"I don't understand why I have to be the one talking," Maddox complained as he buttoned up his white shirt. "That's obviously your area of expertise."

Karmin busied herself with the flash drive, trying her very best not to stare at Maddox and his naked torso. "Unless you can fit underneath the serving table, then we don't have a choice," she remarked.

He sighed, grabbing the black apron that sat on the bathroom sink and tying it around his waist. "This isn't going to go very well."

"Don't jinx it," Karmin chastised. "All you have to do is keep them talking long enough for me to grab his laptop and download all the information."

"How will I know you got all the information?"

"I'll tug your pants or something," she replied as she picked up the white sheet that was draped over the serving table they had stolen before. She quickly crawled into the small space, poking out her head to say, "Now, let's get this over with."

Maddox exhaled shakily, seizing the rails of the table and rolling it out of the men's bathroom that had been hiding in the past twenty minutes. "Just talk about meaningless shit like Karmin does," he whispered to himself as he stiffly smiled at the waiters rushing in and out of the kitchen.

"I heard that," she hissed, sticking out her hand to smack him in the legs.

The next thing she knew, the table bumped into the wall, causing her head to hit the metal ceiling of the table. "Asshole," she muttered, rubbing her head.

"Whoops," Maddox mumbled with a small smirk tugging on his lips.

Karmin glared at him, and although he couldn't see her, it was the sharpest looks she had ever given him. However, she focused her energy on the task at hand. The plan relied on Maddox and his lack of social skills, and that worried her. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was just that this plan was made for her. Talking about everything and anything was her specialty. If only his six-foot-something self would squish into this small space.

But it was Maddox, who was in charge, and hopefully, he could pull something out of thin air. He had spent a lot of time with her. Maybe he picked up on a few things.

She settled herself in a crisscross position as the table stirred as he rolled it towards the kitchen, stopping in front of it. Phase one was to find who was waiting for Kenneth Becker, steal his food and have Maddox serve it himself.

The loud chatter and rumbling in the kitchen were audible with people yelling out orders and preparation time. "Order for table 5!" shouted the chef.

Nope, not him.

"Order for table 9!"

There we go.

Karmin heard the doors to the kitchen swung open, and immediately, Maddox spoke up. "Is that for Kenneth Becker?" he asked.

"Yes, it's for him," a woman replied.

"Boss told me to take over his table," Maddox lied, reaching over to grab the order on her serving table.

"Oh," she said, shocked. "Do you know why?"

"No clue," he shrugged. "But I should go and take the order. Shouldn't keep an important man like him waiting."

"Y-yeah, of course," she stuttered.

The table rattled as Maddox placed the food on top, and once again, they were moving. They made it a few steps until the woman called out.

"Are you new here?" she questioned.

The table came to an abrupt halt. "I started not too long ago," he said briskly.

"You should let me take you out for drinks," she said, her tone changing into something more flirtatious. "I can show you the ropes."

"I can show you the ropes," mocked Karmin bitterly.

Maddox swiftly kicked the table, and she jolted in surprise, her head smacking into the metal once again.

"I'd like that," Maddox said coolly. "I'll catch you after my shift."

I'll catch you after my shift? What in the holy hell was this bullshit?

She expected Maddox to start rolling the table, but all of a sudden, his head popped underneath the table, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Stop talking. The whole point of you being down here is to be inconspicuous," he hissed.

Karmin rolled her eyes. "The whole point of you being here is to talk to Kenneth. Not flirting with waitresses."

"I wasn't flirting with her," Maddox exclaimed in a hushed tone. "I was trying to get her to leave us alone."

"And since when could you talk to girls?" she fired back, ignoring him. "I thought you were bad at it."

"I am when it comes to girls I like," he grumbled, glaring at her. "Now, shut up and stay down here," and with a flick to her forehead, Maddox was gone, and the table began to move.

Karmin stuck out her middle finger at where he was once. What the hell did he mean by that? He was a confusing person nowadays, but one thought boomed in her mind.

What category did I fall in?

As he weaved his way in and out of the hall into the dining room, the chatter became louder as customers ate their overpriced breakfast. London Café was the type of restaurant that looked as if it belonged on the streets of Europe with small portions and high prices.

While Maddox pushed the serving table, Karmin peered through the gap between the white cloth and the floor to see the sparkly clean floor and expensive shoes. She also caught bits of conversations that were interesting, to say the least.

"I failed my Calculus class, and now my Dad took away all my cars," a boy complained. "Even the Ferrari."

They rolled past a few other tables, Karmin glancing looks at designer shoes. A pair of strappy nude heels caught her attention. Oh my, her shoes are so cute.

"I'm travelling to India this summer to help the poor and needy," a girl with a nasally voice said. "I just think it's so important to help third world countries."

Ugh, it was like rich people lived in their own worlds.

The table came to an immediate halt when a deep voice spoke. "Is that Mr. Becker's breakfast?" he demanded.

Maddox nodded, and the large man stepped out of the way to reveal the Secretary of Defense. He was a short man with a balding scalp and pale skin. His glasses looked a bit too small for his face, so they struggled to hide the dark bags under his eyes.

"Finally, my food is here," Kenneth said snidely.

"Sorry we kept you waiting," apologized Maddox as he rolled the table closer to the man.

Karmin lowered her head, her eyes trailing the floor to see a case or anything that might contain the laptop. Once the table was closer to Kenneth's feet, she saw a black leather briefcase.

That has to be it.

It seemed that Maddox had seen it too when he pushed the table even closer. As he began to serve Kenneth, she took the chance to sneak her hand under the cloth. Her heart rate increased, and her hands felt sweaty as she swiftly, but cautiously grabbed the handle, sliding it towards her. The thought that someone might see a hand popping out underneath the table was terrifying, but she began to feel at ease when the briefcase was close enough for her to take. With one last pull, the case was in her possession.

She high fived herself, unlocking the briefcase slowly to make sure no one heard her. After a small click, it opened. Inside was a bulky laptop with the words "Property of the US Government" inscribed into it. The fact that she was hacking the government hadn't hit her until then.

I might as well add this to my long list of illegal activities.

She flipped it on, sliding the flash drive into the computer. Her heart dropped when she saw she needed a password. How did I not think this through? But all of a sudden, random codes and numbers began to appear on the screen, and she knew it had to be the USB.

"Hurry up, son. I want to eat before it gets cold," Kenneth sighed annoyedly.

"Sorry," Maddox muttered, the sound of forks clanging and plates scratching.

The flash drive encrypted the laptop quickly, and in a matter of seconds, Karmin was in. However, she didn't have to do anything as the chip searched through files on its own. The download began with a bar showing up, notifying how much of the information had been taken so far.

10%.

"Can I get you all anything else?" Maddox asked.

"No, this will be all," Kenneth said shortly.

"Oh," Maddox faltered. "How about your bodyguards? Would they like anything to eat?"

"No."

"Are you sure? They're looking a bit parched," Maddox remarked, grabbing a pitcher of water.

30%.

"We're all set," Kenneth said through a mouth full of food.

"Right," Maddox drawled, and from the way he was tapping his foot, she could tell he was starting to become anxious. "But before I go, I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan of yours."

That got his attention as he put down his utensils, glancing up at him. "Really?"

"Um yeah," spluttered Maddox, letting out an awkward cough. "You're like a hero."

Kenneth hummed in content. "You're not wrong. Without me, the President wouldn't know where to start when it comes to national security."

"I don't doubt that at all, sir," hyped Maddox.

"Just between you and me, the President isn't the brightest man. I'm not too sure as to how he got elected," he chuckled along with his bodyguards.

50%.

"Before I go, can I get your autograph?" wondered Maddox.

"Well, of course!" Kenneth exclaimed.

"Thank you so much," smiled Maddox as he grabbed a napkin for him to sign.

"Who shall I make this out to?"

"Cesar," he said swiftly.

A smile pulled at Karmin's lips at his pettiness. She wasn't going to lie. That was something she would've done herself.

"Can you write, 'to my biggest fan Cesar, a young man I met at London Café at exactly 10:19 a.m.?'" added Maddox. "Maybe even throw in an inspiring quote so when I look at this, I'll be reminded of this life-changing day."

"The best you're going to get is 'follow your dreams,'" said Kenneth sternly, handing Maddox the napkin. "Now, I should get back to my breakfast. Goodbye."

Her anxiety spiked when she saw that the download was only at 80%. She needed him to keep going.

"Am I good to go?" asked Maddox loudly.

"Yes, I just said that," Kenneth said, giving him a strange look.

Karmin looked around trying to find something she could use to communicate with him, but no idea came to mind that wasn't too risky. But her attention deviated to the floor when a spoon fell by Maddox's foot.

"My bad," he announced, lowering himself to the ground. He quickly snuck his hand through, and on his palm, Karmin traced the word, "No," hoping he would figure it out.

Maddox gritted his teeth in frustration, straightening up and placing the spoon back on the table. "I guess I'll be going then," he drawled.

Karmin's eyes widened when he said those words. Did he not understand the message? However, out of nowhere, she heard the sound of a glass breaking and Kenneth shouting in surprise.

"I am so sorry. My hand just cramped up," Maddox explained, grabbing tissues to help with the mess he purposely created.

She smirked, feeling a sense of pride. The download was at 95%. They were almost there.

"Mr. Becker is everything okay?" asked one of the bodyguards.

"I'm fine," he said gruffly. "How did you even get a job here?"

"Good luck," shrugged Maddox.

"Just leave now, and I am not going to ask again," threatened Kenneth.

"Let me get you a free dessert," furthered Maddox.

Karmin intently watched the bar reach closer to the end goal, her heartbeat rising with each percentage. 98%. 99%.

"Listen, boy. You know that I'm the Secretary of Defense. If you're not out within the next ten seconds, I will personally launch a missile at your home. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I'll be leaving now."

"Come on, come on," whispered Karmin, and a smile erupted on her face when the green bar reached the end.

100%

Karmin quickly pulled the flash drive out, pocketing it. She shut the briefcase, and with caution thrown out the window, slipped it out. It wasn't in the exact place it was before by his legs, but it'll have to do. She turned to the other side, reaching out and tugging Maddox's pants to signal it was done.

Immediately, the table was on the move, rolling out of Kenneth's private table to the main room. She let out a breath of relief. That was a close one, and from Maddox's grumbling, he thought so too.

"I'm not leaving my house for the next few days. That was too much social interaction for me."

***

Author's Note:

Hi!

Okay, so my uni classes have started again and I have class 5 days a week!! I am already overwhelmed since I had the last 4 months off. BUT BL should be updated like usual since I have pre-written chapters to go!

This was a fun chapter to write and I hope you liked it!

Until next time – m.k.t