Page 37 of Alive and Kicking
“What’s that?” Viv asks, pointing toward the rectangle I’ve just gotten running.
“It’s a hotspot. It’s a pay as you go kind of thing. We shouldn’t need more than a month of surveillance, and this way we can have wireless access to the cameras without them being discoverable on the mark’s network,” I explain as I beginconnecting the cameras to the hotspot Wi-Fi. I didn’t do it at home because I didn’t want any traces of the hotspot being active in our house.
“Ahh, that’s smart. Where are you going to hide that though? It’s pretty big.” Viv study’s the small rectangle.
I reach behind us and pull out a small black bag. “That’s what this is for.”
She opens the bag and rummages through the contents before frowning at me. “A drywall repair kit?”
Grinning, I nod my head. “Yep. I’ll put it in the wall and then patch it before we leave. The paint sample in there I had Z mix up, it matches the walls based on the guy’s social media posts.”
Viv blinks at me. “I can see you’ve done this a lot.”
I shrug. “Well the tech is what I’m good at. I’m no slouch in a fight, but I live for this kind of thing.” I put the last camera back into the case. “Let me just loop the security footage and we can head over there.”
Viv nods and watches me as I pull out my laptop. It doesn’t take me too long. They don’t have a great security system, there’s practically no firewall at all. “Jesus, a toddler could break into that system,” Viv huffs.
I raise my brows and shake my head. “I don’t see the point in a security system if they’re going to make it this easy to access.” Viv nods in agreement before I add, “Okay, we’re all set. We’ve got thirty minutes to get in and out. Should be plenty of time.”
Viv and I both get out of the car and close the door quietly. We walk to the apartment building casually like we’re supposed to be here. We don’t even see anyone as we make our way to the apartment. Thankfully, it’s on the first floor, so we don’t have to worry about making noise on the stairs. But I do make sure to check each door to be sure that nobody has a doorbell camera or a security camera of their own outside as we walk along.
When we get to the right door, Viv takes the initiative and picks the lock to let us in. Once we’re inside she gags. “It’s disgusting in here.”
My nose wrinkles at the smell of body odor and rotten food. The sink is full of dishes and we have to watch where we step because of the stuff on the floor. I find a clear spot to open up my case and get to work setting up each camera. “Find a good vantage point in the kitchen.”
Viv hums quietly to let me know she heard me, and as I’m setting up a second camera in the living room there’s a loud clatter from the kitchen. My head snaps around, suddenly afraid that I’d been wrong and the mark has been here the whole time. I feel light-headed from relief when I find Viv alone in the kitchen frowning down at a set of silver bowls she must have kicked on the ground.
A dark shadow shoots out of the darker hallway and practically dives into the empty bowls, a yowling sound escaping the cat when it realizes nobody has put any food down for it. Viv grunts and glares down at the animal. I don’t realize why until I walk into the kitchen and find that the cat has started clawing at Viv’s leg.
She doesn’t kick it away or anything, just crouches down to pull the cat off of her. “Are you hungry?” Her hand runs over the cat’s back as she frowns. “It’s way too skinny.”
I don’t really pay much attention as I continue installing the cameras throughout the kitchen. But when I move on to the hallways and bedroom to install more, I hear the sound of cabinets opening and closing softly. Viv’s voice can also be heard, soft and hushed, but I don’t catch the words.
She finds me in the bedroom, her eyes taking in the whole room before catching on the wall opposite me. “Bingo,” she says, walking toward the window that was left cracked open.
I finish setting up the camera I’m working on as I ask, “What are you doing?” Suddenly suspicious when I see she’s got gloves on.
“Nothing, just pushing out the corner of the screen here,” she says as she does just that.
“Why?” my voice is slow and deliberate as I ask.
“So that he won’t be suspicious when his cat isn’t here when he gets back,” she says simply as she evaluates the gap she just made between the window and the screen.
“You can’t steal his cat,” I tell her firmly.
She turns furious eyes on me. “Yes I can. He doesn’t deserve to have a cat. The bastard doesn’t even have any food for the thing. I’m taking it home with me.”
My eyes narrow on her. “A pet is a group decision.”
She huffs. “Fine. If they say no I’ll figure something else out.”
My eyes narrow more, but I don’t say anything as I hurry up to finish the cameras. I’ve got a suspicion that her ‘figuring something else out’ means a different place to live with her new feline friend. I’m not a cat person, but I know none of the guys will tell Viv no and I don’t want to be the only one to make an issue out of it. As long as the cat leaves me alone, we’ll be fine.
When I finish patching the wall, I find Viv waiting with her new friend tucked into her jacket. She winces every few steps as we head back to the car, and I’m pretty sure the cat is attacking her if the growls I keep hearing are anything to go by. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Not at the fact she’s being hurt, but the fact she’s letting this cat attack her over and over again just to get it out of a bad situation.
If it were me, I would have waited for us to finish the job before anonymously dropping the cat off at a no kill shelter. Whereas Viv has decided that it is her responsibility to make sure the cat has a good life just because she found it in a bad condition. How this is the same girl who castrated a footballplayer and single handedly killed two guys last year, I have no idea.
Inside the car, Viv manages to detach the cat from her chest. With her hoodie unzipped I can see the thin scratch marks over her chest, and I don’t even want to see what it looks like under her shirt. “You need to put some ointment on those when we get home.”
