Page 19 of Sail Away
“So, Preston still manages to manipulate you to get his way, I see.”
“It’s a balancing act. You know that. I toss him a bone, and I get what really matters.”
“Right. You’re a crusader trying to make sure people don’t get hurt while using faulty equipment in search of some ridiculous thrill, all in the name of a dead woman.”
“I was a safety nut before Erin died. You know that.” Reid had never really pushed back too hard when Erin came up in conversations. He let Darcie think he used her death to protect his heart. It wasn’t entirely a lie. “Her death just pushed me into taking our idea that was only in the beginning stages in a whole new direction.”
“One that Preston didn’t like.”
“He liked it and still does; he just doesn’t want it to be the focal point because it doesn’t bring in the highest revenue.”
“I don’t think you came here to talk to me about this shit.”
“Nope.” Reid took a sip, swirling the bubbles of the beer around in his mouth. He couldn’t tell her everything or even half of what he suspected. But he needed to get into some files without Preston knowing, and that required some help. “I need a huge favor.” Reid hadn’t given this a ton of thought, and he wasn’t sure it would work at all, but it was his best bet, given the time constraints and the fact that Preston might be three sheets to the wind for the next three days.
“I told you, my brother—”
He shook his head and held up his hand. “I don’t give a fuck about that bungee jump. I’m really not into that shit anymore.” He chuckled. “Well, I am, but not like I used to be. However, I’m really not concerned with whether or not we get to do that night free fall.”
“Then what do you need my help with?” The wind kicked up and took a stray strand of hair, flicking it across her face.
He reached out and tucked it behind an ear. “I need the internet to go down on the boat, but not really.”
“Excuse me?”
“I need Preston and the rest of the team blocked from using the Wi-Fi for at least one day. Or I need a secondary Wi-Fi set up where I’m the only one who has access to it. I can help you set it up.”
“Why?”
“I need to cut off communication between Preston and the company.”
“He will still have cell reception.”
“That’s not going to matter for what I need to do,” Reid said. “We’ll do it during the kayak trip to the rapids. I’ll pretend to be so drunk that I can’t go. We both know I can get so shitfaced I’m utterly useless.”
“I won’t argue that point.’
“Can you help me with this?” Another swig. He closed one eye, peering into the can. About half full.
That sucked. Not only did he enjoy Darcie’s company, but the idea of going back to his hotel room made him want to vomit. When he’d been with Darcie, some of their best nights had been spent sleeping under the stars on a boat somewhere in the middle of a body of water.
Any body of water would do where she was concerned.
“Which would you prefer? No Wi-Fi for your buddies? Or your own login? Either way, I’m going to need some help on the boat to make that happen,” she said, twirling her hair between her fingers—something she did when she was relaxed.
Much better than making her nervous.
“I mean, just unplugging the router and taking the cord won’t work because they will have more. It’s all on our checklist.”
“That will also cut me off from the Wi-Fi,” he said, rubbing his temple with his free hand. “All you need to do is show me were the routers are, and I’ll take care of it.” He could handle hacking into the boat’s system. What he couldn’t handle was accessing the secondary server without Preston finding out—or so he thought. But he’d continue racking his brain until he figured it out.
“I’m confused on what you want me to do,” she said, tilting her head. “What are you trying to accomplish?”
“I need Preston and my team off the internet while I do some research.”
“About what?”
“I can’t give you all the details.”
