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“He’s not wrong. And my squad isn’t the only one that notices. We all know that if Cypher says there’s a leak, there is one. He can figure out if it’s a tech issue or an insider, and often will tell you who the insider is. I’ve never known of him being wrong.”

“It happens,” Cypher put in. “I’m not infallible, just thorough.”

“Far more thorough than most of the men I’ve dealt with before,” Thomas said with a shrug.

“And women,” Colleen put in again.

“True but the field is male dominated. I’m not sure I’ve ever worked with a woman who does quite what Cypher does.”

“If all you knew was his handle and his signature, how were you sure that Cypher wasn’t a woman?” Colleen asked, her tone curious instead of challenging.

Thomas tilted his head as he turned to stare at his wife for several seconds.

“Point taken.”

“It’s still pretty male dominated, but there are more women on my side of the keyboard than most people are aware of. That’s one of the great things about a handle. You can be anyone you want to be and not have to worry about being told this isn’t for you, little girl.” Cypher shook his head a moment then looked back to Lauren’s father. “Any more questions or doubts about me or the Warriors?”

“No. If you’re agency knows where and who you are here, and they’re good with it, then so am I. And knowing what I know about you, I have no doubt you’ll do everything to keep my little girl safe. I would like to have a word or two with you about how this managed to happen in the first place, but I don’t need everyone here for that. I’d prefer it be just you and I.”

Cypher nodded. He wanted a chance to talk to her father in private too.

Chapter Forty

Lauren wanted to sink through the floor as Dad told Cypher he wanted to have a word with him in private. She wasn’t sure what would be said, but she was sure she didn’t want to know. There was little doubt, at least in her mind, that it would be about her, or at least her safety. As if she wasn’t an adult who could make decisions for herself. And not even a young adult or what was the term she’d heard someone use the other day? New adult. It had struck her as oddly fitting.

Yes, someone was an adult, at least legally. And she liked the phrase far better than ‘Adultier adult’. She couldn’t even be considered a new adult, and the thought that the men, both Dad and Cypher would think they need to discuss her behind her back made her want to spit nails.

She kept her ire to herself as she said goodbye to Wrath and Cyclone.

“Do you think Elizabeth would like some company later? If you think it’s okay, I thought I might take Mom over to meet Charlie.”

“She would. And it would give me a chance to go up to the clubhouse and get a few things done. Come on over whenever you’re ready. I’m sure she’d love to see you, and meet your folks.” Hex patted her on the shoulder, then nodded to Cypher and left.

“Charlie?” Mom asked.

“Their daughter. She’s only a few weeks old and he doesn’t like leaving Elizabeth alone for too long.”

“Why not? Doesn’t he trust her? Is she battling postpartum depression?” Mom said with a scowl.

“No, nothing like that,” Lauren said with a shake of her head. “It’s a couple of things. First, he’s head over heels for that little girl and half the time he takes her into the office with him. Second, he wants to make sure Elizabeth has time to heal and rest. He’s taking care of both of them. It’s really sweet.” Her gaze flicked to Cypher, and she couldn’t help but think of how gentle he’d been with her and how he’d taken care of her afterward, until she’d been ready to pull her hair out and scream that she was injured not an invalid.

As soon as the door closed behind Hex, Lauren spun and pinned Dad with a glare.

“You need to talk to Cypher about me? Is there some reason you can’t talk to me?”

“It’s not like that, baby.”

Lauren folded her arms across her chest.

“Oh? Care to explain how you going to him instead of me,” she flung one hand in Cypher’s direction then put it back in place folded with the other, “is in anyway wrong?”

“It’s not about you, well, not exactly. I wanted to talk to him about what kind of security he’s got in place. Yes, I want to keep you safe, but you’re my little girl. I always want to keep you safe.” Dad held his hands open in front of his chest as if showing her he was unarmed. “You’re smart and competent, but he’s the hacker. He’s been around the club a lot longer than you have. And unless I miss my mark, he’s designed a good portion of the security around here. That’s what I wanted to talk to him about. As well as something I need his help with at work.”

“And about work. How did you get the time to just flit down here without any notice?”

Dad flushed.

“Flit? And we were worried. You would talk to us but there was always an excuse not to video chat. Every call, for almost two weeks. You’ve turned down video before, but never for more than a day or two. Your mother was convinced something was wrong. When she brought it to me, I couldn’t disagree. So, I took some family time.”