“I have so many questions.”
He chuckled. “What do you want to know?”
“What happened with your parents? You’re still here, so are they still working off their debt?”
“Without going into all the details, it came to light that Octavius wasn’t the rightful owner of the farm—Phoenix was. Octavius put up one hell of a fight and even tried to kill Phoenix in the process. In the end, Octavius and his henchmen were busted, and control of the farm was given to Phoenix. Octavius’s illegal operations were dismantled, and the people he’d forced to work for him were free to go. Ember realized that a lot of people were suddenly homeless and unemployed. She came up with the idea of growing organic and hydroponic plants to create jobs. Then she converted one of the office buildings into residential apartments for the employees. Everyone was offered a legitimate job and a place to live. It was no surprise that my parents chose to leave. I, however, wanted to stay. Unfortunately, I was underage and couldn’t stay by myself. Luckily, Ink’s mom opted to stay and agreed to let me move in with them. So, to answer your question, my parents left, and I never saw them again.”
“Have you tried to find them or anything?” I asked carefully.
“I didn’t have to. Years later, I got a call from some county official wanting me to claim their bodies. So, in a roundabout way, I guess they found me.”
“Do you know what happened to them? Wait. Is it okay that I’m asking these questions?”
He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t want to talk about it. Honestly, it may sound harsh, but their deaths didn’t affect me in the slightest. They were little more than strangers to me. As for what happened to them, they were killed. Both were shot execution style. So, if I had to guess, I’d say they got themselves into some debt they couldn’t get out of.”
“So, have you lived on the farm since you were sixteen?”
“Pretty much. When I turned eighteen, I got a job working at the horse stables and moved into my own apartment in the same building. A few months later, when Ink turned eighteen, we started prospecting for the club. We patched in a little over a year later. I moved into this house when I was twenty-three, and I’ve been here ever since.”
It seemed like he was going to say more, but our conversation was interrupted when someone knocked on the door.
While he got up to answer the door, I started clearing the table. A few minutes later, he returned to the kitchen with Ink.
“Sorry about this morning,” he said awkwardly. “I thought you two were staying at one of the vacant houses.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, but couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact with him. “Would you like something to eat? It’s still warm.”
“Yes, please,” he said eagerly. “It smells wonderful.”
“Thanks,” I said and loaded a plate with breakfast foods for him.
“Ink stopped by to discuss the plans for tomorrow,” Dice said.
“Oh,” I said. I’d had such a nice day with Dice, I almost forgot the reason I was really there. “Surprisingly, Mondays aren’t usually that busy for me. Well, there’s not a lot of running around. Most of the day is spent answering emails, returning phone calls, and catching up on paperwork.”
“What about the rest of the week?” Dice asked.
“I have showings Tuesday afternoon, most of Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon, but that’s subject to change.”
Ink put down his fork and swallowed the bite of food in his mouth. “It’s going to be hard for us to escort her to appointments and check out the houses before the clients arrive if she’s going from house to house with the clients. What do you think about having Flint pretend to be a new agent in training? He could go with her and be present for the entire showing without alarming the clients.”
“Do you think your boss would be okay with Flint tagging along?” Dice asked.
“I think she’ll be fine with anything as long as I’m safe and the clients are happy.”
“I’ll run it by Phoenix, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it,” Dice said.
“Can I ask why you suggested Flint?”
“A few reasons,” Ink said. “That boy is resourceful and can think on his feet in intense situations. He’s not afraid to take risks when necessary. He’s also young and clean-cut, so he can easily look the part of a real estate agent.”
“Is this something he’ll want to do?” I asked. I really hated the thought of being a burden to any of them.
“Oh yeah,” Ink said assuredly. “Flint’s a team player. He’ll be more than happy to jump in and play your undercover bodyguard.”
“Phoenix is fine with it,” Dice announced as his phone dinged with another text message. Dice chuckled. “Flint wants to know what he needs to wear.”
“He can wear anything from formal business wear to business casual.”