Page 79 of Bit's Bliss

I was seething. “When was this?”

“Zero four hundred, err, fourthis morning.”

I let go of Eberly’s hand, stood, and walked to the other side of the room. I got why he wasn’t elaborating. He didn’t want her to freak out. My problem was that that I hadn’t been informed of it until now.

“We’ve had a crew here since then,” he said when my eyes bored into his. “The first thing that was secured was the house.”

“By whom?”

“Ashford.”

“He’s here?” My fists clenched. It was another thing I hadn’t been informed of, and why the fuck not?

“Some was done remotely, but, yeah, he’s here.”

Snapper had more to say, but wouldn’t now because of Eberly; that much was clear. Except this was her house and her life.

“Start at the beginning. A person, whose identity you haven’t yet determined, gained access to the house at approximately four this morning. Is that correct?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Was there footage of him leaving the house?”

“Yes. About ten minutes later.”

“Who responded to the breach?”

“A couple of Vader’s guys and Kick.”

I leveled my gaze at him. Did this have something to do with why he and Snapper were at odds?

“What did they discover?” I asked.

“He left through the vineyards. Bit, it wasn’t possible for us to?—”

“I get it.” It hadn’t been seventy-two hours since Malcolm disappeared, someone attempted to gain access via the gate, and work began on revamping the security. My guess was there were at least three hundred acres of vineyards, which would be impossible to secure beyond the perimeter. As far as inside the house, nothing would be monitored without Eberly agreeing to it.

“Can I see it?” she asked.

“Of course.” When Snapper pulled out his phone and stood, I held my hand out. Instead of showing her himself, he pulled up the footage, then handed his cell to me. I sat beside Eberly and played the video.

“It’s hard to tell, but it could be Tiernan,” she said, looking up at me.

“Did Vader’s guys dust for prints?”

“No luck. Whoever it was, was prepared.”

“When did you plan to inform me of this?” I asked, unable to hold the question in any longer.

“He was waiting for my go-ahead.” Decker walked into the room from the same direction we’d come in. “You must be Eberly,” he said, introducing himself before turning to me. “I need a word. We’ll be right back.”

I followed him back out to the patio.

“I understand your irritation at not being read in. However, your main job right now is helping Eberly navigate all this shit. There’s a crew responsible for security, and you aren’t part of it. Am I making myself clear?”

“Perfectly. However, had I known, I wouldn’t have brought Eberly here this morning.”

He stroked his beard and didn’t speak for several seconds. “Fair enough.”