Page 221 of Ruin Me Gently

Mine.

CHAPTER FIFTY

Ifrowned as Silascut the engine. “Okay, why are we here? What happened to your actual office? You know, the big one with all the expensive screens and the world domination vibes?”

This? This is what I’d spent two days begging for? Two days of pleading, negotiating, wearing him down inch by inch until he finally cracked.

“It’s too messy, Lilith.”

“I don’t want you involved.”

“This isn’t some fun field trip, it’s business.”

Blah, blah, blah.

I’d pushed and pushed, and now I was here, staring at some run down, sketchy ass building, wedged between a shuttered pawn shop and a convenience store. And I was feeling a little… underwhelmed.

This was the big, off limits, top-secret black-market AI guy scheme?

“This isn’t something I want connected to the company,” Silas said.

“Ah. So this is the crime office.”

Finn snorted from the back seat. “We should get a plaque made for the door.”

Silas shot him a look but didn’t respond, just got out of the car and shut the door behind him.

I sighed and followed, stepping out onto the uneven pavement and right into the scent of warm asphalt and something fried from a food cart down the block.

The inside was just as bare as the outside. No furniture. No decor. Just empty space stretching toward a single conference table at the back of the room.

Seriously? Where was the mafia? The crime? The ominous red lights?

Maybe I did read too many books.

Finn strolled past me, completely unfazed, tossing his bag onto the table and flipping it open.

“Not very homey,” I muttered, crossing my arms as I sank down into one of the chairs.

Finn smirked, pulling out a laptop and some cables. “What, were you expecting a welcome mat?”

Silas ignored both of us as he walked the length of the room, double checking the blinds and the windows.

“So who is this guy, exactly?” I asked.

“Oh, you’re gonna love him, Lils.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

Finn waggled his brows. “Because he’s a pain in Silas’ ass.”

Twenty minutes passed, and Silas hadn’t stopped sweeping the room whilst Finn’s fingers had tapped away at the keyboard continuously.

Finn leaned back in his chair, popping his knuckles. “Alright, we’re live. Signal scramblers are running, firewalls are in place. It’s all g—”

The door knocked and he jumped up to open it.

I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting. Maybe some twitchy, sleep-deprived guy with questionable hygiene and a Red Bull addiction.

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