Page 391 of Dark Love

“I respect your privacy.”

Why have a cyber security company if you respect others’ privacy? “What date do you need?” It’s not like anything nefarious happens here in my club. All questionable activities are taken care of offsite.

“Last Friday.”

Why does he want Friday’s video? “Not possible.”

“What? Why not?”

“We had a system issue that night and there’s no footage.”

Max gapes at me. “None? Not even on your backups?”

“Nothing.” And there never will be. I permanently erased all of it. When you terminate filth, you don’t want a record of ever meeting them. Nor did I want Dahlia to ever have to go through the trauma of a court case.

“Impossible.”

I shrug. “Yet it happened.”

“There wasn’t a power outage.”

That wouldn’t matter. My security system has backup power. If the power grid went down, there wouldn’t be even a flicker on the video or my club. We’ve tested it dozens of times to ensure everything runs smoothly. “No.”

“Were you hacked?”

“No.” Will he let this go?

“I can check for you. Stealth hackers barely leave a trace.”

But deleting it yourself does. “I don’t allow outsiders in my system.”

Max stands up. “You’re lying, and I don’t know why.”

I don’t react. His poker face is almost as good as mine.

“Fine. But if you find the footage, let me know. The family would appreciate it.”

Like I need The Vincenti Family’s appreciation. They come to me for help, not the other way around. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Max makes it to the door before I ask. “Why did you want the security tapes?”

“No reason.”

Fair enough. Keep your secrets and I’ll keep mine.

I Have Friends

Dahlia

“Dahlia, why aren’t you out with friends tonight?”

I lean back in the chair and wrap my fingers around the cup of tea in my hands, letting the warmth sink in. The heat in this house works well, but it feels wasteful to keep it super warm in here just for me. “Because I’m meeting them online in a few minutes.”

“Those aren’t real friends. You never see them.”

For once, they actually do count according to my mother. “I’m meeting them in two weeks.”

“For your little nerd convention.”

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