Chapter 556: Hide In Plain Sight

Meanwhile…

Rum lazed around the apartment like a worm. He lay on the floor with nothing but a pillow beneath him and a blanket draped over his body. The floor was cold, but he preferred it that way.

“What time is it?” he grumbled, checking his wristwatch. “She’s late.”

In reality, she wasn’t.

The sun had barely set, but to him, he had been waiting forever. Sure, he had kept himself busy throughout the day, including distracting Nikki long enough to slip a GPS tracker into her purse. He had stolen the device from Gin, after all.

“I wonder where she’s taking me,” he muttered, staring at the ceiling. “It’s not like she’s a pushover. She can complete a mission on her own.”

And that was the Nikki they knew.

The woman was as capable as Ashley. The only difference between the two was that Ashley was crazy, while Nikki was not. Nikki tended to overthink, while Ashley preferred to improvise on the spot. Hence, Rum liked his boss better—she was the best in his eyes.

“But she’s taking forever. Is she working overtime?” His face twisted as he stared at the ceiling as though it had wronged him.

Rum had been using the floor as his bed since arriving here. Aside from liking the cold surface, it made it easier to sense if someone was approaching or if there were any unusual noises. Through the floor, even the slightest vibration was easier to detect.

This place was Tinie’s apartment.

Who knew? Dominion might have missed something, and the enemy might return for it.

Whatever it was.

Because of his habit of sleeping on the floor, the ceiling had been Rum’s view for days and nights.

“Khan told me not to be myself,” he muttered. He had been following that advice by not openly following Nikki. “And Red told me to be myself.”

Rum applied that advice whenever Nikki was around. He believed he had found the right balance between the two.

As Rum filled his head with nonsense—even imagining what he would do with a billion dollars if he won the lottery—his gaze landed on an air vent.

“Hmm?” His brows crinkled as his eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that?”

Curious, he pushed himself up and rose to his feet. Even at his full height, he couldn’t reach the vent. Still, he was close enough to confirm that something dark green was hidden behind its cover.

Rum looked around before marching toward the bar counter. He grabbed a stool and dragged it across the room, placing it directly beneath the air vent before climbing onto it.

This time, he could reach it.

Using both hands, he tried to remove the cover. He pulled it several times until it finally came loose. Dust sprinkled onto his face, making him cough. He then turned the cover around and found a small USB drive taped to the back.

“Huh?” He scrunched up his nose. “Didn’t they check this apartment several times? How did they not find this?”

Rum pulled out the drive and peeled away the electrical tape covering it. The tape was the same color as the back of the vent cover, camouflaging the drive. Even so, he couldn’t believe they had missed it despite searching the apartment multiple times.

Then again, when people searched places like this, their attention usually went to what was inside the vent—not what was attached to the back of its cover.

Talk about hiding something in plain sight.

Rum jumped off the stool and set the cover aside. He removed the remaining tape from the drive before turning it between his thumb and forefinger.

“This must be important, right?” he muttered, glancing around the room.

He shrugged and walked over to the small bag Gin had handed him. It contained several communication devices and a few cables Gin had included in case Rum forgot to bring his own. Naturally, Rum searched through the cables until he found the ones he needed to connect the drive to his phone.

Once everything was connected, he sat down and waited for the files to appear.

“Hmm?” He blinked at the two folders displayed on the screen. “What the heck is this?”

Rum tapped the first folder, but it was locked. His face twisted in dismay. He moved on to the second one, but just as he tapped it, the doorbell rang.

“Shit—” He jolted in surprise and looked over his shoulder.

DING-DONG!

“Rum, it’s me!” Nikki’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door. “Open up.”

Standing outside the apartment, Nikki took a step back and waited. When thirty seconds passed without an answer, the corners of her lips curved downward.

“Is he asleep?” she wondered, pressing the doorbell again. “Wake up.”

Still, no one answered.

Her patience quickly wore thin. Rum was the type who wouldn’t even wait for her to open her own door if their positions were reversed. As she reached for the doorbell again, she paused, her gaze falling on the doorknob.

Nikki raised her brows and quickly came up with a reasonable excuse for entering unannounced. Moving her hand from the doorbell to the knob, she expected it to be locked.

It wasn’t.

“Figured.” She snickered. “I guess he’s lying right in front of the door again.”

She was about to push it open when someone suddenly pulled it inward. Nikki flinched and instinctively let go of the knob. When she lifted her gaze, all she saw was Rum’s deep frown.

“So, you’re here?” She frowned back. “Why didn’t you answer the door?”

“I was jerking off,” Rum answered without hesitation. “Do you know how much mental focus I need just to cum while someone keeps ringing the doorbell?”

Nikki took a step back in disgust.

“Tsk.” Rum clicked his tongue. “What now? Are we going?”

“Ye—yes.” She straightened and looked him in the eye. “Are you ready?”

“Yep.”

“Aren’t you going to wash your hands first?”

Rum paused just as he was about to step outside. He looked at her and smiled.

“No.” His grin widened as he opened the door farther and grabbed the jacket hanging behind it. “You look uncomfortable, so I won’t.”

With that, the duo finally left for whatever hell Nikki was planning to drag him into.

*****

At the same time, on Project Green’s secret floor, Gin, Warriyo, and Omen stared at Gin’s screen.

It displayed a message from Rum, telling them he had found something in Tinie’s apartment.

The message was simple:

It’s locked.

Attached beneath it were the files.

Crack… crack…

Omen rolled his neck from side to side before stretching his fingers.

“Send them to me.” He slid his chair toward his desk. “I’ll crack them in less than a minute.”

“No way!” Gin and Warriyo shouted simultaneously.

Omen stopped, his expression blank. He turned toward them before asking in an emotionless voice, “Do you want another beating from me?”

“Hey! You beat us in the game, but we can beat your ass in real life.” Warriyo pointed at him.

Gin nodded. “Tell him.”

“Your boss told you not to lay a finger on me,” Omen retorted.

Gin and Warriyo glared at him, and Omen glared right back. A second later, Betty’s voice rang out.

“Why don’t you just race?”

All three turned toward her. She was setting several containers of takeout on the table, making sure these men didn’t starve themselves to death while working.

Betty smiled awkwardly. “I mean, whoever cracks the files faster is better, right?”

As soon as those words left her lips, the trio looked away from her and toward one another.

“Betty, make sure they don’t cheat,” Gin instructed. “I’ll send the files to all three of us. Then, give us a three-second countdown to start the race.”

Betty blinked a few times before nodding. She straightened and watched them settle into their seats. She had only come to deliver some food before returning to her office, but if this could stop the three of them from arguing, she didn’t mind staying.

At least they wouldn’t have to call Ashley to manage them again.

After taking a few breaths, Betty began.

“Ready? In three… two… one… GO!”