by E. M. Leya
"Yeah, me too." Jeremy grinned.
"Were you the one who locked me out? I mean, dude, no one locks me out. I can get in almost any system. I mean I could probably hack the government if I was dumb enough to try it." Marshall shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
Jeremy liked him. He understood the cockiness of hacking. He'd worked with guys like that his whole life. "You couldn't get into the government computers." He raised a brow as he stared at Marshall.
"How do you know that?"
"You couldn't hack me. Where do you think I learned what I know?" Jeremy took a drink, trying to hide his grin. He shouldn't tease Marshall. He wanted him to come work with him.
"Dude, you have to teach me." Marshall's eyes lit up.
"You come work with me, you'll learn a lot, but it comes with risks that you have to take into consideration before you agree to anything. This isn't something you can fuck around with for a week or two then move on. We are looking for someone willing to commit their time and make a career out of this." Jeremy needed him to understand how serious this was. "You can understand why silence is so important when it comes to what we do."
Marshall nodded. "You say career. What does this pay?"
"It differs month to month, but I promise it's at least five thousand dollars a month, often more." He was going low. They would make much more than that once they got going, but if he could get him in at that amount, anything more would be a bonus to him.
"And all I'd have to do is work on the computer? Act like I'm one of those perverts and find out information on them?"
"Pretty much. I mean, it's a little more complex than that. You'd collect information, track where the photos and videos are being uploaded from. Trace identities and locations where children are being held. And when the other half of the team goes in, you'd have to help track cameras in the area, deactivate them, keep our team safe. It's a lot of late nights. Just the content of the stuff we collect and hunt through on the computer makes this a stressful job. Add in the risk, and the fact you have to keep the secrets, it makes it harder."
Marshall nodded. "Is that why you picked me? Because I'm a loner?"
"It was one of the reasons. You're used to long hours behind a computer screen. You're not going to cut out of work early to go hit the bar. Don't get me wrong, it's not all work and no fun. As a team, we make sure we get downtime, and we do hang out together. We are friends. The work is hard, but the atmosphere is good." Jeremy didn't know what else to tell him.
"So it's not like I have to give up my apartment or leave my lame life behind?" Marshall asked.
"No, not at all. We'd ask you to be there on nights when the other part of the team go out to work, but other than that, you can come and go. As long as you're doing your job, we don't mind. You want to work from midnight to six in the morning, go for it. You want early morning work, go for it. As long as we get the info we need. Right now, I'm the only other computer guy, and we'd like to have a total of three if we can, but as you can guess, it's not easy to find people."
Marshall took another swallow of his coffee. "How do you know you can trust me?"
"I don't. Not yet. It's a risk, but you don't know anything more than the police do. They know what we do, just not where or all of the how. If you left here and started talking about this meeting, I'd still be safe. You don't know who I am. You don't know where I live. I won't give you that until you agree to our terms, and even then, you'd have to meet the rest of the team and get their approval before we'd have you officially join us."
"If I join, you'll teach me what you know?" Marshall asked.
Jeremy laughed. "As long as you promise not to hack into companies and government agencies. Seriously, I'm not bringing you on to make you a criminal. I'd be bringing you on to stop them."
Marshall was silent for a moment, but Jeremy hoped he's said enough to make the job seem worthwhile. He hated this part of building a team. How was he supposed to trust that once they brought Marshall in, he wouldn't turn on them? Carter and Bryon both insisted he follow his gut, but all his gut wanted to do was throw up with nerves. It wasn't just his life his choice would put on the line.
"I'm interested. It's better than working for some asshole in an office all day. I don't see it as a risk honestly. I mean, if everyone is quiet about what they do, the computer guys should be safe. It's the ones who go out that are at risk. The ones like that guy from California." Marshall took another drink of coffee. "So you said I'd have to interview with the rest of the team?"
Jeremy nodded. "We'll plan dinner somewhere. Keep it casual so they can get to know you. Is that okay?"
"You're buying dinner. Hell yeah, it's okay. Pay me with food and I'm a happy man." Marshall grinned.
Jeremy laughed. "Good to know."
"You'll call me?" Marshall asked.
"I will. It won't be long. A day or so at most. Hell, if the team's able, we could maybe pull it off tonight, but I'd have to check."
"I'm free whenever. Just no seafood, okay?"
Jeremy nodded. "Deal." He offered him his hand. "Hopefully, we'll be welcoming you to the team soon."
"I'm looking forward to it." Marshall stood. "Thanks for tracking me down."
Jeremy grinned. "I'm almost going to miss you trolling those fools."
"Yeah, me too, but I'd rather do what you're hiring me for than troll. It pays better and actually serves a cause. See you soon, Jeremy." Marshall waved as he walked off.
Jeremy sat for a moment, then once he saw Marshall get in his car and pull away, he got up and left too. His gut told him to trust Marshall, but his brain was saying be careful. He'd be glad when they had a full team and wouldn't have to do this anymore. Putting himself out there like this was scary. Still, it was worth it. Now he just had to get home and let the rest of the team know what the plan was.
CHAPTER THIRTY
D liked Marshall and hoped that he would be a good addition to the team. They'd spent the last hour at dinner, talking about everything that they did in hushed voices, careful not to give too much away while out in public.
As always when he went out, D wore long sleeves to cover his tattoos and kept his head down, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone. He was always nervous, but as time went on, it got easier. He really needed to get in and get his ink covered in something different and to keep growing out his hair. It changed his appearance more than anything did.
"This is your last chance to change your mind," Rani told Marshall.
D grinned as he covered Jeremy's hand with his own. "Don't scare him off, we need him."
"I'm not scared." Marshall laughed. "I'm looking forward to this. I half expected some formal group, all black tie, and suits. Meeting you all really has helped ease my mind that I'm making the right choice."
Jessica grinned as she nodded to D and Jeremy. "If you can handle these two flirting all the time, you'll be fine."
"Oh, you're together?" Marshall's eyes widened.
"Is that an issue?" D asked, hoping this wasn't all for nothing.
"Uh, no. It's just I was trying to get the nerve up to ask Jeremy out. Guess I better get those thoughts out of my head." Marshall smiled at Jeremy.
A wave of jealousy hit D hard. It was a new experience. He hadn't been jealous of someone in he couldn't remember how long. He'd never really been with anyone to get jealous of. There had been a little jealousy when Xander had met Matt, but that was for loss of time and attention from his best friend. This was different. He didn't like at all that someone was noticing Jeremy and taking an interest. He linked their fingers, bringing Jeremy's palm to his lips, kissing it softly. "Sorry, he's all mine."
Jeremy smiled at D. "I'm flattered, but extremely happy with D."
"You make a good couple." Marshall smiled.
Trying to keep his jealousy from showing, D changed the subject. "So, if you're in, when would you like to start?"
Marshall shrugged. "When do you need me? I can start tonight if you want. I
'm excited to dig into all this and learn how you do everything."
D hoped he wasn't too excited. This was something that took time. You couldn't just dive in and start pulling information. You had to weed through tons of stuff, search for the right links, meet the right people. It would take months before Marshall could earn enough trust to get into the inner circles of the dark web. For now, he would mostly be tracking down videos and pictures that were posted and helping with security for stings.
Jeremy glanced at D, then back at Marshall. "You're welcome to start tonight if you want. I can at least get you set up on our computers and show you the basics. I'm not a big night-owl, but we've got a few hours we can get in if you want to come to see the STK house so you know where we are."
Jessica shook her head. "As much as I'd like to join you, I have to work in the morning, so I'm going to cut out, guys. Marshall, it was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you." She stretched her hand across the table to him.
"You as well, Jess. Thanks for giving me a chance." He gently shook her hand.
"I'll walk you out." Rani stood. "I'll see you guys at home." He nodded to the table.
"So, you up for a few hours tonight or would you rather wait until tomorrow?" D asked.
"Let's do this. I've got nothing to rush home to." Marshall stood. "If you guys had plans, I don't want to interfere with them."
Jeremy shook his head. "We're good." He stood up, reaching for the bill that was on the table. "Will you be able to follow us?"
"Yeah, just don't lose me at a red light and we're good. I have your number now if I get lost." Marshall walked with them to the register to pay. "Do you all live in this place? Rani said he'd see you at home."
"No, Rani is living there right now until he buys a house, but D and I both have our own homes. The option is there for you to move in if you want, but soon enough, I think you'll be looking for your own home too," Jeremy told him.
"Right, that's going to take a while to save for." Marshall sighed. "I'll keep my apartment. I like having my own space."
"You just let us know if you change your mind." D smiled. Once Marshall got settled and the team started doing more stings, the money would roll in fast. It was good to finally have a solid team. He still wanted a few more people, but there wasn't a rush anymore to find them. He could sit and wait, watching for just the right people instead of risking everything to bring them on quickly.
There were a million little things he needed to do, and between him and Jeremy, they would get done. He was slowly starting to feel more in control, and like he belonged as a leader of the team. He'd always looked at Bryon and thought he couldn't handle the job he did, but now that he'd been thrown into the position, it wasn't so bad. Unlike Bryon, D had no plans to cut down on doing stings. Maybe someday, but he enjoyed the work, and sitting home waiting all the time like a nervous father waiting for his daughter to get back from a date wouldn't work for him.
With the bill paid, they made their way outside. D smiled, seeing Marshall's beat up car. It wouldn't be long before he got a new one. The team would get one for him once they got him settled into the job. Marshall was young, and he had no clue what a life-changing decision he'd just made by joining with them. The money alone would be motivation to continue to work with them and keep their secrets.
"We'll see you in a few." Jeremy waved at Marshall as they got in their vehicles.
"I like him." D started the car.
"Yeah, so do I. He's young, but he's smart. If we can keep him focused, he'll do good." Jeremy clipped his seat belt into place.
"If he drops his obsession with you, he'll be good." D grinned as he pulled out of the parking spot, making sure Marshall was behind them before turning onto the road.
"It's hardly an obsession. He was only going to ask me out." Jeremy laughed.
"He stared at you all night." D bit his lip. He really shouldn't play the jealousy card, but it was hard not to point out the truth.
"You're jealous."
"Of course, I am. You're mine." D reached over and placed his hand on Jeremy's thigh. "He needs to find new eye-candy."
"He will. I'm not interested at all, and he should know that. Hell, I'm too old for him anyway. You have nothing to worry about. I'm all yours and have no plans on straying."
"Good thing. I'd have to hold you down and fuck you hard, reminding you what you were walking away from," D teased.
"I hope I don't have to walk away to get you to hold me down and fuck me." Jeremy laughed. "I was kind of hoping you did that because you like me."
"When I hold you down and fuck you, it's bordering on love," D said.
"Ah, the way to your heart."
D winked at him.
"Give me an hour or two so I can show Marshall what to do on the computers and you can spend the rest of the night falling in love with me." Jeremy covered D's hand with his.
"You won't hear me complain about that." D was ready to get away from the STK house for a few hours. They'd been pushing hard, working on organizing evidence and planning three more stings for the next week. "So I did something without talking to you about it first." D glanced over at Jeremy. He wasn't really worried, but as they were both in charge of the team, he should have brought it up with Jeremy first.
"What did you do?" Jeremy eyed him.
"You a football fan?" D asked.
"Um, yeah, but I've never been to a game. I mean, I'll watch them on Sunday if I don't have anything else to do."
"Well, that will change. I figured as part of the process of helping the team relax once in a while, it would be fun to give them tickets from time to time to go hit up some of the games in the city. I mean, we've got baseball, hockey, football. So, I went ahead and bought season tickets for each one. We can give them to the others or use them ourselves if we want. Once it's a little safer for me to go out anyway. The last thing I need right now is us getting caught on the kiss cam on the jumbotron." Sadly, in the past, that would have been something D would have been excited for.
Jeremy's phone rang and he pulled his hand from D's to answer.
After talking for a minute, Jeremy glanced over at D. "There's some guy at the door named Brad. He says you'll know him. Rani said he knew the password, but he's still hesitant to let him and the guy he's with in."
For a second D was confused, but then he remembered where he knew Brad from. "Tell him to let him in. He's fine. We'll be there in five minutes. Tell him to treat Brad like he would any member of the team."
Jeremy passed on the information and hung up. "Who's Brad? Should I be the one jealous now?"
"Well, Brad did give me the biggest gift of my life." D grinned over at Jeremy.
"Oh, he did, did he? I'm not liking him already." Jeremy folded his arms over his chest, playfully pouting.
"If it wasn't for Brad, I wouldn't have ever met you. He is the one who gave me my freedom. Well, technically, that was Carter and Bryon who did that, but Brad was the one waiting for me outside the jail when I was released. He got me to a safe house and helped me lay low for a few days before we came here." D owed Brad a lot. "I have no clue why he'd be at the house though. You said someone is with him? Maybe Rob?"
"Rani didn't say who the second guy was. Just that Brad insisted on talking to you."
D frowned. "I hope it's nothing serious. Could be as simple as he's in town and needed a place to crash for the night. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what he does. I get the feeling he's more than just a friend of STK. He didn't talk much about it."
"Yeah, same as when Rob picked me up and brought me to Colorado. He seemed more like some special forces guy. I didn't dare ask. I was a nervous wreck already with all the shit going on," Jeremy admitted.
"Well, we're about to find out." D pulled into the driveway. Once they got out of the car, they waited for Marshall to park and join them before going in.
"We've got an unexpected visitor, so it may be a few before we actually get back to the computer
s," Jeremy told Marshall. "Just bear with us."
Marshall stepped back. "Maybe I should wait then?"
"Nah, the visitor is a friend. We have no secrets from him. We just didn't expect him tonight. D can deal with him once we find out why he's dropping by." Jeremy walked to the door and used his key to unlock it.
"No stress." D slapped Marshall on the back.
"I didn't expect a house." Marshall looked around as they stepped inside.
"Blends in. We look like a bunch of guys just hanging out. If the neighbors ask, we are gamers who spend the nights in front of the TV playing. It's an easy cover and anyone would believe it." D focused on finding Brad as soon as he was in the door.
He found him in the kitchen, but the man who was with him was the biggest shock. "Patrick!" D hurried over and gave the guy a hug. He was thinner than he had been when they'd been in jail together, but he looked good. "They got you out."
"I don't know how to thank you. About a week after you left, some lawyer shows up to talk to me, says he can get the charges dropped and that he's already been paid if I'll accept his help. I didn't hesitate. I fired the lawyer I had and let him get to work. About three weeks later, I was released, all charges dropped. The district attorney said he didn't have a strong enough case." Patrick hugged him back. "Then, once I was out, this guy shows up at my door, offering me a job. I was hesitant about it until they mentioned you. Relocating wasn't an issue. After the shit I'd been through there, I was happy to leave."
"So you're free and clear. No charges, no warrants? They didn't have to break you out?" D ignored everyone staring at them.
"Nope. It was all legit. The lawyer you, or whoever, hired, managed to work magic, and get everything dropped. Which is shocking. They could have got me on manslaughter. I don't know how your guys did it. I went home and spent a few weeks with my sister before Brad showed up to bring me here." Patrick looked around the room as if just realizing how many people had just walked in.
"Let me introduce you." D gestured to the group. "This is my boyfriend, Jeremy. You've met Dr. Rani Haba, and this is our other new team member, Marshall. There is also a woman, Jessica, who isn't here tonight." D glanced at Patrick. "How much did they tell you about this job?"