Under the Table(25)
“Wasn’t there anyone else you trusted to show you the ropes?”
Tristan paused, put down his fork, and stared at her hard. It felt like he was looking through her, trying to see inside her. He placed his elbows on the table and made a steeple with pointer fingers over his mouth. It looked like he was praying for a sign on whether or not he should confess something.
“I’ve seen things, Zoey. I’ve seen things and I know things.”
The words and the way he said them were gloomy, with a touch of chilling.
“The key to my success was also to my paranoia, I’m afraid,” he continued. “It was all right in front of my face and I missed it. Once I made the discovery and realized I should’ve known better, I started to question my own ability. About everything.”
“I’m trying to follow, but I don’t get it.” Zoey set down her fork. “Is this about your work?”
He paused again, then nodded. “It is. Sort of.”
No help there. “Tristan, I don’t want you to betray a confidence, but if you’re worried about whether or not you can trust me, I promise you that you can.”
“It’s not so much about trust. It’s more about not wanting to stick you in the same boat with me.”
“I’m smart. And I’m strong. Try me.”
He took a moment to measure his words. “The software I created enables the government to learn as much as they want to about its citizens with the touch of a button. Do you realize the implications of that? They can know where you are at any given time. Who you know. What you like and don’t like. What scares you. I’m not saying that they use it for nefarious purposes, but it only takes one bad apple to make another person’s life a living hell. The thought of that crushes me.”
“If it wasn’t you inventing the program, it would’ve been someone else.”
“Still, it’s an invasion of privacy. Even more frightening is the number of people who found out and have approached me to create something similar for them. I became the go-to guy without saying a word. I decided to hide in plain sight, stay away from social media and the online world. I only use my computer to order my clothes and my groceries.” Tristan gave her a little wink. “Or at least I used to.”
“Sounds like your world got awfully big really fast. That’s enough to overwhelm anyone. And paranoia is like an open wound—if you don’t do something to treat it, it’s bound to fester. I let my mind run away with me too, sometimes, but the solution is to go out into the world and live your life. The way you want to live it. In another ten years, everyone will know everything about another person with the touch of a button anyway.”
Tristan threw back his head and laughed. “I knew you would understand. The more time I spend with you, the more I realize I—what’s the phrase—can’t fight city hall? And I don’t think I want to anymore. At least not tonight.”
“Speaking of tonight, what are your goals, Tristan?” Zoey knew she didn’t have to ask him about the random hookup scenario or getting blitzed off his rocker, but she also wanted to be sure exactly what her role was supposed to be.
“I don’t know,” he responded, some of his shyness returning. He got up to clear the plates and she picked up her own before he could stop her. Together they took them back to the kitchen. “Maybe meet someone who wants to dance?”
Chapter 10
I could really get used to this, Zoey thought on the quiet ride back across town in the back of a cushy Mercedes.
There were so many amazing things about New York City, and one of them was how alive it became the later it got. Back in Ohio, the sidewalks were empty well before midnight. The “nightclub” that Derek worked in was little more than a bar with a dance floor and a house DJ on Saturday nights. It closed at 1:00 a.m. and the parking lot was a ghost town by two. In Manhattan, the streets were just beginning to buzz with nightlife at midnight, especially on Saturday nights. Zoey wondered if it would have been better to start with something less manic, like a Broadway show?
She should have known by now that Tristan Malloy was full of surprises.
Their destination was a nightclub called Marquee, on Tenth Avenue. It was a hot spot that Zoey was familiar with only from Ruth’s frequent chatter. It was a place that Zoey feared Ruth had chosen not for Tristan’s comfort, but to show off. When the car pulled up in front of the building, the line outside was already long. The bouncers standing guard at the door were looking straight ahead. Clearly nobody would be flirting their way in tonight. Zoey hoped all of Ruth’s bragging was not her sister just blowing smoke or they’d be looking for another venue ASAP.
“You ready?” she asked Tristan as he reached for her hand to help her out of the car.
“Let’s do this thing,” he replied.
“Before we head to the back of the line, let me call my sister. She’s probably already in there.” Zoey pulled out her phone from her tiny handbag, then heard her name being called.
“Zoe!”
They turned around to find Ruth and her girlfriends, in fabulous faux furs and stiletto heels. They were standing in the middle of the line with the rest of the crowd. Great.
Ruth was clearly miffed, which seemed appropriate, because so was Zoey.