Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Fifteen minutes later, I'm still digging around in my system, looking for breaches when Bandera walks in.
"Need me?" I ask, giving him a quick glance before looking back at my computer screens.
"Not really," he says as he pulls out a chair at the massive table and falls into it.
"I thought you were on Morgan duty today?"
"Heathen took over so I can hit the strip in a little while," he says with a big yawn as he rubs both eyes with the backs of his hands. "These overnights are making me miserable."
"I can imagine," I say, trying to commiserate with him, but I work non-stop myself. "Have you found anything useful?"
"I've handed out cards to a lot of women, but I haven't found anyone underage yet. Their lives have been filled with so much pain and disappointment they don't exactly trust some guy with a business card and a promise to get them help."
"That sucks," I say, wishing I had something a little more helpful or at least sophisticated to say.
I have no idea what it takes to go undercover, to pretend to be someone I'm not. My place has always been at the keyboard, and although I know I'm helpful in the best way I can be, it still leaves part of me feeling more than a little separated from these guys. They put their lives on the line. They get into situations where someone could turn on them and put a bullet in their head for merely saying the wrong word.
The crazy part is Henry has somehow managed to morph himself into both categories. He's both the IT genius and the man who can look someone in the eye, tell them the world is flat, and have them believe it in seconds. His ability to manipulate people is a skill he's been honing since he was a child.
"I feel the need to tell you that Henry was able to get into my system," I confess, waiting for the man to jump up and berate me for letting it happen in the first place.
"How?"
I swallow before lifting my eyes from the screen and directing them toward him.
"I added a program that allows me to chat with Morgan while she's at work, and he backdoored me."
"Did you fix it?"
"I haven't found anything else, but I've locked everything down again. If I know Henry, he did it just because he could."
Bandera stands, running his massive hand over the top of his head.
"Don't forget he put that woman in your path for a reason," he says before walking out of the room.
Chapter 27
Morgan
I feel like I'm walking on clouds when I use the computer system at my desk to clock myself out for the day.
I bounce toward the elevator, anxious to get back to the house so I can see Robert. The ride down is smooth, having the entire thing to myself. As much as I wish it were Robert waiting for me, I know that's not how these guys work.
I give Bandera a little wave, waiting by the elevator for him to pull the SUV up so I can climb inside.
"I thought Ellis was going to pick me up today?" I say as I settle in the seat and pull the belt across my shoulder before clicking it into place.
He'd told me as much this morning. Apparently, he's been working nights and is the one awake during my commute to work so it just works out better for everyone if he's the one to drop me off. He's also been the one to pick me up, but I've worked out that someone else has been sitting in the parking garage all damn day in case something bad happens and they need to get to me quickly.
"Something has come up, and I figured it would be best if I was the one here today," he says, offering no further explanation as the silence builds between us.
He drives regularly, his attention somehow on the road and everywhere else at once. From the way his gaze shifts from front to side to rearview mirror, you'd think he was planning for some sort of attack. Yet, I somehow feel absolutely safe with him.
He pulls in a deep breath, releasing it with a sigh.
"Do you have a problem with me seeing Robert?" I ask as he makes the final turn onto the street where their house is so we can enter through the gate onto the property.
"Is it going to cause problems in the house?" he asks, his eyes never moving in my direction.
I open my mouth to tell him no, but I can't be sure that's the truth because Twisted isn't even close to being okay with the time I've been spending with their IT guy.
"I don't know," I answer honestly.
He pulls in another deep breath before speaking. "Do you plan to work your way through the guys in the house?"