Ramon watched the signal bar move from left to right, the percentage rising as his tablet downloaded the entire database this company had on their network. It got to 72% before he heard them coming.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Ramon looked at the open door and saw it was Bear staring back at him.
“Isn’t that how the saying goes?”
The tablet in his hands vibrated to indicate the download was complete, and Ramon pulled out the cord. “Is it?”
Half of the team stared at him from the doorway, keeping him contained in the server room with nowhere to go. Ramon didn’t mind facing off with them—in fact, it was the entire point of him being here.
Bear seemed confused, not that the guy let any emotion be obvious on his face. “Please tell me you didn’t wipe the system.”
“I only copied it. And I’m willing to share.” Ramon motioned with a lift of his chin. “Did you guys see the janitor on your way in?”
“We took care of him.” That was Hollace, looking over Bear’s shoulder.
Ramon flinched. “Tell me you didn’t kill him.”
Bear shook his head. “We just knocked him out. You hacked the surveillance?”
“I’m guessing that’s Maizie’s handiwork?” Hollace asked.
“You’re welcome.”
Bear looked around, not that there was anything in this closet out of view. Or anyone. “Where is the rest of the team?”
“This isn’t a Banbury Investigations operation. I’m doing this on my own,” Ramon said. “Trying to find out more aboutDominatusfrom this system.”
They knew as well as he did that this company was connected to that group. After all, it was why they were here.
Hollace looked at Bear, but neither of them said anything. If they weren’t going to be forthcoming, then Ramon was going to have a hard time convincing them to let him in on their plans.
“Kenna is busy with Jax, getting ready to have their baby. Zeyla and Maizie are working cases together. Who knows what Amara and Bruce are doing.” Ramon shrugged.
He needed to convince them to let him be a part of their team. “That leaves me floating around, trying to figure out how to fix this. Because there’s got to be a more decisive way to take care of the threat than waiting to see whatDominatusis going to do next.”
He waved the tablet a little bit so they would know he was the one who had the information. Hopefully, they would guess that he had only come here and retrieved it first to force them to accept the fact that he was capable of being an asset to their group.
That was true, even if the rest of what he said was somewhat more dubious.
Ramon said, “But maybe we could have this conversation somewhere other than in the closet?”
Hollace grinned. Bear backed up, his expression a little more inscrutable, given the beard that covered the lower half of his face. Most of his team was more clean-cut than he was, but he had that Special Forces air to him, where grooming standards were more relaxed.
Bear looked one way down the hall, then the other, and finally motioned for Ramon to exit the closet.
Was he supposed to call the guysir?
Ramon walked out into the hall. “You guys were here for this, right?” He waved the tablet again.
Hollace reached for it, and Ramon turned, moving it out of the other man’s reach. There was a third member of the team in this hallway as well. All of them bristled, apparently unaccustomed to Hollace not getting whatever he wanted.
“I’m willing to trade if you’re open to coming to an agreement.” Ramon looked around.
Bear was clearly in charge, no matter that all the guys on his team were alpha males. But Ramon still wanted to get a read on what they all thought.
What he needed was for them to invite him to be a part of their team.
