Not in Texas

Chapter 5

Saturday morning started quietly. Susan woke up and heard nothing. She felt very comfortable in the big bed, and for a while she just stared at the shadows on the ceiling. Eventually she grabbed her phone. There was no news about the checkpoint yesterday. Maybe they were common here. She got dressed and walked down the hall, listening. Keisha was here, playing a video game with one of the brothers. Dom was not in his office. The other doors were closed.

Susan climbed to the third floor and looked around. There were less doors up here, all closed. She could hear the shower running in one. Back to the first floor. Ms. June in the dining room. Susan shook her head when she asked if she was hungry. She walked back toward the stairs. John was coming down, holding a laptop. "Hey," he said, holding it out to her. He was not wearing a shirt.

"What's this?" she asked, avoiding his eyes.

"Entertainment. I bookmarked some online courses. I also saved a card to it and your phone so you can buy whatever you want."

"What's the limit?" she asked.

"You might check with Dom before you lease a car." She looked up, and he winked. "All our numbers are in your contact list. Me or Vicki can drive you, but don't try to rideshare from here."

"Am I supposed to find a job?"

"That's what the courses are for. But there's no rush. You're here now." He squeezed her shoulder and walked past her. "And the password is 'princess,'" he called over his shoulder.

Susan walked back to her room and opened up the laptop. The password worked, and bookmarks were neatly arranged on the desktop. The courses link was a directly of MOOCs from all over the Old Union. Susan had thought about going to college at some point, but her dad said it was just an excuse to drink and party. She didn't even know what type of jobs she wanted to do. She did a search for jobs in Charlotte. Customer service, truck driving, technical analysis. Susan closed the search.

Then she opened a new window. Dominic John Williams hackers. The first result was a Charlotte Observer article: Hacker Boss Sentenced to Probation. The next was a business journal: Top Five Fintech Superstars. The third, another article: Cousins Take Over Black Hat Dynasty. There was one mug shot of Dom, another family photo at a funeral. Several pictures of the cousins moving about the city. Dom was always dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt. John was in button-ups or polo shirts. She closed the computer and walked down to Dom's office. He was laying on the couch, smoking from his vape pen.

"What's up?" he asked. "More questions?"

"John told me what you really do."

"Did he really?" Dom asked with a smile. "So now you really know who I am?"

"It seems like you're local celebrities."

"There are a lot of celebrities in Charlotte. You know Michael Jordan had a house here."

"Who's that?" She sat on the edge of the couch.

"A famous person. That's the only reason why I was afraid to bring you to the family. We get media attention sometimes."

"What will that mean for me?"

"It means John's fake ID better be good."

"Susan!" Aunt Vicki called from the doorway. "I'm taking Keisha to the park. Do you want to come?"

"Yes," Susan said. She glanced back at Dom.

"Try not to get stopped by police," he called.

"Oh, Dominic," Vicki said. "You know I can outrun the police." She took Susan's shoulder. "That was just a joke, sweetie."