Rev’s an anomaly. He’d waltzed into Sinro Enterprises shortly after I’d started it up. Told me he didn’t need an interview, just a few minutes toprove his skill with pistols at the gun range. I hired him after two perfect shots. It didn’t take long after that to discover the heartless killer beneath his mask of light-hearted amusement.
Rev leans back against the slate gray wall of my office and slips his hands into his pockets. “The guy took a job under duress, Cain.”
I slam a fist down on my desk, uprooting a can of pens and my stapler. “I don’t give a fuck!”
Rev just blinks back at me. “Why didn’t you shoot him, then?”
“What?” I ask incredulously.
“If you think he’s such a threat, why tie him up in the office and not in the lower levels where we normally do this work?”
I blow out a hot breath. That’s the million-dollar question of the day, isn’t it?
“I…needed to be certain he wasn’t working with our enemies.”
“Name the last time you’ve dragged someone back here to question their alliances. You’re quick to pull the trigger, Cain.”
“Yeah, because those other people were all confirmed criminals!”
“And we both know this guy’s innocent.”
I tug at the longer pieces of my hair while pacing behind my desk. “Fuck you.”
Radiating a calm I wish I possessed, Rev continues, “He has no clue what’s on the drive or how to access it, but he did help locate one of Gabriel’s warehouses.”
I scoff. “Gabriel threatened a fucking kid into stealing the drive back? He can’t be serious. He’s gotta have another team moving in on us.”
Rev tilts his head, his silver chain earrings swinging with the movement. “I don’t know. He said he’s never been caught. And his name is Ezra, by the way.”
“I don’t care,” I snap back.
“Sure, boss.” Rev gives a quiet laugh. “Ezra’s apparently quite the con artist. Clever, too. We should consider hiring him, if not for his potential, then for the fact that Gabriel would slaughter him the moment he steps out of this building empty-handed.”
I drop into my chair. Stressful days and nights of shitty sleep weigh heavy on my bones. I had a tough sell with a new client this afternoon. Not to mention, criminal operations seem to keep popping up left and right. If it wasn’t for my business, this city would be overrun with corruption.
“He sneaks in, and you want to offer him a job.” I shake my head. “You’ve gone soft, Rev.”
“I just recognize talent. You hired me as HR, after all.”
Rev was good at reading people. He studied them like they were all experiments. I knew the real reason he did it. Made it easier to mimic emotion so he could better fit in with society.
While Henry enjoyed picking apart bodies, Rev liked to play with them when they were still squirming and crying, and he did it without an ounce of remorse or regret. He slept soundly at night. Enjoyed working long hours, too.
I run my hands up and down my face.
“Just go talk to him. Maybe without dicing him up,” Rev says, opening my office door. “We don’t need Henry unsettling the floor with his strange cleaning methods.”
When he’s gone, I ease back in my chair and spin it side-to-side. What the hell do I do now? The little thief strolled through my front doors like he was out for a leisurely walk.
But if Rev is convinced he was being manipulated, I had to give value to that. I don’t have much of a moral compass anymore. However, I don’t condone the slaughtering of innocent civilians.
How was it I now felt responsible for this guy? Because, yeah, Gabriel would tear him apart if he left here without the drive.
I could keep him locked up until we dealt with Gabriel. That seemed like the best solution.
Deep in my thoughts, I lose track of time behind my desk. The flicker of half the office lights shutting off signals the departure of the cleaning crew. I glance out at the dark skies. The streets are already flooded with traffic, lit up like a circuit board.
Releasing a heavy breath, I check my email and review the notes Rev sent me from his conversation with Ezra, ever the star employee. After today’s shenanigans, he sure as fuck isn’t getting that corner office.
