"I bet you can," I said. "So can I."
"If you keep talking about pockets, you're going to distract me," Archer deadpanned.
"Too late for me, I'm already distracted." Cass wiggled his eyebrows, but turned back to his laptop as a message from Archer popped up. He leaned over his keyboard and went to work.
After a few minutes, he shook his head. "I'm not finding anything that connects the names Archer sent me to him. Either all the transactions are under fake names, or he's not blackmailing them financially."
"Or at all." I conceded that was a possibility.
"That too," Cass agreed. "Give me a few minutes to work on the stock market angle."
I pulled out a chair and sat near enough to watch them both work, but far enough to give them space. I'd distracted them enough. I didn't need to distract them any further. As much as I'd like to be distracted, this was important.
Eventually, Cass said, "There's five, possibly six transactions within the last twelve months that look suspicious as fuck. Companies that were basically nothing up until the day after he invested in them. Then boom, their stocks soared. One is an insurance company. A couple of tech companies. One was barely more than a start-up. And now it's worth billions. Damn, I wish I invested in it." He grimaced. "I'd be worth a shit ton right now."
The stock market was risky for a reason, unless you had inside information. Personally, I stayed away from risks likethat. I was conservative with my money at the best of times; I preferred to invest in myself.
Cass grinned. "He just made a healthy donation to a shelter downtown. That should keep them open for the next decade or so." He looked pleased with himself.
"I love that for him," I said with a smile. "Can he trace that back to us?"
"If he has someone working for him who's really good," Cass said.
"Can youmakeit traceable?" I asked. "I want him to know we're onto him."
"If he gets angry, he'll make a mistake," Archer said.
I propped my elbows on the table and rested my chin on my hands. "Exactly. We start fucking with him. He's going to want to fuck back sooner. Now we know who he is, it'll be easier to deal with him."
I'd expected him to come after us, but so far there was no sign he had. Either he was unaware of us, or he was biding his time. Either way, it'd be his last mistake.
Cass adjusted his glasses and stared down at his screen. For the longest time he sat like that before he smiled and tapped at his keyboard.
"He just made another large transaction. His purchases will be delivered to his apartment later today." He turned the screen toward me.
I squinted then, started to laugh. "You didn't?" I asked, a hand over my mouth.
"Better believe I did." Cass was laughing too.
"What?" Archer peered over. He blinked a couple of times, then surprised me by barking a laugh.
"I bow down to you," he said to Cass, "That's fucking epic. I wish I thought of it."
"Thanks bro." Cass turned his laptop back around and tapped at the screen. He was still smiling, amused by what he'd done and pleased with the praise from an unexpected source. He'd actually made Archer laugh.
"I think we know what we need to do this afternoon, gentlemen," I said. "We need to be there when that delivery arrives."
Cass' eyes widened. "Can we?"
"How could we not?" I asked. I couldn't wait to see the look on Zeus's face when that delivery arrived. To say he'd be pissed was an understatement. He'd learn not to fuck with us.
When we fucked back, it was expensive and hilarious.
"What are we up to over here, boys and girls?" Boner stepped through the front door and over to the table. He placed one hand on the back of my chair, and one on Cass’. "Did you miss us? What fun have you been having without us?"
I'd missed him. It was quiet around here without the Englishman. More than that, though, I didn't like him and Jules being away from the apartment and out of my sight.
"This." Cass nodded toward the screen.
