Chapter 2

A bit.

Scarlett huffs. “Three,” she says, reminding Joshua she’s still in the game.

“Three, sorry, Scarlett,” Joshua says. “But really.”

Simon seems to consider it for one whole second. “Raise.”

Joshua throws his head back exasperatedly.

“Are we hiring more people?” Karen asks, eyes narrowing playfully at Simon, but talking to Seth. “To cover the parking lot, I mean.”

Seth would say something to them about the tension, but he’s pretty sure there’s nothing more than sibling rivalry going on. It’s that feeling they have: an enmity close to getting out of control that comes hand in hand with a fierce sort of love Seth has no frame of reference for. Maybe Connor, but that’s something very different.

“How does the budget look?” Seth asks.

Scarlett takes some time to answer. “I think we can afford some even with the branching out into personal security that we’re trying.” She pouts her red, red lips. Nobody faints and she smiles, delighted as always. “It depends on how many you’re thinking of hiring.”

“Why did I know you were going to ask that?” Lisa smirks as she reaches for her notes. “Ah, hang on.” Simon and Karen have finally reached a compromise—for now—and are ready for the next card. Lisa places the turn on the table and they’re off again with Scarlett along for the ride. “Yes, umm…” Lisa studies her notes, writes some numbers. “Five would be perfect, four are workable.”

“Each shift?” Scarlett asks and, on receiving a nod, she grimaces. “Four, we have to see what we’re doing with the bodyguards.”

“How’s that going, by the way?” Dorothy asks.

Seth grimaces.

“Not great,” Karen answers. “That reminds me. Seth? Did you get vibes from the last one we interviewed?”

“Vibes?” Seth frowns. “No, I got inconsistencies.”

“That too,” Karen says. “I don’t think he’s asexual.” She stops playing and drums her fingers on the table. “Scratch that, I’m positive. He made me uncomfortable with how much he leered. That’s dangerous. Beyond that, why would he even say he’s asexual? I have eyes, I could see him.”

Seth nods and frowns some more. Yes, he saw a few things that didn’t make sense, but they could easily be explained away as nerves. Brown wasn’t attracted to guys; he didn’t ping on Seth’s radar. But Karen is right. It would be bad for business to hire Brown if he makes anyone uncomfortable.

“Maybe he thinks we’re like those modeling places, with the skeevy photographers?” Lisa offers.

Peter shakes his head. “I don’t understand them in the first place, why would—” He sighs. “I guess that just means more business for us.”

“Some of them are excellent at what they do,” Dorothy says sadly.

“Was this one?” Joshua asks. He rearranges his chips absently. “What was his name again?”

“Brown,” Karen supplies immediately.

Joshua inclines his head in thanks. “Well, was he any good?”

“Yes,” Seth says. “On paper, which I’m starting to doubt.”

“How many have we got so far?” Simon asks. He sounds politely curios, which probably means he’s concerned. Simon’s well-known overprotective streak is making an appearance, but he still tries to hide it. He’s not fooling anybody.

“Thirty-seven,” Karen answers.

Scarlett writes something down. “Are we still aiming for fifty?”

“Yes,” Seth says. “I’d like to find out why Brown lied. We’re not hiring him, but it’s still suspicious.”

The players all relax at his announcement, and they get back to the game.

“What are we thinking then?” Simon asks as he—finally—checks. “PI or just be alert?”

“The budget is too tight for a PI,” Scarlett says, lips pressed tightly. “We can take it on any other month, but with trying to get this off the ground…We can’t ask our clients to pay for a service that hasn’t been tested.”

Peter opens his mouth, probably to give examples of companies that do the exact thing.

“No, we’re better than that.” Dorothy sniffs haughtily. “Plus, the consequences are a bit more serious.”

“Not always,” Peter protests. “I’m not saying that our work isn’t important, I’m just saying that those beta versions are for serious stuff too.”

“Noted, but fifty bodyguards are alreadyour beta version in terms of manpower,” Dorothy insists. She takes her tablet and she’s looking for something. Familiar sounds tell Seth she’s switching between files. “You do realize that we have forty-seven big clients? If they don’t get along with their bodyguards, we’ll have the nightmare of all reshufflings. And that’s just one problem that could appear. We have sixty-five clients that are likely to be interested and thirty-two who might get there in about six months.” She toggles back and raises her head. “It’s a big risk, yes, but it’s definitely not as much as it would be if we were to cover everybody.”

“Yes, and I think everybody agreed and still agrees on that,” Lisa says as she places the river on the table. “I think it’s important that we don’t let this become a security risk by just being on the lookout. I vote for assigning a PI on the case. Not only did the guy…ah, what was—”

“Brown,” Joshua prompts.