“What do you think you’re doing?” Ian’s voice was hoarse, his eyes red as he emerged from the room he shared with his fiancé Lexi and saw Michael sitting in front of the large, digital screen. Michael wasn’t surprised; Ian did not take kindly to anyone touching the bank of high-grade computer equipment that easily took up the length of the entire wall. As the resident genius when it came to anything digital, Ian was very protective of his machines, and took it quite personally if anyone messed with them. For that reason, Ian kept them all well-stocked with the latest and greatest laptops and notebooks. Ian’s things were strictly off-limits.
“Drink that,” Michael said, indicating a thermos he’d placed beside the monitor. Ian looked at it skeptically, then twisted off the lid and took a sniff.
“The Cure?” Ian blinked in disbelief.
“The Cure,” Michael confirmed. No one knew exactly what was in Michael’s “Cure”, but it was known to end the effects of even the worst bender almost instantly. He rarely mixed it up for anyone, a firm believer in making his brothers reap the fruits of their actions. When he did, it wasn’t for free.
“What’s the price, bro?”
Michael scanned the room. “Where’s Lex?”
“Sleeping,” Ian said smugly. “I don’t think she’ll be getting up any time soon.” Judging by the arrogant smile on his face, Michael had a pretty good idea how Ian had spent a good part of the night. That was one of the benefits of having your wife-to-be nearby after spending the evening drinking and watching women dance seductively all around you.
Michael nodded. “I need you to run a profile.”
“That’s all?” Ian asked suspiciously.
“And we keep it between us, for now.” He would have preferred to keep Maggie to himself for a little while longer, but Michael believed in being prepared. Ian could definitely give him some valuable background and save him a lot of time. Besides, they all had their little secrets, didn’t they?
Ian narrowed his eyes, no doubt suspecting a catch. Michael simply smiled in return. Apparently, Ian must have felt bad enough to chance it. “Done.” He snatched up the thermos and downed the brew before Michael had a chance to change his mind.
Michael waited patiently as Ian stumbled toward the bathroom. He made a fresh pot of coffee in the little kitchenette, then contented himself by munching on some of the cookies Maggie sent along with him and doing a few basic searches. Damn, but the cookies were good. Half the tub was gone by the time Ian emerged fifteen minutes later, showered, shaved, and looking like a new man.
“I’m telling you, Mick, you could make a fortune on that. You’re a chemical genius, you know that?”
“Yeah, so you say.” But Michael was pleased with his brother’s praise.
“You give this to anyone else?”
“No. Only you.”
“Awesome.” Ian grinned. He grabbed some coffee and sat down, flexing his fingers. “So, who are we stalking today?”
“I want anything and everything you can tell me about Maggie Flynn.”
Ian narrowed his eyes. “Personal or business?”
Michael didn’t answer. He didn’t have to; the look on his face said it all. Ian smiled knowingly. “Right. Personal, then.”
With skill, speed, and the knowledge of how to bypass the security on just about any system, Ian quickly assembled a baseline bio. “Magdalena Aislinn Flynn. Age thirty. Only daughter of Seamus and Erin Flynn, who emigrated back to Ireland when their daughter was just five, leaving her to be raised by her grandparents, both now deceased.”
Michael’s brows drew together. Why would a mother and father leave their only child? “Any idea why?”
Ian shook his head. “No, but I can probably find out with a little more time.”
Michael considered it. He sensed a story there, but he was already pushing acceptable limits by using Ian’s skills to violate her privacy. He wanted to keep the fact-finding to general, semi-publicly available knowledge as much as possible for now. Anything that personal, he would prefer to hear it from Maggie herself.
“No, that’s fine. Go on.”
“She graduated near the top of her class at Pius Catholic High School. Double-majored in Business Administration and Logistics at the state university where she got her Bachelor’s. Worked in the city for a while in the IT department of Dumas Industries. Resigned suddenly a little more than a year ago. Never been in trouble with the law – not even so much as a parking ticket. Hey, are those cookies?”
Michael smoothly moved the box out of Ian’s reach without looking up. “What about medical records? Travel info? Phone records?”