Page 63 of Barron

“It’s like she came into existence two years ago,” Shifter explained. “Not a peep before that. No job, no school, no credit history. I dug into her supposed family. I encountered the same two-year dead end.”

“What do your instincts tell you?” Barron asked.

Leaning into his chair, Shifter folded his arms, staring at the computer screen. “Couple of things. Either I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, or someone camouflaged or cloaked her record.”

“Is that possible?”

“Sure. All it takes is a decent hacker, money, and the right connections. The government hides people’s records all the time. But they can do anything they fucking want.”

“Isn’t there a law or something against it?”

“Ha!” Shifter exclaimed. “My goodness, you are naive.”

“What about the face?”

“There’s the rub. The face you gave me bounces back.”

“What?”

“You heard me. She doesn’t exist in any database. But weknow she didn’t come out of a cave two years ago. However.” He lifted a finger. “The program I was using is quite rigid. You know me, I’m like a dog with a bone. I won’t stop until I find out what I’m after. Since I hit a dead end right away, I figured I needed to go a step higher. For the sake of the agency, right?” He winked. “So I spent a few extra bucks and got a brand-new, highly specialized program. I just uploaded the image. I can’t wait to see the results.”

“Meaning?”

“This program gives me evolution. It’s much more intuitive. Plays with hair color, wrinkles, and things like that. Searches for possible matches instead of an exact result.”

“Like, she could be a blonde in real life?”

He nodded, typing on the keyboard. “You got the idea. Women tint, cut, and reshape their hair, pluck eyebrows, and change makeup. That throws an exact program into a tizzy. But this one…” He hit Enter, and circling points of lights appeared on Betty’s face. “See the pinpoints moving around her photo? It’s studying her face and searching for every possible match.”

“Amazing. How soon will you have results?”

Shifter scratched his beard. “It depends on what the program finds. Could spit out several women or one. I’d say by tonight or tomorrow morning, we’ll have the most accurate results. Can you wait that long?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“I guess you don’t.” Shifter chuckled. “I’ll text you when I learn anything conclusive. So… Deacon is going to Nightshade with you, right? I bet you’re not happy about it.”

Barron jerked at the abrupt change in topic. “Dude, unhappy barely covers it. I’m taking Yoanni to her first BDSM club with a dedicated age-play room. The night’s for her. I don’t want to babysit an adult who hopes to reconcile with his old buddy turned enemy.”

“Cancel.”

“I thought about it, but she has her heart set on it.” He finger-combed his hair with both hands. “Fuck, she went shopping and everything. I don’t want to disappoint her. Lately, she’s had too many tough days. She deserves a fun night.”

“Just make sure fun doesn’t turn into a disturbance. At the first sign of trouble, get the fuck out.”

“I intend to, and I appreciate what you’re doing.” He stood, straightening his pants. “My job here is finished. The office looks good. I even like the plants. The agency is ready to accept clients. I’ll tell Master Darius to come by on Monday.”

“Cool. His file is ready and waiting. And, dude, try to have fun tonight.”

Barron clapped his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. I’m just not confident Deacon will stick to his promise. The guy seems too…wound up. I really hope the Wolf’s visit was a fluke and he doesn’t show up tonight.”

“The ideal outcome for everyone,” Shifter said. “Be prepared for anything, my friend. I have a feeling Spike and his MC are up to no good. Why would Captain Weaver have you follow the guy to LaFayette, and what was Spike doing in Savannah a week ago? Are Los Emes scoping the port? I don’t want to have a repeat of the Sons of Chaos and the Oquendos.” Frowning, he shook his head. “Something ain’t kosher. Just watch your back tonight. I’m glad Johnny Gun’s with you.”

“Me too. See you mañana, as Yoanni likes to say.” Tapping his forehead, Barron left the office.

Barron’s concerns about the trip to Nightshade eased up under the influence of Yoanni’s happy excitement. She smiled and hummed songs from her favorite popular singer as she movedabout the house, getting ready for her first visit to a BDSM club. Caesar followed her everywhere. Barron had explained she could use the locker room to change, so she packed her club outfit behind the guest room’s closed doors. She bought clothes to surprise Daddy and wouldn’t budge.

However, when Deacon knocked at their door—ten minutes before they planned on leaving—and Barron invited him in, she took one look at the imposing man dressed in all black leather, and her attitude changed.

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