True
Page 69
“She’s not lying.” True took a step forward but halted.
Tim faced him. “Is she intelligent?”
“Of course. Don’t be insulting.”
“I’m not. I’m saying she’s f**king brilliant but that’s my point,” Tim shot back. “Your girlfriend is good but I’m better. I’m going to nail her ass to the wall.”
True snarled and his hands clawed but he held still.
“Tim,” Justice warned, “don’t threaten the female.”
Darkness moved between True and Tim. “We’ll discuss this somewhere else if you have concerns, Tim.”
“I tried that. Justice hung up on me so I had to come over here. There’s no such thing as coincidence when we’re talking about a woman who worked at not one but two of those shitholes that we paid ransom money to identify.” He leaned sideways enough to look at True. “She was nice to you and saved your life. I understand how you’d want to repay that debt and protect her. You obviously have feelings that go beyond gratitude. I even get that. Hell, there was this ex-Soviet army sniper I once met who was so hot she could fry eggs on her tits but I never forgot how lethal she could be.”
Tim paused, lowering his voice. “I’m just asking you to let me do my job. We haven’t found an Agent Brice or the guy posing as him, if he even exists at all. I don’t have it out for your girlfriend but I’m not buying into her story until I’ve got solid proof either way. My priority is protecting every damn one of you, despite it making me seem like an ass**le. I don’t have a sentimental connection to her that could sway my judgment in any way. Can you honestly say the same?”
True’s hands unclenched. “No, but I do strongly believe you’re wrong.”
“I hope you’re right for your sake and hers. I hate to see any man get his guts ripped out by some woman who took him for a ride. Let’s agree to disagree and compromise. She can live with you as long as her movements and contact with the others is restricted but on the flip side, I get to continue the investigation until I’m completely satisfied of her guilt or innocence.”
“That’s fair.” Darkness glanced between the two men.
True nodded. “Fine. Don’t attempt to take her from my home.”
“Then watch her. She’s to have no outside contact and keeping an officer outside your door remains the norm.” Tim hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his cargo pants. “I heard you’re trying to help her prove her story. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Tim peered around the room at all the New Species assembled and his stony expression softened into something that might pass as sympathy. “I made a few calls since she claimed to have contacted the NSO through the website. There were no fake websites up that mimicked NSO when Drackwood existed. My tech guys don’t have access to past emails and messages that Homeland received since Justice insisted only Species be in charge of it. They forward my team anything we need to see. If she did send an email or left a message, if she’s telling the truth, you might be able to find it to corroborate that part of her story. It’s a long shot but you’re giving a little so I am too.”
“Thank you.” True retook his seat.
“It was before your officers took over running the website but I was assured you have backup hard copies of everything that came in or went out of the email account linked to the site. Protocol has always been to automatically print out all messages and communications to us and file it away.” He shrugged. “It sounds like a hell of a lot of paperwork to wade through but it’s an option. Besides, she was right about those hidden gas dispensers in the fire alarms at Cornas. The team found them right where she said. They could have accidently triggered them while collecting evidence and someone may have been killed. They've been disabled.”
“Let’s go to my office,” Justice suggested. “I have another matter to discuss with you, Tim.”
The guy openly winced. “Yeah. Sure. Let’s get this over with. I like a good ass chewing before I go home. I just usually like to be on the giving end of it.”
Jeanie watched them leave with mixed feelings. Her name wasn’t cleared yet but she wouldn’t be taken out of True’s home and be sent to prison. Jinx openly smiled at her.
“We’ll find your email or that message you left.”
“We didn’t run the website at the time,” Luna chipped in. “That is good news.”
“What is good about that?” True placed his elbows on the table and rested his jaw in his upturned hands.
“Humans had access to incoming emails and messages. We’re looking for a human.” Luna beamed.
“She’s right.” A hint of excitement sounded in Query’s voice. “We have all the files on every human who worked for the NSO. That’s where we should start. That’s how Agent Brice contacted her. He might be the one who received and answered her email or perhaps got a copy of the message she left. They go in the same files.”
“Why would someone do that if they worked for us?”
Luna answered True’s question. “Money. I know humans need money and they get it by working. He would have been out of a job when Species took over Security and the website. Exchanging information for money is a very human trait.”
Jinx growled. “We’ll meet at Security first thing in the morning and pull up the records on human males who’ve worked at NSO. That might be faster than going through the file cabinets containing old email and message copies.” He stared at Jeanie. “You can look at their faces. All employees had picture badges and that information is on our computers.”
Tim faced him. “Is she intelligent?”
“Of course. Don’t be insulting.”
“I’m not. I’m saying she’s f**king brilliant but that’s my point,” Tim shot back. “Your girlfriend is good but I’m better. I’m going to nail her ass to the wall.”
True snarled and his hands clawed but he held still.
“Tim,” Justice warned, “don’t threaten the female.”
Darkness moved between True and Tim. “We’ll discuss this somewhere else if you have concerns, Tim.”
“I tried that. Justice hung up on me so I had to come over here. There’s no such thing as coincidence when we’re talking about a woman who worked at not one but two of those shitholes that we paid ransom money to identify.” He leaned sideways enough to look at True. “She was nice to you and saved your life. I understand how you’d want to repay that debt and protect her. You obviously have feelings that go beyond gratitude. I even get that. Hell, there was this ex-Soviet army sniper I once met who was so hot she could fry eggs on her tits but I never forgot how lethal she could be.”
Tim paused, lowering his voice. “I’m just asking you to let me do my job. We haven’t found an Agent Brice or the guy posing as him, if he even exists at all. I don’t have it out for your girlfriend but I’m not buying into her story until I’ve got solid proof either way. My priority is protecting every damn one of you, despite it making me seem like an ass**le. I don’t have a sentimental connection to her that could sway my judgment in any way. Can you honestly say the same?”
True’s hands unclenched. “No, but I do strongly believe you’re wrong.”
“I hope you’re right for your sake and hers. I hate to see any man get his guts ripped out by some woman who took him for a ride. Let’s agree to disagree and compromise. She can live with you as long as her movements and contact with the others is restricted but on the flip side, I get to continue the investigation until I’m completely satisfied of her guilt or innocence.”
“That’s fair.” Darkness glanced between the two men.
True nodded. “Fine. Don’t attempt to take her from my home.”
“Then watch her. She’s to have no outside contact and keeping an officer outside your door remains the norm.” Tim hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his cargo pants. “I heard you’re trying to help her prove her story. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Tim peered around the room at all the New Species assembled and his stony expression softened into something that might pass as sympathy. “I made a few calls since she claimed to have contacted the NSO through the website. There were no fake websites up that mimicked NSO when Drackwood existed. My tech guys don’t have access to past emails and messages that Homeland received since Justice insisted only Species be in charge of it. They forward my team anything we need to see. If she did send an email or left a message, if she’s telling the truth, you might be able to find it to corroborate that part of her story. It’s a long shot but you’re giving a little so I am too.”
“Thank you.” True retook his seat.
“It was before your officers took over running the website but I was assured you have backup hard copies of everything that came in or went out of the email account linked to the site. Protocol has always been to automatically print out all messages and communications to us and file it away.” He shrugged. “It sounds like a hell of a lot of paperwork to wade through but it’s an option. Besides, she was right about those hidden gas dispensers in the fire alarms at Cornas. The team found them right where she said. They could have accidently triggered them while collecting evidence and someone may have been killed. They've been disabled.”
“Let’s go to my office,” Justice suggested. “I have another matter to discuss with you, Tim.”
The guy openly winced. “Yeah. Sure. Let’s get this over with. I like a good ass chewing before I go home. I just usually like to be on the giving end of it.”
Jeanie watched them leave with mixed feelings. Her name wasn’t cleared yet but she wouldn’t be taken out of True’s home and be sent to prison. Jinx openly smiled at her.
“We’ll find your email or that message you left.”
“We didn’t run the website at the time,” Luna chipped in. “That is good news.”
“What is good about that?” True placed his elbows on the table and rested his jaw in his upturned hands.
“Humans had access to incoming emails and messages. We’re looking for a human.” Luna beamed.
“She’s right.” A hint of excitement sounded in Query’s voice. “We have all the files on every human who worked for the NSO. That’s where we should start. That’s how Agent Brice contacted her. He might be the one who received and answered her email or perhaps got a copy of the message she left. They go in the same files.”
“Why would someone do that if they worked for us?”
Luna answered True’s question. “Money. I know humans need money and they get it by working. He would have been out of a job when Species took over Security and the website. Exchanging information for money is a very human trait.”
Jinx growled. “We’ll meet at Security first thing in the morning and pull up the records on human males who’ve worked at NSO. That might be faster than going through the file cabinets containing old email and message copies.” He stared at Jeanie. “You can look at their faces. All employees had picture badges and that information is on our computers.”
