Dark Secrets(32)

"What is it?" K asked.

"He knows where all the security cameras are pointed. And, um, he's had that Krav Maga training. And he's snuck up on me four or five times already."

"No snooping around?" Xander asked.

"Not that I've seen. Vin had me train him to do the count so he has access to the office now. But I haven't seen him lingering."

"Is Vin getting into any new business deals or something?"

Faith paused for a second. "Max."

"Sorry?" Xander asked and she realized she had mumbled.

"New player. He was at the bar the other night. Max. I didn't get a last name. Tall. Strong. Maybe Puerto Rican heritage? He had that perfect skin tone. Light brown eyes. Really charming. Confident. Sexy voice. And he had expensive taste in booze. He was sitting with Vin, Anthony, and Salvatore for a really long time. Seems like he's getting into bed with them somehow."

"Alright. We'll look into him too. See if we find any connections," Xander assured her.

"Faith," K said, sounding a little softer, drawing her attention.

"Yeah?"

"What's going on with you and Danny?"

"Nothing," she said defensively. But K's brow rose and she knew he saw right through it. "Okay, something. And I don't want to fuck it up if Anthony is just being paranoid and is butthurt because Danny disarmed him his first night."

"Babe," Xander broke in. "You do realize that, even if he's not out to kill Vin or some shit like that, that this no identity before three months ago thing isn't normal."

"I know," she agreed with a nod. "But maybe he was trying to untangle from some bad people. Hell, maybe he testified against some bad guy somewhere. We don't know. But it could be nothing and I don't want to..."

"To what?" Xander prompted.

"To screw it up if it's nothing," K filled in. "She likes him."



       
         
       
        

"Bull fucking shit. Faith, I never thought I'd see the day."

"Don't tease her," Ellie scolded, sitting down on his thigh and effectively shutting him up. "What he means to say is he's happy for you that you found someone that makes you want to open up and we will figure out who he is and if he's up to anything as quickly as possible to put your mind at ease."

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Xander agreed, wrapping an arm around his woman. "This will be top priority. I'll put the new blood on it too. They're eager to prove themselves. They'll be scrambling to be the one to bring the rat to daddy."

"I don't know or care about what freaky shit you're into," Espen's voice said and everyone looked up to her standing in the doorway, "but I am never going to call you daddy."

Faith felt a small bit of humor tease at her lips at the hardass in the doorway, thinking it reminded herself of the woman she was at twenty-four or twenty-five- harder, less tolerant, outspoken.

"We got a case?" Enzo asked from right behind the woman's shoulder and the way she stiffened seem to speak less to irritation than she wanted everyone to believe. If Faith wasn't mistaken, and she wasn't given that this Espen girl was taking a page right out of her own playbook, Espen was into Enzo. And she just bet that their work rivalry was just making things all the more heated between them.

And if she wasn't in so deep with her own problems, she would have found it amusing. Hell, they would all have probably placed bets on when the two would give in and have some fun.

"Yeah, I need you guys to figure out who the fuck this Danny Faber was before he moved to the City and became Danny Faber a couple months ago," Xander told them, handing them the files. "I want copies of all of this, one for each of you and one for me and K. See what you can dig up and we'll talk in the morning."

Espen shuffled forward and gathered the papers, holding them tight only to have them snatched out of her hand by Enzo as she passed. Which, from the sounds of their low, but angry voices, led to yet another fight.

"He has yet to tell them that they don't have to fight for the position, that he has room for both of them," Ellie informed them, shaking her head.

And, despite her crummy mood, Faith felt a smile pulling at her lips. "You're an ass," she told him.

"Oh, come on. Listen to that," he said with a devilish little smirk as their voices raised. "This is some primetime entertainment. Besides, if they think they're fighting for a spot, they will put in their best work for these first couple of months. I can know just how good they really are. It's a win/win for me."