Page 33 of Perfect Chaos

I give up my pasting after a while, choosing to lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling instead. There isn’t much I can actually do at the moment anyway. Right around noon, my phone chimes with a notification from the encrypted texting app signaling a message from Ramos.

R: Find something for me?

G: Not exactly. I have a decent lead. The problem is I ran into a bit of an issue.

R: What happened?

G: I was able to track all of Vin’s known LLCs back to one of two shell companies. One seems to be for the legal side of his operation while the other seems to be for his underground activities.

R: And the problem?

G: I wasn’t able to hack into the shell company yet. I was close. I almost got through the last firewall but was blocked and someone definitely knows I was trying to get in.

R: How do you know?

G: That's the part I am going to need your help with. Whatever hacker Vin has on his payroll is good. They bypassed everything I had set on my laptop and completely wiped it right after they sent a lovely message telling me to stay away.

R: How am I supposed to help you with that? Also, do they know it was you?

G: I don’t think it was traced back to me. I went out of my way to not have anything identifiable linked to the laptop I was using, but there is never a guarantee in this type of work. You know that better than I do. As far as your help goes, I need a new laptop. Something with at least 32GB of RAM and a multi- core processor. I also need a secure portable wifi router, preferably a Netgear Nighthawk, but anything would be more secure than bouncing my actual wifi connection.

R: Done. Meet me tonight to get it.

G: Time and place?

R: 6 PM, the usual spot.

The green light next to his chat name disappears, indicating that he logged off. He didn’t have to wait for my answer; he already knows I will be there. That gives me six hours until I need to leave the house. It’s probably a smart idea to try and get some sleep.

Chapter Eighteen

Atlas

I didn’t intend to give Gavin the mask this morning. My original plan was to watch how things play out between them but it’s pretty clear Gavin needs a shove in order to get his head out of his ass and I happened to have an extra mask on hand. It probably should have been a more in-depth conversation before I invited him to the woods but the man is smart enough to figure out what the invite was for. I don’t like the idea of forcing him to decide by tonight but he has to. Maizyn can’t deal with the back and forth with him. He has to fully commit to this or be done with it completely.

I left the house to give Gavin time to think. Plus, I needed to prepare a few things for tonight. I want to have all the supplies I could need on hand tonight in case Gavin does show up. My first stop was the sex shop in the next town over. I browse the store, placing anything that interests me into the basket. Lube, leather cuffs, vibrating butt plugs in a few different sizes, and a ball gag. The cashier tries flirting with me as I pay for my items. She is your average type of pretty, blonde and bubbly but that is not my type. I am relieved Maizyn wasn’t here because it would have become a big deal. My next stop was the grocery store for pain reliever, Pedialyte, and sour candy. My last stop is to survey the area to make sure it’s still safe enough for what I have planned tonight. Causing fear is one thing, but I want to limit any risk of anyone getting actually hurt. Maizyn is clumsy enough as it is, without nature making it worse. She is bound to get scrapes and bruises. I just don’t want to have anything in the way that could cause her to fall and break anything.

I walk the path I expect her to run, clearing any broken glass or fallen logs. I stash my newly purchased items in a place that would allow me to easily retrieve them when I need them later. Maizyn had a rough day yesterday and I think this is what she needs for a good mental reset. It’s always done the trick for her in the past. Once everything is set up for later today, I make my way out of the woods.

I climb into the Supra, preparing to head back home to Maizyn when my phone chimes with a text notification.

Gavin: I wanted to let you know that Maizyn talked to me after you left. She was asking about the past. I told her what I knew. Her mood seems to be a bit off after the conversation but overall she seems okay. She might have more questions for you, so I wanted to give you a heads up.

My first instinct is to worry about her reaction. Is she really okay or only acting like she is? It hurts a bit that she didn’t feel like she could come to me about it. My gratitude for Gavin being a safe place for her outweighs it, though. It only further proves that they are good for each other. Gavin will always be in my life; he naturally fits in hers as well. I don’t know what I will be walking into when I get home, so I make an additional stop for reinforcements.

No one is in the kitchen when I get back to the house. I look for Gavin first. I walk past his room but his door is shut and he doesn’t answer when I call his name. If it wasn’t for his car in the driveway, I would assume he wasn’t home. Maybe he is finally getting some rest.

I walk the few steps to my room next easing the door open quietly. Maizyn is curled up in her favorite spot in the entire house. I lean against the doorway for a few moments just watching her before finally announcing my presence.

“Enjoying your book?” A deep laugh rumbles in my chest as Maizyn jumps in surprise.

“You scared me. I didn't even hear you come in!” Her words come out an octave higher than normal. She almost drops her book as she jumps up from her orange beanbag, tripping over her own feet. I brace her with the hand that isn’t currently holding a box behind my back, stopping her from falling.

“I see that. Ha. Ha. I've been watching you read for the last ten minutes.”

She averts her eyes, “Sorry.”

Letting go of her arm, I lift her chin until her gaze is on mine again. “Hey, there is nothing to be sorry about. I'm glad you're enjoying your book. What's it about?”