Walker stops the video and stands tall, his hands on his hips, staring at us with displeasure. “How long?”
“How long what?”
“Phones, computers, tracking devices, recording devices, fake IDs… All of this,” he sweeps his hands to the table, “tells me you’ve been at this for a while. How long?”
“We started after the Carlton situation,” Maren answers for me.
“The Carlton situation? The same one where information on his cheating fell into your lap?”
“Yes.”
His eyes slice to me. “So, the information wasn’t truly anonymous. It came from you? You two worked in cahoots?”
There’s no need to deny it, so I nod.
“Start from the beginning. I want to hear it all.”
Maren and I exchange a look, and it’s clear on her face, she expects me to talk.
“Eyes to me, Emi.”
“We’re an anonymous duo, hired by people who suspect their significant others are cheating.”
“You’re moonlighting as vagina vigilantes?” he spews in disgust.
“We don’t discriminate. Men hire us, too,” Maren adds a little too happily. “Our business plan actually outlines all—”
“Business plan?”
&nbs
p; “Of course, we may be amateurs, but we’re not dumb.”
“Do either of you have a private investigator’s license I don’t know about?”
We both shake our heads.
“Well, from where I stand, you’re riding a fine line, and have possibly broken about ten laws, that I know of.”
“Not entirely true. I’ve done extensive research online, and our practices are accepted under the PI statutes.”
“Yes, for licensed professionals.”
“Stop goading him,” I say under my breath.
“Tell me about tonight, Emi.”
I spill the story of Bailey and Justin, Maren interjecting details as she feels she needs to. When I’m done, Walker’s face is hard, the tick in his jaw returning.
He stares blankly at us then lets loose. “ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!?! Hacking? Fake identities? Following two complete strangers into a room without knowing what was behind the door? Have you lost your minds?”
His words sink in, and while I think he’s being a bit dramatic, he has a point.
“Sweetie, we watched the crowd. We knew we were safe.”
He clenches his fists, dropping his chin to his chest and exhaling loudly. “Maybe not tonight, but crawling through backyards? What about the night at the hotel? Ten minutes later, you could have been involved in a gambling bust.”
My eyes bulge, knowing he’s aware we were there. “You know it was us?”