My jaw sets. If Rick even thinks about suing Logan, I’ll bury him so deep, DSVs won’t be able to find him. “Get me the name of that law firm. I’m going to do some digging.”
“Okay, Maxie. Don’t get caught, yeah?”
“You know me. Stealth is my middle name.”
Manny chuckles before he hangs up. A moment later, my phone pings with the law firm’s name and the Lexington Avenue address. I ignore the now-faint rumblings of my stomach and return to my rig for a deep hack.
eighteen
My phone pingingdrags my attention away from my coding.
I blink, realizing I’ve lost several hours as I’ve broken through the law firm’s firewalls. I pick up the phone; Cynnie’s dark eyes look back at me over her sweet smile.
I run my hand over my own, aching eyes before I buzz her up. I completely lost track of time and now my bladder and stomach are letting me know about it. But I’m close to breaking into the client database of Scum, Scummier, and Scummiest LLC. Torn, I go to open the door for Cynnie.
My bumble runs up the stairs and bounces straight into my arms. Chuckling, I catch her and twirl her around and lose myself for long minutes in that soft mouth that tastes faintly of coconut before taking her bag and the black sack. Underneath, she’s wearing a floaty ensemble of pastel gauze layers. I like her fairy kei outfits, but they drown her sweet curves. I’m not driven to dress up my baby girl the way Logan is, but I begin to understand the appeal.
As I’m helping her set up her laptop at my dining table, my stomach gurgles so loudly both of us stare at my belly like we’re waiting for an alien to burst forth.
Cynnie cups her hand over her mouth and giggles.
“Sorry, I got caught up in work and forgot to eat lunch.”
Cynnie rubs her fingers over my belly as though she can soothe my rumbling gut. “Can I make you something?”
“Sure. Can you cook? I mean, is it safe for your little?”
“It’s not safe for my little to be around stoves or knives, but I can be big while I’m cooking. Would you like noodles or do you have sandwich fixings?”
“I have both, but I’d love noodles.”
She leans up and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll make you noodles. Give me twenty minutes.”
“Thank you, bumble-baby.” I hold out my arms and give her a hug before she trots off to the kitchen. I return to my hack, listening to the happy sounds of my girl humming and clattering around in my kitchen. I’m not sure why that gives me such a rush. It’s not like I believe that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. I just like the feel of it. It’s not something I’ve had before.
Scum, Scummier, and Scummiest’s last firewall falls as Cynnie appears in the doorway to my office with a tray set with a steaming bowl and a tall glass of what looks like lemonade.
“Do you want to eat at your desk?” she asks.
I start to say “yes,” then catch myself.
“No, baby. I’ll eat at the table with you, and you can tell me about what you’re working on today.”
She grins and turns back to my dining nook.
The noodles she’s made me are excellent. Dark and sticky with some sauce I don’t recognize. It has a strong, sweet, slightly fishy taste, but I like it. I devour the whole bowl while Cynnie explains her current project. I gathered during her first stay that her family business is medical illustration; Cynnie creates 3D renderings of diseases and disorders. She’s currently working on a diagram of endometrial lesions and while it puts me offmy food somewhat, I can only admire the detail of what she’s created.
We talk coding for a few minutes as she shows me some of the architecture behind the rendering and it occurs to me that I can’t keep what’s happening with Ness and his blackhats from her entirely.
“Cynnie, can you be big for a minute while I tell you something serious?” I ask.
“You’re breaking up with me?”
“Absolutely not. I thought we settled that. Slate’s wiped clean, right?”
She nods but doesn’t look convinced.
“Baby, we’re starting fresh.” I push the empty bowl to the side and take her hand. “This is about my work.”
