Page 84 of Secret
"Pays good," Kasey whispered to him.
Bryon laughed. "Yes, the pay is good. You'd make what all the other members of my main team make. You'd have medical insurance and a life insurance plan. The decoys I hire will get an hourly wage plus benefits if they work full-time."
"Do I want to know where the money comes from?" Noam asked.
Bryon shook his head.
"You don't want to know, but if you did, I don't think you'd have any issue with it." Kasey gripped Noam's arm tighter. "I promise no one is suffering or losing anything other than the men we are sending to prison."
Noam nodded, unsure if he wanted more details on that. Sometimes not knowing was best. "If I do this, when would you want to start?"
"Yesterday." Bryon shrugged. "We aren't on a timeline, but the sooner we get it running the better. My focus was finding someone to run it. I'd debated at first on moving one of my hackers over from the main team, but then when everything happened with Kasey and you, I started to think about your connections with the police and how that could help us get them to work with us. If you take the job, then I just need to figure out who to hire as decoys."
"And the location where all this will be done?"
"That's also undecided. If you have a place in mind, or a certain area of town you like, we can look there. I'm happy with a house set-up or an office set-up. I tend to like houses because it gives you several rooms to work from plus a kitchen and bedrooms to relax in. Like with our team house, we even have a game room so when things get too intense we can take some time and let the stress go. If you decide to take the job, I'll have Kasey bring you over and let you look around. This would be where you spend a lot of time, so let's make it whatever you're comfortable with and whatever you think you need." Bryon glanced at Kasey. "He can tell you, I'm easy going. As long as the rules are followed to protect the team, I don't care much about the little stuff."
Noam already had ideas of where to hire team members for the decoy jobs, but he wasn't sure he was taking the job yet. "You trust me? This can't be as simple as you just inviting me into your group and risking I might tell anyone."
"It's not. We put it to a vote. We put all major decisions to a vote. No one is ever brought in without everyone agreeing. If one person feels uncomfortable with a choice, we move on and forget it," Bryon explained.
"I'm assuming that since we are having this conversation, the whole team is aware and willing to accept me if I choose?" Noam asked.
"The vote was ten to zero." Kasey smiled.
"Ten? I thought there were only nine members?" Noam glanced at Kasey.
"Faith voted on this one." Kasey laughed.
Noam was shocked. "Faith is part of all this?"
Bryon shook his head. "Faith is aware we help save children and protect them. She knows that my team was responsible for her rescue, but she doesn't know what we do. She was there when we were talking about the decoys. She's been through enough to know the world isn't a safe place, but we are very careful of what we say around her. She is convinced she is going to be the team doctor someday when ours retires."
Noam ran his hand over his face, trying to take everything in. It was a lot to digest. It sounded like a dream job. He could still use the skills he had as a detective, but he wouldn't be bound by the department. He would still be helping people and putting the criminals behind bars. But, there was also a risk. A big one. Any association with Bryon and his team could put him in prison.
"You don't need to decide today. I just wanted to ask and get the offer out there. It's in the beginning stages, and if you chose to join us, I want you there from the beginning. The team would be yours for the most part, and I'd want you to set it up how you're comfortable," Bryon told him.
"You'd give me control?" Noam didn't take Bryon as someone who gave control away easily.
"I'm not power hungry. My main worry is that my team stays safe. By agreeing to join with us, you agree to keep our secrets. I don't need to tell you what would happen if our identities got out. I think we came close enough with that already." Bryon glanced at Kasey.
"Yeah, we've been there, done that." Kasey found Noam's hand.
Noam turned to look at Kasey. "How do you feel about this? I mean it's your work, your friends, your life I'd be intruding on."
Kasey shook his head. "You wouldn't be intruding. I hope that my friends become your friends, and as far as intruding on my work, other than meetings, we wouldn't work together unless there was a reason to. We'd work different shifts, work different locations. I am all for this if it's what you want, but if it's not, I support that too and will be happy with whatever you decide to do."
God, he loved Kasey so much.
Noam leaned over and kissed Kasey softly before looking back at Bryon. "Can I have the night to think about it and have Kasey call you in the morning?"
"Of course. I wouldn't expect you to make a huge decision like this right away. Take all the time you need." Bryon offered his hand. "Now, I hate to cut it short, but I really do have another appointment that came up. I'd hoped to actually get time to visit, but we'll have to plan dinner or something for that soon."
"It's more than okay. Thanks for the offer. I really will think hard about it." Noam smiled, relieved that Bryon was leaving, and he'd have time to talk to Kasey about everything. There was so much to consider.
"Everything okay?" Kasey asked Bryon.
"Yeah, it's just a meeting that popped up I can't miss. Nothing serious." Bryon stood and hugged Kasey. "You okay with all this?"
