Page 64 of Resolutions

Sebastian snorts a disgruntled huff that draws everyone in the room's attention. He raises an eyebrow at the ladies.

“What?” Mouse snaps at him. “Gosh, you so motdun, lighten up. It was good practice.”

“True. Built foundation. Give us confidence, Mr. Crabby.”

“Yeah, Mr. Crabby.” Both girls make crab pincer claws with their hands, snapping them in Sebastian's direction.

The three of them share a look loaded with meaning before diving back into their food, and I feel like I'm watching something I shouldn't be. Within twenty minutes, the ladies, having consumed enough for six people, get up and disappear back to their computers, leaving a debris field of empty containers in their wake.

“Good lord,” Evelyn breathes, staring at the aftermath. “Where do they put it all?”

“I stopped asking,” Law says and the guys agree, everyone cleaning up containers. “You two might as well head upstairs. It might take them all night; it might take them a week. Either way, we're leaving tomorrow once the plane arrives.”

“Don't we need their intel to catch Michael?” I ask, my nerves starting to feel tight.

“Nope, with what I have already, I have a judge that will hold him. But I don’t just want him held. That's why they need to get as much as they can before I go to her. I'd rather ask for an arrest warrant than a hold.”

“That makes sense,” Evelyn says, walking past me. “It's always good to have your ducks in a row.”

I catch Law's eye and we share a smile.

Once upstairs, we turn on the TV and stare at the sitcom that's on. I don't know why we turned it on; neither of us is watching it. Mouse and Keyboard's story has touched my heart. Something about those two is endearing, and I can't help but wonder what their fascination with Sebastian is about. Finally, Evelyn yawns and excuses herself, heading to bed.

I stay up but must have dozed off because the next thing I know, a phone's shrill ring jolts me awake. The TV and lights are still on, and the clock reads four fifteen. My heart leaps into my throat as Evelyn emerges from her room brushing her hair, wearing a purple velour sweat suit.

“Law wants us.”

Those three words send adrenaline coursing through my veins. This is it, whatever Mouse and Keyboard have found, we're about to learn exactly what kind of monster Michael truly is. As we hurry to the elevator, I say a silent prayer. Not just for us, but for all the women Michael has hurt. I hope this is the breakthrough we need.

The elevator seems to crawl between floors. Evelyn reaches for my hand, squeezing gently. In the polished metal walls, our reflections look pale but determined. Whatever we're about to learn, we'll face it together.

“This elevator’s too slow. Next time, we take the stairs,” I say, causing us to giggle more from nervousness than my comedic talents.

Chapter 32

Melanie

The elevator doors slide open and we hurry toward the conference room, where Law and Farris are already bent over scattered papers. Even from the doorway, I can sense the weight of whatever they've discovered. It radiates from their tense postures and grim expressions.

“Ladies,” Farris greets us, holding the door. The tone of welcoming and laughter from earlier is gone.

“What did the twins find?” I blurt out, then catch myself.

“Sorry, I just—”

“Don't apologize,” Law interrupts. “You should be anxious. Please, sit.” He waits until we're settled before continuing. “Sorry for the early wake. Mouse and Keyboard have been working non-stop. What they've uncovered is more than disturbing.”

When this man who regularly faces down hardened criminals says the ladies found something disturbing, it makes my stomach clench.

Beside me, Evelyn reaches for my hand and says, “Tell us, we can take it.”

Sebastian and Maxwell slip quietly into the room as Law spreads several papers across the table. The atmosphere grows heavier, if possible. “The ladies hacked a private site that had traces to Emperor Maikeru. Once they got by and we're able to move around undetected they found a lot of things.” He takes a seat and Farris follows. “Michael, aka Emperor Maikeru, operates what appears to be a highly sophisticated dark web operation where,” Law's knuckles whiten around his coffee cup as he moves it to the side. “Where the site hosts live bidding, where members view a woman and then bid money. The one with the highest bid, well.” Law looks at me and my stomach drops.

“What?”

“Members of the site bid on what acts happen to the woman.”

My mind stutters over his careful phrasing, making me almost afraid to ask, but I need to know. “And what is it that happens to the woman?”

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