Chuckling, he hands me a napkin and points at the left corner of his mouth. “You’re a strange one.”
I wonder what gave it away. But this plays in my favor, so I’m not about to complain. “You figured that out, huh? I’m actually a member of staff. My friends, the Lynxes, were nice enough to bring me here.”
Picking a glass which he starts polishing, Not Aran directs his gaze at my two companions who are enjoying a meat platter. “I haven’t seen you around.”
I hook a finger over my shoulder in the general direction of the elevator. “I work on the other side.” And because the best idea I’ve ever had in my life decides to reveal itself to me, I add, “Do you ever go there?”
Not Aran nods as he circles to the front of the bar. “Yeah, when I’m off duty. We aren’t allowed on certain decks, but depending on the times of day, we can make use of the pool and gym areas.”
A thrill of excitement slides down my back. I step in closer and bump my shoulder into his arm. “Maybe next time you go we can hang out? I think my friend would love to meet you.”
“Is he as lovely as you?” Not Aran chuckles, nudging me back.
Aran’s the loveliest. If we count scowls, frowns and murderous stares as that.
“He’s even better. Trust me. One hour with him and you two will be best buddies.”
“I don’t know why, but I don’t trust you.” I open my mouth to argue that I am the most trustworthy person ever, but he places his finger against my mouth and halts me before the words make it out. “However, it only makes me want to find out the truth even more.”
My stomach squeezes with hope. “So you’ll hang out with us?”
His eyes slide from my face down my body and then back up as he stacks the cleaned glasses on an empty tray that’s waiting atop the marble counter. “Yeah. It’s my day off tomorrow and I’ll be at the pool in the afternoon. See you around.”
I stand there and watch him carry the glasses behind the thick velvet curtain of the bar. I did it. I put this grand plan into motion and Aran will either love it or hate it. If I had to guess, it will probably be the latter.
But as I discreetly reach over the bar counter and empty my glass in the sink on the inner side, I decide I won’t worry about that now. I still have a job to do here.
And if the tipsy smile that Mrs. Lynx aims at me is any indication, the chances of my mission being a success just increased tenfold.
8
Hex
“So,youhavethesespecial meetings? That’s super exciting!” I say, pretend-sipping from my wine glass for the tenth time. “What do you do there?”
“My! You are such a curious little fox, dear.” She swats my arm playfully and chuckles. “It’s stuff that will probably bore you to death.”
I doubt that. But I also can’t be too nosy, or she might figure out I have an ulterior motive. So far, I’ve learned that while every guest on this ship is rich and important, only the best of the best go to these meetings. The Lynxes are part of that crowd and while I have been trying all evening to place their—and everyone else’s faces—I still have made no progress on that front.
I am confident I have seen some of these people somewhere, like on TV or on the news, but all I have is this vague feeling of familiarity. Sneaking in a photo has been tricky too, what with all the CCTV spread around the exquisite dining hall. It’s too much, in my opinion, like whoever set it up did it in such a way as to eliminate all possible blind spots. My friend and fellow hacker, Ambrose, taught me a few tricks about infiltrating such systems, but what’s the point of even trying if there is no way to do it subtly and I would be caught in the first five minutes?
We finish dinner over light conversation where Mrs. Lynx tells me all about her and her husband’s hobbies. They play golf, run a charity foundation and go out on their yacht. I’ve never known anyone who owns one of these ridiculously expensive boats, so when she jokingly tosses that I’m invited the next time they go, the yes slips out of me without a second thought.
I mean, so far, she seems way nicer than I expected of someone in her position. Aran warned me about the background of the guests here, so I will not be naïve and think she’s a good person. But perhaps she’s not as bad as some of the others, and given the chance, could redeem herself.
“What about you, Hex? What do you like to do in your free time?” Mr. Lynx asks, sliding the plate with mini cake bites closer to me.
Aran scolded me for giving her my actual hacker name, but it seems she is blissfully unaware of who I am, so his concerns were misplaced just like I told him. Besides, who said there couldn’t be more than one Hex, right?
I pick a chocolate and pistachio cake thingy and pop it into my mouth. The way my two companions stare at my lips as I chew makes me feel self-conscious, so I don’t try the raspberry mascarpone one.
“I play video games.” It’s close enough to the truth as Ambrose occasionally drags me into one of those co-op shooters. Or Matt—he also loves to wreck mayhem online. I’d have come up with something more exciting to match the Lynxes flashy hobbies, but Aran always tells me that it’s better to lie about something you are familiar with.
“That is such a popular thing with young people nowadays.” Mrs. Lynx eats a cake bite, but her husband doesn’t even spare her a glance.
It makes me wonder if maybe I got some cream on my face, so grabbing the silk napkin on my left, I wipe my mouth diligently. “Do you have kids Mrs. Lynx, Mr. Lynx?”
He places his hand on top of hers, lacing their fingers. “No. But we love the company of people like you, Hex.”
