Page 11 of The Guardian

“I am,” I say, holding out my hand. “Alex. You must be Chloe?”

“I am.” She smiles, giving me a solid handshake.

“Cool shirt.” I nod toward herDungeons & Dragonsgraphic T-shirt.

“Thanks. Mom said she forgot to tell me that she was having security cameras installed. Can I see how they work?” She hops down from the porch and crouches to where I was just lying in the dirt.

“Chloe, I made you a snack. Let’s let these dudes work.” A younger woman opens the back door, a gold piercing hanging from her nose and bright-pink stripes running through her hair.

“Just a second, Zara. Alex was just showing me how this security system works.”

I chuckle at how maturely she speaks, her brows furrowed as if she’s the forewoman on a job telling her boss something.

“Okay, well, don’t be too long. I don’t think your mom wants you getting in their way.” She steps out onto the porch with us, probably uneasy about leaving a 10-year-old with a complete stranger.

Smart instincts,I think.

“So, I’m running this wire under here and through this small hole that you can see we drilled through the outside of the house. It will run through the walls and floors and will wire into a mainframe system we’ll set up inside.”

“So you’ll be able to see what the cameras see on a computer?”

“Exactly. Also, you’ll be able to access it on your phone or a tablet or anywhere as long as you have the login.”

“That’s pretty cool,” she says, her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “What about hackers?” She looks up at me, her face scrunched from squinting at the sun.

“What about them?” I laugh.

“Can they hack into the mainframe?”

What the hell is this little girl watching with these questions? And her mom thinks she can’t handle hearing about this stuff?

“Technically, yes, but with the firewalls we have in place and the expertise of our monitoring team, it’s very, very unlikely.”

“Good to know.” She nods her head in approval. “I’m gonna head in for a snack.” She points over her shoulder toward the door. “You want a snack?”

Damn, this kid is adorable and hilarious.

“I’m good, but thanks, Chloe. It was nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Alex. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

5

JULIETTE

“I’m home!” I shout through the entryway after closing the door behind me.

“Hey, Miss Pierce.” Zara leans against the doorway to the front room, her oversized black and white sweater falling almost down to her mid-thigh. “How was work?”

“Busy, per usual.” I smile, shrugging off my jacket and hanging it in the coat closet. I run my hands through my hair, pulling it up into a high ponytail with the band I left on my wrist this morning.

I’ve been making serious headway with this class-action suit and fully expect to file with the courts by the end of the month if I can stay on track.

“Cool dress.” Zara nods toward me, a serious compliment coming from such a young and fashionable 21-year-old. “Is it vintage?”

“It is,” I say, spinning to look at myself in the large gold mirror that sits in the entryway. It’s a ’40s-style dress that hugs my torso and hips, flaring out a touch at the knees. The neckline is a structured sweetheart with cap sleeves, accentuating my neck and collarbones. “You think it looks okay paired with these stockings?” I point my leg out, showing her how there’s a seam up the back. “I wasn’t sure if it was a little too . . .ya know . . .for the office?”

“Not at all,” she half laughs. “You’ve got a banging bod, Miss Pierce. Seriously, you should show it off more.”

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