Page 9 of Seductive Architect
Even a computer can scoff. “If you won’t, somebody should.”
Arthur had struck a nerve in the break room. He wasn’tentirelywrong. I had working theories and more than enough suspicions about what was happening in Vanguard. Until I could prove them, they were nothing more than the ramblings of a madman. If I could solve just one, it’d pull back the curtain on the entire underworld.
“You’re awfully quiet.”
I scanned the wall. Corrupt government officials. Bermuda Triangle. Vanishing people in Southland. I suspected they were tied together. Each missed a crucial clue. Instead, I focused on the most immediate problem. The government had chosen Vanguard as the staging ground for a program to counteract supers. Not only did it jeopardize Secret Identities Incorporated, if I was right, it’d put the Coven in jeopardy.
“Connie, I want to focus on the super-soldier program.”
I first heard rumblings when somebody leaked code online. I contacted the mole, and he said his employer had taken a special interest in supers. Not long after, Senator McAfee delivered a passionate speech about Vanguard needing to implement the Superhero Registration Act. Arthur didn’t know I hacked the senator’s email, but I found the letter demanding access to our database. Thankfully, Arthur shot it down without a second thought.
“Has there been new information with Senator McAfee?”
“Lucy and I had a virtual meetup yesterday.” Connie could have stolen the information without effort. Instead, she insisted on befriending Senator McAfee’s cell phone. “I noticed he met the CEO of Synergy Research.”
“Ricardo?” Arthur’s boyfriend. In our office building, Secret Identities Inc. took up half of the third floor. The rest of the building housed Ricardo’s company. Much like Arthur, he was one of the good guys… or so I thought.
“Where did they meet?”
“Synergy. The Cage.”
“Dammit.” Connie could scour the security cameras and access microphones on every cellphone in Vanguard. Even in our building, I had her monitor unusual activity. However, the Cage, much like my Dead Zone, couldn’t be penetrated. I knew, because I helped him create it.
“Can you ask Lucy if there were any notes or follow-up meetings? Find out who he talked to immediately after.”
“I’ll invite her to coffee tomorrow.” I often forgot that Connie existed without a physical body. Inside the internet, she had a rich and vibrant life. If I didn’t choose to isolate myself, I might be jealous. I often wondered who else she mingled with? Did she and her girlfriends spend their nights at the club, listening to techno and gossiping the night away?
“Not to distract your brooding face?—”
“I’m not brooding,” I snapped back.
“You’re most certainly brooding.” Okay, fine, she knew well enough she didn’t need to see. “I found the ID photo in Synergy’s database for your new… friend.”
“Friend?”
“Huuuuudson.” It was like Janet was in the room. I preferred it when Connie only talked to other computers. “I believe they refer to him as a beefcake. I’d take a bite out of that.”
“Connie, I’m trying to focus on?—”
“Then I tried accessing the video logs.”
She knew how to pique my curiosity. “Go on.”
“The cameras go on the fritz when he walks into the room. I can follow him, but I don’t get a clear picture. There is something about him…”
Connie got on my nerves like only a best friend could, but she’d always be my partner in crime. Never did she judge my hobby, and more often than not, she brought her own theories to the table. Whenever we had unansweredquestions, we added them to the wall. It might be nothing worth recording, but we wouldn’t know until we explored it.
It didn’t hurt that it involved a sexy man.
“Do we add him to the wall?” I asked.
A slight humming sounded from the doorway. I turned to see a drone hovering in the air, careful not to cross into the Dead Zone. Hanging from a clip, Connie had printed Hudson’s identification photo. I took the photo, admiring that square jaw and goofy smirk. If we couldn’t get information about his past from the internet, I’d have to rely on face-to-face recon.
I studied the wall for a moment, not sure where to put his photo. I doubted he had a role in the alien incursion. He could be working for a clandestine government agency. Until I figured out how Ricardo played a role in the senator’s super-soldier theory, I’d set it aside. I pinned Hudson’s photo in the middle of the board.
Not the most urgent threat. But he’d earned a spot for now. Maybe I’d find nothing. Or maybe I’d find something that ruined everything. Out of every curiosity I currently pursued, hewasthe most handsome. My curiosity had as much to do with those broad shoulders as it did with the reason I heard Synergy code when we touched. His determination to record his experiences, and the way he handled Janet… okay, it had plenty to do with the smile.
Orion, don’t make this personal. Never make the wall personal.
