Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Seems like she often helps herself to information,” Caesar commented.
“I’d be suspicious of everyone as well,” Rocco said. He was proud of her for being proactive. She’d survived long enough to make it to him.
Magnus pointed to a green light at the top of Sadie’s picture. “There’s no chatter on the web now about her. That light will change when the computer picks up something. I’ll start digging into her old boss. Considering his current criminal activity, there’s no way this is his first rodeo. I bet that guy has a history of breaking the law. Nailing him down for a long list of crimes might be the best way to put an end to the threat against Sadie.”
Rocco nodded. Magnus had a good point. The easiest way to get this asshole off his Little girl’s back would be to ensure he got arrested and taken out of commission. All Rocco needed was a bit of patience. He would do everything in his power to protect Sadie, but in the end, they would need to take down Sylvester Pushkin.
“Can you leave that indicator up?” Rocco requested. “And could I have a copy of that information to study?”
“Give me a minute.” Magnus typed commands into the computer. “I’ve sent it to your Danger Bluff email.”
“I have a Danger Bluff email?” Rocco asked.
“We were all set up with social media, email, and phones,” Caesar shared. “All the information is in your locker. It opens with your fingerprint. We were going to come get you in a while to get your prints in the system, but you were busy.”
Rocco looked back at Magnus. “You’ve got eyes all over the resort? Inside and out?”
“Everywhere but the creepy places.” With a few keystrokes, Magnus changed the large display of Sadie at work to a view of the exterior of the building for a few seconds before it rotated to display the interior again. “No bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. Everywhere else shows up on the screens.”
“What is Kingsley expecting to happen here?” Rocco asked, looking at each man gathered around him.
“That’s a very good question that we’ve all asked. There must be a threat we need to prepare to handle,” Phoenix suggested.
“Possibly more than one,” Caesar added.
Rocco nodded. “I’m just going to ask. Is there anything the team needs to know about any of you?”
No one offered any information but looked steadily back at him.
“Then I’m going to trust each of you. It seems like we need to have a team we can rely on. Any suggestions of where we start?”
“You need to explore the contents of your locker. The rest of us are a step ahead of you,” Magnus informed him. “Before you do that, let’s get your prints in the system so you won’t have to guess Open Sesame next time in the elevator.”
Rocco stepped forward and lifted his hand to the machine.
Within seconds, the computer whiz nodded at him. “You’re done.”
“Thanks. I’ll check out my locker down here. Then I guess I also need to ensure the climbing equipment is in good shape and secure it,” Rocco said.
“We were all just heading out," Kestrel said. “I vote we have dinner together each day. Tonight, let’s talk about any security risks we see in our areas. We need to stay connected and informed. If nothing happens and we get sick of each other, we can drop the idea.”
The others nodded their agreement.
Chapter Seven
A large pot of spaghetti sat in the middle of the table in their common area in the basement. Since Kestrel had suggested having dinner together, he’d ordered and picked up the food from the rudimentary kitchen where the chefs were trying out recipes. They’d set everything on a cart, and Kestrel had escorted it down the elevator. When the doors had opened, the delicious smell alone had lured everyone to their dining area.
Rocco looked at the other five men filling the sturdy chairs at the table. With a shrug, Magnus stood and helped himself to a heaping plate of pasta before passing the dish to Phoenix. The silence in the room made the scraping of serving utensils seem deafening.
Phoenix was the first to break the silence. “Considering what we learned today about Sadie, I think we can safely assume we’re going to be dealing with some challenging assignments, which means we probably need a game plan that includes beefed-up security from every angle of this resort.”
Rocco couldn’t agree more, especially considering the first assignment wasn’t just a random woman who happened to be the reception manager. She was his Little. He had no doubts. He’d gone through the motions of familiarizing himself with his assigned task throughout the day, but he’d never gotten her out of his mind, and he couldn’t wait to see her again after the team finished their dinner.
Phoenix glanced at Rocco before continuing, “I’ll start. I’m in charge of maintenance. I used to be a fireman, so I’m always looking for areas of concern. I found a few safety issues that I’ll deal with, but mainly, I was impressed by the setup. There’s a maintenance schedule that’s online and automated. I also have a monthly printed schedule of everything that needs to be done,” he said as he piled his plate full. “I’ll rely on you all to tell me if some maintenance issue appears in your area of expertise.”