Page 25 of Dreaming

The silver-eyed woman leaned close and whispered, “If your life won’t exist in six months, then it’s not fucking worth going back to anyway.”

Her boss added firmly, “No man defines you, Nia. Not even one you want with everything inside yourself. Don’t make choices you can’t take back for a man. That shit will keep you up at night.”

Taking a deep breath, Nia nodded. “You’re right. I hate it but you are and that’s got to be a first when it comes to the opposite sex.”

“I see my reputation is still solid…”

“I mean, you work hard for it so good for you…I think?” They shared a moment of shaky laughter. Rubbing her hands over her face, Nia nodded. “Fuck. I’ll see you at the Tank. Just…keep an eye on everyone, alright?”

“You know we will. Krystle is prepping the team for your arrival.”

The screen went dark and Nia stood.

There was nothing in the house she couldn’t leave behind. She’d long ago backed up all their family photos to an online location. Her true keepsakes and important document originals were in a safety deposit box.

The rest was just stuff.

It was a scenario she never expected to face but had planned for since she was recruited two years after her dad and brother were murdered. Nia was angry, lost, and vengeful. She wasn’t moving past the loss of them.

Just a little older than Nia at the time, Harlow Delkin wanted to bring her into the clerical division of a secret organization. One that was known to certain corporations, institutions, and governments but kept their operations in complete secrecy.

Nia had questions. It wasn’t the first time she’d been approached by an off the books party.

“We handle the paper trails,” Harlow explained. “We follow the money, assets, and activities of lowlifes all over the world. We don’t see much action but we see a lot of numbers.”

“You police the people who can’t be policed.”

“My father amassed a fortune before he died. Stupid amounts of money. He wanted to change the world but he knew that governments and even some charities had their own agendas.” Her bright gray eyes sparkled. “Our parents had four children. Three of them live their lives in the dark dealing with the underbelly of society…the fourth became an artist.”

Nia murmured, “We all have our gifts.”

“Exactly. Your gift can change the world, Nia.”

“I want assurances…”

“You’ll have them,” Harlow stated firmly.

“I want proof about what you do. I won’t be lied to.”

Leaning forward, silvery eyes stared into hers. “My brother gave you clearance to see everything. There are few people on the planet with that level of access. You’re also one of the only people who has the ability to remember every name and piece of data you see without a hard drive.”

“Why?”

“We know about your past, Nia. We trust you. Trust us. Be part of something amazing.”

Nia joined Delkin Acquisitions as part of their Think Tank and never looked back. She reported to Harlow but regularly interacted with the woman’s enigmatic older brothers.

Harper Delkin was the eldest son. He ran the umbrella companies and acted as the legitimate face of the Delkin brand that maintained interests on seven continents.

Hayden Delkin was the middle son. He was a computer genius who was often at the facility. A recovering heroin addict and survivor of untold horrors Nia could see in his eyes, they became good friends.

Nia ran the digital side of ops while Hayden led boots on the ground.

In the first year, the organization aided in the trace and seizure of more than three billion from a drug syndicate in Russia.

The following year was spent shutting down a violent takeover in Uruguay.

The year after that, they freed nearly two hundred people from a human trafficking ring.

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