"Yes." Smoke doesn't even hesitate.
I can't help but agree. They're dumb enough to retaliate and mess with these guys, after all.
The feed suddenly shifts, pulling her attention back to it. Slowing it back down to real time, I watch Smoke more than the screen, and notice how his body stiffens. Looking back at the feed, I watch the act play out.
Whoever it is, they're smart enough to wear a hoodie.
"The face mask is going to make it hard to track him with facial recognition." Hex backs up the feed, swapping them around like she's stalking the guy's movement. Her mouse clicks and slides before she pauses. A little huff leaves her as she returns to her other monitor.
Watching her click out of the employee roster, she's pulling something else up.
"What is it?" Smoke's sharing her agitation, his patience already thin. "Don't tell me..."
Hex leans back and points at her screen, as if we'll understand. "Someone put in a request to fix your camera in the back. Looks like your handyman is slacking."
"Meaning we can't see him leave through the back, or return."
Hearing Smoke's frustration makes me reach out to him. Squeezing his arm, the tension loosens only slightly.
"Confirms he's an employee. Who else would know the blind spots?" She twists in her chair and shrugs. "I can follow up with you on the timing if anything matches up, but I wouldn't hold your breath. Seems like your guy is smart after all."
Lowering my touch without thinking, it's not until I'm squeezing his hand that I realize what I'm doing. It's only when he looks down at our hands combined that my cheeks grow warm.
I shouldn't be blushing over a simple hand hold, but my cheeks heat up the most when he squeezes my fingers again and refuses to let go.
"Think you can keep an eye on things? Check out Bunny's schedule here and tell me if you see anything suspicious? Maybe we can order a camera and get it installed for our eyes only."
Hex nods and pushes some things around on her desk in search of a pen. Finding one beneath a scatter of papers, she writes a note on the corner of a sheet already full of words. "Bunny?"
"Beautrice," I add, grimacing. "Bunny's a nickname."
Smoke glances at me, giving a slight lift of his brow. Now that he knows my real name, what's the chance of me being able to find out his? Surely, Smoke is just a cooler nickname.
Hex nods her head and scribbles down my name. "Do me a favor in return?" She nudges her head to the side. "Ask Trouble to spend some time in the casino so you have an extra pair of eyes on the floor? I can only do so much from here."
Trouble lets out a little snort, amused by her request. "So you can spend your time secretly watching me through those cams? All you've got to do is turn your attention my way, and you can do it without me moving an inch, Red."
Hex sighs through her nose, and Smoke rubs the back of his neck like he's uncomfortable.
"Uh, it would be nice to have someone to cover more ground." He's suddenly awkward, like the last thing he wants to do is get involved in... whatever it is between them.
Trouble's the one who sighs this time, but he nods. "I'll swing by."
Smoke squeezes my hand once more before taking a step back and giving his appreciation. "Text me if you find anything suspicious?"
The redhead gives us both a thumbs up before dragging more of the casino feeds onto one of her monitors. Surprisingly enough, she's got even more feeds on a different screen, but I can't tell what she's been watching.
No wonder the woman looks exhausted. Does she ever sleep?
Before I know it, Smoke's leading me back out of the tech-cave. He makes sure to flick her light back off, leaving the two swallowed up by darkness.
Once we're back in a place that feels more welcoming, Smoke doesn't release me. Instead, I catch an amused twitch to his mouth. "Beautrice, really?"
Scoffing under my breath, my nose wrinkles. "Bunny's cuter, isn't it?"
He nods. "Fitting, I'd say."
Considering that he's calling me cute, I'm left following him wherever he leads me in a giddy daze. Pretty sure, if this guy has anything to do with it, I'm going to keep following him, even if it leads me toward more trouble than I'm already in.