Page 5 of Tristano

I love my job.I really do, but sometimes it can be so boring. Especially when the boss lady has control issues.

“Are you ever going to let me do any work, or do you plan to do it all yourself?” I ask as I lean back in my chair, throwing a ball into the air.

“Seems you don’t mind letting me do all the work. You get to fuck off,” Greer huffs at me, not taking her eyes off the computer.

“Only because you came in here just to grab some papers and overtook my entire computer. Seriously, Greer, you need to go home. Go work on your own shit.”

“Tristano, do not push me. I’m hormonal as fuck right now,” she warns.

I hear Enzo snort from the other room. He’s been hovering more than normal with her being pregnant. He has more than one precious life to care for. Still, he knows when to give her space. Like now. I saw it in his eyes the moment they walked through the door. We have snarky Greer in our presence today.

“Greer, I will call your husband. Don’t think I won’t.”

Her ice-cold eyes meet mine over the computer screen. I almost shudder but hold my composure.

“I dare you to call him. When he shows up, I’ll kick his ass, then I’ll kick yours.”

“Seriously? Come on, Greer. You wouldn’t hurt me. You love me.”

“I love Killian more, and I almost shot him,” she deadpans before moving her eyes back to the screen.

“Cold.” I rub my chest over my heart. “I really do want to work. Can you please go work from home?”

She growls, but I add, “Pretty please with a cherry on top” with my best innocent smile.

She pushes her chair back, standing up.

“Fine. You’re beginning to annoy me anyway. I fixed the bug in your algorithm, by the way. Hopefully this runs better. You need to pay closer attention to detail. You’re good, but you still make stupid mistakes.”

I clear my throat, all joking leaving me. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be better.”

“Good. Back to work, you go.”

I watch as she leaves before moving back to my computer. I see that she did fix the code I was having issues with. Truth is, I didn’t miss the issues. I was too proud to ask for help. It’s an issue I’ve always had. Ever since I was little, I never liked asking others for help. Instead, I’d rather be the one they come to for help. It’s a flaw I’m working on.

Focusing back on work, I look over all the data collected. I know there is a connection here, but we haven’t found it yet. It’s driving me absolutely bonkers.

There’s no rhyme or reason to the kidnappings. Sometimes they take well-off college students and never ransom them. Other times they take high school students who have no money. Then there are the women who I know are never reported. If it weren’t for Declan and Yamato’s connection to the working girls in their area, those missing girls would have fallen through the cracks.

The only similarity I have been able to connect is that they don’t kidnap anyone over the age of twenty-five. What are they doing with them, though?

We have been tracking the meat markets and taking them down slowly and quietly. None of the girls coming up missing have shown up there.

So what could it be? What am I missing?

“Why is it so quiet in here?” Enzo’s voice jolts me from my little world.

“Wear a fucking bell, man. You almost got shot.” My hand is on my chest, covering my fast-beating heart.

“Eh, I like my chances. Your hand didn’t even reach for it.” He shrugs as he makes his way to his desk across the room from me.

“What are you even doing here? Don’t you have a home to go to?” I snip at him, frustrated at myself more than him.

He rolls his eyes at me. “After I took Greer home, I decided to come back. The girls are having a mommy-daughter date. Daddy is not allowed apparently.”

“Hearing you call yourself ‘daddy’ is the highlight of my life. Can I call you daddy, daddy?” I give him my signature smile.

Fake it til you make it, right?

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