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“What information do you have about that one?”
“Nothing, it’s the same as before. The cameras are being hacked to show the same feed over and over again.”
“How do you know that the camera’s are on a constant loop?”
“Daily inventory, of course. You know it’s done morning and night to ensure nothing is missing going in, and we can pinpoint who has tampered with it during the end of the day.”
“Yeah.” There is a moment of silence. “So who the fuck is the culprit, Onyx?” I growl.
“We don’t know. The logs have been wiped clean.” He sighs.
“Something more is going on here” I mumble. “Call the guys, we are heading over there… Now!” I slam the phone shut as I turn around and see Athens, sitting up in bed. “Did you sleep well?” I ask, because what else do you say to someone that you’re supposed to hate?
“I did. Thank you for being so kind to me last night.” She says, blushing.
“Not a problem.” My eyes burn a hole into her as we hold each other’s attention. “Are you ready to tell me what that means now?” I ask, pointing to her arm.
“No, because I don’t see why it would matter to you.” She yawns, folding her arms over her perfectly sculpted chest.
“It doesn’t, but I have to know.” I whisper, closing the distance between us and crawling onto the bed. “Please, tell me.” I beg. This is not something I do, but I need to know like I need my next breath.
“It means ‘You are forever in my heart’. I’ve added to it over the years, but I got this in remembrance of my parents.” She groans, and time stands still as I come to realize that it’sher.
She’s haunted my dreams and thoughts for three years. My day begins and ends with her. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I close my eyes as my whole body begins to shake. I now know why I was so drawn to Athens.
“My Little Fox.” I sigh, letting my eyes close for a mere second before I speak again. “I’ve just realized something that I can no longer ignore. But, it will have to wait because I’m needed elsewhere.” I say, making no effort to move. “Will you be okay?”
“Yes, I can handle my own but, thanks for your concern.” She’s upset. I want nothing more than to stay in bed with her, marking her as mine, but duty calls. I make an effort to get up, to walk her out, but she holds up her hand. “I can see myself out.” She whispers, all but running from my room.
I mask my features as I maneuver around the room and get ready to go. We have to handle business outside class hours. Even though we bring in tons of money from our side business, we still have to make a legit living.
Once we finish college, we will all have our master’s degrees in pharmaceutical science and will be able to make our drug legally. Time is all it takes, and that we have more than enough of.
“Somebody better start talking, and I promise you this, if it’s not anything useful, your time will be up. Do I make my fucking self clear?” I shout to the workers who shake with fear but nod their heads in understanding. “Good, let’s get to fucking work.”
“Split up into groups of five and come with one of us.” Dash steps in, taking over. They all go without any complaints.
Over the course of an hour, we find that one person is missing. This kid is untraceable, or so he thinks. Dash will find a way to locate him, plus we will have to figure out how they slipped in and pulled the wool over our heads like they did. I’ll admit, this shouldn’t have happened, and we will find out every person who had anything to do with it..
“Um, sir, may I speak with you for a moment?” A burly kid named Bear steps forward.
“Yes?” I mumble.
“We kept lockers, maybe he left something behind inside or fingerprints. For all we know, Gale wasn’t even his real name.” He suggests.
“Who does the hiring for this facility?” I yell.
“Your father, sir.” Bear says, easing back into the lineup.
“You know what that means?” Karter questions as I nod my head. “It’s time to ruffle some feathers, boys.” He whoops, high fiving the others.
“Fucking right it is.” I agree. “Even more evidence that daddy dearest has been a bad boy.” I can't help the sinister smile that forms on my face as I declare war against my father. “First, we have to get through class.”
“Why don’t we just use our power of persuasion to get us off the hook for today?” Onyx pipes up.
“Because, we need every shred of knowledge they have to offer for what we have planned.” I admit. “If we want to really succeed, make a difference with a number of things and be on top, we do it the right way.”
“We are with you, brother, just tell us what to do.” Wells finally speaks up.