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Were dimples standard issue at Blackhawk Security?
Shaking off the distraction, Julia gave Flynn a tour of the restaurant, watching as his gaze catalogued everything he saw. Open spaces. Barriers. Obvious traffic patterns. Much like Nico’s had done when he first arrived. Flynn tested the locks on both the front and back doors and nodded his approval.
She and Nico gave him a summary of what Nico had found. Explained that her friend Zoe was going to install some software on her ordering system that could identify which servers’ orders were deleted.
“Julia’s going to fire their asses as soon as she has proof of what they’re doing,” Nico added.
Spence tilted his head. Studied Nico. “You think they have something to do with what’s been happening to Julia?”
Nico shrugged. “Hard to say. They had to get Julia’s system passwords somewhere. Maybe that’s what the spyware was for. Maybe it had been on her computer for a while and the person who broke into her house was updating it. I don’t know what shoving her in front of a bus or trying to damage her business was all about. Carole, Andra and Ruth are probably just greedy thieves. But we don’t know anything for sure.”
They didn’t know a lot. And Julia wasn’t clear how it was all going to be unraveled.
As if answering her unspoken question, Spence said, “Why we’re here, buddy,” and elbowed Nico. He looked around, and Julia was certain he’d memorized where everything was. “Where do you want me to bunk down?” he asked after a long moment.
Julia had given that some thought, and she led him to the small locker room where the cooks changed into their work clothes. “There’s a fold-up cot in here. We hardly ever use it, but when I was getting Madeline’s off the ground, I slept here on occasion. I put clean sheets on it, so you can sleep there. Just have the cot put away before Nico and I show up around one. The rest of the cooks come in shortly afterward.”
“Not a problem.” He looked around the restaurant. “Anything else I need to know tonight?”
“I’m not expecting anyone to try and break in,” Nico said. “But you might want to set up the cot somewhere you’ll hear if anyone’s in the restaurant. Near Julia’s office, maybe.”
Spence nodded slowly. “I figured to set up where I can monitor both doors. I’ll find the best place after you two leave.”
“We’ll be in earlier tomorrow,” Julia told him. “Eleven-ish. To let my friend in so she can install her software.”
“I’ll be up by then,” Spence assured her, with another dimply smile. “Any reason I should stay outta sight when your friend’s here?”
“Not at all,” Julia said, pleased that he was asking the right questions. “It’ll be good to have your input, too.”
Another smile. “Got it. You two go get some sleep. I was trained to be alert even when I’m sleeping. If there are any disturbances in your restaurant, I’ll hear them.”
“Thank you,” Julia said, grateful someone would be watching over Madeline’s tonight. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“You will. And your restaurant will be safe tonight.”
Julia took a deep breath. Let it out, along with some of the tension that had pressed on her chest for days. “Thanks.”
Once she and Nico were in her car, neither of them spoke. Julia was exhausted after several restless nights in a row, and Nico was studying everything as he drove. His head never stopped moving, and she saw him check the side mirror regularly.
“Everything okay?” she finally asked as tension ratcheted up again. Her stomach twisted as Nico’s gaze flicked to the side mirror again.
“Everything’s good.” He glanced over at her, and must have seen her anxiety because he touched her arm. “I pay attention to everything. All the time. So I’ll notice immediately if something is different. So far, so good. Nothing has been unusual any of the times we’ve driven this route.”
“Okay,” she said, swallowing around the lump of worry in her throat. “That makes sense. I didn’t think of that.”
“Why would you? Normal people don’t expect danger all the time. They’re not always alert for trouble. That’s why you hired Blackhawk Security.” He touched her arm again, the pads of his fingers a little rough against her skin. A fleeting gesture, but it settled her. Soothed her.
She liked his hand on her skin.
“Do you think Carole, Andra and Ruth’s stealing is connected to the spyware on my computer?” She’d been wondering about a possible connection for the past few days.
Nico sighed. “It’s hard to imagine Carole or the other two sneaking into your house to install spyware. If they had the expertise to do that, they wouldn’t be working at a restaurant. But they had to get your passwords somewhere. It also seems too coincidental that you have two big threats in your life at the same time. Unless you used to be a spy or a criminal?”
His tone had lightened at those last words, but Julia shook her head slowly. “No criminal acts in my past. Not a spy, either.” She glanced at him and her mouth curled up slightly. “Basically, I live a pretty boring life. Things can get dramatic and exciting at the restaurant, but those are tiny blips in the routine.”
“Well, you’ve got some drama in your life right now,” he said lightly as they turned onto her street. “Drama that I hope we can deal with soon.”
“You and me both,” she said beneath her breath.
