Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 143779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Before he could say anything else, the big guy was walking toward them again.
“She has sent the proper paperwork,” Taylor said, a bit friendlier now. “Sorry. Ms. LaVigne is a nice lady, and we’ve had some trouble lately. I had to make sure you were legit.”
“Yeah, I heard there was a break-in.” Hutch took the opening. “Is that something I should worry about? Do I need to get Noelle a better security system?”
Taylor waved that off. “No. Not at all. It was a complete fluke. The whole building is smart. Truly state of the art and integrated. Everything from the security system to the entertainment systems and lighting to the fridge is smart.”
“Then what happened?”
“I have my own theory, but it’s up for debate,” Taylor allowed. “Our security is pretty tight. There’s always at least one guard on duty. Residents have a keycard to get into the building. As you learned, if a guest comes in without a resident, they have to check in and are logged into the security roll. We have cameras in every hallway. The parking garage is secure, too.”
“Then how did someone get in?” MaeBe asked.
Taylor shrugged. “Possibly came in with a resident. Maybe even with the resident herself. She has a lot of people over, and at odd times. She claims she locked the door and when she came back it was unlocked and her laptop was taken. That was the only thing they took. The place wasn’t trashed or anything. Now the odd thing is we’ve got nothing on camera. I think she might be committing insurance fraud. I think she either lost it and doesn’t want to admit it or she wants her renter’s insurance to pay for a new computer. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Or there were blind spots in the system, and someone knew where they were. He was still curious.
He heard the sound of elevator doors opening behind him. It was time to get upstairs and start figuring out how to shut down all that smart tech because that smart tech could be used to watch them.
“I appreciate the information. I feel better about having Noelle here,” Hutch said. “And if you’ll get me the paperwork, I’ll fill it all out. I’m moving in with Noelle permanently. My brother is only staying with us until he can convince his girlfriend here to let him move in.”
Hey, Kyle had done that to himself by introducing MaeBe to Jessica Layne.
Kyle stopped staring at him, but MaeBe immediately moved to Kyle’s side, threading her arm through his and cuddling up.
“I’m a little wary. He’s like the best, but are we there yet? I don’t know. I think we need a couple of weeks.” Perhaps MaeBe was way more ready to be a field agent than he gave her credit for. “He could be a crazy dude.”
“I am not a crazy dude.” But Kyle pulled her close.
The woman who’d walked out of the elevator stopped. She was probably thirty and strode forward with confidence, her reusable shopping bags in hand. “I’m sorry. Did you say you were Noelle’s boyfriend? Because the last I checked she didn’t have one.”
Ah, the one friend she’d made here. This was the only person in Noelle’s life he was worried about. On the car ride over, he’d questioned her thoroughly on everyone she was close to in the building. She’d only really spent time with one woman—her next-door neighbor, who’d moved in after she had. After Noelle had taken a serious job tackling an important scientific issue in a lab that could potentially solve it.
Cara Dover was a pretty woman in a yellow sundress, a pair of sandals on her feet. According to Noelle, she worked as a freelance journalist. That word freelance always made him suspicious.
It was a good cover for a spy. It was one he’d used before when he’d been with the CIA.
It was the cover he’d used to make his way from Africa to Europe on the most dangerous mission of his career. God, today he’d thought too much about Hope McDonald and the torture he’d endured to bring her down.
He gave her his best smile. “You must be Cara. Noelle told me all about you. She said you were her closest friend here.”
He was pushing a narrative he hoped she picked up. He knew exactly what he looked like. Blandly handsome. All-American good looks. Muscled but not threatening. He used his relative pleasantness to his advantage as often as he could.
The same way Noelle did. Even if she didn’t realize that was what she did. She coped. She found value in what most people would consider weakness.
Cara stopped, considering him. “Yes, I am, and I’m confused. I saw her when she came back from visiting her dad. She didn’t mention you at all.”
Yes, he’d thought this could be a problem. “I didn’t fly back with her. We made the decision for me to move in over the weekend, and I had some loose ends to tie up.”