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He raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I would make a good super villain?”
I shrugged. Wiring was done except for the clean-up, but I wouldn’t be the one to point out we could call it a day. “If the shoe fits…” And wowza they were big shoes. Was it true what they said about shoe size? “Think about it. The brooding tech genius who used to work for two of the city’s best-known billionaires.”
“Who left of my own volition. I don’t have any issues with them.”
“Exactly.” I was making my point, and pleased.
Oz looked at me, waiting for me to expand on what he thought was a ridiculous reply.
I didn’t have to hear the words; I saw it in his blank stare. “It’s always the ones people don’t expect,” I said. Duh.
Oz shook his head in disgust. “In that case, what’s my deal? If I’m a super villain, what do I want? Certainly not world domination.”
“Um… vengeance.” I should have worked harder on motive before making my declaration.
“For what?”
“For anyone who has the intelligence to create tech to change the world, but uses their powers to take advantage of others.” Like the people who used me. Who set me up to take the fall for their plan. I shook the unpleasant thought aside.
“Like the people who used you.” Oz being in my head was more comforting than creepy. “That makes me the good guy.”
It really did, but I was making a point. “All villains think they’re in the right.”
The corner of his mouth tugged up. If he wasn’t careful, he might smile. “If I were what you say, a genus mastermind super villain, I’d pick you as my second. Without question.”
Was that a catch in his voice? My phone chimed before I could process. “Sorry. I forgot to silence it.” One of Oz’s rules was no phones on the job. I didn’t usually have an issue with it, because Violet was the only person who called me, and she didn’t tend to do so during business hours. I grabbed my phone, and the name Graham caught my eye. My pulse kicked up, and I hesitated over the alert. Now wasn’t the time to read it.
“Luna?” Oz sounded concerned.
I shook my head, set the phone to quiet, and pocketed it. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, we’re done anyway. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
In a way I had. In college, Graham was my computer science professor. He taught me so much. He was also, as far as the law was concerned, my accomplice in the hack that made us both felons. That was one bit of probation pulling strings didn’t get me around—I wasn’t allowed to associate with Graham. No one cared that a few years after the law-breaking piece of code, before we were busted, we’d written another virus cleaner that stopped a massive piece of ransomware.
Did I completely lust after Graham? Yeah, but our relationship hadn’t been like that. Did I have a thing for older men who were willing to share the secrets of the universe with me? Apparently.
Would I act on it? No. Sexy daydreams were nice, but knowledge was orgasmic. I’d started a search program to find him the instant I was legally allowed, so I could say hi. No other reason.
It also didn’t escape me that I had an Oz in my life, just like my very favorite ever fictional redhead. Biggest differences between Willow Rosenberg and me? My college girlfriend almost landed me in prison, and if I was going to rock a corset, it would be microfiber, not leather.
“Luna?” Oz prodded again.
Right. “I know where Graham is.”
“Hmm.”
I expected that. Everyone in tech knew the sensationalized version of my story. Or they had. So glad that memory was fading for the public. Oz knew more of the details, but he didn’t believe that Graham had nothing to do with setting me up, or sucking me into the scheme to begin with.
It had all been me. I couldn’t resist the challenge, and I when I asked for his help, never telling him what it was for, he’d helped.
I was to blame, and I owed Graham an apology for squashing his career.
My fingers twitched by my side, wanting to grab my phone. Work was over. I could excuse myself and go get the details. Graham was probably in another state. Would I call? Text? Email? What was I going to say? I’d been asking that since I started the search, but I didn’t have an answer yet.
“We’re done for the day,” Oz said again. “Go look, and I’ll clean up.”
I wanted to ask are you sure, but I didn’t want to give him a chance to change his mind. “Thank you.” I stepped to the side of the room, leaned against the wall, and pulled up the info. My heart leaped into my throat. Graham was still local. I could be there by bus in half an hour, that was how close he was.
