Chapter 4
4
I follow him out of the foyer and off the red-brown hexagon tiles onto a wooden floor. The place is minimalistic but perfectly designed. Earthy, neutral tones are everywhere, but it isn’t boring. It’s relaxing. And there’s quite a bit of tasteful art on the walls, too.
“Wow. You have great style.”
He glances back barely long enough for me to see his eyebrow rise but he doesn’t answer.
Okay. Either I’m proving really crappy at small talk or this man isn’t up for it.
We leave the main living area and reach an arcade hallway lined with windows to the outside. At the end, he pushes open a door to allow me entry into the room first. It’s his office. It’s cool in here compared with the rest of the house. It’s a corner room, and on the side, lined curtains are drawn but a sliver, and though the sun blazes outside, it’s almost intimate here. Or maybe that’s just what I’m thinking because I still can’t seem to shake that tingly feeling in my stomach.
He places my backpack down next to the door and sits behind his desk. He gestures toward the chair opposite him without glancing at me and I drop into the seat.
He clicks his cordless mouse. Types. Shifts his glasses once on his strong, masculine nose while blue light illuminates his cheekbones. Is this what he looked like all those late nights he must have pulled creating one of the most disruptive tech companies to enter the scene since cloud computing? What did he think about? What drove him? What was his caffeinated beverage of choice?
Enzo furrows those dark eyebrows of his in concentration, and after a few beats it’s clear he won’t be making conversation, so I scan the space. He has three screens in a semicircle. Three. I had a laptop that would give me cramps, bent over it for hours, cracking code in an uncomfortable C-shape on my bed. He has an ergonomic keyboard. I dip down for a peek at his processor. A Dell Precision 7920 . My God, this man sure packs some power under that desk.
My pun nearly draws up the corner of my mouth.
“Thanks for taking me in early.” It’s probably appropriate to say it. “I really appreciate it. I’m ready to take on a new challenge.”
I wring my hands on my lap, waiting for him to say something, anything, but I’m met only with the clacking of his keyboard and the tick of his mouse.
He must wonder why I didn’t stick around for my degree, maybe why I’m such an old graduate student, too. “Since your article in Futureware , I’ve been admiring your work. When I got a chance to work at GhostEye, I didn’t want to miss it.”
The next sound is the whirr of his printer. Several pages slip out, and he slides papers over across the desk along with a pen.
“Before we can talk, Miss Scott…”
“Ava,” I correct.
I love my new name. I wanted something classy, mature, powerful. Everything I intend to be.
“Ava…” He says my name as though he believes it.
Why wouldn’t he? I guess I half expected he’d know by now I didn’t use my real name for the contest.
“You’ll need to sign these nondisclosure agreements before we can talk.”
“No problem.”
He places the papers in front of me and watches me form my signature, carefully, like maybe I’m forging the documents. I suppose it’s natural to be suspicious of hackers. I flip through the pages searching for the dotted lines when his finger lands with a soft tap, pushing the papers down flat and stopping me.
My gaze follows the length of his tanned manly hand, up a forearm of veins and pumped muscle, along the rolled-up sleeve of his dress shirt to finally meet his dark-brown eyes. I gulp and hope my irises aren’t flaring with whatever it is I’m feeling, because it isn’t professional.
He cocks a brow again. God is he attractive.
“You should always read contracts before signing.”
He must think I’m an idiot. A young, silly girl. I know I should read them. But considering I don’t care what’s in these contracts and I’m signing them anyway, I didn’t think to look like I’m a professional and not some girl on the run.
“You’re right. I haven’t signed a lot of contracts.” I smile, and it goes unreturned.
“You haven’t even signed for a student loan,” he says.
It’s a comment that would start small talk for normal people, except really, he’s saying he’s already researched me. And he couldn’t find what doesn’t exist. Then again, it’s the truth. Ava Scott doesn’t have a college loan, and neither did the old me.
“I’m fortunate not to have any loans.” I beam. “By the way, I respect how you and Rio funded yourselves through college. It’s expensive.”
He holds my gaze tightly, squeezing every last drop of meaning out of what I just said, because even though I meant it, it’s no simple compliment. He now knows I investigated him, too.
His Adam’s apple bobs up and down along that thick throat. He doesn’t let me know what he thinks of my compliment, but my words were sincere.
Apart from me being fortunate.
I drop my eyes to the contracts, and his gaze nibbles at my scalp. It’s hard to concentrate so close to a man like this. It feels like an eternity getting through all the clauses, but eventually, I finish my last scrawl, and he’s in the exact same position he started. He didn’t pick up his cell to check it. He didn’t click on his computer to complete another task.
All. Eyes. On. Me.
I remind myself I’m not a bad guy. I’m here to do the same thing Enzo wants to do— take down criminals. My intentions are pure. Posing under a fake identity isn’t right, or legal for that matter, but I’m not hurting anybody. On the contrary, here, I’ll help thousands. There’s just the small matter of gaining this man’s trust.
I’m going to pay it forward. I’m going to show him how much value I can bring and send his scowl sailing across the room. And then, he’ll help me.
He has to help me get my new identity. There is no plan B.
Enzo flicks through the pages of the contract, checking my ink is where it should be, then turns to his computer and clicks a few more times.
He stares at his screen when he talks to me. “You need to call Debbie in payroll when we’re done here. She’ll sort your prize money and get you set up for future payments.”
If he wasn’t suspicious enough before, I’m about to pile it on thick. But there’s no way of pussyfooting around.
“I don’t have a cell.”
He wants to ask why, the word is ready to leap off his tight lips, but he doesn’t ask, he simply searches for the answer to his question in my gaze.
His inspection lasts an eternity, and in this time, I learn something about Enzo. He thinks a great deal before he speaks. His intense, silent inquiry pins me to the chair. I muster up everything I can to meet his confidence, but panic has my palms sweating. I only breathe when he turns back to his laptop and types again.
“I’ll have your PC and laptop couriered down from the offices within the next few hours.”
Relief washes through me.
Then, he stands and walks to a locked corner cupboard and shields a keypad. When the door opens, I crane my neck to have a peek at what’s inside but he covers the space with his body. He pulls a cell out, places a SIM in it and hands it to me .
I’m learning new things about myself every minute I’m out here on my own. I have a thing for glasses and scowls and I’m incredibly snoopy.
Enzo hands me the phone.
“Thank you.” I hold myself steady but I don’t suspect I’ll have as much luck with my next red flag. “I also don’t have a bank account yet. Is it possible to give me a money order?”
His eyes narrow a fraction, for a mere millisecond. He has to wonder why, at twenty-five, I don’t have a bank account. I’ll get one. Just as soon as I figure out how to change my birth documents and keep them a sealed record.
His eyes are trained on his monitor. “You’ll struggle to cash a money order with just a student ID.”
“I’m working on it.” Saying something vague is a much better idea than coming up with some excuse he can only use to piece together my puzzle.
Enzo gives very little away, and that he asks me for no explanations tells me he doesn’t take other people’s word for it. Maybe he has trust issues. Who wouldn’t, knowing what he knows about this world we live in? If it hadn’t been for Anton’s kindness, I might have had trust issues, too. Hell, I guess I do if I really think about it.
If I didn’t, I’d just tell Enzo right now who I am and where I came from.
I might have issues, but they certainly haven’t manifested as a perma-scowl.
He props his elbow on the table and runs a finger along his bottom lip pensively, likely still thinking about the money order. His smoldering gaze is trained on his computer as though it might provide an answer. Enzo certainly isn’t afraid to make a person sweat while he considers all his options. But silence can be much more powerful than words in a negotiation, so I, too, remain quiet .
Finally, his gaze flickers to mine. “I’ll pay you in cash until you sort your banking details. But you’ll have to sign for it.”
Tension washes out of me but returns almost instantly, like a second wave clawing at the shoreline. Why did he agree so freely? This is going too easily. Should I be suspicious now?
He clicks a few more times and types something I try to see, but of course, he has a privacy screen on his monitor.
“Can we also talk about the relocation incentive?”
Without him coming good on that, I might be headed back to those bus station stalls in town.
He takes his glasses off and sets them on the desk. Wow. Talk about good genes.
“Your unexpected arrival hasn’t given us much time to consider options. You’ll stay on site.”
“On site? In GhostEye office buildings?”
Not comfy but secure. I’ll take it.
“Here. At the ranch.”
I stop just short of a dropped jaw.
“We have an empty house. We’ll furnish the bedroom today but will need to work out the rest as and when. I’m here most days, too, so we can work together if need be.”
Working one on one with Enzo feels like I just landed the mentorship of a lifetime. But to top it off, the walls around the perimeter, the guards out front, the likelihood of top-notch surveillance on every inch of the grounds… I shouldn’t have to worry about these things. I covered my tracks. I really did. But being in this secure environment? It’s just another sign I’m on the right road.
The life I’ve always wanted feels closer than ever.
“Thank you. It’s beautiful here.” I think back to the property we walked through and the various houses. “ Who else lives here? I mean, they’re my neighbors and all.”
He types, clicks. Then types again, concentrating deeply. Maybe it’s Debbie writing back wondering why some girl without a bank account is working here. Or he’s taking grump to a whole new level.
“Not that it matters…” I say, “I get that I’m here to work.”
He doesn’t look at me, still typing. “My family.”
Enzo answers, but it’s in a way I take it he won’t be elaborating.
I rub my hands on my lap. “So what will I be working on?”
He prints another piece of paper and hands it to me.
He folds his hands on the desk in front of him. “I’d like you to present your findings to our security and developer team.”
Reading the piece of paper he printed with my three-line job description, I can’t help the dry laugh that escapes. “My whole job, for three months, is to do a PowerPoint for your cybersecurity team?”
Somehow, his silence is an affirmative.
I’m borderline insulted. I know I’m young, but cybersecurity is my life’s work as much as it is Enzo’s. I’m proud of my abilities, and why the hell would he hold a hacking contest to find someone with my skills then not have me do something… well, integral to the business? Plus… how am I supposed to show this man he can trust me if I’m doing admin? I need to get in the weeds.
“I thought I’d have a role in cybersecurity or infrastructure… development even…” I lift the paper. “I get you want me to tell other people what I’ve done but…” They’re my methods. My intellectual property. “This isn’t what I wanted from this job. ”
He stands, indicating this meeting is adjourned. “And I didn’t expect you here today yet somehow I coped.”
I pop out of my seat, too. “We can do the rest of the meeting standing, but I’m not teaching your people my code. Not without more than three months here as a promise.”
As soon as my impulse fills the room I want to claw it back. I’m screwed if he sends me packing. Thankfully, he doesn’t.
“I don’t make promises, Ava. And as I’ve seen it, you won the contest, I fulfilled my commitment, and now we’re at level pegging. Put what you want in the presentation. Make it valuable. That’s the job.”
He picks my bag off the floor, slings it over his shoulder, and takes a step toward the door, ending this meeting for the second time.
I bite back my annoyance, barely. “Enzo, I get that me teaching is valuable but I guarantee I’d be a hell of a lot more useful working on actual criminal activity.”
I try not to get worked up but I had visions of doing great things. I thought GhostEye was my life’s purpose, and this feels like being relegated from the A-team. “I cut through your security. You and I both know that’s one hell of a big deal. If you give me something bigger, I could help this company save lives.”
“The job is to present to the team.” He deadpans. “Am I taking you to your accommodation or to the gate?”
And there it is.
The most powerful negotiation tool isn’t silence. It’s not giving a shit.
I need Enzo. But he doesn’t need me.