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“So…you’ve always done electronic work?”

She must see that there’s a question that wants to burst out of me because she frowns and asks, “What?”

I literally explodes from me on a giant exhale.

“How much of it is illegal?”

I’m not asking as a lawyer. I genuinely just want to understand her better.

But I’ll admit, the lawyer in me is slightly relieved when she rolls her eyes.

“You’re picturing the hackers in the movies. I don’t do that. And even if I did, I’d be a white hat.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Do I need to remind you that you admitted to hacking into my computer?”

I love watching her cheeks turn pink. She can hack into anything she wants if it earns me this reaction.

“That’s different,” she mumbles. “I was curious. I didn’t do anything with the information.”

“Except invade my privacy and throw your knowledge in my face.”

She coughs into her fist. “Uh, yeah. Except that.”

I shake my head, sobering. “Okay, but seriously. I don’t need to know details, but for my own ethics and peace of mind, I don’t need to worry that I’m housing a criminal, right?”

She gives me a pointed look just as a waiter appears with our food. “Out of the two of us, I can pretty much guarantee you’ve assisted more criminals than I have.”

“Alright, message received,” I concede with a sigh. I send the waiter a grateful smile as I turn my body to sit normally in the booth. “Gracias, senor. Se ve delicioso.”

“De nada,” he returns with a smile of his own. “Necesitas algo mas?”

I glance at my half-empty water. “Un vaso de agua, por favor.”

He nods once and takes off. As I dig into my enchilada, I realize Charli is staring at me.

“What?”

“You speak Spanish?”

I wince. “A little. Un poco.” I pop the first bite in my mouth. “Conversationally.”

“Why do you know Spanish?”

I shrug and cut another piece. “Your brain likes puzzles and computers, and my brain likes languages and arguing.”

Somehow, her eyes go even wider. “That’s…terrifying. How many languages do you know?”

“Conversationally?”

She nods.

“Well, German, I’m basically fluent, but besides that—” I mentally count off on my fingers. “Three, I think? Spanish, French, and then for a brief period of time, I became fascinated by the Swedish language after a trip there. So…four total.”

For a moment, Charli just stares at me. Then she shakes her head and says, “You’re a man of many talents, Lucas Price.”

I wink. “And don’t you forget it.”

TWENTY-NINE