“Landy?” I click on an email and frown. “She hasn’t found anything about the drugs but is following another lead. Something about selling stolen data.”
“Can you see when the next shipment is due?”
“Not yet but there is something else you should see.” Opening a trail of messages, I read the last, stop, and stare.
“Holy fu…” Remembering my son, I rephrase. “…frig-o-la.”
“What?” Dishtowel tossed aside, my gorgeous hunk stares over my shoulder at the screen.
I point out a blueprint. “It says here, Smart Sissy can be turned on remotely, even before the user inserts a battery.”
“And that’s bad, why?”
“Well, it was supposed to be used for troubleshooting but…” I emulate his southern accent. “Daaaamn.”
“Sugar?”
“I don’t believe it. Look. CloudTekToys is auctioning their customer’s data to the highest bidder.”
“So? The other day I clicked on a message by accident and now I’m getting hundreds of ads to solve my erectile dysfunction.”
“This is different. Turning on a device without someone knowing is like… tapping their phone or hiding a camera in their living room.”
Suds nods. “Go on, I’m following you.”
“Now, think of the typical consumer. Not many people have five hundred bucks to spend on a doll. You’re talking CEO’s, investment brokers, senators… Basically, this high-tech corporation is spying on the most influential people in the US.”
“Do you think Dash is aware?”
“Maybe. Who knows? What a mess. It’s bad enough we’re in a safe house. This is too much.”
“C’mon now, sugar. I’ve never heard you give up before.”
“But think about it. We have The Kings gunning for our family, an insurance company ready to sue us, and now, a toymaker involved in espionage. What else could possibly go wrong?”
“Aliens?”
“I’m serious, Suds.”
“Okay. I have an idea to solve one of our problems. I was thinking. How about we ask the DEA to let it be known they were about to seize the truck when it blew up. Instead of Slate, we say Vincent did it.”
“Wow. The gang will think my uncle did them a favor. That’s a hell of a big lie.”
“Well, there’s been a lot of them going around, lately. I already bounced it off the Patten guys and they’re all on board.”
“It’s worth a try but we should probably come clean.”
“The decision is entirely up to you.” My husband raises his brows. The reason we didn’t involve the FEDs was because my Uncle Vinny stole the dolls, intending to steal them back and sell them himself.
While my hubby and I would have no problem putting the mobster in jail, half of my family would disown us.
An arriving text from Dash disrupts my thoughts. He asks me to call him back, so I put my phone on speaker and hit his number.
When he picks up, I ask, “What’s up?”
“I found intel on the next shipment and am sending it to you. Follow my data. I want you to make sure no one steals the next batch of toys.”
Hanging up, I shake my head. “I don’t think he suspects us.”
