Chapter 6:

The last few weeks have been stress-free and Christian Grey free. I do believe the two-go hand in hand. The first week of being under contract to GEH, Christian was a pain in my ass. He thought I should attend every little meeting and he learned real damn fast that my associates were more than capable of doing their jobs. Of course, it took me threatening to tear up the contract and walking out leaving GEH to the "cyber-dogs" that waited in the dark web to hack into vulnerable companies. Welch had retired and he went with a great retirement package and a promise to always be available if needed. I also had him sign a non-competitive agreement with GEH and of course SSE. He agreed and I offered him a part-time job doing legwork for a few open cases. It would keep him busy, useful and it freed up some of my people.

The second week, the Grey Family was busy with a cousin's wedding in upstate Washington and Christian was too occupied with his family to be a bother to my team. With his absence, we were able to do a complete overhaul of GEH technology and security mainframes. The system was impossible to hack and with my people on the job monitoring, no one was getting in the system without authorization. Field security was revamped with new computers, better and far-reaching CCTV and impact training for all security officers, uniformed and ununiformed. All receptionists were given training in self-defense and trained to negotiate with unpleasant or unruly patrons. I even gave free personal self-defense training to all women in the GEH family since I believe that every woman should be able to defend herself.

The third week, Grey and his second in command, a ball-breaking red head that I totally adore, Roz Bailey was flight hopping across the United States checking out suitable sites for a new manufacturing plant for computer components. My business is steady with nothing out of the ordinary. Every day this week I was home before six and able to make and enjoy a meal with Trista. She and I would then take a bath, dress for bed, read a few books and both of us were out like a light before ten o'clock.

Then came Monday …

My office phone was ringing off the hook. The Christian Grey was furious because he was locked out of his computer system. I had all the heads of departments of both companies ringing me for advice. Good grief, that man must be a total jackass when angered. I make my way to GEH to put out the fire that is up Grey's ass and to soothe a few pissed off employees who are ready to walk if I don't get Grey under control.

I walk into his office just in time to see him send a rolling chair across the room with frustrated kick. He is yelling into two phones at the same time telling whoever to get my ass on the phone now! I shut the door quietly and stand against it as the "Mad Hatter" goes even madder. Maybe I should have brought along a tranquilizer gun? I clear my voice to get his attention. His grey eyes are hard as granite with anger as he stares at me. If he is trying to intimidate me, he is failing! I've been on the other end of a gun with a "coked" up drug kingpin bragging how good of a shot he was, and he would have so much fun with my corpse! That asshole is dead now and Grey's little temper tantrum does not bother me. I make a mental note to watch out for this trait in Trista.

"Having problems?" I say with a smirk. He narrows his eyes at me then realizes that his usual way of dealing with his employees does not work for me. "I take it you did not read the memos I sent you explaining that your former credentials would no longer work." Before he can answer I am behind his desk, sitting in his chair, and bringing up the sign-on screen. With just a few clicks, I have him back online with the new system. "All your programs are the same, just the sign on is different. My team put in many security layers to keep your data safe from hackers."

"Why didn't Andrea …?"

"Mr. Grey, I had this information hand-delivered to you for security reasons. Only you and I know these codes." I stood up and offered him his chair. "Mr. Grey, you caused a great deal of commotion this morning and I do not appreciate it. Read whatever the fuck I give you and NEVER, EVER talk to MY techs as you have this morning. This is your first and last warning. I will not tolerate such abuse of my staff. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

He is still furious but has enough sense not to argue with me. I get a head bob as he takes his seat.

"I will also need an apology from you."

"I am sorry…it has been a hectic morning…and…" He watches me as I shake my head at him. "Why are you saying no?"

"Mr. Grey, I will need that apology for my team who is threatening to walk due to your unprofessionalism display."

"Are your people so thin-skinned that they can't take a little name calling?" He laughs thinking he is funny.

"My people can kill you in five thousand different ways and your body would never be found, so I don't think I would call them thin-skinned. They are, however, very good at their jobs and deserve to be treated with respect. I demand that of all my clients."

He sat back in his chair. He had this little smirk on his face. "Miss Steele, I do not apologize."

So, he wants to play hardball. Fine! I can play badass also. "And I do not support bullies, so we, my team and I will be vacating the premises. Good luck with monitoring the beast. I will send you the final bill and the termination papers. You will have five business days to pay before your account will be handed over to a collection agency." I start for the door. "Good morning, Mr. Grey." My hand is on the doorknob and about to twist when I hear him ask me not to leave. I turned back around. He is standing up with his hands plunged deep into his pockets. He is such a little boy at times.

"Will a written apology be good enough?" He asks lowly.

"I think that will be more than acceptable."

As I walk through my offices, acknowledging my team, I notice the same email pinned to everyone's corkboard. I must laugh. My team had printed out the apology from The Christian Grey and displayed it for all to see. His head would explode if he saw this. I slapped myself on the back proudly for humbling the billionaire. He deserved a piece of humble pie. No one, not even the King of Seattle, would ever bully my team.

Even though my hands are full of all our clients, my mind is always on my sister's death. I have read and reread the autopsy report and the police reports. It is concluded that Aurora was murdered, and the ongoing investigation was at a standstill with no suspects. I have gone through her diary and her daily logbook of appointments but there are no clues to who was sharing her bed the night she was murdered. Aurora had always been secretive to who she was dating so I'm not surprised that her diary was useless to me. I then remembered her last note to me. Lincoln. Elena Lincoln. What would Elena gain in killing Aurora? Aurora's death led to her arrest. Did Aurora stumble onto the true workings of Elena Lincoln's business? Did Elena threaten to go after Trista? Was that bottle blonde bitch the source of Trista's photograph on the dark web? My head is spinning with possibilities. I leave my desk and go to the wall safe that hides behind a large photo of Trista and me and open it. I sat on the sofa and slowly went through the papers that Aurora had left me. I can't believe that I forgot about them. I was so wrapped up in Trista's security, and my new business that I forgot that Aurora had already told me that she had found out information about Lincoln's business that could get her killed. She warned me and I missed it. I feel like a complete fool!

My next stop is the State Pen where Elena Lincoln is being held without bond. It is time for me and the pedophile to have a little chat. Hopefully, she has been locked up long enough to be of some use to me.

Jail has not been kind to Elena Lincoln. Her face is haggard, her bottle blonde hair is a mousy gray, and she looks like she has lost at least twenty pounds, making her look more like a homeless drug addict that a society matron. She sits before me, shackled to the table legs and her hands shackled to the top of the table. According to reports, she is a violent inmate and has no qualms attacking guards, her own lawyers, and even other inmates.

"Mrs. Lincoln, I am Anastasia Steele, owner and lead investigator of Steele Securities Experts." I usually offer my hand, but she is handcuffed, so I offer her a cold drink which she declines. I sit before her. "I am sure you are wondering why a private investigator is wanting to speak to you, and you don't have to talk at all. I am not working for any police or government agency. I want to discuss Rory Pearl with you."

Those dark eyes were cold and hateful as she looked at me up and down. "I knew a bitch by that name. I lost track of her."

"She was killed over a year ago." I stated flatly. There was no response from the woman. "Did Rory work for you in your prostitution business?"

"I am not, nor have I ever been in the business of prostitution. I simply offered a service for people in the BDSM community to meet other like-minded people."

"Mrs. Lincoln did you threaten Rory Pearl with the safety of her daughter to keep her quiet?"

"Daughter? She had a daughter?"

Oh, this woman is smooth, cold, calculating and the biggest lying bitch I have ever met. If there wasn't a camera on us, I would smash her uppity face into the tabletop. "Mrs. Lincoln, did you offer Rory Pearl's daughter on the dark web?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

I open the file that sits before me and hand her a copy of the screenshot of a dark web website that offered my daughter up for sexual activities, including full penetration sex to necrophilia. "So, you have no idea how this photograph of this innocent child was obtained, placed on your website and offered to the sickest bastards known to mankind?"

"I plead the 'fifth'." The woman drily announced. "I have been counseled by my lawyers not to speak of such things as it may be detrimental to my case."

"Mrs. Lincoln, your trial starts in a few weeks, and I am certain that the State and the Feds have enough solid evidence to send your sick ass up the river for the rest of your natural life. Why don't you, for once in your sorry life, help a little girl who is being threaten?"

"Why should I help anyone? No one helped me when my Daddy started fucking me when I was six years old or when he would give me to his friends for a bottle of booze. I was passed around like a ham at Sunday dinner. I was fucked up the ass and down my throat before I was ten years old. No one helped me when I was being whipped and sodomized with any implement those sick fuckers could find."

"Is that why you molested all those young boys and girls? You were trying to get even?"

"I am done talking with you. I want to return to my cell."

"One more thing, Mrs. Lincoln, who was Rory Pearl sleeping with? Did you match her up one last time before her death?" The room was silent. Elena Lincoln only smiled a most demonic smile at me. "Just give me a name, and I am out of here."

"Christian Grey."

My heart stopped.