is that she set to the side to rise.
Why is she typing furiously on her computer? Did she bring work home?
It’s bad enough I lose time with her when she goes to work. There’s no way she’s going to overwork herself at home.
Not happening.