Silent Death — Michael Anderle

Vickie, would you mind answering that? Taylor asked, soldering gun already in hand and glasses in place to keep him from blinding himself.Sure, she said, picking the receiver up from the cradle. Who the hell has a landline these days?We the hell do, Taylor grumped. Answer the phone.He could almost hear her eyes rolling as she pressed the receiver to the side of her head. McFadden's Mechs, how can I help you?It wasn't a great name, but he wasn't going to be complaining, turning to his work, but keeping an ear out for the conversation, or the one side of it that he could hear.What? Vickie asked. No, I'm not a secretary. Why, are you a janitor? I mean, yeah, all janitors are men, right, so all men must be janitors, are you kidding me right now?Taylor raised an eyebrow. Maybe work could wait. He wanted to hear what Vickie had to say to whomever was calling her.Yes, it was a sexist question, thanks for asking, Vickie replied. Now, do you want to try again? Hi, this is Vickie from McFadden's Mechs, how can I help you not be a sexist a-hole this afternoon?Well, that was one way to go about it.Taylor could hear the man on the other line laughing, which was better than them getting offended and hanging up, sure, but Taylor pushed himself up from where he was working and walking over to where she was still on the phone.Special Agent Niki Banks has called in a favor, and now Taylor has a young hacker with an attitude as an employee. Along with new monsters to kill, a business to get off the ground, a relationship with an annoying FBI Handler to ... deal with Taylor is becoming a surrogate male figure for a role he didn't want.But may be the best man for the job.Go up and hit 'Buy Now' or 'Read for Free' and find out if Taylor needs to hide, or Niki's cousin has met her match.