Page 43 of Pretty Poison

“Oh, good,” Trudy said. “You hate cyber stuff.”

“I don’t hate it, but I much prefer to be in the field. Peter is much better at handling face-to-face meetings with clients and tackling cyber work.”

“That’s why our agency rocks and why I’m hesitant to throw a wrench in the cogs.”

“Change is inevitable,” Rocky said. “Sure, we can insist on doing things one certain way, but our agency won’t prosper because we won’t be able to meet demands.”

“You’re so smart.”

Rocky smiled. “So my nana says.”

“And speaking of face-to-face meetings, are you working with the new client this afternoon, or am I?”

“I told Peter I was free for the appointment, although I didn’t get any information about who I was meeting or what we’d be discussing. Peter just mentioned it could be a lucrative development. What do you know about it?”

“Her name is Lillian Travers, but I don’t know anything more than that,” Trudy said.

“Lillian Travers,” Rocky repeated. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Beats me.”

“I’m going to get in touch with Avery to see if he’s available to discuss freelancing opportunities, and I’d like the two of us to look over Peter’s caseload to make sure we have all the bases covered.”

“We got this,” Trudy said, holding up her fist for Rocky to bump.

Rocky called Avery once he reached his office. “How’d you like to do some freelancing for my agency?” he asked once they got the initial greetings out of the way.

“Seriously?” Judging by the surprise in Avery’s voice, Jonah hadn’t mentioned their conversation at the diner to his boyfriend. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to get Avery’s hopes up in case it didn’t pan out. “When?”

“As soon as you’re available,” Rocky said, then told Avery what was going on. “A whiz like you could probably resolve these cases in a few hours tops.”

“No pressure,” Avery mumbled. “I have no idea how much to charge.”

“Why don’t you do some research and see what kind of numbers you can come up with. We don’t care if you want to charge per hour or job. Whatever we agree to now doesn’t have to be our arrangement forever.”

“This sounds like a great opportunity. Can I call you back later this afternoon or early evening?”

“Of course.”

They chatted a few more minutes before disconnecting. Trudy stopped in a few minutes later with a tablet in one hand and a coffee cup in the other.

“Thank you,” Rocky said. Even though he’d gotten more sleep than usual last night, it hadn’t been enough to shake the fatigue that always seemed to cling to him. He’d take all the help he could get to clear the mental fog, especially now that he had more responsibilities on his shoulders.

“Let’s see how the next few weeks look,” Trudy said as she accessed their caseload.

Rocky and Trudy went over the open investigations, shifting the workload between them based on skill set and priority. He kept the cyber bullshit under his tasks but hoped he’d be handing them over to Avery in the next day or so. Once they finished, Rocky shifted his attention to the top priority cases. The morning flew by, and before he knew it, Trudy was knocking on his doorframe.

“How about I get you a sandwich from the deli across the street before the mystery client arrives?”

His breakfast had worn off long ago. “That sounds perfect.”

“Reuben on rye?” she asked.

“I’d probably lapse into a carb coma before the client arrived.”

“Tuna salad?” Trudy asked.

“Would you like to sit across from someone who’d just eaten tuna?”