The penthouse was Frankie’s idea. There was no way she was living out of the warehouse that Luke bought when they first started gaining ground in St. Dismas. She had said they needed a cover, and Luke had to admit, the penthouse was nice.
Windows spanned the entirety of the wall facing the street. It had all the gizmos that he had ever wanted. A giant flat screen, all sorts of consoles and media, some trophies from his way to the top. Nothing made him feel more successful than surveying the streets that rang with chaos whenever he started it.
He hid in plain sight when the cops searched for them. He chuckled just thinking about it.
The whole floor was for him and his people. And the number of his people would hopefully grow today. He checked his phone, 11:54. Walker would be here soon.
Frankie was sitting on the sectional with her feet tucked under her.
Her shoes had been kicked off somewhere near her room. She absentmindedly flicked through tv channels while they waited. She stopped at a news station, just to make sure they weren’t being featured.
The doorbell sounded loudly against the muted tv. Frankie glanced at Luke as he made his way to the security feed.
“That him?” She asked, looking at the screen.
He hummed a yes and went to buzz the kid in. Frankie looked at the kid standing there. And he was a kid. Regardless of what Luke said.
He was slight for a demo guy. In her experience, the guys in explosives were always trying to prove themselves and their workout seemed to reflect that.
She stayed relaxed in her seat as they walked back into the room together. Walker took his baseball cap off to reveal a mass of brown curls tumbling into his eyes.
Frankie saw him eyeing her. Sizing her up. Trying to figure out why she was there. This was his make or break moment.
Luke sat down on the couch with a space between them and gestured for Walker to take the chair next to the couch.
“So,” Luke started. “This is Frankie.”
“Alright,” Walker said. Frankie had never heard someone throw so much insolence into a single word before. He lounged in the chair full of bravado like he was doing them a favor being here. His hoodie fit loosely around his slim figure and the edges of his jeans were ragged where they were too long and must’ve caught under his shoes when he walked. She saw a gun outlined against his shirt.
Frankie settled for an unimpressed quirk of the brow. “Here’s how this is gonna work,” she said. “You need to impress us. You might think we need you, but… Well, there are a lot of people who can do demo for the right dollar amount. And we definitely have the right dollar amount. So we need to see why you’re better than anyone else we might get.”
“What?” He sounded pissed. A short fuse, Frankie thought. That explained a lot. “You think I’m here for an audition? Hurley said I was in, and I’m not letting his side bitch change what I was promised.”
Luke’s fists clenched on his thighs. Frankie smiled at the kid tightly.
“Okay, then. You can go.”
Walker sat up quickly. Staring at her in shock. “I can go?” He asked indignantly.
“You can go.”
“Fuck this,” he said looking at Luke. “You said–”
“What Luke said or didn’t say doesn’t matter. Pretend I’m HR.” Frankie said. “And you’re kind of failing your interview. So thanks for stopping by, but you can go.”
Frankie picked up the remote and turned the volume on the tv up. Walker stared at her for a moment before turning to Luke who was fidgeting in his seat and struggling not to make eye contact.
“Fucking bullshit,” Walker said getting up. Frankie heard the door slam a minute later.
“Well, that went well,” Luke said in a pout. “I thought you were good with people?”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be back. Demo guys need to prove themselves. It’s in their DNA,” she joked. “And we really do need to see what he can do.”
Only an hour had passed when Frankie heard Luke yell for her from the living room. The tv was on some news station covering footage of a burning building.
“...see the warehouse here. There has been no speculation so far as to how many people were inside when the explosion rocked the docks just over an hour ago.” The newscaster was speaking somberly. “The authorities suspect foul play but decline to comment until further investigation.”
“Damn, he works fast. Where was that?” Frankie asked.
“I think it’s that place we were looking at for our missing supply. The one the Soulless have been working out of. I was gonna have Chris swing by in a couple of days to take care of it.”
Frankie smiled. “Good to know he knows how to work for the crew. And can apparently get information on short notice. I guess you can give him a call. Tell him he’s in.”
Luke already had his phone out and ringing before she finished talking. He looked excited, like his plan was finally coming together.
Now she just needed to find them a sniper. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. The text from Riley said that the tracker they set on Pharaoh had pinged.
“More good news. Well... I guess it’s good news.” She motioned Luke over to look at her screen. On it was the cross-section of a road where a hotel stood. “Your hacker just showed up in the city.”
Luke looked a bit too smug for Frankie’s liking. “Does this guy know what you’re getting him into?”
“I may have set a trap. He thinks he’s coming after me. Luke Hurley, fortune 500 company owner, who’s doing shady business.” Luke winked at her.
“You think you can trick a hacker with your computer skills?”
“Well, it’s worth a shot.” He placed a hand on her shoulder still looking at the phone. “I need a favor.”
“What?”
“Well, the kid’s under some heat. He had to ditch his ride and he’s too close to the explosion site.”
Frankie sighed. “Great. A new person to babysit. Send me an address. We’ll be back in an hour. Hour and a half tops. You want something to eat?”
“Sure, sure. Whatever the kid wants is fine.”
She jingled her keys and, tucking her phone into her pocket, headed for the elevator leading to the garage.
“Show him a taste of what he’s getting!” Luke yelled after her.
She wouldn’t be taking the people mover then, she thought. Something sleek and fast. And cobalt, she eyed the Aventador and traded out the keys she was holding. Speed was better in this case anyway, if they needed to make a quick run of it.
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