“Tell me, you seem quite capable on your own. Why am I here?”
“I think you’ve already guessed.” Cagey as ever, he raises a brow and I shut the fuck up. I might guess wrong and reveal information not mine to share.
Back in front of CloudTekToys, I glance up at the second-floor windows. What do you know, Montclair was right. The place is hopping with activity, maybe even more than earlier this morning.
“Aren’t we going to miss our flight?” If I thought my sullen tone would influence his can-do attitude, I was wrong.
“We’ll be done in less than an hour.” As proof, he taps the stolen fob on the black pad next to the front door, the solenoid clicks, and he sweeps his hand. “Ladies first.”
Inside, he uses it again at the stairwell and we exit into the cafeteria where we tailgate a group of coders into the playroom. Waiting for them to disperse, he heads to an open office and starts tipping over monitors. While he checks under the desk, I keep watch.
Holy fuck. Like ants at a picnic, developers are everywhere. For sure, they’ll notice two outsiders. Without warning, two male voices approach. I inch the door closed, lock it, and hold my breath as the handle rattles.
“Shit, it’s never locked.” After a brief discussion, they walk away.
We need to leave too, but first, I need a key to break into the cloud. I’m convinced my client is overly optimistic. No one in a high-tech company would write down their username and password. Spying a yellow sticky note under a rolling chair, I notice the long string of characters, and show Dash.
“That’s it. Let’s go.”
I follow him back the way we came and don’t let out my breath until we reach our hotel, and he holds out his hand. “I’ll take it.”
I smile back. “Finders keepers.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. See you downstairs in a few. Bye.” As I start to leave, he grabs my wrist and pulls me back.
“Fine. I’ll take a picture.” He must take me for a fool because he lets go and once free, I grab his arm and twist it behind his back until he drops to his knees.
“I think it’s time you explain what you’re up to.”
Chapter Nine
Suds
Cooped up for too long, I pace the one-bedroom apartment. As much as I like spending time with my kid, I need to be on the street, solving shit, not stuck in a safe house. Where the hell is my nanny-guard and why the fuck hasn’t my wife called? Her plane should’ve landed ten minutes ago.
I check my phone once again and as I do, a message appears.
Sam: I’m here.
Me: K. Text Slate. He’s sent a driver.
Sam: Copy that. Call you in a few. <3
After pacing for a quarter of an hour, I answer her ring. “Babe?”
“Hey tough guy. Thanks, but I’m perfectly capable of calling an Uber.”
In the background engines roar and horns honk. She must be jogging because she huffs between words. Then, a metal door slams, the noises subside, and I assume she’s made it to the car.
“Was it worth the trip? Did you learn anything?” Placing her on speaker phone, I scoop up Mikey and toss him in the air until he giggles.
A few miles away, Sam laughs too. “Yeah. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”
“Is Dash with you?”
“No, and he’s one of the things we need to discuss.”
