Grace stumbled out of the bedroom at 7:00 AM, eyes bleary. Alaric was already dressed in a fresh suit, looking annoyingly alert.
He pointed to a bucket in the middle of the floor. "Sprinkler's leaking. I'm going to fix it."
Grace groaned. "I'm so sorry. I don't have money for a plumber."
"I'll do it," Alaric said. "I know the building manager."
"Right." Grace pulled out her phone. "I have five hundred dollars left in my personal account. I'll transfer it to you for materials. Is that enough?"
Alaric's phone pinged. $500.00 received from Grace Kirk.
He looked at the number. It wouldn't cover the cost of the security consultants he planned to hire.
"It's plenty," he lied. "I know a guy. He owes me a favor."
Grace grabbed her coat. "I'm going to the library. Research. Don't kill yourself, okay? If it's too hard, just leave it."
The moment the door closed behind her, Alaric was on the phone.
"Marcus. Bring the team up. Now."
Five minutes later, the apartment was swarming with men in dark tactical gear. They carried spectrum analyzers and thermal cameras.
"Listen up," Alaric barked. "We are sweeping for every listening device, camera, and tracker in this building. I want a full diagnostic on the network. But-and this is crucial-everything must be put back exactly as it was. I want them to think their surveillance is secure. If a single picture frame is crooked, you're not getting paid."
The lead security tech looked at him with horror. "Sir, you want us to find a Raymond Security bug and... leave it active?"
"Yes," Alaric said. "And install our own parallel system. I want to see what they see."
The team worked with military precision. A camera in a light fixture was left untouched, but its feed was now routed through Alaric's servers. The sprinkler head was replaced, with the old, dripping one carefully put back in place.
By 4:00 PM, the apartment was silent. It looked exactly the same, but the air was now thick with competing layers of surveillance.
Alaric loosened his tie for effect and sat on the sofa.
Grace walked in at 5:30. She stopped, sniffing the air. "It smells... the same."
She looked at the ceiling. The bucket was still there. Still dripping. "You couldn't fix it?"
"No," Alaric said, trying to look modest. "The building manager is out of town."
Grace walked to the kitchen sink and turned it on. The water flowed in a perfect, steady stream. Hot water was instant.
"At least the plumbing works," she whispered. She turned to him, her face falling. "Alaric, I'm sorry. This place is a disaster."
She ran over and threw her arms around his neck.
Alaric stiffened. He wasn't used to spontaneous physical affection. But then, slowly, his arms came up to circle her waist. She smelled like old books and rain. It wasn't unpleasant.
Grace pulled back, looking exhausted. "Did you spend it all?"
"Down to the penny," Alaric said.
She sank onto the sofa. "Wait, did you at least look at the springs? It feels so soft now."
Alaric looked away. "I... fluffed the cushions."
"You are the best husband ever," Grace declared. "That's it. I'm taking you out to dinner. My treat."
