Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“You too.” Lucas smiled between Gael and me, visibly curious. “How are you today, Gael?”
Colt stepped closer to Gael and threw an arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Yeah, you still afraid of me, pet?”
I lifted my brows and tensed up a bit. I just wanted to make sure Gael didn’t get too uncomfortable.
He laughed nervously. “Not at all, Sir. Kit assures me you’re like a kitten.”
I grinned, loving his response.
“Attaboy,” Colt laughed. “I’m always nice to brats.”
“Uhhh.” Kit raised his brows. “That’s such a lie, Daddy. Come on, Gael. Let’s go upstairs and see who else is here.”
While Kit ushered Gael up the steps to the restaurant, I resigned myself to watch Gael from afar for a while.
Nobody wanted to stand out here in the cold, so Colt, Lucas, and I followed, and we trailed up to the rooftop terrace that’d changed a lot since I was here last time. The picnic tables were still here, but so was a ceiling. And heaters. I’d read something about this online. Because of the fire last year, they’d used Macklin’s restaurant for casual meetups and smaller events while they’d rebuilt what’d been damaged in the house.
It was a nice restaurant, and I’d eaten here plenty in the past. Actually, it was great for dates because it used to be a residential building, which meant all the dining rooms were on the smaller side and therefore cozy and intimate. I’d been here with friends and for munches, but I wouldn’t mind testing it out for the dating purpose. Preferably with Gael.
Some fifteen or twenty kinksters were scattered across the terrace, with most having shed their jackets. Lucas was quick to go off and greet friends—I spotted the Tenleys and their boy Shay, as well as Noa and Cam with their Doms.
Colt and I stayed back for the moment; he wanted an update on Caleb, and I wanted to let him know the camera I’d installed in Gael’s entryway was working great. Not everyone welcomed new technology, and I was sometimes one of them, but it was damn comfortable having an app to check for updates.
Colt worked in security; he ran his own business with two buddies from the Air Force, where he’d spent twenty years as a fighter pilot, so he was all ears about the gadgets I’d purchased through their firm. Apparently, he had installed the same cameras at their house, and they were all linked to the same app. He showed me on his phone how he could just flip between the cameras to show their feed.
“I like this part of joining the private sector,” I said, still not used to the availability of so much technology. Back in the day, if I’d needed surveillance, it had to go through a whole chain of people within the department. “Can you imagine I didn’t have to sign a single form to do this?”
Colt laughed and slapped a hand to my back. “It’s nice, innit? You should come out to MadCo sometime. We have a bunch of shit you can try out. I just installed new security doors at home for a trial run. They have smart screens with a shit-ton of features, so I’m not sayin’ it’s all sunshine and roses—I’m right there on the fence between if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and let’s upgrade our security to the max.”
Yeah, definitely relatable. “I feel that. It goes against my nature to hook everything up to the internet where we’re too vulnerable. At the same time, it’s so goddamn comfortable to run my security through an app on my phone.”
“Yup, it’s a constant battle,” he agreed with a nod. “We actually shy away from depending on the internet, though. The doors require a power source but no online connection. That’s Ty’s area—he’s the engineer of the future who wants shit as basic as possible.”
I liked the guy already. He was a member at Mclean too, if I wasn’t mistaken.
“Colt!” Lucas called across the terrace.
“Be right there!” Colt hollered back. He hauled out his wallet and retrieved a business card that he extended to me. “That’s our address. Come out whenever. Right now, we’re trying to grow our network of personnel trained in security, so if I run across a client who’s lookin’ for a PI, I can send them your way.”
“And you’ll be my tech hustler for security—sweet deal,” I chuckled.
“Exactly. See you later, Detective.”
“Later.” I smiled and glanced at the card. MadCo Sec. Madison, Carter, Fischer. They were based out in Fairfax, so it wasn’t far away from where I lived.
“Hi.”
Oh hell, I hadn’t seen him there. “Hey, you.” Fuck, it was too soon to get all warm at the thought of Gael wanting to return to me so quickly.
I liked his shy grin, though. It was cute as fuck.
“I came back as soon as I could,” he admitted. “But I promised myself to let Kit nudge me toward other people so I can make friends…”