Aaron rose quickly and shut the door between the rooms, sealing himself in. He had about an hour to get his shit done and over with for the day. This on-assignment job was really cramping his style. It wouldn’t be too much longer that he even needed to stay employed with the federal government. He relished that day. What kind of idiocy would ever pull someone like him from their desk job and out in the field to work an open, active criminal case?
It was past dumb, but so were most of the entire workings of the federal government. Why in the hell would they hire someone like him to break into their systems? All they did was teach him exactly how they operated and the methods they used to keep him out. Yet, this was where he excelled—in this world of manipulating code and forced entry into systems.
Screw the need to hold up a bank. Anyone could rob the average citizen blind on the pretense of opening a company in the true capitalistic society of American business. Case in point, this company he was currently working his way inside—if the senior executives would quit pocketing every extra dime they made, then maybe they would have been better equipped in their defenses to keep him out of their shit. They’d realize that soon enough.
Aaron worked steadily for another thirty minutes before he made it through the barriers and was given carte blanche to do whatever his little heart desired. And there it was. All the financial data for all their customers. Another very stupid way to conduct business. Aaron quickly went to chat, clicking on his screen name before issuing instructions.
“You’re in. Get it started,” Aaron said out loud in the quiet room.
“That was fast even for you,” came a distorted reply, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Stop wasting time. Get it started.” Aaron quickly did what he needed to on his end and shut his systems down. Thank God Kreed wasn’t into the technology. If he were, he’d know he didn’t need all this equipment to play State of Decay with Mitch, yet Kreed had bought it hook, line, and sinker. What a relief. The only problem with Kreed Sinacola was that gut feeling he kept hearing about. It was why he’d planned all his extracurricular activities in the middle of the night. He had to stay off Kreed’s radar at all costs.
With that worry sitting on his shoulders, Aaron went ahead and dismantled his equipment, deciding to pack it all up again. If the schedules held, they should be heading to Texas at some point today. By putting everything away, he hoped to accomplish the theory of “out of sight, out of mind.” He could ship the boxes wherever he needed before they headed out. Working fast, he managed to get everything all boxed up and tucked inside his closet before Kreed returned from his workout.
Chapter 7
Anchored with his arm propped on the counter, Kreed bent forward, listening intently to the list of services each spa package included. As the young woman spoke, Kreed looked back at Aaron and surveyed him closely. The kid was hot as fucking hell like he was, but he had a feeling cleaning Aaron up was going to make him a thing of beauty. Probably not the best idea with Kreed’s current attraction problem, but he needed to bite the bullet and do it anyway. Church boys needed to look wholesome.
“For him, we need hair and face. He needs to shave…”
“I’m not shaving my beard,” Aaron called out, and Kreed looked back at the woman behind the desk. Kreed gave her a smile, drawing her attention back to him.
“I wouldn’t call that a beard—more of a dusting—but it’s gotta go.” Kreed used his finger to instruct her to write that treatment down. “Let’s get him the facial and he needs at least a manicure. It looks like he bites his nails.”
“How do you even know that?” Aaron asked a little defensively. Kreed looked back to see Aaron balling up his fingers into two fists. He laughed again, loving how Aaron eased him. He wasn’t sure why, because certainly Aaron always carried an air of pissed-off whenever he was around, but he liked poking at the kid. Regardless of what Aaron kept projecting, Aaron was a do-gooder. He’d proved that over and over again, so Kreed suspected the irritated attitude was more of an act than Aaron’s true nature. Gamers hated leaving their homes. He faced the girl across the counter.
“The kid’s surly. Probably need to give him to someone who isn’t easily put off.” Kreed forced himself not to look back for Aaron’s reaction to his words. For some reason, it helped him put Aaron in his place by referring to him as a child. “We need a full shave, no matter what he says. It’s a work deal. He’s gotta get cleaned up. He’s just being ornery. And I want to decide on his hairstyle. I know what he needs to look the part.”
Based on past experience, Kreed decided Aaron would probably be in there for a couple of hours, which would give him the opportunity to get some work done. Kreed glanced up at the menu board again and began ticking off the services he wanted. A shave, facial, nails, feet, and if there was time, he wanted a partial wax. He ignored Aaron’s snicker from behind. Mitch gave him enough shit about his spa days and Lush products to last a lifetime. Besides, he hadn’t been laid in a while. Clearly with all the lusting he’d done after the kid, he needed to fix that. He needed a quick hook-up from someone he wouldn’t ever see again.
“Add a massage in there too,” he added.
“All right, I have everything down. Give me a minute to get you two lined up and I’ll come get you soon,” the receptionist said before disappearing behind a wall. Kreed bypassed Aaron, going for a row of seating against the front wall. When Aaron didn’t turn, he decided he liked this position. Kreed got to stare at the kid’s backside. Aaron had a nice-shaped ass. He’d seen for himself this morning that Aaron was very well put together. The tattoos were a nice surprise. Kreed cocked his head, studying the guy in front of him closely but never seeing any telltale markings under Aaron’s clothes. Kreed had never been that smart with his ink. There was no missing the love he had for body art.