Page 15 of Death Wish

“Oh, yeah.” Joy scooted closer and lowered her voice. “It’s called Special Projects. That group is an elite bunch of programmers. Their projects are hush-hush, and they’re not allowed to talk about them even after the work is finished.”

“No one knows anything about their projects?” Simone sounded skeptical. “Come on. This is like a small town. Rumors must fly around the company.”

“All I know is the projects are top secret, and anyone who talks is handed a pink slip without a severance package.”

“How do I get noticed by the upper ranks? I’d love to work in a division like that.”

“Who wouldn’t? Don’t worry, Simone. From what I can see, you’ll be out of this programming area soon. All you have to do is complete the assignments you’re given in record time. Trust me, they’ll pay attention since you’re new, especially coming from Game Theory. Someone will monitor your work for the next few weeks. Getting noticed doesn’t take long around here.”

She’d figured on having to create a program to prevent anyone from keeping tabs on her computer searches while she was working at DA. Waiting for weeks to be noticed wasn’t in the cards. They had days to stop the target programmer from finishing the work. “Who’s in Special Projects? Can you tell me that much?”

“Griffin Daley is head of the division. Patrick Meyers, Allison Norbert, Beckett Francen, and Wyatt Hatcher all work for Griffin.” Joy sighed, a dreamy expression on her face. “Griffin is drop-dead gorgeous, Simone. I would give anything to be noticed by that man.” She laughed. “Who am I kidding? I’d love to go on a date with Griffin but he hasn’t noticed me that way either.”

“That handsome, huh?”

“Wait until you see him. You’ll melt into a puddle at his feet.”

Simone shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m involved with someone.”

“He can’t hold a candle to Griffin.”

“You haven’t seen Jesse yet but you will.”

“How?”

“He just started working in the security division of DA.”

Joy’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s great for you, right?”

“Can’t beat living and working together.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting this guy. Is he a good man?”

Simone smiled. “The best. He’s wonderful.”

“Introduce me when he comes around.”

“Sure. Now, what’s next?”

“Lunch. Log out, and I’ll take you to the company cafeteria. We have the best food here. The CEO hired two professional chefs to make meals for the employees.”

She logged out and rose. “Let me text my boyfriend to let him know I’m going to lunch.”

“Is he a control freak?” Joy asked.

“Well, yeah, he is, but not in a bad way.” She’d had that with Trevor. Jesse was nothing like The Jerk. “Jesse is very protective. Frankly, I’m glad he is, especially down here in Sayulita. I wouldn’t want to live here without him.”

The other woman led Simone from the cubicle farm. “What do you mean? I’ve had no problems here. My neighbors are all really nice, especially when they find out where I work.”

Simone slid her phone from her pocket and shot off a quick message to Jesse. “Jesse checked the crime stats and researched areas where cartels and terrorists were active. Sayulita is home to two terrorist organizations.”

Joy stopped and turned to face Simone. “Are you serious?”

She nodded. “He wouldn’t let me come to Sayulita without him. I’m lucky Dragon Alley had an opening in their security division. Jesse is perfect for the job.”

Her phone vibrated with a reply to her message. She smiled when she read the text. “Jesse will meet us in the cafeteria.”

“That’s great.” Joy led Simone from the cubicle farm and down a long corridor to a bank of elevators. They rode to the second floor and stepped out into a large room with many circular tables and employees eating their lunches. “This way.”

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