Big Ben (See No Evil Trilogy #1) - Nana Malone Page 0,33

Tell.”

“Speaking of my complete badassery, that flash drive you gave me, it’s heavily encrypted.”

“You mean you can’t do it?”

She lifted a brow. “Oh, I can do it, but I might need some help. I’ve got a call out to this bloke called Matthias. He lives in New York, but he has more experience with stuff like this. I have to wonder… If it has this level of encryption, should we be messing with it?”

I chewed my bottom lip. I wasn’t ready to let it go yet. “I need to know.”

“Okay, then rest easy. I’m on the case. Enough about my boring hacking attempts. How did Dexter take the news about the big job?”

I wrinkled my nose, remembering the thirty-second conversation in passing. “Okay, I guess. He was worried about my time commitment.”

She sighed. “Honey, I love you; you know that. I have loved you since you came here for Uni. But let me be really, really clear when I say your boyfriend is a dud. He’s more worried about how you might not be around to wait on him hand and foot than he is thrilled for you.”

She wasn’t entirely wrong. “Enough about Dex.”

“Okay, fine. So, just how fit is your hot new boss?”

I laughed. “I thought you would have looked him up by now.”

“Oh, I have.” She pulled out her phone from her purse, typed on it quickly, and then pulled up a picture of none other than the gorgeous Viking god himself. His hair was shorter, and he had some scruff on his jaw. God, that scruff did something for him.

“Yes, he is pretty, but it doesn’t matter. You know guys like that are bad news. Trouble with a capital T. I’m not looking for trouble.”

“Love, if you don’t want him, I will take him off your hands.”

“Except you’re not exactly a fan of dick.”

“Sweetheart, for that face, I could figure out how to make it work. I mean it’s a dick, how hard can it be?”

I snorted a laugh, nearly taking some of my wine on the ride.

The rest of lunch went well. As always, we ate more bread than we should have, making it nearly impossible to finish the rest of our meals. But still, it was delicious. And the one glass of wine I had allowed myself in the middle of the day had somewhat eased that tension that had developed in my shoulders. Until somewhere around dessert, as I moaned around a spoonful of tiramisu, I could have sworn I saw Fenton Mills at the bar.

No. There was no way that could be him. What the fuck was he doing there?

Telly handed the waiter her credit card when he stopped by at with the card machine. “What are you looking at?”

I slunk into my seat. “Don’t look now. I think that’s Fenton Mills.”

Her brows lifted. “Dexter’s boss?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe it’s not him.” She tried to turn around, and I grabbed her hand.

“Do not look. He’ll see you. Let’s just go.”

“Well, hurry away. The front door is that way.”

The waiter passed our way, and I signaled him. When he came over, he had a wide smile on his face. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you. But I wanted to know, is there a back door?”

He shook his head. “Nope, the only way in and out is through the front there.”

“No staff exit?”

“There is, but it’s just the garbage bins out there.”

I scowled. “Fine. Thank you.” I was going to have to go out the front, which meant I was going to have to be stealthy.

“Telly?”

She raised a brow. “Let me guess, interference?”

I nodded. “I don’t want to deal with him. I don’t want to talk to him. I just want him to leave me alone.”

“You really need to talk to Dexter about this. Or maybe the police or something, because he always seems to be where you are.”

“I’ve tried. Dex is sure I’m overreacting. Says he’s harmless.” Also creepy. Don’t forget creepy. But I was pretty sure I couldn’t get him arrested for being creepy. “Come on.”

“Of course. Anything for my bestie.”

I grabbed my purse. There wasn’t a direct path to the front, but there were some columns that I could possibly duck between if Telly pulled him to the far left of the restaurant and chatted. Then, I could be free and pretend I hadn’t even seen him.

I waited until Telly was out of her seat and approaching the bar. The sashay in her hips was designed to