Perception by Elle Strauss, Lee Strauss

use the money if we want to keep going with things. And
maybe we can use her to get some inside intel.”
    My smile disappeared
at that. This was just a business deal for Noah. I had to keep my unexpected,
stupid feelings for him in check.
    Besides, I couldn’t
forget we weren’t on the same team. I couldn’t let my guard down.
    I decided it was time
to present myself, before they got into trashing me or worse, trashing Liam. I
couldn’t take that right now.
    Noah stood when he
saw me. “Hey. Come on in.” He shifted stiffly and said, “Zoe, you remember
Anthony from last time.”
    “Hi.” The skinny guy.
I flashed him a warm, hopeful, fake smile. Diplomacy at its finest.
    “Anthony,” Noah said,
motioning to me, “Zoe Vanderveen from Sol City.”
    I caught Noah smirking
as Anthony tried to keep his composure. Last time Anthony had seen me, I was a
brown-eyed brunette called Chloe. I saw flashes of admiration as he took in my
looks, but then he leaned back, folded his arms and frowned.
    Right. I was a GAP. I
was the enemy.
     “I know this is
strange,” I said to him. “I came in a disguise last time because I was looking
for my brother.”
    “Why would that bring
you to us?” Anthony asked.
    “She saw the news
broadcasting our rally in front of Sleiman’s,” Noah answered for me as he sat
down again. “Dexter’s name came up in the ticker.”
    Anthony raised his
hands in question. “What’s Dexter got to do with anything?”
    “I found a hand
written note in my brother’s room,” I explained. “It had the name Dexter on it.
Nothing else.”
    “And you’re assuming
our Dexter is the same Dexter?”
    “It’s a long shot, I
know,” I said. “But it’s all I have. Where is Dexter, by the way?”
    “Good question.”
Anthony pulled his legs up onto a pew, his shoes hitting the wooden seat with a
clunk. “He’s either high or working. Or both.”
    “I talked to him
about Liam,” Noah said, facing me. “He doesn’t know anything about it. I don’t
think you’ve got the right Dexter.”
    I slunk to a pew,
sitting tentatively on the edge.
    “We’ll try to find out
what really happened to your brother,” he continued. “And Anthony here isn’t
your run of the mill natural. He’s a hacker.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah. Among the
best. It’s why I let him hang around. All the guys have a little something
extra to offer.” He smiled, tilting his head.
    “And Katy and Beth?”
I probed. “I assume they have talents as well?
    “We just keep them
around for their good looks. Pretty girls attract a crowd.” He raised his
eyebrows up and down like Charlie Chaplin. “We could use more, if you want to
join us.”
    I tilted my head and
batted my eyelashes. Just a little. “Ah, sounds tempting, but I think that
would constitute a conflict of interest.”
    “Uh-hum,” Anthony
said, faking a throat clearing. “Task at hand?”
    I almost blushed at
the thought that Noah and I had been caught flirting.
    Were we flirting?
    “I know this might be
a little difficult,” Anthony said, “But it would be really helpful if we could
get a copy of your brother’s chip. Is there any way you could get one? From his
computer, maybe?”
    “The authorities have
his computer, and I don’t know when we’ll get it back. His chip is gone.”
    “What do you mean,
gone?” Anthony asked. “If you mean it’s at the morgue, someone could go there
to scan it.”
    “No,” I said. “It’s
gone as in missing.” I winced before adding, “It’s been cut out.” Paul had
given me the report.
    Noah wrinkled his
brow. “No way.”
    I nodded, and closed my
eyes pushing back tears. I couldn’t cry in front of these guys.
    Anthony sighed. “This
will be much harder to do without the chip.”
    “Then I guess we need
to find it,” I said.
     “Any ideas how we
should go about doing that?” Noah asked.
    I shook my head. “None.”
    “Okay, Anthony,” he said,
“you start digging online. Get whatever you