Page 20 of Hard Wired

Another glance into the gym told Sylvie that a lot of their techs and sales team were watching the training, too. Which meant nobody would be looking for her over the next few hours.

She grabbed an equipment bag, checked her makeup in the mirror, and went to her car in the parking garage.

Crane was going to be sorry he’d ever messed with her. She was going to show him that Sylvie Trousseau wasn’t anyone to be trifled with.

* * *

Sylvie pulledup to Crane’s house. She made another quick glance over herself. She’d worn her usual high-waisted jeans and boots, as well as a cropped tank top with a cardigan over it. After a moment’s hesitation, she left the cardigan on the passenger seat and got out.

Maureen opened the door. “Sylvie, so lovely to see you again. I was just making lunch.”

They went inside. Sylvie braced herself to see Dominic again, but he wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. “I hear you’ve had a problem with the security system?”

“Oh, here and there. We appreciate you making a trip to check on it. I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. Probably some button or other I pushed that I shouldn’t have.”

“Did you really push a button? Or are you trying to make me feel better?”

The woman’s hand paused on the refrigerator door handle. “I guess it’s the second one.”

Sylvie laughed. “I appreciate the honesty.”

Maureen described how the system had been glitching. Sylvie wondered what could explain it. Odd that they hadn’t detected this issue at Bennett Security headquarters when accessing Crane’s system remotely.

“I should get started.” She was eager to plug in her laptop.

“But won’t you have a seat and visit for a moment? We don’t get many guests here.” Maureen lowered her voice. “And Dominic has been especially antisocial lately. I’m desperate for some conversation.”

“All right. A few minutes.” Her afternoon schedule was wide-open, anyway. Sylvie lowered her bag to the ground and took one of the bar stools.

Maureen pulled containers from the fridge. “You hungry?”

“No thanks. I already ate. But I can help if you want.”

“Would you? Aren’t you a dear. Dominic likes cold food at lunch. Lots of chopping.” She set up Sylvie with a wooden cutting board to slice cucumbers, celery, and tomatoes.

Sylvie cut a grape tomato in half. She didn’t like that she was prepping Crane’s lunch. But on the other hand, she didn’t mind helping Maureen. The woman had good energy, like she didn’t get too worked up over anything. Sylvie hoped some of those relaxed vibes might rub off, because she’d been wound too tight lately.

“You’re from Louisiana, aren’t you?”

Maureen beamed. “That’s right. Baton Rouge. You’re familiar?”

“I grew up in Texas, but my father’s got Cajun roots.”

“Well, well. Whereabouts in Texas?”

“It’s a tiny place in the hill country. Mostly cattle ranches and Baptist churches.”

Maureen seemed to be waiting to hear more, but Sylvie didn’t feel like discussing her family. She didn’t want to get into their estrangement, nor did she want to act like they were close. It would be a white lie, yet it would take something out of her, too.

“How did you end up in West Oaks?” Sylvie asked.

“My daughter moved out to Ventura, so I followed. Her father’s never been in the picture. But she’s grown, so now I have Dominic to take care of.”

“Isn’t he a little old for that?” Then she shook her head. She didn’t mean to disrespect the woman’s job. “Sorry, that sounded rude. But I hope he pays you well.”

“Dominic isn’t nearly as ferocious as he’d like people to believe. He’s more of a pussy cat than a tiger.”

Sylvie snickered, and Maureen grinned. “I mean it. Get to know him, and you might be surprised.”

---