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I found Kevin Smith easily enough. He was on campus. We'd had a computer class together last year, and I remembered how good he was, specifically in geo-tracking. He talked endlessly about it why it was important, what you could tell from a photo. He knew all about the use of deep fakes. He knew it all.
When I knocked, I could hear him running to the door. He tugged it open with a grin. "Nissa, hey. Glad you could come by."
I smiled up at him. "Thanks for trying to help me."
"Sure thing. I—" He frowned when he spotted Westin.
I glanced back at Westin, who looked every bit as brooding and intimidating as he was. Except, I knew the boy in that face. The one with the quick smile, the patience. I knew he was still in there. Kevin just kept frowning. Westin grinned then. "I guess Nissa didn't mention I was coming."
Kevin cleared his throat. "Sure, any mate of Nissa's is a mate of mine, I guess. I just didn't know she was coming with her boyfriend."
I quickly interjected. "Oh no, he's not my boyfriend."
The tension around Kevin's shoulders eased. "Okay."
Westin lifted a brow, and I turned away from him so that I couldn't see the sardonic smile on his face. "I'm her bodyguard."
Kevin stuttered then. "Uh, is there a reason you need a bodyguard?"
"Yes, my father is slightly overprotective. Westin is just a deterrent. Ignore him. I can't wait to see what you have to say about the pictures I sent you."
He nodded. "All right. Come on in."
Kevin's flat was what I imagined a lot of computer science students’ flats were like. Lots of monitors. A couple of computers. Lots of things for what I assumed was needed for processing power.
He took me to the main computer on his desk. "I've got the file pulled up here."
When I stood next to him, he smiled down, and I noticed the quick flicker of his gaze to my cleavage and then quickly away. "Um, I should have asked, sorry. Do you want like something to drink? Wine or something?"
It was then that I noticed the chilled white wine and glasses on the counter. I smiled and ignored him. Yes, I knew Kevin had a crush on me. Was I going to exploit that crush? A hundred percent. Did I feel bad about it? Yes, I did. But I needed help.
Could I have asked Westin for help?
Absolutely not. Westin was a wild card, and I didn't know what to do with that.
"Right. Okay, I guess we just look at that account then."
"Yeah, if you don't mind. I'm trying to find someone."
His brow lifted. "What? Like an ex?"
"Well, my childhood was complicated, but I just need to know about my sister. I'm trying to find her, and I can't do it on my own, so I'm hoping you will help me locate where she is."
This was the most personal Kevin and I had ever gotten, and his brows lifted. "What happened to your sister?"
Westin interjected then. "Oi, mate, can you help the girl or not?"
"Oh yeah, yeah of course. I'm just curious."
I shot Westin a withering glare. "No, it's fine. We used to be in a care home, and we got separated. I was looking for her, but since, you know, the record's sealed and all that…"
"Oh shit, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. But I want to do this right, you know? Find her and all that. So, can you help me?"
He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, of course. I wish you’d told me. It would be nice to know something more about you than, you know, what I learned from class."
I smiled and hoped what I gave was a dazzling smile and not a grimace. There was nothing wrong with Kevin. He was sweet. Maybe not my type exactly, but he was really nice. "I don't really talk about it. You know, it makes me sad."
