“Moretti,” he greets me, extending his hand. Even though every inch of me wants to clock the guy in the jaw and take him down for every depraved act I know he’s responsible for, I don’t. We’re playing the long game here. I take his hand, shaking it firmly.
“Mr. Helix. A pleasure.” I gesture to Akio. “This is my business partner, Akio Savage. He’s our IT genius, as I’m sure you’ve heard.”
“Of course,” he shakes Akio’s hand next. “Your reputation precedes you. I’ve heard only the best.” Sebastian turns back toward the chairs. “This is my associate, Clay Ensling. He’ll be joining us. If this partnership works out, then he’ll be your first point of contact.”
I take a breath before turning my practiced smile on Clay.Fucking Clay. I extend my hand to him and squeeze a little harder than necessary. “Looking forward to it.”
We take our seats, and after denying Sebastian’s offer of a drink, we get down to business.
“As you know, the recent allegations against Councilman Rogers have put some scrutiny on my company,” Sebastian begins. “I’ve been wantingto increase our digital security measures for some time, but this gave me the push to pursue a partnership sooner rather than later.” He nods his head at Akio. “I hear Lunar Security is number one in cybersecurity in the country.”
“We are.” Akio pulls out his tablet, showing him a graphic of how our cybersecurity procedures would work. “After an assessment of your systems, we can form a customized security plan tailored to your needs.”
“I only want the best.”
I fight not to roll my eyes. “My assistant informed me you were interested in physical security, as well. Based on the media circus downstairs and what’s happening in your personal life, I think I may have some idea, but can you tell me a little more about your needs in that area?” I’m watching him closely, every tick, every smug grin. He doesn’t seem like a grieving father whose daughter is missing.
“Ah, yes, well. As CEO of Helix Enterprises I have a hectic schedule and have a hand in various areas of business. I work with a lot of different people, and there have been a few instances recently where…” he pauses, running a finger over his mouth. “Let’s just say stakes were high and tempers were even higher. Clay can attest to that.” He flicks a hand at his associate who is posed nearly the same way as his boss, one foot resting on a knee, his drink balanced on the other as he sprawls back in the chair. “Clay takes on the jobs that I am too busy for.” Whether the slight is intentional or not, I don’t fail to notice Clay's fingers tightening on his glass. “I’m looking to add a protection detail for each of us. Would that be possible?”
“We definitely have the manpower to provide those services, yes.”
“Good, good.” He runs a finger over the rim of his glass. “I would expect full discretion from your men. If they were to follow me to mymeetings, I mean, I would hope that whatever sensitive information is shared or brought to light would remain… between us.” His sharp green eyes – eyes so achingly familiar – flick to me. “Would Lunar Security be willing to add a discretion clause into our contract?”In other words, would my men look the other way when he’s trafficking people?
“I think that could be arranged,” I say with a nod. “With the proper incentive, of course.”
“Of course.” He tips his glass at me, meeting my gaze with a knowing look. “I’d be willing to pay extra for keeping any delicate matters under wraps.”
There’s a knock on the door before I can agree. It opens without Sebastian’s approval, which makes a vein pop in his temple. I crane my neck to look over my shoulder at who has the balls to face this man’s wrath.
“Shit,” I hear Akio whisper quietly enough for only me to hear.
A leggy blonde strides into the room, exuding an air of confidence that reminds me so much of my little menace.
Clay stands quickly, “Quinn, you can’t be in here right now.”
Quinn. As in Fallon’s best friend Quinn. As in Fallon’s best friend Quinn who has successfully hacked into our systems at our home on multiple occasions, and who possibly knows exactly who Cerberus is.
Fuck.
Each of her strides are purposeful as she ignores Clay’s warnings and aims for our group of chairs. Light green eyes land on me, then bounce to Akio and narrow. Shit. I grip the arms of my chair as she comes to a stop right in front of me, and wait for the ball to drop.
“Miss Cadieux,” Sebastian says evenly. “I’m in a meeting. Whatever it is, you need to wait.”
“I understand. I just thought you’d want the file you had me working on to give to Lunar Security.” He arches a brow at her. “The file you told me to pull on all of Fallon’s communication at work.” She grits her teeth, not hiding her frustration. “To help find Fallon.”
“Oh, yes. Right. Thank you.” He clears his throat and tosses a glance at me. An explosive rage ignites in my core and I have to bite my tongue hard to keep from reacting. This motherfucker clearly isn’t making his missing daughter a priority.
Clay takes the file from Quinn, and she turns to me and Akio. “I hope to see my friend againvery soon.” Then she’s marching for the door, leaving me blinking back my confusion.
Quinn obviously knows something about us and Fallon. Maybe not all of it, but she fucking knows. The question is, why didn’t she say anything to Sebastian? This would have been her perfect opportunity to call us out.
Akio and I exchange glances.
“Sorry about that,” Sebastian says, tossing the file on the coffee table between us. “But that brings me to my final need. My daughter, Fallon, you’ve heard that she’s missing?”
“We have,” Akio answers, and I can see the spark of his own outrage of Sebastian’s indifference to his missing daughter. “Do you have any idea what might have happened to her?”
To my irritation, Clay speaks up. “Fallon is a free spirit.”Free spirit? More like a ball buster.“She does whatever she wants. For the first week, we thought maybe she’d just gone off on a trip without telling us.”
