Sugar Baby Âœ”ϸ twenty-fifth: numbers

He caressed my body tenderly, planting soft kisses on my back. My shoulder. My neck. Like he couldn’t get enough. His phone rang again. He sighed deeply, not moving. Snuggling closer to me. My heart burst at his tiny actions as his fingers entwined with mine.

“It might be Harold,” I said in a low voice. He didn’t respond, moaning softly instead. I tried again. “Gray…”

“I love you.”

I was quiet, my heart fluttering at his words. “Say it again.”

He held me closer as I melted into his embrace. “I love you.”

My chest seemed to spasm in beautiful anguish as I responded, “I love you too.”

I held his hand near my mouth, brushing my lips on his fingertips. He nuzzled my neck as I closed my eyes, losing myself in the unreal bliss. I wasn’t used to the warmth and comfort of him.  

“Maybe you should ask Harold for new transcripts,” I spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. My brain still hazy from the explosive passion.

“No need. I have it on a pen drive.”

I stilled, turning around to look at him as he chuckled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Then why the fuck were we going through the damn stacks of paper?”

He smiled softly, stroking my bottom lip. “Because it was more time-consuming. And I wanted to be with you.”

It was hard to get mad at him. He chuckled again. His alluring eyes twinkling. His hair was dishevelled, a soft, sexy smile on his lips. I could see the dark marks my nails had made on his chest, marking him. It sent a tingle of pleasure up my spine.

I leaned over him and kissed him softly. “That’s kind of sweet.”

“I know. I’m adorable.”

I chuckled. “You are.”

He kissed me passionately. Leisurely. Like we had all the time in the world. And in that moment, it seemed like we did.

“Did you really think…I didn’t want you?” he asked, his unwavering gaze on me turning my stomach to mulch.

I sighed softly. “You heard me with Scarlett.”

He nodded. “It was killing me, Xavier.”

“I’m sorry.” I stroked his cheek, unable to believe I had almost lost this perfect moment.

“I’m not,” he whispered, leaning forward and touching his forehead to me. “Made me realize how fucking desperately I love you.” He nuzzled my nose with his, smiling softly. “I was just scared of what you’d think.”

“There isn’t anything that can make me not love you, Gray.”

“I don’t think I could live in a world where you don’t love me, Xavier.”

I smiled. I could feel the strange, warm and fuzzy feeling in my chest that I had only ever read about. “Good thing you don’t have to.”

He bit my lip, pulling it gently and hugging me close. I leaned back reluctantly, gazing at the wall clock. It was three. “We have a billionaire to bust.”

He smiled softly. “I really admire that about you.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re always on the job.”

I shrugged. “Well not always. But I’d really like this out of the way.”

He nodded. “Alright.”

I went over to his discarded clothes, fishing the pen drive out of his pocket and carrying my laptop before settling on the bed again. He lay down flat on his back and shut his eyes. I gazed at him, studying his weary eyes, his pale skin. 

“You should rest,” I said.

“Could you switch off my phone?” he asked. I switched off his phone and placed it on the bedside table. He gazed at me silently as I set the pillow down and lay over it, lying down on my stomach. “I’m guessing the laptop will be much faster.”

“Mhm,” he answered as I gazed at him again. He turned to lie flat on his stomach, his head resting on his arm as he looked at me, his face hidden so that only his striking eyes were visible. “What do I have to do?”

I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “You can rest.” He looked blissful. At peace. “I’ll do it on my own.”

“No,” he said, blinking. “It’ll be faster-“

He tried to get up as I gently pushed him back. “Let me, Gray. You being here is enough.”

His eyes were unreadable. A mix of admiration and unyielding darkness I couldn’t quite place. He sighed, “Okay.”

“Good.”

He settled snugly on the bed, his eyes fixed on me as I inserted the pen drive into the inlet of the laptop and unzipped the massive file.

“What are you going to do?” he asked, his voice muffled.

“Just search each number.” I clicked control and the ‘f’ key together. The search tool popped up and I typed in ‘zero.’

“This is really boring,” Gray said and I laughed, gazing at him sideways. His eyes were shut, his voice lazy. Muffled. “I’ve never felt so… comfortable.”

I typed in the next digit and got a few results from the first file. It was difficult to scroll back up, again and again, to check the dates and note the numbers. Rosalie’s recordings were relatively easier. She barely stayed in her room and a lot of the recordings were just symbols.

“You’re so sexy when you’re focussing like that.”

I gazed at Gray, smirking at his words. My heart raced at his compliment. “I’m sorry, Shelby. I’m always sexy.”

He chuckled, his eyelids fluttering open lazily, his voice a sexy slur. “You are, baby.”

I bit my lip, leaning over and kissing the tip of his nose. It was surreal. To have him near me. It felt natural. Like home. Like there wasn’t ever a time when we didn’t have this. His breathing slowed, lulling me into a sense of comfort as he fell asleep. It was hard to concentrate on working. I was very aware of the fact that he was naked; a simple, thin bedsheet covering him. Under the bedsheet, our naked bodies were barely inches away from each other. I could feel his intense heat radiating off him. I took a deep breath, my eyes wandering to him again and again. I pictured taking off the bedsheet and climbing on top of him. Straddling him and making him cum again.

I sighed softly and muttered to myself, “Come on, Xavier.”

The sooner I got the work done, the sooner I could try and concentrate on him instead. 

By the time I had noted down all the numbers, the sun had risen. It’s golden rays cascaded into my room.

Even while copying the numbers down, I had noticed a few anomalies. I couldn’t quite tell the pattern yet but I was sure they existed. I took a deep breath, shutting the laptop and lying down flat on my stomach. My eyes were burning, my brain exhausted. I turned my face to the side, smiling to myself as I saw Grayson, sleeping peacefully.

I marvelled at the way his dark hair tumbled onto his forehead. His long, dark eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks. I gazed at his perfect lips, having the sudden urge to bite at them. I gazed at the golden sun rays trickling through his dark hair, bathing him in an ethereal glow. I shifted closer to him, amazed at the warmth of his body. His eyes fluttered open and my heart lurched. 

“Morning, baby.”

I smiled at his words, nuzzling into his neck as his arms encircled me. “Morning, baby,” I whispered back.

“What time is it?”

“I don’t know,” I groaned sleepily against his chest. His morning voice, his scent sending my senses into overdrive.

“Did you get the numbers?”

He reached over and I heard a rustle of paper as he checked the numbers. He was silent, perusing them for a while. I took a deep breath against him. Breathing in his scent. “Wow. There seems to be a…two day thing here. The numbers change in two..three…days. Almost.”

He leaned back and I snuggled against him again. “Maybe we can get up in a while and you know…check.”

My eyelids fluttered close against him. He was quiet, stroking my back gently. I fell asleep, all the exhaustion of the last few days washing over me. I woke up what felt like hours later, although the sun outside told me it couldn’t be later than noon. I had fallen asleep cradled against his chest.

“What time is it?” I slurred.

“Eleven,” he replied. “Would you like some breakfast?”

My stomach growled in answer before I responded, “Yes.”

He disentangled himself as I let him go, reluctantly. I watched him as made his way into the kitchen, craning my neck. Even the tiny separation was making me hurt physically. I let my eyes rove over his strong, naked back. Lower to his snug jeans. I sighed softly, burying my burning face in the pillow.

How the fuck could someone be so fucking gorgeous?

“Coffee?”

No. You.

“Tea,” I answered like a civilized person. “Black. No sugar.”

You. No clothes.

I wasn’t sure what level of sluttiness was acceptable in a state of half stupor and potential nation threatening crime-solving.

I heard the sound of cutlery and finally sat up straight, gazing at the numbers which still looked nonsense. I rose to my feet, walking over to the bathroom sink and leaned over it. I gazed at my reflection in the mirror and swore under my breath. My eyes looked sunken. My skin paler than usual and my hair messy. 

But I didn’t care. Grayson was here.

I washed my face. The cold water felt good on my skin. After hopping in for a quick shower, I went and picked up the notebook and a pen, trying to focus my dizzy brain on the digits. There were quite a few instances where the numbers on Scarlett and Rosalie’s alarms didn’t match. It seemed to be alternate. I noted down the distinct numbers and leaned back, staring at them.

045637 2350822501372

I wrote down the alphabets, noting the corresponding letters. I stopped. There was a zero, so I had to assume that it meant A.

a e a g d h C d f a I c c f a b d h bae agd h

0 4 5 6 3 7 2 3 5 0 8 2 2 5 0 1 3 7 204 563 7

I opened up a website and tried to create as many anagrams as I could.

Calcific. Efficacy. Saccadic.

Fucking bullshit.

There were a bunch of more nonsense words at the bottom. They just seemed a random collection of letters. I chewed the end of the pen, studying the letters intently, trying to wrest a meaning. Grayson walked over, setting a tray laden with food on the table. He sat on the floor, his back leaning on the couch as he gazed intently at the notebook in my hand. “What are those?”

“Numbers which differed in their alarms. I’m thinking it’s some sort of a secret code that the neighbouring countries are sending her.” I shook my head. “As of now just looks like a bunch of gibberish.”

“I don’t get why Scarlett has it too.” He mused aloud.

I shrugged. “I honestly think despite her intentions, Rosalie still does believe in Numerology.

He reached for a steaming cup and handed it to me. “It could be a foreign language. Maybe I should contact some expert? A cryptographer?”

“I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “It has to be a simple code. Something so easy that it’s missing our notice.”

“Hm.” He gazed at the numbers. “Those alphabets, could they be a place? Maybe one we don’t know about? There are lots of obscure villages around the outskirts. Especially the borders.”

I stared at the long list of letters. “They look so random. They could even be code names for places.”

“The locals have certain names for the villages around there.” Grayson pulled the notebook towards him and squinted at it, studying it. “Give me your phone. If there’s a code name then I think Black might be able to help.”

I handed him my phone as he clicked a few pictures of the letters and sent them to Harold. “Could it be…a person? A source? Like a phone number or something?”

I chewed my bottom lip. “There are already so many connections here. First with Reznick, then with Tender Hands. Then with her supplier Martin. Then again another source?” I shook my head. “That makes the plan seem really perforated.”

“I don’t think Reznick knows what she does with the money. Does he?”

I shrugged. “He seems too slimy to care I suppose. And I guess he has too much money to care about a few millions.”

“Reznick is not the smartest. His father set the empire up,” Grayson said. “I guess he was just happy rolling in the green.”

“I think the reason Rosalie chose him wasn’t just his suspiciously clean record. I’m pretty sure she thinks he’s not smart enough to double-cross her.”

He gazed sideways at me. “And what’s your impression of him? Could he double-cross her?”

I sighed softly, raking a hand through my hair. “Honestly, as I said, I don’t think he cares enough. He has everything.”

Gray tilted his head thoughtfully. Looking illegally adorable and hot at the same time. I turned my attention to the numbers. Grayson took the pen and started underlining the numbers. “Maybe if we group them…”

I stared as he grouped the numbers together.

0 4 5 6 3 7 2 3 5 0 8 2 2 5 0 1 3 7 204 5 63 7

He created a parenthesis around certain groups of numbers. I tried to picture it as he had described.

(0 45 6)(3 72 3)( 5 08 2) ( 2 5 0 1) ( 3 7 20) (45 63) 7

My phone vibrated with a text alert. I glanced at the screen and saw that Harold had sent a map. I zoomed in, gazing at it intently. “It has the local names.” I zoomed in further.

‘Sailor’s Creek’, ‘Silent Tide’, ‘Lovers Isle’.

“That doesn’t look anything like it…” Grayson took my phone, pressing on the screen as a bunch of data popped up. I looked at the little red pin on the map. Below it was a card of information. Weather, altitude, latitude, longitude.

I gazed at the many numbers, my heart thudding excitedly. 

He sighed, “Maybe we should-“

I gaped at the numbers and typed them on the map. My blood running cold with the anticipation. I was aware of Gray gazing at me curiously. I wasn’t going to tell him of my suspicions till I was absolutely sure. I typed the numbers and waited for a response.

“What’s on your mind, Xavier?”

I took a deep breath, raking a hand through my hair again. “I’m guessing…this could be latitudes and longitudes.” I gazed dismally. “But there are way too many digits here. I removed the last two-” I shook my head. “Still not it.”

I felt disappointed. I had been so sure that I had got it. But turns out I had underestimated Rosalie Atkinson. Grayson’s eyebrows furrowed. I gazed at the numbers and spoke, “Ignore the numbers up to seventeenth. Start from there.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, surprised but struck out the first six numbers.

2 3 5 0 8 2 2 5 0 1 7 2

He scrolled upwards and pointed at the date on one of the documents. “If it’s a code-“

“It makes sense that it renews every month.”

“Well-” he looked worried. “According to you, the month ends at seventeenth. There’s a new code every month by the seventeenth. It’s neither here nor there.”

I shook my head, “She told me she’s taking a trip around the seventeenth.” I gazed at the date on the screen. “I’m positive she is going to smuggle the money out. Unexchanged. That’s when the month starts. A new number appearing every alternate day for the next month, until the next seventeenth.”

Grayson looked at the date on the screen and sucked in a sharp breath. “Fucking tomorrow.”

I nodded silently as I continued, “She takes a lot of trips. From what I learnt, this mid-month trip is indispensable. She says she goes out to relax. This month too she’ll have siphoned the money off by Tuesday. So it would make sense that her month revolves around the seventeenth.”

I whistled softly as I realized the significance of the number. Scarlett’s birthday, on the seventeenth of June. The sole family she had left. “The numbers before-” I placed a finger on the screen, “-‘two’ were part of the previous code. The code for this month started coming from the seventeenth.”

He searched for the world map and started typing in the numbers. My heart started racing in anticipation, my stomach clenching nervously. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the screen intently and spoke,  “Let’s start the combinations.”

We were missing a few numbers in the middle where she had left for a few days. However, I hoped we had enough to work with.

I bit my lip, gazing intently at the screen as the results loaded excruciatingly slowly. My heart leapt to my throat, blood pounding in my ears as I saw the coordinates on the screen. He started typing a variety of combinations.

238.5082 25.172

I stared as he input a few more combinations, each time coming up with either a far off foreign lands or the middle of the wide ocean. 

“Could it be…an internet protocol address?” I asked to the room at large.

He shook his head. “I think you were right about the latitudes and longitudes. Not enough numbers for IP.” He took a deep breath as if steeling himself. He typed in another combination, shifting the decimal. He sucked in a breath suddenly, “We should…go reverse.” He started scrolling the mouse over the screen. “Along the shore-“

I realized what he was doing. She wasn’t travelling out of the country to smuggle the money. She couldn’t with the shit load of money. The only possible explanation was that she was using some land or sea borders. Grayson would match with the coordinates and by hit and trial, we could try and predict where the apparent coordinates lay. “-coordinates start with zero point one and eight two. There aren’t any coordinates with two or three,” he finished. 

My heart hammered as I got down to my knees, moving closer and staring at the screen. He gazed at me, his eyes slightly wide as if from a realization. “I’ll drop the two and three and search from eight.”

I nodded. My heart froze in anticipation. He typed in the digits slowly.

82 25 01 7 2

My breathing ceased. The screen loaded and I gazed at it in amazement. An extra digit, but the rest of the information fit.

Brady Top 82.8225 ° 0.1372 °
Temperature: 27° C
Sunny Local Time: 11:44 am

I gaped at it, disbelieving. 

He whispered in awe, “Xavier…”

I took a shuddering breath. I had taught myself not to get too excited about things until I was absolutely assured. “We still have two numbers left.”

I gazed at the info card and back at the numbers again. My brain whirring to put two and three together. Gray was quiet, studying me. The last five years together had taught him that I needed absolute silence when thinking.

I shut my eyes. Trying to picture the numbers floating in my head. Could it be another code? Initials? They stood for C and D alphabetically. But what would they convey? I ran the names of people I knew related to Rosalie. None of them had initials with C and D. It could be someone I didn’t know about, but it seemed too much of a coincidence that their initials would be with consecutive alphabets.

I could hear Grayson’s gentle breathing. The sound of the fan rotating. The shrill, sweet twittering of the birds and the sounds of the faded city. My reverie broke as there was a loud alarm.

I opened my eyes to a loud ringing as Grayson jumped and shook his head. “Shit, sorry. I set an alarm for today.”

He hurriedly tried to turn the alarm off. My eyes fell on the initial time of the snoozed alarm. Six am. Six.

06:00

Time.

I gasped, taking in a sharp breath. “Gray…” I whispered, hyperventilating. “Gray…it’s time.”

“For…what?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in question.

I shook my head, pointing at the digits furiously as his eyes widened. “It’s time. It’s time. Two three. Twenty three. It’s the twenty four hour military timings! Eleven at night!

His eyebrows shot up in shock as he shook his head. “So we have the time and the location. And the date.”

I nodded my head, adrenaline coursing through my veins. “Gray, we fucking did it.”

He was quiet, gazing at the numbers in silence before his face broke into a smile. He pulled me against him and messed my hair as I protested. “That’s bloody brilliant, Xavier.”

I laughed against him. Relieved. Dizzy. It was over. “You guys should send people there to catch her red-handed.”

He nodded and started dialling Harold’s number on his phone. I gazed at him as he filled Harold in, grinning proudly. My heart swelled. He was proud. Of me.

After he was done he turned to me. “You’re fucking unbelievable, you know that?”

He pulled me close to him and kissed me. I bit my lip. “I guess I deserve a reward.”

He laughed. “I guess you do.”

He pushed me onto the floor as we made blissful love. Floating in the ecstasy and adrenaline of the moment. My dreams running free into the expansive sky.