Page 44 of Only the Devil

“So maybe once you’re brought on board and you’re official you’ll learn more?”

“If he’s smart.”

“You said him. Did you interview with Phillip or HR?”

“Sterling and Weaver. And by the way, Mr. Sterling thinks a lot of you.”

“Well, like I told you, he’s hoping I’ll build a tool that will make him invincible in the market.”

“You making any progress?”

I just roll my eyes because the idea is ludicrous. No one can predict the future. I can build a tool that interprets vast amounts of data and derives educated theories, but it’s still a glorified bet on the future.

“I’ve been keeping Rhodes updated. You know, my other boss. He’s worried. Wants to expand KOAN’s team. I told him it’s not necessary.”

“Quinn mentioned they’re prepping others.”

“To what? Come sit here across the street?”

“If that’s what it takes.” Jake shrugs and lifts the lid on the grill again. “Someone was likely murdered, and without a doubt, the body was moved. Gotta agree with Rhodes. Backup’s not a bad idea.” He removes the filets from the grill and sets them on a platter, and I hop up to help with the grilled veggies in the stainless-steel grill basket. “At first, we thought you were just digging for evidence to prove he purposefully swindled investors. Now someone’s dead and it’s hands down, suspicious as fuck. Do you trust Rhodes?”

“Sure. He’s one of my best friends. The boss thing is irrelevant really.”

“I’ve never trusted the wealthy elite.”

His confession has me doing a double-take. “Define wealthy elite.”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs, stepping over the threshold, platter in one hand, beer in the other. “Super-rich. Multi-million-dollar home. As likely to drop two hundred K on a car as on a watch.”

“Rhodes isn’t like that. Money isn’t what motivates him.” I step through the doorway into the apartment, grilled veggie bowl in hand. “But by your definition, I might’ve been one of them. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m way too cheap to spend six figures on a car, but I came close to being all that.”

“Might’ve been? What do you mean?”

“Well, if I had acted on an offer Rhodes made a few years ago, I’d have ownership in ARGUS.”

“But you didn’t?”

“Nah.” That’s a decision I will likely regret years into the future. “I have this thing with commitments.”

“Thing?”

“At the time, I didn’t stay at one company for very long. The offer had vesting periods, and it just felt like a way to trap me or something. But now…years have gone by.”

“And you’re still working for him and if you’d taken the offer you’d be worth a mint?”

“If only someone could write a program that predicts the future, huh? I check my horoscopes daily, but they let me down bigly.”

“Well, you may have missed out on your opportunity to join the wealthy elite, but tonight, I say we’re eating steak and celebrating that we’re both collecting two salaries. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds good.”

Like me, he’s barefoot. There’s something about watching him, so natural and in his element, preparing for a mundane event like dinner. The kind of event that growing up I understood was completely normal for my friends, but not so much for me as my mom had her life that she pursued. It wasn’t until I was older that Uncle Alvin started inviting me over for dinner. The memory isn’t one I wish to dwell on, as it stirs up wasted emotions. Jake’s green eyes home in on me like he senses something’s not right—and it isn’t. And that’s for several reasons, but mainly because I keep thinking about the kiss. Our kiss that felt like something but then there was Sterling?—

“What is it?”

He’s sitting, a fork in one hand, knife in the other, ready to dive in, and I’m still standing, lost in what happened this morning. And that’s a waste of time.

“Look…that kiss, earlier. Nothing can happen between us. You know that, right?”