“Okay,” he sighed. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
His tone felt more ominous than usual. What could he have possibly found out about Kylie already?
“I’ll send you the link.”
“Randall, just tell me what’s going on.”
“Kylie has been busy.” He snickered. He was enjoying this. “She’s made inquiries on the dark web about making a purchase.”
“What do you mean?” I ran a hand through my hair. “Purchase what?”
“Tinley,” he grunted. “She’s inquiring about purchasing Tinley. Offered a 20% broker’s fee.”
That little sneak. “Where did you find this?”
“It wasn’t easy to connect her to it. She’s got some skills.” He seemed impressed. “I thought about not telling you so I could pick her brain.”
“Anyone reply?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s a legit inquiry, and she’s gotten two responses from what I have found.” His car turned off. “I was about to shut them down before they got into details; it was obviously some kind of scam. But I wanted your input?—”
“Send me the link and I’ll call you back.” I hung up, fired up my laptop, and bypassed Randall's security protocols to get onto the dark web. I found the link from a messaging server we used and clicked it.
He was spot on with the inquiry. Written on some message board I’d never heard of. Full write-up on her offer along with a request for a broker who can make it happen.
My head started throbbing. The site probably came to Randall’s attention because of the chatter. A lot of responses warned Kylie against getting into business with the Grants, who obviously had no connections to us or Tinley. Randall also directed me to two seemingly legitimate offers. One, with aphoto of Tinley on the casino floor from a few days ago. Another had some details of his connection to our organization. I read through more of his information. Diving a little further to see if I could figure out who he was.
A message popped up.
Randall: The first could be a hotel guest. The second, possibly a former employee.
I should have known Randall would already be on it. The other end of this was my responsibility. I called him back.
“How do you know it’s Kylie?” Not that I didn’t believe him, but I needed to know how the dots connected.
“I started at the message and worked backwards.” Randall continued to tell me his process like it was a bedtime story. It felt more like a nightmare. “My theories. Kylie’s working for someone else to destroy us. She blames us for her sister and is trying to destroy us. Or...”
I skimmed through more stuff on the site. Randall hadn’t finished his sentence.
“Or, what?”
“Oh, she truly thinks Tinley and Rayna are being held against their will, and she’s collecting evidence . . . to destroy us.”
“Fuck.” I rubbed my face. “And I just offered her a front row seat to our organization.”
“Kyler’s going to love this,” Randall chuckled, and this time, I was sure he meant it.
Here’s hoping Kyler had found his sense of humor.
CHAPTER 5
KYLIE
After changing five times, I settled on a simple black sheath dress and cinched it with a black belt. I covered it with a cropped white cable-knit cardigan, something I had purchased once I realized how boring my normal wardrobe had become after five years with the bureau. The shoes were standard issue and surprisingly comfortable and stylish–black leather pumps you could wear to meet the president or to run down a murderer if the situation arose.
I grabbed my purse and phone and headed down to meet Patrick. He stood near the concierge desk, speaking to two gentlemen in matching Quadrangle guard staff uniforms of black slacks and black polos. The gold Quad logo stitched on the left chest. They each had firearms on their right hips, holding their phones. The practically invisible earpiece fascinated me. I wondered if they had to be turned on or if it was continuously broadcasting? Did it record? Would I be required to wear a uniform?
Patrick spotted me, nodded and waved me over while finishing his conversation with the two gentlemen. The cornerof his mouth turned up in an attempt at a smile, but he stopped it. His eyes darkened as if he had to steady his resolve around me. Professionalism was the name of the game. Even though the dark suit he wore appeared painted on his muscular frame. It made my heart flutter. He was back to clean-shaven, and his hair was styled and tame. The man was gorgeous.
