Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 75195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“You can?”
“Imagine your home as a castle, Tristan.” Then, his eyes went wild as he raised his voice. “Now imagine a castle that is peppered with tiny invisible doors!”
I quirked my brows. “Okay.”
“Your smart TV? A potential door. It has a camera. It has a microphone, and it’s connected to the internet. It’s not just for your video calls, you know.”
Next, he pointed to his refrigerator. “Your smart refrigerator? Another door. You’d be amazed what someone can infer from the data it sends out. Eating habits, shopping patterns, times of activity. It’s all valuable information.”
He paused, took a bite of the burger, and spoke in between bites. Bits of food flew everywhere. “But let’s go even further. Your smart speakers, your virtual assistants. Siri, Alexa, all of those. They’re always listening. Always. Sure, the corporations say that their devices only start recording after they hear the wake word. But to recognize the wake word, they need to be listening in the first place.”
Shaking his head, he added, “And let’s not forget about your smartphone. Apps, Tristan. Some apps ask for permissions they have no business needing, like a gaming app asking to access your microphone or your location. It’s all a conspiracy of mega proportions.”
He dipped his fries in sauce. “Wi-Fi enabled washing machines, thermostats, security systems, even light bulbs. They’re all potential doors. And don’t get me started on webcams.”
I widened my eyes.
“All of these, every single one, could potentially serve as a door for someone who knows how to pick the locks.” His voice rose. “That’s the reality we live in! That’s the price we pay for convenience!”
“Okay.” I held up one hand. “I understand.”
“And the aliens.”
I blinked. “What?”
“They’re not just visiting, Tristan. They’re here, among us, disguised as us. Could be anyone...your driver, your assistant, your butler. Watch out.”
“I will be careful.”
“You must.”
“Back to the woman.”
“I can get anything—blood type, weight, prescriptions, bank account information, credit card purchases. Even, videos of her showering, masturbating, her bra size—”
“Hold on.” I tensed. “Videos of her masturbating?”
He mumbled through food, “Yep.”
Deep in my core. . .lust curled. While I would have loved to see those videos, especially the ones of her masturbating. . .I didn’t want Peiter watching them too.
I shook the rising lust out of my head. “If you get feed from her room and bathroom, can you send it to me without looking at it?”
“I could.” Peiter raised his eyebrows. “But, I can’t watch?”
“No.”
“So, you like her?”
“No. I just met her tonight.”
“But you came all the way out here to have me check on her.”
“I am on a mission to find a woman to bring to a party. This is short notice, so I want you to do a thorough look.”
“But for a woman? This has to be more—”
“It’s not more—”
“But, you need her to be monitored? That doesn’t make sense. Usually, you don’t care that much about the women, she must have really got your mind and heart going—”
“Don’t over think this.”
“But, it doesn’t make any sense why you would want me to look into her.”
“It doesn’t need to make sense, just help me out.” I winked, pulled out my phone, and set it on his desk. “Also, I need you to do something else for me.”
He placed his burger on the table and rummaged through the bag. “Ooo. Silver Inspire!”
I blinked. “What?”
He yanked out a silver plastic toy shaped like an odd arcade machine. “I didn’t have this one. I’ve been waiting for years to get this.”
“Good.”
“Better than good. This completes the collection.”
“Awesome.”
He kissed the toy. “Let the aliens come if they want to, I can finally die now—”
“No. No. No.” I waved my hands. “Don’t talk like that.”
“I was just saying—”
“I don’t care.” I placed my hands back in my pockets. “Dominic and you are the only family I have. You are to stay alive until the ripe old age of 100.”
Peiter lovingly put the toy next to his burger. “What’s the second thing?”
“Someone anonymously sent a disturbing video to my phone. I want to know who it was.”
“What was the video?” He leaned his head to the side. “Aliens? Dear God! Did they get to you too?!”
“No.” I frowned. “Surprisingly, it was not aliens.”
“Good.” Calming down, Peiter looked at my phone. “I won’t touch it now. I’ll have to do some tests to make sure the device wasn’t intercepted by the government. So. . .leave it here. I’ll have a number, name, and location by tomorrow.”
“Perfect.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “However, I have further information. Something odd happened. When this anonymous person sent the video, it disappeared after I watched it.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“That’s easy to do.”
“How could that be easy, Peiter.”
“So. . .” Peiter went back to his burger and took a generous bite, “it’s like this.”
His voice was muffled by the mouthful of food, but his tone was that of a seasoned professor settling into a well-known topic.