Chapter Thirteen
Malone
Fifteen minutes.
Sketch told me to go gather my things and meet him at his house.
His house.
Not what I thought would happen at all, but I really had no choice. I had to trust that this man, this shady as fuck but with a voice like velvet man was someone who could get me out of this web.
And stupid me. Or smart me. I did. I gathered up all my electronics and piled them in a black duffle bag and followed him to his house.
Honestly, it didn’t seem like he was all too comfortable about asking me to come. Maybe he didn’t have visitors often.
Maybe he wasn’t a people person. That rang true judging by his initial lack of manners.
But over the course of the conversation, he softened.
The man lived in a modern mansion. Giant place in a gated community surrounded by other modern mansions but none rivaled his. We parked side by side in the driveway like a couple who arrived home from work at the same time.
I smiled to myself and sat while my car was still running, enjoying this temporary fantasy.
Wait, no, this guy was a hacker. Also, I was fully convinced that what he did skirted the lines of legality.
Not that it was any of my business.
“Come on in,” he said as he unlocked the door with his fingerprint and allowed me to enter before him. As I passed, I caught his scent, metal and steel, and the first wind of winter. Cold. Just like he had been earlier.
“Thank you.” I stepped inside and gasped. While the outside was sharp edges and thin lines, the inside was homey. Comfortable. Soft-looking furniture and blankets lay over the cushions. A large window near the back let all the sunshine in.
It was then that Sketch took off his hoodie after some keying in of things at the door. Alarm system, I suspected.
He removed the sunglasses, and that was when I knew.
He was the man from the other day. The one I’d seen after my encounter with the raccoon. I really should’ve taken a picture with the little guy.
“I saw you. The other day. Outside the market. You came from the alley.”
A hint of a smile. “Didn’t think you’d put two and two together.”
“Because I’m a dumbass. Right.”
Chuckling, he ticked his head toward a door, and before I could think twice about the dangers and all the crime docs I’d watched, I followed him down the dark hallway and found myself in his home office/den. A shiny polished desk with two monitors, printer, and some other machines off to the side.
And two chairs.
Huh. I never thought to ask if he was married. Then again, this wasn’t personal. It was business. I had to keep reminding myself of that.
“Okay, let’s get started.”
I handed over the bag and he pulled up a chair next to him. For me, I assumed. I sat down and watched the master get to work. He plugged in everything at once and his long fingers began to type so fast, my eyes could barely track.
And there I sat, useless.
He paused in the middle of typing something to turn to me. “You’re not a dumbass, by the way and I don’t think you are. People get preyed on all the time. It happens more than you know and sometimes those people don’t even know.”
“Thanks.”
A quick nod.
Despite all the equipment in the room, the place was immaculately clean. Not a speck of dust from what I could see. The upstairs as well.
“This is where you work?” I asked, trying to fill the emptiness with something. Plus, I really wanted to hear more of his voice.
“Why don’t you go into the living room and watch a movie or something while I work? This is going to take a while. There’s a shit ton of snacks in the house. Always is. Make yourself at home.”
I got the hint. But as I was passing the edge of the desk, I noticed an envelope with a name and address. I really shouldn’t look.
To top off the message, he put a pair of headphones on.
Wow.
I pointed to the envelope. “This is you? Riglan is your name?”
He pulled off one headphone, glanced at the envelope, and frowned. “Yes.”
I winked. When did I start winking? “It’s only fair. You know everything about me.”
He grumped out something about not everything and went back to work. What a beautiful man, all mean and mouth turned downward in concentration. I half expected him to stick his tongue out in concentration.
The TV in the living room was in view of the room where Riglan worked. It was so barren in there. I got the feeling it was an office for mostly show only. I bet he had some hidden room around here where he hid and hacked all night like a half-villain, half-hero on a movie.
Goddess, I needed to get a grip.
There was no choice but to trust this man. My gut trusted him, and my gut had never steered me wrong before.
I turned on a movie. Didn’t even know they made TVs that big. His couch was just as comfy as it looked from afar.
Maybe I peeked at him more than I should’ve.
Halfway through the film, I burrowed deeper into the cushions and laid my head on one of the black velvet pillows.
I reached for the remote and turned down the volume on the movie where the prideful alpha realized he was falling hard for the sweet omega.
This was all surreal. I tried to keep my eyes open. I really did.
But eventually the weight of quiet and silence and not waiting for the next shattering text or message to come through, sang me a lullaby, and I let sleep take me.
In a stranger’s house.