RHYS

"Where's the report I asked for on Lydia?" I ask as I walk into Canon's office. I move past his desk without stopping or acknowledging him other than my barked demand and head towards the door that connects his office directly to the security bullpen. There's room for up to twenty people to work in this space, with a glass-encased command center on an elevated platform overlooking them. That's where I head.

I stop in front of the largest monitor. It's mounted on the wall, surrounded by smaller monitors all trained on different areas of the property. Canon strolls in behind me as I'm staring at the controls trying to figure out how to get what I want on the largest monitor.

"Hello to you too, asshole," Canon quips.

"Help me with the cameras." I ignore his dig at my lack of social skills and gesture towards the wall of monitors.

"Finally, you've taken an interest in security." Canon taps at the glass desktop and a control panel appears. "What would you like to see? The casino floor? Loading docks? One of the vaults?" Canon zips images across the large monitor as he talks. I drop into a chair and run a hand over my jaw.

"The employee cafeteria. We've got cameras there, right?"

“The cafeteria," Canon repeats. "Sure. Did you want to know what they're serving for lunch today? Let's see if we can view the menu board from here. What a fantastic use of my time," he adds sarcastically. "I can calculate guest capacity on the casino floor or read the license plate of the armored bank truck arriving, but sure, let's take a look at the cafeteria."

Canon picks up a handheld device and sits, the cafeteria appearing on no fewer than six monitors in front of us from different angles. Lydia's employee ID appears on the main monitor, Canon taps something onto the handheld and a moment later the image flips to a live feed of Lydia. She's sitting at a four-person table in the cafeteria with her friend Payton.

"This is what you are looking for, I assume."

"Shit, how did you find her that fast?"

"I synced the employee IDs with the facial recognition software then created a program that backs the photos into the security feeds. I can tell you where anyone is, what time they arrived on property and what time they left."

"Hmm," I murmur. I'm not that interested in any of this shit but it's because I know Canon has it covered and I don't have to be. "Zoom in."

Canon zooms and the surrounding monitors all redirect to different camera angles of Lydia's table.

"Do we have audio?"

"In the cafeteria?" Canon looks at me like I'm an idiot. "No, we didn't invest in audio on any of the cafeteria security cameras. I can get it installed if stalking Lydia while she's having lunch is going to be your new hobby."

"No, it's fine."

On the monitor ahead of us Payton is holding her hands up, palms facing each other and drawing them apart, then pushing them back together as Lydia blushes and covers her eyes with one hand.

"Payton's really something," Canon says.

"How do you know Payton?"

"Double Diamonds. She was there on Saturday. She's a bit of a handful."

"Did something happen that night?"

"What didn't happen?" Canon exhales with a low whistle. "But that's Vince's problem, thank fuck."

"Right." I wonder if I want him to elaborate on that. I decide I don't. "Do you have my report?"

"I emailed it to you while you were in your meeting."

"What do you know about my meeting?"

"Lawson texted me. He said it was a shit show."

"It was fine."

"He said it's a miracle you've ever gotten laid without paying for it and that Lydia is in love with you and you're fucking it up."

"First of all, I am paying for it. Second of all, Lydia is not in love with me."

"Sure."

On the surveillance monitor Payton has pulled something from her purse and laid it on the table, pushing it towards Lydia.

"Zoom in on that," I tell Canon but he's changed the camera angle to a direct overhead shot before I've finished speaking.

"Blow job," Canon reads the words off the item. It looks like a seed packet. A cucumber seed packet glued to a piece of felt with ‘blow job’ written across the top in glitter.

Next Payton slaps down a round circle of denim with 'butt stuff' stamped onto it in black ink and then finally a piece of canvas cut into the shape of a shield with ‘SEX’ spelled out across the surface. In blue sequins.

"Are these"—Canon sounds a bit incredulously impressed, which is no small feat—"dirty Girl Trooper badges?"

"I think so."

I watch Lydia blush on monitor two and slap her hand over the sex badge and pull it towards her on monitor one. She shakes her head and shoves the ‘blow job’ and ‘butt stuff’ badges back towards Payton.

Canon side-eyes the hell out of me.

In the cafeteria Lydia's hand pauses over the blow job badge and she slides it back and forth a little with the tip of her finger. I can see her talking on monitor two and making gestures with her free hand. I imagine she's asking if she can keep the badge or if she has to wait until Wednesday. I've got no idea what she's actually saying of course, but I can picture this pretty clearly. Payton shakes her head and puts two of the three badges back in her bag.

"Shit. Do you have some kind of delayed gratification fetish? Were you that kid who waited until dinner to open your presents from Santa? Did you save your Halloween until Easter?"

"Why does everyone think I have a fetish? I'm just a normal asshole. And Lydia is not a piece of candy."

On the monitor Payton asks Lydia something. Lydia blushes again and runs the sex badge between her fingertips. Then she smiles and makes a swooning gesture.

I swipe open my phone and find the email from Canon. I scan over it—quickly—because there's almost nothing here.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I ask him.

"I don't know. You're the one who asked for it.”

"I thought you'd find me something useful."

"Like what? A secret affiliation to the Russians?"

"I don't know. Credit-card debt or something."

"None. Pays about three hundred a month in student loans. Assuming she's splitting the rent with her roommate, she's paying about eight hundred a month for rent. Add in her car payment, cell phone and utilities and she's got about fifteen hundred a month in disposable income left over each month."

"So she's not desperate."

"Nope."

"Then why? Why the auction?"

"I can't imagine why," Canon deadpans while I stare at the email again.

"She was a Girl Trooper through the twelfth grade?" I look at Canon to see if this is something he slipped in to fuck with me. "Who the hell stays in Girl Troopers that long?"

"Virgins."

Right. So how in the hell did a good girl like her get involved with Vince?

"Are her parents in any financial trouble? Siblings?"

"Only child. Two dads. They own their home, have no debt and have healthy retirement accounts." Canon is ignoring me as he talks, adjusting cameras on the casino floor on one of the smaller monitors. Lydia and Payton are still displayed on the main one. Payton is talking and Lydia is laughing. I wonder what's amusing her. I wonder how in the hell she slipped into my life and made me feel things for her. Things I don't want and don't have time for, a fact I'm reminded of when my phone rings with yet another call I need to take. I'll have to deal with my goddamned thoughts later. I thank Canon as I stand, phone already pressed to my ear as I exit.