“Yes, I like the water. Why?”
"I'm trying to figure out which rooms to give you and your team. The one closest to mine, which I assume should be yours, has a large balcony overlooking the Inner Harbor."
"Sounds unnecessary."
"You have an issue with rich people don't you," he says.
"No. I have an issue with unnecessary extravagance."
"Well . . . you got picked for the wrong assignment then." He smiles as if he's privilege to some secret.
Ain't that the fucking truth?
5
~Lily~
The balcony off my room is beautiful, but this apartment could house at least fifteen people. One person lives here with one staff member.
My house is a small one-bedroom hole that almost looks abandoned. I could afford a better place, but there was enough luxury in my youth. I feel better with mundane surroundings when outside the trafficking rings. And Rhett is right, I love living on the Bayou.
"Lily," Jax says from behind me.
"Yes, sir?" The crisp breeze blows against my face as my fingers curl around the railing.
"We've got the security system set up. Why don't you come check it out?"
"Yes, sir. Be there in a second."
I open my eyes and scan the skyline. Baltimore is coming alive on the streets below.
The security room is the smallest, and Blake is standing behind Sammi, who sits at a large desk stacked with monitors. I don't approve of him knowing the locations of the cameras, but he insisted.
"Do you all even know the meaning of privacy?" He crosses his arms over his chest.
"Sir, this is for your own safety," Sammi says sternly.
"As far as I'm concerned, the cameras in my bedroom and bathroom better be removed within the next twenty minutes or I'll rip the damn things down myself."
"Mr. Mason, we need to keep an eye on the balcony. Your room is easily compromised."
"Then put a camera on the balcony. Remove the other two."
Sammi glances at Jax and he nods. "Okay, sir. Th
at's do-able."
"Thank you," he says, still a little heated.
“I see you’ve met Mr. Mason, Sammi. Great time we’re all going to have here, huh?” I chuckle, joining Jax next to Sammi's desk. I lock eyes with Blake and he smiles, the tension leaving his face. My body tenses and as much as I want to look away, it isn't possible. A small smile creeps onto my lips. His grin widens, revealing a perfectly gleaming set of teeth. My smile falters.
“Ah, he’s not so bad. Just a bit of a dictator. Not like we haven’t dealt with that before,” Sammi says winking at me.
Jax laughs and I flip Sammi the middle finger, playfully sticking my tongue out at her too. “I’m not a dictator.”
“But you are a dick,” Hayato says reaching around me and setting a disabled security camera on the edge of Sammi’s desk.
I shake my head, snickering. “Blake, you met Hayato?”