"Well, we're here."
I put the car in park but she doesn't get out.
"When you get back home, tell your boss to go fuck himself."
"I admit that's tempting, but I think it would sound better coming from you."
She giggles but something tells me that she's completely serious.
'Shit, do I do something wrong?'
"Uhh..."
"I just don't understand him! I mean, one day he wants me, then the next he acts like I'm a burden."
"Listen, I know that it may seem that way but Carlos is just going through some things."
"Oh you would say that! You're just covering for him because he's your boss!"
"Think of it like this; he had everything he could ask for until that day she left...Her disappearance didn't just effect Ricky. It made him head of a billion dollar company, which he's not qualified to run, make him the third head of the Arañas Rojas and-"
"I get it."
She looks at me with an intense expression on her face.
"He's a busy man and I'm just being dramatic."
"Mhm, well I don't-"
"No, no, it's true. I mean we're not even dating...We just slept together once and that's it. Ever since then things have been weird between us."
"I uh..."
"Well thanks for the ride home."
She opens the door and kicks her legs out but before she gets out she turns to face me once more, "And tell him that I'm done. I don't wanna do this with him and if he needs something, just ask Melvin instead."
She slams the door shut and walks up her stairs and into her house.
"What the fuck was that all about?"
***
"Hot damn! You live here for real?!"
Dee runs her hands against the walls while looking around as we walk to the server room.
"We're here."
I unlock the door for her and her mouth hangs open.
"God, all this software is making me horny."
I chuckle at her remark, "Huh, I wouldn't have guessed that you'd be into this."
"There's a lot you know about me, man bun."
"Man bun? Is it that bad?"
"No," She comes behind me and pulls it down so it sweeps my shoulders then runs her hands through it, "I kinda like it."
She flicks my hair tie it me and skips around the room like a child in a candy store. "I can use whatever I need right?"
"Kinda the point of me bringing you here."
"Fucking bet."
She digs in her pockets and pulls out a purple ribbon and ties it so it'll keep her long braids out of her face and a small flash drive. The walks over the one of the computers and starts typing away. Her hands move fast as her eyes constantly move back and forth scanning the screen.
"I can feel you staring at me, El Chapo. What is it?"
"I dunno...Something about watching you being so comfortable in a lab like this is just so...intriguing."
She grins with her eyes still glued to the screen. "You think I'm intriguing, Carlos?"
'Mhm, I like the way she says my name.'
"My name sounds good leaving your lips."
She stops typing and look up at me with a suggestive look in her eyes, "Get over here and look at this."
I pull up a chair and take a peek at what she's been doing. She scoots her chair closer to me and presses her chest against my arm. I'm not sure if she's doing it on purpose but I can't help but to enjoy how warm she is.
"If you look here, you can see medical records of a Jane Doe dating back to around the time she was supposedly shot in the head and killed."
She clicks onto a different page, "And here it proves that the location of the hospital she was treated at was within a 10 mile radius of the location from where she was found by a bystander."
"Mhm, you have the name of the person who found her?"
"Jacob Lawrence. 19 years old, still lives with his mother over in the south side of town, no job, no siblings, has a girlfriend, and is currently unemployed."
"You know you're shit huh?"
She crosses her legs, "Sure fucking do. Anything else you wanna know?"
I glance down at her lips then back up at her eyes, "Yeah...Gimme more info on his mom."
"Gotcha."
She starts scrolling through tons of pages until the clicks the one she was looking for.
"Well she was first found by Jacob in an empty alleyway on his way home from his girlfriends. He called the ops and she was claimed to be dead but as they loaded her body into the back of the ambulance, her pulse was still there, barely pumping any blood, but there. And here it says that she was instantly rushed over to Lenox Hill Hospital and operated on for almost two full days."
"Shit. How do you know she's still alive though?"
"I stole a shit ton of hospital reports on any and all Jane Does over the age of 50 who suffer with any mental and/or physical damage due to gun shot wounds. Took forever but I narrowed it down to three possible women."
"And you're positive that one of 'em is her?"
She chews on her lower lip, "Well that's were we need your help. That story was for one of the ladies...Not all three."
I stare at her lips until I regain my focus, "Do you have the story on all of them? And need me for what?"
"Just getting the info on her took forever. I think we should confirm if it's her or not then move on the the next, also, I think you know what I need from you."
I grab the leg of her chair and pull it as close to me as I can, "So you need me to find Ricky?"
She leans over and her top opens up at the top, making her bust become a little more visual, "Indeed I do, Carlos."
Her face is so close to mine that I can smell the perfume she's wearing.
"You know I like it when you say my name like that, chica."
"Yeah, that's why I said it, Carl-"
Without letting her finish her sentence, I crash my lips onto her's. Her lips are just as soft as I imagined and her tongue dances with mine in perfect harmony. I pull her on top of my lap and she giggles. Just as I slide my hand under her shirt to undo her bra, the door flings open and Nando walks inside.
"Oh shit...I'll wait out here."
Dee gets down and returns to her seat and I tuck my shirt back into my pants. "I'll be back."
"Mhm..."
I try to keep my cool but as soon as I enter the hallway I grab him by the collar and scold him.
"What the fuck, Fernando?"
"No man! You don't get to mad right now!"
He slaps my hands off of him and glares at me.
"What the fuck's going on?"
"It's Lina."
"What now?"
"When I dropped her off, she said that she was done with you and that if you needed anything else ask her brother and not her."
"What? Is she mad at me?"
"I think pissed would be better, but yes. Very mad."
"Fine, which brother?"
"Uh, she said Melvin...Are you really gonna let her do this?"
"I don't have time to deal with whatever bullshit she's on. She was never a necessity and dealing with her was exhausting. This should be a nice new change."
"She likes you man and you act like you don't care."
Instead of going back inside, I look over at him. His lips are pucker, like he bit into a lemon and his hands are balled up into fist resting at his side.
"If you care so much about her, then you can fuck her next time. Sound good?"
He shakes his head and scoffs, "You're a fucking douche."
He takes his leave and I step back inside the room and Dee is patiently waiting for me sitting on top of a table.
"Shit, you heard all of that?"
"The entire conversation."
She folds her arms.
"You think I'm an asshole, don't you?"
"Meh, not really," she gets down and walks over, "I just think you're having a hard time with all this..Which is completely understandable but you could act less like, and I quote, 'an asshole'. So I suggest that the next time you see her, tell her how you really feel about her and if you don't apologize, I'll cut you."
"Fuck. You're right."
She takes her hair back down and puts the USB in her bra.
"Yeah, I tend to be."
"So uh, you're really good at this shit...You looking for a job?"
"You serious?"
"Fuck yeah, I could use someone like you working for me. My last IT guy was...killed."
"Dying is inescapable. Now talk payment, boo."
'Boo? Why does she have so many nicknames for me?'
"You'd be paid about 10k a month, have you're pick at one of the guest houses, and professionally trained to protect yourself."
"Shut up, I'm convinced already."
"Good. We can talk details tomorrow, til then, let me take you home."
"Guess it beats fighting off pervs on the subway." She smiles a sweet smile at me and grabs my arm, "Lets go."