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“Do what you want, but should anything happen to the kids, it’s you I’ll blame,” Drake muttered, glaring at his wife and sister.
“Maybe I should have taken that attitude when my sons were pinned down on a camping trip?” Phoe snarled, and Drake knew he’d gone too far.
“Phoe—”
“Stuff it. Stay here tonight. You’re not welcome home in this mood. Carmelle, come,” Phoe said and began walking out.
“I’ll be home!” Drake shouted.
“Try it and see what Liz has in store for you. Take a night to reflect on your behaviour, twatface,” Phoe retorted.
Carmelle got to her feet and walked out after her.
Drake stared at Ghost, who kept his expression blank.
“I blame you, asshole,” Drake muttered as he rubbed a hand over his face.
“Yeah, it’s not that you’re having issues getting your head around who her grandfather is or the fact you have an adultsister. Nah, nothing to do with that shit at all,” Ghost said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
“Get out!” Drake roared. Jesus, everyone was against him.
Slick
Drake was in a vile mood when he emerged from his office, so Slick spent the rest of the day avoiding him. Unfortunately, that meant that he had to avoid those who Drake had upset as well. Instead, he rode to Hawthorne’s, wondering if they’d dug up anything on Siobhan O’Riley. She intrigued him. If she was the mystery Biker Bitch as everyone had taken to calling her, how had she ended up so? What turns had her life taken to bring her to this point, and why was she so focused on Rage and protecting them?
There were far too many questions for Slick, and while he wanted answers, he couldn’t get them until they found her. She was a ghost drifting in the wind. He pulled up at Hawthorne’s and buzzed the bell. He saw Dana through the security glass doors look up, and then she let him in. As he approached her desk, he noted Dana looked her usual self.
“Is Dylan in?” he asked.
“He is, but on a call, take a seat, and I’ll let him know you’re here,” Dana said.
“No probs,” Slick replied, sitting down.
Hawthorne had moved to this building two years ago as his team expanded and needed more space. It was three stories high, the first being the reception, a conference room, kitchen, gym, and a locker room. Slick knew the second floor was offices. The third floor was split in half. The first part being more offices, but the second part was a huge security room where they monitored the businesses they were hired to protect.
Dylan employed not only a group of investigators but also a big security team that did two things. The first was to monitor the screens, searching for trouble, and the second was to patrol businesses if hired as on-site security. The guards were different from Dylan’s team, who took on the more investigative role. Although they were really two separate businesses, they operated under one name, Hawthorne’s Investigations.
“Slick, Dylan’s free now,” Dana announced. “You know your way?”
“Yeah,” Slick answered, heading for the stairs. Next to them was an elevator, but Slick preferred to take the stairs. He hated tight spaces.
Dylan had a large office on the second floor, classily decorated. In fact, the whole building had been furnished with style and class in mind. It was professional, clean, and offered reassurance that you’d get the service you were paying for. Nothing seedy about Hawthorne’s.
Dylan met him at the door and nodded.
“Leila will meet us,” he said, knowing why Slick was there.
Dylan led Slick up the second flight of stairs and then entered a code into the keypad before he bent for a retina scan. If Hawthorne’s did anything right, it was security. He opened the door, and Slick followed him through and headed down a corridor.
Leila Gibson, Hawthorne’s expert hacker, met them at an entrance.
“Come in,” she invited and moved to sit behind a desk.
Slick and Dylan took seats opposite her.
“I gather you’re here for an update on Siobhan O’Riley. Sadly, I don’t have much to tell you. As hard as I dig, I’m hitting walls everywhere. It would have taken a top hacker to wipe her clean like they have. I’ve been able to track her from birth to school, and then, at seventeen, she totally disappears. Nigel triedtracing her through her father’s inheritance, but again, nothing. Someone has buried her deeper than the core of the planet,” Leila stated, looking frustrated.
“Anything on the father?” Slick asked.
