Page 6 of The Orc of Wall Street

“Craig Rizirizur.” He fumbles over the arduous, winding road that is the naga’s surname.

And as well he should. I’d rather brush my teeth with sand than take my chances nailing the last name. In the cyber community, he’s referred to as Craig Rizir. Or Fuck Face Craig for short.

“Don’t act like you’ve never heard of him. The naga just made off with a whole mess of inventory and –”

“You want me to find who he sold it to,” I finish, placing the chair between me and him.

“Do you always interrupt people who have you over a barrel?”

I lick my lips, then release my grip on the back of his chair. “I’m listening.”

He lets out a deep laugh that rattles my chest. I fight the urge to wipe my slick palms against my thigh.

“And about to shit your pants! Good. Just wait until you’ve helped me find the rat in my office, though. I’ve got a real chatty one trying to sink my ship. You in or out?”

“You’re not giving me a lot to go on.” I’m just buying time. Obviously, I’m going to pretend to say yes to anything he says.

“And I won’t until you agree. It’s this or prison. And we both know it.”

We lock eyes for what seems like ages, though I doubt it is more than a fifteen-second experience. Still, I’ve never had a gaze cripple me with goosebumps. Burning ones, too. Why did I think this was a good idea again?

CHAPTER 4

Tarek

The plan, thankfully, has worked, and I now have the ally I desperately need. It only took all night, and then two more days of grilling her over a reasonable cover story and ground rules to get her to comply with my terms.

I think the ankle monitor I not-so-kindly placed around her ankle helped. That and not letting her out of my sight. But now, we’re back at the office. I have her posing as one of my assistants so she can help keep a close eye on the office and any potential spies.

There’s a sharp knock at the door, and I call whoever it is in. I smirk when I see it’s the Cyber Thief herself walking in. It’s strange to see her in office garb looking almost normal. Well, except for the scowl on her face.

“Here are those reports you needed,” she mutters and drops a folder in front of me.

She must have used the reports as an excuse to come in here.“Does anyone suspect who you are?” I ask.

She snorts. “Of course not. I’ve only ever had a handful of clients see my face and none of them know my real name. Trust me, no one knows who I am.”

I relax a little. When she told me she was going to go by her real name, I was a little bit hesitant, but it seems she knows what she’s doing. Sloane Fields. It’s almost odd to know she has such a normal name.

Though she’s anything but normal. If I hadn’t laid that trap for her, she would have gotten away with those plans without a hitch. I had no idea my security was so… useless.

Bottom line, she’s better than good. And now she works for me. Just as surprising is just how incredibly beautiful she is. Especially that feisty spirit of hers.

Even while rocking a pair of cherry-red glasses and an equally eye-catching scowl, she reminds me of a nasty hailstorm. Powerfully loud, unavoidable, but a sight to see from somewhere safe. I lick my lips and wonder what an actual smile might look like on her. Her high cheeks are full just like her lips, which I realize too late I’m leering at. I clear my throat and pull my eyes up to meet her stern gaze.

Clearing my throat, I thumb through the folder and raise an eyebrow. “Did you do this?”

Her eyes narrow. More, if you can believe it.“Yes. Why?”

“It’s just that for someone whose expertise is in computers, this looks like a toddler wrote it up.”

“I’m an expert in hacking and decryption. I don’t exactly fill out reports and make it look all pretty after I finish a job. And honestly, I don’t understand why you have us do it like this. I mean, you’re the only one that sees it.” She rolls her eyes.

“It’s called professionalism, and my whole management team sees it. And even if it was just me, in case you forgot, I am the CEO. You know, your boss.” I can’t help but shrug.

She leans in. “And in case you forgot, I’m the best thief out there. I could take down your servers for a week if I wanted to.”

I lean in as well. “Yes, but then I believe I would have to send you off to jail. Would it really be worth it?”

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