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“I think you look dashing.”

“You shut up, Olivia.” I point and she lifts her hands up in surrender.

“She’s right—”

I interrupt Jason with a glare.

“About the difficult server,” he finishes.

“Niki, you can’t possibly be serious.” I sit down and wrap the long leash in my palm and pull until it forces her to sit on my lap.

“Oh, I’m dead serious, rookie.”

Sara continues her presentation, and a different image appears on the wall. “I installed a chip to the collar–it contains its own unique, built-in router which will enable all our devices. I’m sure they’ll have something to block anyone sneaking in a phone. This will protect our tech and keep it up and running. It’s also undetectable and shields us in case their system does catch on to the proximity of our devices.”

I rest my chin on my hand and pull Niki closer. “So it won’t allow their server to knock the power out of our devices and it will serve as our own personal Wi-Fi system?”

She nods. “Exactly.”

I grip all of Niki’s hair in my hand and tug slowly until her ear connects with my lips. “You’ll owe me for this one, little fox.”

She swallows, and I laugh before releasing her.

“Now for the mics,” Sara continues. She walks around the table and provides each of us one earbud. “They’re virtually invisible. These will allow the entire team to communicate back and forth.”

“Seriously?” Niki questions while she twirls the plastic bud in her hands.

“On my life.” Sara smiles proudly.

Jason points a finger in her direction. “I’ll take you up on that.”

There’s a particular hostility in the room and it's aimed at her. It mixes with the anger Jasmin emits in her direction—it’s fucking palpable. The only person who offers an unquestionable and authentic conviction in her abilities and intentions is Olivia. Even Jason is filled with doubt, and he normally agrees with everything Olivia delivers.

“When it comes to a third party, someone not here nor there, that’s another matter.” Sara looks at Niki and then Jasmin. “We’ll need them on a conference call when the time comes. I can patch them through.”

Niki stiffens in my hold. “Meaning…”

“Meaning they will need to contact Jason on a specific line, then I can combine the calls to one server.”

Jasmin releases a breath and looks at Niki. They exchange a look no one but they can decipher, and my woman reaches in front of her for her phone.

27

Justice

The ringer buzzes six times before Helena answers. She’s worried and speaks to me in our first language.

“Mija, todo bien?”

“Everything is okay. I need a favor.”

“Okay,” she answers slowly, and I hear the chickens in the background.

“Our guests, are they around?”

“Si, both. Which one do you need?”

I look up and find all eyes on me. “The eldest.”

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