Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 419(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 419(@300wpm)
* * * *
Deke walked through the main lounge, letting Josh Hunt do most of the work. He was the one who knew the club, after all.
“This is where most of the members begin and end their evenings,” Josh explained. Byrne had been gamely following them for fifteen minutes, asking questions every now and then, but mostly listening. “The bar is fully stocked, but alcohol is limited to one drink before play. After, you’re welcome to have as much as you like, though the bartender will take your keys if he thinks you’ve had too much.”
“Well, I’ll have a driver most of the time,” Byrne replied. “Though I drove us here tonight. I didn’t want to bring anyone else into it until you decide on my membership.”
They moved further into the lounge, Josh introducing Byrne around.
Deke hung back.
“I think I’m going to go find MaeBe.” Kyle had been by his side, despite the fact that he wanted to be velcroed to his girl.
“We’re meeting up with them in ten minutes or so. Stay calm, man.” The last thing he needed was a Kyle freak out. “We get through tonight so we can do the job tomorrow.”
“Something’s wrong with Jane,” Kyle insisted.
Kyle hadn’t even been there when they’d met Jane. He’d been in the office talking to Drake, who’d been glued to his computer for hours. Kyle had been holed up with him for much of the time, but both men were being quiet about what they were up to. He was going to have a long talk with Kyle tonight because he needed backup tomorrow—not a dude who looked like he was working with the Agency again. “What’s wrong with Jane? Give me something I can work with.”
Kyle huffed. “I don’t know, but Drake’s looking into it. He needs more time. Have we thought about the fact that she shouldn’t be around MaeBe?”
“Jane checked out. MaeBe didn’t find anything wrong with her background,” Deke whispered, frustration welling. “She’s got years of data, and MaeBe didn’t think it’s been faked. She checked it with her contacts at the actual platforms. Do you not believe that MaeBe is capable of doing her job?”
“Of course not. She’s great, but there are people out there who can do terrible things and she won’t even be able to conceive that it could happen,” Kyle countered. “Have we considered that Jane could be The Consortium agent?”
“Maddie didn’t…” He realized something he hadn’t thought of before. “I never had her look at Jane’s file. There didn’t seem to be a reason since we were meeting her in person. But she didn’t say anything tonight. Surely she would have seen her in the locker room.”
“Unless she was already wearing that mask,” Kyle pointed out. “We don’t know how quickly she put it on. She was already wearing a wig when she and Byrne got here.”
“All right.” He hadn’t thought to talk to Maddie about the background checks. He’d wanted to spend his time with her on other things. “I’ll have Maddie take a look at the pictures we have of her. Is there something else that bothers you? Something new?”
Kyle hadn’t liked Jane since he’d first taken a look at her picture.
Kyle’s jaw tightened. “When she walked in tonight, I noticed something. She was wearing a pendant. It’s the same pendant I gave to my partner, the one who died. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
He’d noticed the necklace. It was a lot like one Charlotte wore. He knew it was expensive because Ian had moaned about it for weeks. “Because she’s wearing a necklace?”
“Because she’s wearing that necklace,” Kyle insisted.
“A lot of women have similar necklaces,” Deke replied. “Charlotte has one, though it’s blue and not black. I think it’s popular among wealthier women.”
“Things have been happening lately, and I’ve started to wonder if they’re all coincidences. My family has had a terrible run of luck. MaeBe’s had some, too. What if Julia had friends in The Consortium and they’re fucking with me? What if they’re coming after my family? Wearing that necklace would be a way to taunt me. I bought that necklace for Julia. I put it around her throat when I thought we were meant to be, before I found out she was a psychotic narcissist. Julia could be charming. People liked Julia. What if one of her sisters in that group wants revenge on me?” Kyle asked.
Deke moved back, making sure Josh still had Byrne’s attention. Another actor had joined them and was shaking Byrne’s hand. Jared Johns. He’d played Dart on TV for years, and it looked like Byrne was a fan. Excellent.
He pulled out the cell phone he wasn’t supposed to be carrying and quickly dialed Boomer.
“Hey,” Boomer said.
“Have you seen anything weird tonight?” Deke asked, well aware that Kyle was giving him cover and likely listening in.