Page 87 of Severed Rivalry
We both assume her privacy is important. I won’t cross that unless I have to. And God help us both when I do.
It’s after she’s showered and gone to bed that I grab my laptop again.
Before I can start, I get a text.
Cian: How was your day, Angel?
We texted a little bit here and there, but between his discharge and napping and my full-out assault on the fucking app pornographers, we’ve been hit or miss.
Me: Crazy productive. I can’t remember a day in the last five years when I’ve gotten so much done.
Cian: Proud of you.
Cian: You ready to take on the lion’s den?
Me: I will be. You wouldn’t happen to know someone at CBI?
Cian: Not off the top of my head but let me ask around. And by ‘around,’ I mean my brother and brother-in-law. My intelligence circle is small.
Me: Mine too. Just your brother and your brother-in-law. {winky face}
Me: I want to talk to someone and really lay it all out. I don’t want them to find all that porn on my computer and then find it on devices of minors. Getting caught in the crosshairs is not on my agenda for the week. Or my life.
Me: I’m deleting that text.
And I do. No need for any keywords for the carriers to find.
Cian: I’ve been thinking about the app. I haven’t gotten a message. Have you?
Me: No.
Cian: What if that’s because of our birthdays? What if they’re not sending to us because of age? Or sex?
Me: Sex wouldn’t matter. The majority of the messages are to girls, but boys are receiving too. I haven’t dug into engagement. Don’t know whether I will. Those are factors too… Who bites and when?
Me: I can’t believe I’m not puking seeing how my daughter bit. I can’t tell who I’m more pissed at—the perverts or myself.
Cian: Back off the ledge, mama bear. You’re fixing it and you’re fixing it in a loud way.
Me: But your point is valid. Hold on one second.
I toggle to the app and roll the spinning wheel to a birthday a year before Renée’s. Still too young, but fresh bait. I also update the picture to something young from the generic avatar.
Me: I’m now fifteen.
Cian: Yeah, don’t say that.
Me: Change of topic since I grossed myself out. How’s the face?
Cian: Surprisingly painful, but the swelling is remarkably better. Almost thirty-six hours. Half way through the worst of it.
Cian: Are you going to work tomorrow or are you Nancy Drewing the app again?
Me: Why do people keep making verbs out of nouns? And yes, I’m sleuthing.
Cian: Want to come sleuth here? I’ll just be sitting around or napping.
Cian: I have an assortment of liquid beverages for your dining pleasure.
