The Dom Identity (Masters & Mercenaries Reloaded 2)

Why would Vanessa want a work schedule? He could see her wanting financial records or perhaps even more sensitive data, but a work schedule wasn’t something that could help her. Of course he hadn’t figured out exactly what scam she was running, so he should keep an open mind. “Can you see everything she accessed?”

A brow rose above MaeBe’s eyes. “She? You know for sure it’s Vanessa Hale? The time stamp I found was for three thirty. Weren’t you with her then?”

“Yes. I can account for her whereabouts from three to around four thirty. And I would be surprised if she had computer skills that run beyond her work duties.” Michael sat back, thinking about the situation. “She could have hired a hacker.”

“Hackers cost money, and she doesn’t have much in her accounts.” MaeBe had put together a full view of Vanessa’s life as it stood, but she was forgetting a few things.

“We can’t be sure she doesn’t have accounts we don’t know about,” Michael mused.

“I was thorough, but yes, there is always the possibility she has offshore accounts. She doesn’t have anything on her systems that lead me to believe she’s got one, but if she’s smart, she would hide it. Of course, she’s also involved in a lawsuit that is specifically about money. The lawyer she’s up against is smart, and he hires the best. I think he would have found the accounts,” MaeBe argued. “So I’m looking for a hacker she hired. I’ll talk to some of my connections and see what shakes out, but I thought you would want to know that we have someone creeping on the system. I’ll go over there and talk to the techs and see if they picked up anything. If the hacker is halfway decent, we won’t get much.”

“I’d like to dupe her phone.” He hadn’t had a chance to do that yesterday. She hadn’t brought it with her. She should have it today at the coffee shop. “I’ll try to do it today, but if I can’t, someone will need to get into her locker on Friday night.”

“I believe Tessa knows how to do it. She’ll be there at The Club, and she’ll have access to the locker room. I’ll go down to her office and make sure she’s good to go.” MaeBe stood up.

“Is there a reason you’re not on this op in more than a technical way?” He was curious. He knew it made sense to have Tessa as his physical backup, but she wasn’t the only one who could do the job. When he thought about it, MaeBe was the more logical choice since he would need someone who knew all the technical aspects of the job. “I could use a tech in the field. Tessa is an excellent bodyguard, and I would trust her to watch my back anytime, but she doesn’t have your skills.”

“I can help her, and I’ll make sure to be on call whenever she needs me,” MaeBe replied.

“But it would be easier to do it yourself.”

Her lips pursed before she replied. “I’m not allowed out in the field yet.”

He thought she was hedging. Was she worried about going into the field? This wasn’t a horribly dangerous op. “I’ll talk to Tag. I think this would be an excellent assignment to get you used to fieldwork. I know you’ve been behind a desk for the last year, but eventually you’ll have to go.”

Her eyes widened. “Please don’t talk to Tag. I already did, and I don’t want to push it.”

Michael was definitely certain he was missing something. “Tag decided not to send you into the field?”

“Kyle would be the obvious partner for me on this job, and he refused,” MaeBe admitted.

“He refused?” He’d thought Kyle liked MaeBe. There were whole betting pools around the office on when those two finally stopped the pretending and threw down on one of the conference room tables.

“He doesn’t think I’m ready, and he doesn’t want to go on assignment with someone who could get him in trouble,” she answered quietly.

Whoa. “He said that to Tag?”

She shrugged. “I overheard them talking. When Ian brought me in, he said it was because I need more time. He said he wants me to have some more training, but I heard what Kyle said. I can’t blame him. I’m not like the rest of you. I didn’t go into the military. I don’t come from a law enforcement background.”

“Yes, but you had to pass the classes Big Tag and Alex require for employees.” It included several firearms courses and self-defense certifications. Even the receptionist had to have one of the senior members sign off on her training.

“Yeah, well, I haven’t been tested, and that’s a big thing for Kyle. So maybe later I can find someone willing to take a chance on me.” MaeBe tucked a stray lock of hair behind her right ear. “Let me know if I can help out in some other way.”