Page 29 of Lock Up the Darkness

“The only footage remaining on either surveillance camera recording was of Aurora literally holding you by the dick, while you looked on stupefied and fucking desperate at the same time.”

“She did it?” Jonah asked. “Twisted it around to make it look like Kill was the one getting owned?”

“I’m not sure it was much of a twist,” I bit at Kill, before I addressed Jonah’s other query. “It points to her being the culprit, yes. Her stake in ensuring the implicating portion of the footage for her was wiped, the fact the only connection she’s made here is Liza, whom we know wouldn’t assist with something that goes directly against Killian or us. I couldn’t trace the source of the interference to her with my usual speed and efficiency.”

“She’s thrown up blocks against even somebody as accomplished as you with all that computer, networking-type shit?” Jonah asked, incredulous.

I nodded. “I’ve written an algorithm to break through the hurdles put in place. It’s running now, it’s just a time-consuming process.”

“Who cares? It’s obviously her,” Killian said.

“It’s good sense to have definitive evidence. Should our assumptions prove incorrect, we could be overlooking an accomplice she’s using, somebody from her life before Hexwood. In turn, that would mean underestimating a threat and operating without all the intel. We can’t have mistakes being made as a result.”

“All right, yeah,” Jonah said. “So, what’s the deal now? With this wild one, I mean?”

I smiled. “She gets to meet the beast at the gates, of course.”

“Cerberus guarding the Gates of Hell,” Killian said, perking up at the news.

“So, you do actually do you own reading and studying once in a while?” I said, with a roll of my eyes.

“You’re just better at doing it for me. There’s no worries there that I’ll screw up and shatter the façade inadvertently through an opinion expressed in an assignment or whatever the fuck that doesn’t mesh with the golden boy shtick.” He shrugged. “Besides, Greek Mythology was one of the few things I liked.”

“Cerberus? Who’s that?” Jonah asked, cutting in. “I mean, in our terms?”

“You, J,” Killian told him.

“Huh. Sounds about right.”

Killian looked to me. “She’s not gonna come to the Blowout now. After what happened, she’ll consider that invite we sent through Liza as rescinded.”

“She’ll come.”

He frowned. “How are you so sure?”

“Because we’ll make the bait impossible to resist.”

Killian smirked. “There it is, that side of you I’ve been waiting on to come out and play again.”

“Even if she does come,” Jonah said, folding his heavily inked arms across the chest of his tank top, “I’m not the one who handles the feisty ones. You break them, then I take the pieces.”

“Believe me, she’ll be unsettled by the time you make contact.” I eyed Killian. “Your loyal dog will see to that for us.” Excitement thrummed through me just imagining it as I went on, “Weakened and trapped in the lion’s den. She’ll be much more receptive and pliant.”

“And then we end this?” Killian pushed.

End? Start? Two sides of the same coin in this oddity of a case.

I laid my hand on his shoulder. “Just trust me and you’ll get what you need.”

He nodded in compliance.

Good boy.

With that, I turned on my heel, and fired up another smoke as I left them to their own devices for the rest of the night.

Well, within reason, and within the confines of my surveillance, of course.

Come, little lamb. Step inside my domain.

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