Page 7 of Left of the Slash
“What? I'm single, and if you're not going to go after her, I will gladly do it. You know a player like me has to keep his roster loaded and active,” Marcus says before bringing a frosty bottle of Corona to his lips.
In a wooden chair from my kitchen table sits my best friend since I was seven, Rob Vaughn. Rob actually works with me at Obsidian as a cybersecurity lead in the department I just left. At five-foot-nine, Rob looks like The Hulk struggling to relax, as his two hundred and twenty pounds of stocky muscle stretch thefabric of his white tee. He strokes his full beard from his chin all the way to the bottom of the longest hair.
“Marcus,” Rob says, “must you always be on the hunt, bro? Don't you ever think to just find a girl to settle down with so you can stop worrying about whether or not you caught an STD from your last hookup?”
I nearly spit out the Hennessy I just sipped as Marcus glares across the living room at Rob.
“Why are you bringing up old shit?” he asks, frowning hard. “I didn't get an STD from my last hookup … that was three hookups ago, and I got the shot to get rid of it. I'vebeenSTD free a hot minute now, so you just look dumb over there with all of those muscles and no point to prove.Anyway, instead of hating, how about y’all hook a brother up with a job application?”
Rob and I both chuckle, and I answer for both of us. “Marcus, you've got a good job at First Bank of Wilmington and no experience in cybersecurity. I think you should stay put, bro, especially inthiseconomy.”
“You just told us that she doesn't have experience either,” Marcus snaps, pointing at me. “Oh I see what’s going on here. So I have to have experience to work there, but the CEO doesn't. Sounds like some bullshit to me. Maybe you're feeling this girl more than you're letting on, Q. Better not let her know that you and Quincy used to sit around trying to figure out how to hack bank servers, or you might get fired.”
Rob, who’s the only married man out of the three of us, raises his eyebrows. “First of all, I think you're underestimating howfinethis woman is. If Q is feeling her, it makes perfect sense. Secondly, you're starting to sound a lot like the good ole boys Q works with in the executive wing.”
“You ain’t lying, and don't worry about what I used to do with my dad. He’s in prison for life while I'm out here collecting promotions like their trophies. Me and my dad are nothing alike,so mind your business,” I demand with a laugh that I use to cover how serious I really am. “At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much experience she has. It’s her dad’s company, and he passed it onto her in his will. So, everybody in the world can hate, but it doesn't change the facts. Plus, all of us wish we had parents who built something from the ground up and were able to pass it off to us. That’s how generational wealth is built and kept in the family. Hell, I hope I'm able to do something like that for my own kids, and you wish your daddy would've been able to do it for you, too.”
Marcus sips his Corona again before shifting in his seat and saying, “First of all, you're a lot more like Quincy than you’ve ever been willing to admit. Secondly, he didsort ofleave you some wealth before he went to prison for … what he did. I'm not hating. I'm just saying.”
Marcus holds his hands up as if showing me that they're empty and that he's not a threat. These two are my best friends, so they know that anything regarding my father is a sensitive subject for me. He and I were always close and he taught me so much, but he found himself caught up owing money to people youdo notwant to owe money to. He was scheming for them, hacking servers and committing credit card fraud for a living, and when those gangsters came after him, he killed one of them because they threatened to hurt me if they didn't get their money. He was immediately arrested and sentenced to life, but neither the gangsters nor the police found the offshore account my dad had created to stuff full of money … for me. So in a sense, Marcus is right. My daddidleave wealth behind for me, because I was eighteen when he went to prison and I needed to be able to take care of myself now that I was all alone. It’s touchy, but I can’t be mad at Marcus for telling the truth. That doesn't mean I like the topic, especially the part about me and my father being alike. I love my dad, but I have been trying my whole life tonotbe likehim. I don't want to end up where he is. But I feel the pull of our connection as if there are strings attached to both of us, and it’s the only thing in this world that scares the shit out of me.
“Hold up,” I say, frowning. “What do you mean I’m more like my dad than I'm willing to admit?”
Marcus and Rob glance at each other, but it’s Marcus who speaks up.
“Quinn, please,” he says. “You know damn well you two have the same temper, and you're both computer geniuses. You're the same.”
“Ido nothave a temper,” I rebut.
“No? What about that time you beat up that kid when you thought he was trying to pick your pocket?” Marcus asks.
“Oh my god. Now who’s bringing up old shit? I was, like, fifteen when that happened,” I say.
“How about when you stabbed that guy in the hand for touching the girl you were dating?” Rob chimes in with raised eyebrows.
I start to respond, but I stop myself because there really isn't anything I can say to defend myself on that one. “Well, that guy just had it coming.”
Marcus and Rob laugh together, and their dumb faces make me laugh, too. I shake my head, still smiling when I say, “Whatever, man. I hate that y’all know so much about me.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Marcus says. “Anyway, let’s get back to your boss. So when do I get to see her for myself? Both of you are talking about how she’s fine, but I can't trust y’all’s judgment when it comes to women.”
“Can't trustourjudgment?” Rob exclaims with wide eyes. “Your last girlfriend looked like Frodo Baggins, and you still had to chase her.”
“Hey! Frieda didnotlook like Frodo, and I'm tired of y’all switching her name!” Marcus jokingly replies. The three of usshare another laugh before he adds, “You're just mad because you can't chase women anymore since you're married to Sandra at the age of twenty-seven, Rob. And Quinn wishes he could chase women with me but he’s so dedicated to making sure he doesn't end up like his dad that he's obsessed with his job.”
“I donotwish I could chase women, bro,” I reply. “I get approached every single time we go out. You're the chaser, but you don't seem to realize that women don't run from men they want. So, the fact that you have to chase should really tell you something.”
“Wow. Et tu, Q? I thought we were single partners in crime,” Marcus says, shaking his head in disapproval.
I take another sip of Hennessy. “Whatever, man. I just got dumped by Linda, remember? So, what do I know? But you know who also just asked me to be her secret partner in crime? Olivia.”
Both of my friends' faces morph into shocked expressions.
“Her secret partner in crime?” Rob repeats. “Why would it be a secret?”
“Because she doesn't want Jon to know that we’re working together,” I answer. “She wants me tapped into the internal investigation for the Judge Knight breach because she doesn't trust Jon or his little homies to keep her in the loop. She knows Jon wants her job. Which is why I need you to keep me plugged in. Y’all are starting on that tomorrow, right?”
Rob nods. “Yeah, my team is on it. So, you want me to report to you with findings?”
