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“We’re not,” I reply.
She doesn’t believe me. She keeps looking at Elias and Finn for some kind of confirmation that we are on board with her, but it never comes. Derrick, on the other hand, keeps staring at me with cold eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line.
I reckon he knows what’s coming, and he clearly isn’t the type who can handle rejection. I do need to give him room to try and bargain with us, however, if only to make sure our PI has enough time to do everything he was asked.
“So, here’s the thing. It sounds enticing, it really does,” I say, keeping my tone as calm and as friendly as possible. It’s a mission at this point, considering that the woman of our dreams more or less just flew out of our lives mere moments ago. “My partners and I have gone over the figures, the projections. It seems like a good investment. As good as any new crypto investment can possibly be. But I don’t think it’s going to work for us in the long-term.”
Elias’s phone buzzes. He checks it and shows me the screen. A text from Mira with way too many question marks. I’m guessing she spoke to Amaya about what just happened.
“Kace, you don’t understand,” Ramada says. “It’s a sure thing.”
“Nothing is really sure with crypto,” I shoot back, then look at Derrick. “Surely, a man with your experience in fintech can agree.”
He smiles. It’s the kind of smile that turns my stomach inside out. “Thing is, Kace, nothing is really sure with crypto when you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve worked in the field for long enough to understand that we can control the market with the right tools.”
“Said tools being your Discord buddies,” Elias replies.
“That’s where the speculation starts. Always.” Derrick says.
Leon sighs heavily, scratching his black beard. “I understand the concerns, Kace, I really do. But if my financial advisors were able to clear this, yours should too.”
“We are our financial advisors,” Finn says. “And it isn’t the kind of thing we’re willing to invest in. Not right now.”
“We’ll be more than happy to pitch in later down the road,” I reply. “If I see your currency go up in the next month or so, I’ll be the first to go ahead and buy at a higher rate.”
Derrick doesn’t look too happy about our decision, and I know precisely why that is. He just can’t say it out loud. Not in front of Ramada and Leon, his ignorant stooges.
Elias and I exchange quick glances. He knows what he must do next. He and Finn can take it from here.
“The bottom line is that I will not be getting involved,” I say and get up. “You are more than welcome to keep trying with Elias and Finn, if you insist. But it’s a no on my part. Good day.”
“What about my bid for the estate?” Ramada asks, all doe-eyed and exceptionally annoying.
I give her a wry smile. “You’d have to be an idiot to think we’d actually sell this place. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a conference call to take.”
“It’s your loss, Kace,” Derrick says. He watches me as I leave the office and head outside, the three of them staying behind. Just as I suspected, he’s not done trying to pitch his scheme with Elias and Finn, despite the rejection from me. “I can pull up more projections and an additional analysis of the current market, if you want,” I hear him say to my friends and partners. “I’ve put all of my money into this, that’s how certain I am.”
“And how much did Ramada put in?” Finn asks.
The more they talk, the better. Our PI just advised me that he’s done with Derrick’s room. He’s going into Ramada’s, next. Good. I’m dying to gather as much dirt on them as possible. They’re cocky and arrogant. I’m sure they’re hiding something.
Ramada is a complete idiot, but if left to her bitter devices, she could become a problem in the future. I’m not a fan of dirty games, yet sometimes I have no choice but to play them, purely for the purpose of self-preservation.
If only my head were clear enough for me to keep leading that conversation.
But it’s not. Amaya’s decision to leave us hit me like a ton of bricks. I can barely breathe, let alone function in my usual, steely parameters. Pleasure is pleasure. Business is business. But when my future and my most ardent desire are jeopardized, I can’t think straight.
I need to figure out what’s going on with Amaya. So I dial Mira’s number and hit the Call button.
“Hi, Mira. We need to talk.”
Two hours later, I’m in Sacramento to meet with Mira over a quick lunch. She’ll be there until Sunday to be with Amaya, that much I know. The situation is delicate, to say the least, but I have to find a way to resolve it. I have to get Amaya back. None of this makes any sense.
The restaurant is quaint and cozy enough to give us some privacy at a corner table. It’s not too busy at this hour. The food order arrives quickly along with our drinks. Mira keeps staring at her glass, understandably uncomfortable. I get it.
“Listen, I know it couldn’t have been easy for you to come here,” I say, trying to get her to open up. “But you’ve built a long-lasting friendship with Elias, and you know the three of us well enough to understand that we’re not bad guys.”
“God, yes,” Mira chuckles awkwardly. “I don’t think that at all.”
