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Technically I had taken the money to buy it, but I didn’t look at what I did like that. It was merely a reallocation of resources. I rendered my services, found my target, and got paid for doing so. I had the pleasure of exacting punishment on those I deemed irretrievable, but ultimately, I worked and got paid. It was as simple as that. I’d put down some big names—international scammers that had stolen billions of dollars, owners of child pornography sites, organizations that specialized in identity theft, and so many more that I’d lost count. Then there were the smaller-worth individuals like my most recent put-down.
I did my bit, returning whatever sum I chose to identifiable victims, but I was no Robin Hood. I wouldn’t ask for forgiveness for that either. I was Queen, and like any noble, I didn’t give a fuck if people approved of me or not.
“No, I don’t think so.” Professor Reid stood before me, his eyes blazing with a ferocity I hadn’t seen before. Chest to chest, he smirked and hooked his fingers under my chin. “Our kitten’s too pretty to be a thief.”
I grasped his fingers and bent them back far enough that he gritted his teeth. Glaring at him through narrowed eyes, I ordered, “Sit your arse down and listen, you chauvinistic pig.”
I pointed at the seat I’d vacated and waited until the professor sat down before I seated myself on the coffee table opposite Flynn. Flynn smirked and shook his head, rolling his eyes at the professor.
Professor Reid cleared his throat. “What do you have?”
Eleven
Zali
F
lynn and I tag-teamed, giving him the rundown and showing him the first diary and the transactions that Flynn had matched. “It continues like that, book after book,” I muttered, still pissed at him.
The professor leafed through the diary he was holding, opening at a random page and reading an entry. He frowned, flicked forward a few pages, and read another one. “Your mum was very details oriented.” When I nodded, he added, “I can see why you insisted she was brilliant. Her analysis is insightful. I’d love to see the historical stock figures and reports she was working from.”
“Can we get them?” Flynn asked.
“Yes. She mentions stock movements in a few entries and talks about quarterly figures in others.” He paused and rubbed his stubbled cheek. “We can get historical stock prices. I’m hoping we can get financials too, but tax records only need to be kept for seven years, so maybe not.”
“Flynn and I can’t double-check all this information in time. I want you to allocate more people to our research,” I stated matter-of-factly. I wasn’t going to ask, not when he was acting like a fuckwit.
He nodded, his gaze meeting mine. Instead of seeing the cocky bastard that I’d faced off against earlier, his expression was filled with respect. With promise and determination too. “I’ll find a way. I’ll make it happen,” he promised, his tone conciliatory.
“Thank you.”
The sliding door opened, and Detective Fraser stepped through. “Afternoon,” he greeted smoothly. “Thought I’d check in and say hi.”
“Sure, it’s a party in here,” I deadpanned. “Let’s see who else wants to drop in.”
“Ryder invited me.”
I lifted my eyebrows in surprise at that.He had? Why?
Reading my expression, the detective added, “I called Ryder to see where you were. I wanted to check in, and when he mentioned you were docked, I asked if I could swing by. He let me on when I arrived.”
Speaking of the devil. Ryder popped his head in from the other end of the room and said, “Lunch will be ready in about twenty. Anyone here have a seafood allergy?”
A chorus of no’s sounded, and I rolled my eyes when he disappeared again just as quickly. He was still being quiet and avoiding me, but at least he hadn’t told me where to shove the job.
“So, how’s it going?” Ezra asked, jamming his hands in his pockets as a furrow appeared in his brow.
“We have a few leads. Zali and Flynn have done some great work.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” the detective retorted. “Zali’s practically a prodigy. She’ll get whatever information you want.”
“Thank you, detective. That’s all for now,” I replied tersely. I didn’t share details of what I did with people often, and the last thing I needed was for Professor Reid to get more curious than he already was. Flynn came over to my couch and sat on the armrest, squeezing my shoulder and massaging it one-handed. I sighed, a weird mix of happiness and frustration bubbling inside me.
“We have some leads that we’re following up. I’ll be busy for most of the summer,” I added.
Detective Fraser nodded. “No worries, I’ll make sure I don’t add to that workload.”
Conversation was stilted after that, mostly because Professor Reid and Detective Fraser were staring at each other. An intensity I hadn’t ever witnessed came over the detective, and that look of lust I’d witnessed on the professor only the day before was back. But this time it was directed at the pretty boy in the room. Flynn fanned himself and leaned down to whisper against my temple, “Damn, the UST between them is hot.”
