Page 13 of Maneater

“Good morning, Gabriel,” Rory says, all business.

“Whatcha got for us?” I ask.

“Eager as always, Josephine,” he says with a chuckle. All of the Mavens have talked a million times about what we think Gabriel looks like, because his voice is undeniably sexy, but we’ve never met the mysterious man we work for.

I’m on Team Old, Sophisticated Dude.

“I love a good overnight,” Rory says.

“Well, this one will probably be more than a night.”

I perk up, even more excited now.

“What do you know about Daydream Resorts?”

I rack my brain, trying to pinpoint the name, but Rory answers first.

“Luxury, all-inclusive resorts. Super exclusive, where stars go when they want to disappear and not be in the limelight, though there have been a few carefully planned PR leaks while there. I believe there are a dozen locations across the world.”

“Thirteen, now, as of last year. The newest location in the Florida Keys opened almost a year ago.” The screen blinks from black to a slideshow of images of the new resort, all white sand beaches, bright blue oceans, and a fully loaded spa. I sit forward, giving the computer my rapt attention. “Despite some pushback from some of the board members, Daydream Resorts went forward with opening the Keys location, and things have been going phenomenally. It’s one of the most profitable locations already and has been attended by dozens of celebrities and even more high-roller clients.”

“But…” I say, because if there wasn’t abut, we wouldn’t be on this call.

“But there have been numerous instances occurring over the last few weeks, most recently one at the recreation building,” Gabriel says, and the screen changes before us to show a photo of a burned-down building on the beach. Rory gasps, and I try to take note of the structure, unable to even identify much besides the sand it butts up to. “Inside was over fifty thousand dollars’ worth of equipment that guests could use. This is where the resort was keeping all of its outdoor equipment: canoes and stand-up paddleboards, that kind of thing. It was burned to the ground yesterday, and this morning, reports came back citing arson. When combined with the other issues?—”

“Other issues?” Rory asks like an attentive student.

“Small things. All of the towels went missing for a day, only for them to be discovered locked in a storage room. Deliveries of foodwere cancelled without a word. Double booking or changing services at the spa. Small things that hindered the guest experience but weren’t a big deal. Then, a few days ago, someone added almond oil to the mud bath and caused an allergic reaction.”

I cringe at the image.

“So it’s escalating. Cameras?” I ask.

“We think whoever is doing it has access to the security footage because they either know which cameras to avoid, or the cameras are down for maintenance.”

I nod. “Security is in-house?”

“Yes.”

“Do we have access?” Rory asks.

“Unfortunately, with this assignment, you aren’t going in with any kind of real assistance. The owner isn’t telling a soul, just in case intel gets into the wrong hands and the culprit backs off. You’ll either have to find a way to get access to security footage yourself or hack your way in. From what I’ve been told, it’s state-of-the-art.”

“Sure it is,” Rory says with a smile. Where I can get intel from a suspect with a smile and chatting with people, Rory’s expertise is computers and security: there are few systems she can’t find a way into.

“Do we have any suspects?”

“No,” Gabriel says, and I nearly bounce in my seat at the idea of such a challenge.

I fuckinglovea challenge.

“No suspects?” Rory asks, confused because, typically, we get some kind of idea of where to focus, even if it’s incredibly vague.

“We’ve been hired by a CEO who wants to minimize any rash judgments. She wants you to go in as blind as you can, so her own biases or the biases of the other employees don’t impact your review.”

Basically, this is a dream assignment.A blank slate.

“But we think it’s an employee?” I ask.