Phone bank? He jerked out of his stupor and sat up straight. “ A real phone bank?” he asked into the phone, watching Ariel disappear into the house.
The phone replied. “City Hall. Need a date. Make it soon. Mom is heartbroken that Cadillac man hasn’t called. Oh, and we’re being warned about dark energy gathering.”
Roark had been calculating how quickly he could finish his AI program but the warning crashed through logic. “Dark energy?”
“Talk to Evie. Guy came all the way from Italy to tell us what we already know.”
Deciding talking to Pris about the metaphysical was less than productive, he went straight for the goal. “How many phones and can we find people to man them?”
“Talk to Evie. I don’t do people.” She hung up.
If he weren’t in this for himself, he’d say screw Pris and her crazy mother. But she’d just offered him the big golden key to his target. He needed to get cracking on the Phase One version of his software. He carried the phone into the house.
Earlier, he’d baked granola bars for Ariel to nibble so she didn’t have to eat until she was ready. He set them out and had her tea prepared when she returned, fully dressed in a loose-fitting sundress that swished below her knees. He’d really liked that silk robe.
“I have to talk to Evie and Jax about the phone bank. Are you interested or do I take it outside?”
“Interested.” She picked up a granola bar and her mug of tea and settled at the kitchen table with her notebook and phone.
His phone rang with Jax’s name before he’d had time to call. “You developing ESP, too, dude?” he put it on speaker.
“Nah, Evie said you needed help with your magic trick. I’m checking to see how many people you want and to let you know my cousin Conan has been poking around in our cases. I’m pretty sure he has some fed connection. He’s warning us that these scammers have gang ties. Bringing them down isn’t a joke.”
Ariel cringed but stoically drank her tea and made her notes. Roark knew he shouldn’t impose on her like this, but she was capable of throwing him out if he got too obnoxious. So he had to assume she was interested.
“Well, considering Ariel is following money laundered through bitcoin exchanges and mortgages, we’ve already worked that out. Da’s operation is peanuts to what we’re seeing. We’ll just make his part of the gang a little less profitable, encourage the bums to find a better job. Lethimfeel the wrath, since I’m guessing he’s just a minor cog in a very large engine.”
“Keep Ariel out of this,” Jax warned.
Ariel stuck her tongue out at the phone.
“You just received a childish FU. Shall I teach her how to say it properly?” Roark bit into a granola bar. Jax had been his superior for years, but times changed.
“She’s listening? And not hiding her head under her arms? Huh.”
Ariel added a finger gesture.
“Need to Facetime this, man. That’s another up yours. Any more brotherly words of wisdom?”
“Just be careful who you rope into whatever you’re planning. I have to help Evie buy a car.”
Jax switched off.
Ariel finished a note she was jotting, then picked up her phone to text.
Roark’s phone binged. “I’m right here, y’know.”
She made another finger gesture and finished her tea.i want to drive.
The message had gone to both him and Evie, not Jax.
“You can’t even ride a bicycle! Tackle the basics first, see how you handle the road.”
She picked up her phone again and added,a bike.
After he got past the utter impossibility of Ariel outside the house, wheeling down the road into who knows what, Roark loved the idea of teaching her to ride. Classic scenarios of holding her in the seat by her tiny waist immediately sprang to mind. Except he was flat broke. She wasn’t.
“If you’re paying, text Reuben to run over to the hardware store and find you a used 24” with good gears and wide tires.”