Page 54 of Belle Amour
“I remember her being excited to model for a friend of Eleanor's, but I didn't know it was this type of modelling.” Bastian studied the pictures with a grin. “I think I'll pay for her to do another session and replace all the art in my place with them. Fuck. Look at my gorgeous girl!” He couldn’t hold back his pride about how good she looked and the fact that she was his.
Benji roared with laughter, and Bastian went back to his computer, still grinning. He made a mental note to ask Mirabelle about them later. “What did she save the slideshow as?”
“The Bitch's Nudes.” Benji wiped his eyes, still laughing a little. “I'm gonna upload a bot to search for the images on their networks and delete them. I'll put it on a timer to start after the wedding.”
“Seriously, Benji. If anyone in your family ever needs a lawyer, it's free. I'll even take the bar in Australia 'cause I don't know how to thank you for this.” Bastian didn’t know how else to properly show his appreciation for the former hacker’s talents.
“No worries. Loop Peter and me in on some of your and Roberts's golf plans, and I'll consider us even.” Benji smiled. “This is ready to go; how’s the file coming along?”
“Consider it done.” Bastian returned his smile. He really liked Benji. Outside of his computer skills, his personality and demeanour were a lot like Mirabelle’s, so he felt instantly relaxed around him. “I’m still going through the divorce stuff and figuring out what’s best to add. Greg sent the screenshots, and I have to go through them and remove the stuff that identifies that Helena sent them.”
“Send those to me.” Benji cracked his knuckles and wiggled his fingers over his keyboard. “Bet I can finish that before you get through all your evidence.”
Laughing and shaking his head, Bastian sent a link to the screenshots on his drive and made Benji an editor so he could do his thing. An hour later, Bastian sent his file to Benji, who actually did finish just before he did. Benji quickly added the doctored screenshots to it and integrated it into the virus. Bastian watched as he sent it from his email to Casey's and opened the email in hers, clicking on the folder so the package uploaded to her email account. When it was done, he sent himself a quick test email with a random file attached to confirm that it worked the way it was supposed to.
“Beautiful,” Benji murmured as he clicked on the attachment in the email, which opened to reveal the evidence. He then deleted everything from Casey’s inbox and the sent and trash folder, so there was no evidence of what he had done. When he was done, Bastian texted Mirabelle, letting her know the plan had worked, and then clapped his hand on his shoulder.
“Golf in Dallas in November and New Orleans in February. Come on, let's get this back to their room, and I'll buy you their most expensive beer or oldest scotch at the bar, your choice.”
Chapter Thirty-Six: Karaoke & Spilling Tea
“We figured out the clue. I think we can google where the nearest statue is.” Lila argued with Caroline, who was insisting they keep searching for the wolverine statue they were looking for. “I'm getting tired of walking around in circles.” Mirabelle nodded, agreeing with Lila as her phone chimed with Bastian’s notification. She pulled it out and read the text as Caroline and Eleanor disagreed and said it was against the rules.
“Guys.” Mirabelle looked up from her phone, interrupting whatever Lila was going to say in response. “Benji found the keychain!”
“That's my man!” Lila immediately stopped sulking and let out a squeal as the others high-fived and hugged each other. “Fuck, he's amazing!” She linked her arm through Mirabelle’s and squeezed it. “If Benji is helping Bast, they're going the cyber route, and you have nothing to be concerned about it; Benji is like the Yo-Yo Ma of computers.”
“Well. I think this calls for a celebration.” Francesca pointed to a nearby bar. “On me. Then we'll Google the damn statue.”
“Mother!” Eleanor feigned shock as Mirabelle giggled. “What's gotten into you?”
“Five, about to be six, Manhattans,” Francesca said as she led them across the street to the bar.
Inside, they sat at a table in the back and ordered their drinks, relaxing. It was Karaoke night, and they clapped and cheered for the people who were brave enough to get up and sing. Lila disappeared for a bit, and when she came back, she was smiling broadly.
“Next up, we have Lila and Caroline, singingThe Boy is Mineby Brandy and Monica. Give it up for them, everybody!” Caroline stared at Lila and then laughed as Lila pulled her up and dragged her over to the karaoke machine, where they treated everyone to a slightly off-key rendition of the song. Mirabelle pulled out her phone and filmed them while Francesca ordered them another round and sipped her drink, looking incredibly amused at her nieces.
When they were done, Mirabelle sent the video to them, and then she got up and went through the book herself. Finding a song, she put her name down in the next available spot. She wasn't a terrible singer, but she wasn't Beyonce either. When the host announced her name, she gave a very enthusiastic rendition ofDominoby Jessie J. She could see Eleanor filming her as Lila and Caroline rocked out next to her while Francesca watched her with a pleasantly surprised smile on her face. When she was done, she sat back down, laughing as Lila high-fived her, a little out of breath.
“That’s how it’s done!” Lila laughed and looked at Eleanor. “Did you know she could sing like that?”
Eleanor nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, she showed off her pipes one night while we were in New Orleans for Mardi Gras before she married Eddie.” Mirabelle waved off the compliments, feeling her cheeks heat up.
“It’s all about energy and enthusiasm.” She smiled and changed the subject. “Did we find a statue?”
“The nearest one is about a forty-minute walk from us.” Lila wrinkled her nose. “I think we should head back. We found all the pictures we're going to.”
“Yep, I'll let Peter know he can come to pick us up.” Caroline pulled out her phone. “It was more than enthusiasm and energy, Mira; you’re a pretty good singer.”
“Thanks.” Mirabelle laughed. “I consider myself to be of karaoke quality only—good enough that I don't clear the bar, but not much good for anything else.”
Francesca paid the bill, and they weaved their way back to the Avalon Cafe. They were the first ones back, and Eleanor, who was definitely more sober than she should have been in Mirabelle’s opinion, checked in with the girl who had told them to go.
“Only four pictures?” She looked them over and smiled when she saw the way they were swaying slightly. “The other teams have at least ten.”
“Oh, we had fun; it's all good.” Eleanor grinned. “This is our first time in Ann Arbor.”
“And last,” Francesca muttered, holding on to Mirabelle’s arm, who was getting a little concerned about the amount Francesca had been drinking over the last few days.