“Can’t you just carry a gun?”
Trent snorted.
The men had stopped when Trent whistled and headed their way.
“Hey, guys, I don’t know if you’ve formally met Ms. Moretti.”
Mateo watched the men’s mouths drop open, and their faces turned red at their first up-close look at her.
“Can’t they call me Aria?” she asked Trent.
“Sure. She wants to check out the house. Baby, this is Aden and Kaysen.”
She reached out to shake their hands, but they were wrapped up in tape to keep from breaking anything.
Kaysen lifted his hands to show her how sweaty and dirty they were. “Ma’am, you’re not going to want to touch us.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” she said.
“You’ve never seen the house, ma’am?” Aden asked.
“No, not really. I’ve probably been in one-fifth of the rooms in the house in the twenty years I’ve lived here.”
Mateo shook his head over hers, ensuring they didn’t ask any more questions.
“I have to tell you guys, this is a scary room for me. Most of these machines look like torture devices.”
All four men laughed.
“Some of them feel like it, too, ma’am,” Aden said.
“We’re taking her in to meet Devon.”
Before they turned her away, she said, “I want you two to be careful.”
They both nodded and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
Mateo caught their grins after she turned away.
They walked her through a large room with a dozen large TVs mounted on the walls and men sitting at the desks. The house and grounds were constantly monitored, and Trent and he planned to add more safety measures.
“Hey, man, Aria wanted to meet you,” Mateo said.
Devon walked to her with a smile on his face and his hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Moretti.”
“Please call me Aria.”
Devon looked at the men and got their nods of approval. Aria gazed around with wide eyes and didn’t see it.
“How do you keep track of everything?”
Devon scanned the room. “I guess experience helps. I didn’t know a whole lot when I came to work here, but I learned. I’ve always been good with computers.”
She smiled at him.
Mateo saw the flush on his friend’s face and bit his lip. Even the mighty Devon fell under her charm.
“We were wondering if you want an office on the main floor since you’re taking over the security in the house,” Mateo asked.