Burn Out *18+*

Chapter 23

"Jasper, I need your help," I said on a Friday morning. My phone was pinched between my ear and my shoulder as I cracked open a can of Inky's favorite wet food. He let out a little meow and launched his body onto the counter, not waiting for me to scoop it out into his bowl.

"You must have a sense for inconvenient timing," my cousin groaned on the other line. "Zara and I have some issues to handle. A press conference and all that, can this wait?"

I felt my eyebrow raise. "Since when do you go to press conferences?"

"I mostly just stand there and look pretty. Realistically she doesn't need me there because she's the powerhouse, but I like to support her. What kind of husband would I be if I let her take all of the heat alone?"

I ran my fingers over Inkwell's back absently. "Good for you two. Now, about your help, I need you to look up someone in the system for me."

As much information as I had, it was hard for a normal citizen to keep track of someone who had seemingly fallen off the face of the earth while still being right under my nose.

"I don't have time and you don't need to know anything more than you already do."

"I think I have a lead."

"Alligator, I told you that you don't have to solve this." As if Dexter hadn't reminded me enough.

"But if I can, why not take the chance?" I pressed. I hoped I sounded innocent enough because the wheels in my head were already turning at full speed. An opportunity was before me, but knowing Jasper, it would take some careful footing. "I just need you to look something up in the computer system."

"Christ, I'm not even near my laptop and I don't have time—"

"I know you're busy and I don't want to keep calling you for things like this, but I need some information to hopefully push this along. I mean, if there is a real threat, wouldn't we want to nip it in the bud?"

"I know what you're doing, London."

Of course, he did. I could sugar coat it, I could play dumb, but he would always see right through me. It's who he was a human being. How was I supposed to manipulate the master manipulator?

"I honestly need this for the task. I'm looking for someone in particular, but I think Dexter is protecting them so I can't ask him and I haven't had contact with them for years at this point."

In the background, I could barely make out a voice that could only be Zara's before Jasper released a sigh. "Alright, I'll bite. I'll put in a request to have a laptop sent to you with basic clearance access."

"What if I need—"

"Then I guess I'm going to have to make time for you. I'm not playing this game with you. Basic clearance into the federal database will give you enough access to solve this if you feel so inclined, but I'm not dumb enough to think that you have gotten over searching for you mother yourself. Basic access, alligator. And I'm going to be watching your history so nothing sketchy, okay?"

I knew that I could not squeeze blood from this stone. "Alright Jasper. Thanks."

The laptop arrived a few days later. I only had time to open it, power it up, and connect to the correct server before there was a knock on my apartment door.

Inky darted off, behaving more like an excited dog than the typical aloof cat. When I opened the door to let Dexter in, my cat perched on his back legs like a meerkat. A moment later he was scooped up into Dex's lean arms.

"What do you think of my outfit?" I asked, giving him a spin, though all I wanted to do was sit down and rummage through the database. "We have gone to so many fancy places now, I feel out of place wearing ripped jeans and sneakers."