Not to say he didn’t enjoy plunging into some ColdFusion or Python or any of the other programming languages Trendsetters allowed code heads like him to indulge in. And when one of his new coworkers clued him in to a new programming language being developed by some hotshots on GitHub, Daniel realized just how out of the loop he was. He wondered what other cool things he’d missed while spending the past couple of years on assignment at FinCEN.
He straightened in his chair, stretching his neck from side to side to regain his focus.
Learning about new innovations in coding wasn’t the reason he was here. He was here to catch a criminal.
At this very moment, someone in this building was using Trendsetters as a front to launder money. If only he could find a way to breach their airtight security so he could uncover the intricacies of how they were doing it and bring in the bastards running the thing.
His colleagues back at FinCEN had learned as much about Trendsetters as they possibly could before Daniel even applied for the job. The plan had always been for him to get hired without having to tip anyone in management off to what the government was doing, because it was unknown whether anyone in management was in on the laundering scheme. Getting hired had been the first obstacle. His impressive résumé was complete fiction, but if anyone at Trendsetters called the people at his previous places of employment, they would get glowing stories of how much of an asset Daniel had been while on their payroll.
He hadn’t realized getting hired would be theeasypart. Breaching Trendsetters’ security so that he could gain access to the particular database he needed made getting hired seem like a cakewalk.
He’d come up with the plan to go into the Security Department by mistake, using the excuse of being the new guy who didn’t know his way around as his cover. He’d calculated that it would take between seven and ten minutes to copy the portion of the database he needed onto a flash drive.
But just before he’d started, Trendsetters had undergone a massive overhaul of their security system after highly publicized security breaches at several big companies across the country. Now there were only a handful of people with access to the closed-off room that housed the cybersecurity personnel. Those few had separate keycards that allowed them to enter the room, and he wasn’t one of those people. His assignment had gone from difficult to downright impossible. Two weeks since he’d started and he was no closer to infiltrating the database than he’d been on day one.
An alarm bell sounded and a voice rang out. “Two minutes until a flash! It’s R&D versus R&D. Implementation and Software Development, you’re up!”
The first time he’d heard that bell, Daniel had bolted out of his seat, his body instinctively switching to rescue mode. He’d hardly registered that no one else seemed alarmed. He soon learned that the bell had nothing to do with an actual crisis. It was the signal for the contests Trendsetters held between employees.
Each department had been broken up into several teams, and even some subteams for the larger departments like Research and Development, where he worked. The teams were pitted against each other to “promote healthy competition.” The contests ran anywhere from twenty minutes to about an hour, with parameters set by each team leader, based on the project the teams were currently working on. Whichever team got closer to accomplishing its goal won whatever prize was up for grabs.
Last week his team had missed out on all the caramel corn and cotton candy they could eat from a local food truck. He’d been pissed. He loved cotton candy.
A message popped up on his screen with instructions from his team leader about the guidelines for today’s competition. Daniel switched screens and logged into the editor for the new paywall software currently in development. He pulled up a new playlist and readied himself for the start of the competition.
Trendsetters CEO Barrington Jacobs, who looked like the guy funneling beer in every frat party movie scene, stood in the center of the main walkway with a bullhorn.
“Are our teams ready?” he asked. And before anyone could respond, he started counting. “Five. Four. Three. Two. Go!”
Daniel’s fingers flew across the keyboard. He wasn’t thinking about Hughes Hospitality, the guys back at FinCEN, or anyone else. He was in the zone. He had no idea how much time had passed when the alarm bell sounded again. All he knew was that his fingers hurt like hell. But it was a good hurt, especially after learning that he and his teammates were the victors.
“To the main conference room, Software,” Barrington called through the bullhorn.
Daniel lagged behind the fourteen members of his team as they filed into the larger, more traditional conference room. He wanted to give Morgan Broomfield a wide berth. She hadn’t heeded any of the cues he’d given. If she made another reference to the two of them having drinks after work, he would just have to come right out and tell her he wasn’t interested.
The conference room’s glass walls had been set to frosted mode, so Daniel had no idea what he would encounter as they were ushered inside. The space had been turned into an oasis. A half-dozen upright massage chairs lined the back wall. Just as many lounging chairs occupied the opposite side, with massage therapistsstanding at the ready. In the center of the conference table sat a fruit and cheese platter and shot glasses filled with what looked like fruit smoothies. A soft, clean scent filled the space. Something citrusy and minty.
It was easy to see why jobs at Trendsetters were so coveted. The perks alone were worth more than the salaries some of the tech companies out there offered.
Daniel climbed onto one of the cushioned massage chairs and placed his head on the donut. The massage therapistbegan her ministrations on his neck and shoulders and a deep moan escaped his lips.
Goodness, that felt good! Maybe he should try to get his supervisor at FinCEN to implement weekly massages back at headquarters. Lowell Dwyer would put him out on his ass, but it was worth a shot.
Once done, Daniel walked over to a lounge chair and sat while another massage therapistgave him a full hand massage. Why had he never treated himself to a hand massage before? This shit was amazing.
As he sipped a strawberry and kiwi smoothie, he couldn’t help but wonder why anyone employed here would mess it up by getting involved with a bunch of criminals. He knew the answer, of course. Money and greed were powerful catalysts for all kinds of bad behavior. He’d never get used to witnessing what people did for those two things. Sell out their own families. Trade their own children.
After another ten minutes of eating enough grapes and Brie to make up for the breakfast he’d skipped this morning, Daniel returned to his desk amid good-natured boos from many of his coworkers. It was all in good fun. Eventually, they would win some awesome prize that would make him envious.
He grabbed his coffee mug and made his way to the kitchen. Samiah was waiting for him at the coffee station, her arms crossed over her chest. She’d had meetings out of the office both yesterday and this morning. The outright euphoria rushing through his veins just at the sight of her after missing her for two days was his first clue that he was barreling headfirst into a crapload of trouble.
“I am so disappointed,” she said. Daniel’s head snapped back in surprise. “I totally misjudged you.”
His heart pounded erratically against his rib cage. Had he been made? He was almost afraid to ask, but he couldn’t just stand there like a tree stump.
“Uh…what did I do?”
“After the rough couple of weeks I’ve had, I justknewyou would offer to switch places with me after you won that competition. Do you know how much I could have used that massage?”
