Page 61 of Suspicious

Haven chuckles and turns, thenstarts skippingtoward me. Raising my brow, she drops down onto the seat opposite me, Valerie sliding in beside her while everyone’s focus is completely on the new girl in town. The guard stands to the side, giving us a little space while I pull out my documentation as if I’m recruiting ‘the new girl’ to the app.

“You’ve been here all of what? Half an hour? And already making an impression, I see.” I jab.

Haven smirks, tilting her head. “I’m playing the role of Tammy-Lynn, the slightly unhinged serial killer. A little sassiness here, a little split personality there. You know, I gotta fit in and all that.”

I can’t hold in my laugh as I stare at her. “Tammy-Lynn?” I ask.

Haven shrugs and turns to Valerie. “We thought it would make the women in here a little more accepting of her ‘persona,’” Valerie adds.

Nodding, I can totally understand. “Okay, well… we need to make this look real. So I’m going to take out my cell and pretend to show you the app.”

Haven sits back in her chair, her handcuffs rattling with her movements. “I don’t see the point in this bullshit. I don’t need any fucking wellness in my life. My head is crystal clear,” she barks loud enough for everyone to hear.

I know exactly what she’s doing.

Not only keeping her character intact but also letting everyone know what I’m here for.

She’s smart.

“Okay, but how about I show you some of the features before you close yourself off to it? Valerie’s signed up for it, and she has found great personal growth from using the tools andtechniques, right Val?” I reply.

Valerie nods. “Absolutely! Tammy-Lynn, you really need to check it all out before you give it a hard pass.”

Haven grumbles under her breath. “Fuck… fine. Show me what it’s all about, then.”

Smiling, I lean in closer, continuing the ruse of showing Haven what is going on in the app, and Valerie leans in, too, making it to where we can talk more freely.

“Our plans so far are that I need to keep the app up and running as if nothing has gone wrong. That way, whoever blackmailed me thinks that we are still trying to figure everything out and a way to pay them. But Val, have you heard anything new in here?”

Valerie leans a little closer, pointing to something on my phone as if she is showing Haven a feature. “This morning, when I was pulled into the warden’s office, Haven was in there, and they all told me what was going on, so I knew I had to get right on this. I have been talking to my contacts here, but from what I’ve been able to find out, Atlas’ gangs are saying this hackdidn’tcome from his men. That the order came from much higher up.”

Widening my eyes, I glance at Haven, and she purses her lips in shock. “Well, thatisinteresting,” I reply. “Do you think you two can keep digging through your contacts in here?”

Haven chuckles. “I’ll break some faces to get the information. Even if I get put in solitary. It’s the entire reason I’m in here, Bea—”

“The warden knows Haven is in here and what’s going on. We should be able to do this a much smoother way than breaking people’s faces.” Valerie interrupts Haven and chuckles.

“But I will! I will smash shit up if I have to.” Haven smirks.

Chuckling, I nod. “I appreciate that. But don’t get yourself into any trouble. Take Valerie’s lead on this.”

Haven frowns, slumping her body like she’s disappointedshe’s not going to be able to cause a damn prison riot.

“You should be able to come back and visit at any time rather than the typical monthly visitation roster. It’s all worked out with the warden, thanks to Alpha,” Valerie states.

“Great. Hopefully, we can figure out who is behind all this and get my app back into working order without having a huge issue with the breach.” My stomach churns thinking about all the data that’s already gone.

“Us girls will get the job done, Bea. You can count on that!” Haven smiles.

“Loki always told me in his emails that the club stuck together. Thank you for helping me with this.”

Haven sits forward, a genuine smile crossing her face. “Any friend of Loki’s is a friend of mine. You’re a part of the club now, Bea. We take care of our own.”

A real sense of pride and happiness flows through me.

A sense of belonging.

Of purpose.

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