Page 40 of Out of the Shadows
“What do we know, B?” MacKay asked.
She glanced at her bottom right monitor and saw an incoming email. “I’ve pulled the cyber division in. Abbot just confirmed that she’ll get the team on identifying the car that was following us. She and her crew are going to go through whatever video footage they can find. I’m going to assume the vehicle’s plates won’t match up, but if they can get me anything, I’ll run it through my programs. I’m hoping they can get facial rec—even a partial—on either the driver or passenger who shot at us.”
“How can I help?” Tiny asked.
For a moment, she hesitated.This isn’t about your ego,dammit.Letting out a breath, she addressed the man. “I’d like you to look into Constance Whitcomb.”
“She was the potential client that Edward McClintock mentioned,” Gavin added.
Xander let out a low whistle. “No shit?”
“Exactly,” Bean said. “As much as the woman rubbed me the wrong way?—”
“I’m sure she wished she could’ve rubbed Frazier in more ways than one,” Xander cut in with a chuckle.
Bean laughed. “Oh, dude, you have no idea. The poor guy kept inching farther and farther away from her until he was practically sitting in my lap. He was doing that thing where he keeps his expression neutral, but it ends up making him all broody, which had the woman practically salivating. It was too much!”
“Jesus.” Gavin groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face. “I’m right here.”
“I know, boss.” She shot him a cheeky grin that had everyone but him laughing. “Anyway, there’s something that doesn’t feel right about her. She had a story about needing cybersecurity for a new pay app that she said she’d developed. She said Edward’s a silent partner, but it doesn’t make sense.”
“How so?” MacKay asked.
She grabbed her energy drink and brought it to her mouth for a sip. It was plucked from her hand and replaced with a bottle of water.
Mustering her best glare, she threw it at Gavin with an arched eyebrow. “You’re kidding me, right?”
He met her glare with an arched brow of his own. “Humor me. We’re going to have a long day tomorrow. I need you in top form.”
Grumbling, she took a sip of water and scrunched her face as she turned back to the three faces on her screen. Twowere snickering, while the other looked confused. “Zip it, you two,” she snapped, pointing at Xander and MacKay. “You’re being a bad influence on Tiny.”
MacKay snorted. “Whatever. It’s not like Tiny’s going to give you shit. You’re technically his new boss.”
“There is that,” she said and then glanced at the bottle of water and frowned. “This crap’s disgusting.”
“Wait, are you talking about actual water?” Tiny asked.
She stared the man down. “I’m sorry, Tiny. Did you say something?”
His eyes widened, and he cleared his throat and shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
“That’s what I thought. Now, as I was saying, Constance Whitcomb isnota tech person. She has zero history of any involvement in app development. Not in her work history, not in her education, nothing. Tiny, I need you to peek into her search history and emails to see how this is even on her radar. As far as I saw on my initial pass, her professional history includes charity events, fundraising, and community outreach. Her personal history didn’t include anything tech related either.”
“I’m curious,” Xander said. “What did her personal history reveal?”
“An affinity for med-spa visits, high-end shopping, and banging younger men—her staff and fitness instructors included. So her claiming she’s developed any sort of app doesn’t ring true.” Bean leaned back in her chair. “Also, run her husband, Tiny. The man’s a very fit and spry eighty-seven, but he barely spoke a word the entire evening. My gut says he isn’t his wife’s biggest fan.”
“On it, Bean,” Tiny said. “And thanks for giving me something fun and not that CCTV footage shit.”
She shrugged. “Well, as much as I hate delegating?—”
MacKay, Xander, and Gavin broke into laughter. Loud, obnoxious guffaws.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she waited a few seconds. “Are you hyenas through?”
MacKay made a production of wiping away a tear. “Sorry, but that was rich. You’re the biggest control freak out of all of us.”
“And that says a fucking lot,” Gavin chimed in.
