Page 24 of To Catch A Rook

His eyes darkened, but he grinned wide, like we were scheming boys in a frat house. “We believe in results. If you’re as good as your work shows, just get the job done. Whether you take ten hours or a hundred, makes no difference to me.”

What a trap that was. Companies said that like it was such a wonderful HR offer, but it was just a smoke screen for not paying people for the actual hours they had to work. Rich people had to stay rich, and all.

“Thank you for the opportunity. I think I’ll fit in here just fine.”

I stood and held out a hand, not responding to the crushing grip in a clear Alpha male pissing match. Marco scrutinized my expression, looking for weakness, no doubt, and then plunked my tender fist. I’d put it in a bucket of ice later.

“Welcome.”

He turned his attention to the computer at his desk, effectively dismissing me. I strode past the twisted hunk of metal and hoped that one day, I’d get to kick the bloody thing over.

Gerta, the young receptionist, smiled apprehensively as I passed her desk.

“I’m in, Gertie.”

We’d chatted for a half hour while Marco-the-insufferable left me to wait in his lobby, and she was a sweet little thing I was going to keep close to—she was a bank vault of information, and I’d subtly gleaned enough out of her in that half hour that would have taken me weeks of sleuthing to find otherwise, so we were about to become pals. Best pals.

She beamed at me, her cherub cheeks pinkening. “I’m so glad to hear it! I’ll see you soon, Mr. O’Donnell.”

Right. Mr. O’Donnell. That would take some getting used to.

I walked out of the glass and steel building with a renewed spring in my step. Ice cream for breakfast, and a job before tea.

Just a few more checks, and I’d be at mate.

“What do you have for me?”

Blackbird’s brilliant blue hair was a stark contrast against the dark room, even with the backlit computer screen. Her cherubic face widened into a devious grin. “This next batch is hella interesting.”

Blackbird had been working with me for three years. In the four years I had been working on my little side project, she was the best hacker I’d hired by a mile, so I’d put her on my permanent payroll.

Of course, before handing someone the keys to my most private business dealings, I had done some investigative work of my own. When she came up squeaky clean—well, other than her highly illegal hacking activities—I invited her to work for me exclusively. She was worth her weight in gold—which, honestly, wasn’t saying much since she wasn’t even five feet tall and a hundred pounds soaking wet.

“Oh?” I cocked an eyebrow at the screen as I sat in front of the bank of monitors in my private den. “Do tell.”

“Sending the files over now.” She bit her lips in concentration as she sent through a standard packet of information using our secure servers.

“Care to give me a quick synopsis?” I asked. This was her favorite part of our monthly meet up. The private gossip in these files was unparalleled. Since neither of us could share it with anyone else…

She rubbed her hands together with another shark-like smile.

“So, Kellan, as you requested, is in town on an official investigation for the FBI—something about an international fraud organization. His FBI phone records don’t show a whole lot, but his private number has been in contact with the twins and Antonio more than usual in the past two months. His GPS also shows that he’s been out a lot at night—lateat night—down in the Crocks.”

This report disappointed me, but I was unsurprised. It was hard to keep tabs on a man like Kellan; his security rivaled mine on the best of days. There was nothing particularly new there, other than a continued relationship with his demon brothers, and the unleashing of his own demons on a few petty criminals.

If Antonio was pulling more strings than usual, I’d have to watch Kellan’s back. He was careful on his tightrope, but it didn’t hurt to have an extra spotter. Even if he was currently at the top of my shit list.

“Aaron recently purchased a massive warehouse at the edge of the Crocks—one that was abandoned years ago. He boughtit through a shell corporation that’s owned by another shell corporation, which is solely owned by Aaron Rodriguez himself. He left quite a complicated paper trail for this one, so I’m guessing he doesn’t want anyone to know about it. Or why.”

She cleared her throat and continued.

“One of my sources said there are whispers that Veronica and Vicente are moving into new underground territory, but no word on whose authority—keep your eye on this one. Alvarez is gaining traction through the dark web, and I’m seeing his stuff everywhere.”

I let out a long breath through my nose and steepled my fingers in contemplation. That Alvarez was making headway wasn’t a shock. It was a terrible oversight on my part that it had taken this long for me to see how quickly he was moving into our territory, no longer a ‘devil-from-afar’ that was of no consequence.

I hated Antonio and the Carlos Cartel, least of all for the hell his son had put my friends in my hometown through years ago, but he was the devil I knew, the devil I was planning for. Aaron’s sex clubs paid enough of a tithe that the truly depraved side of the flesh economy didn’t pay well here.

I was foolish enough to think the reprieve could last in a greedy world of the powerless and powerful. Kellan had admitted he had a part in that, and while I loathed he kept me in his sights but couldn’t bother to call, I knew with certainty I could trust him.

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