Page 19 of Sunburned

So Laurent had secrets too. Fascinating.

“Anything else you think I should know?” I asked.

“The developers who own the land that overlooks the site of the future De-Sal center are trying to tank it. They bought the land before the De-Sal project was announced and believe they won’t recoup their expense because the center will mar the view.”

I nodded. “Lemme guess, they hate you too.”

“Yes.” Tyson’s watch buzzed and he rose, gesturing to the door. “That’s all the time I have.”

I stood, kicking myself for being naïve enough to think his reasons for inviting me down here were benign.

But I was no pushover, I thought as I stepped into the sunlight, gathering my bag from where I’d left it beside the door. He might have the upper hand right now, but only because his accusation and threats had caught me off guard. I just needed a moment to recalibrate.

My head spun as I trudged up the stairs. Did he truly think I’d sent that article to him? Was this even really about the article?

If this were an actual job, I would walk. There simply wasn’t enough to go on, other than Tyson’s paranoia about who hated him and why, which might very well have no tie to reality. It certainly didn’t where I was concerned.

Regardless, it was in my best interest to stay on his good side, and if someone really was blackmailing him, it concerned me as well. As much as I hated it, our fates were intertwined.

Eleven Years Ago, June

Cody and Tyson hovered behind me at the desk in Tyson’s father’s office, staring intently at the two computer monitors displaying the program I’d designed.

“American Drugs has contracts with thousands of vendors whose products are sold in their stores,” I said, pointing to the list on the screen. “Every time a sale is made, there’s a split with the manufacturer. The program I’ve designed is a sales deflation program—or SADEP. It deflates sales by an infinitesimal amount on a random, rotating basis, so AD is paying out the same amount of money, but a tiny fraction of it falls through the cracks into our hands.”

Tyson peeled an orange as Cody crossed his arms over his chest. “So we’re not actually stealing from AD.”

I shook my head. “And we’re not stealing a large amount from any one company, but a tiny amount from thousands of companies. An imperceptible amount to them, but a lifesaving amount to my mom.”

“That’s fucking brilliant,” Tyson said, popping an orange wedge into his mouth. “You’re fucking brilliant.”

I spun in my desk chair, looking up at Cody. “What do you think?”

“He’s right,” Cody said. “It’s brilliant. I wish I were half as smart as you.”

I laughed, relieved that he approved of the idea. “You make a girl blush.”

“How long will it take to get the money you need for the first round of treatment?” Cody asked.

“Depends on sales and how bold we want to be with the numbers,” I said. “I want to be safe about it.”

“Of course,” Cody said.

“But you need the money now.” Tyson offered me a piece of orange, and I shook my head.

It was a new thing, this orange obsession. He’d begun eating them morning, noon, and night, in conjunction with meditating in the rays of the rising and setting sun. He’d explained the supposed health benefits to me, but I knew he’d likely be into something else within a week.

“If sales remain steady and I run the SADEP at a moderate level, I can have the money in a week,” I said. “After which I would pause it until I need to run it again.”

“Or just keep it running,” Tyson suggested. “You could run it for years and no one would notice.”

Cody and I both shook our heads, unamused, and Tyson held up his hands. “I’m just saying, Audrey could go back to school. I could buy a boat. Cody could pay for hair plugs.”

“Fuck off,” Cody said, running his hand through his hair. It was only slightly thinning, but Tyson loved nothing more than to razz him about it.

“Better check your fingers,” Tyson ribbed. “You just lost another fifty strands.”

“Tyson, enough,” I said. “We’re not in this for profit.”

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