THE ALGORITHM

5.

"What brings you by?" Cecil questioned Bilal while thumbing through a pile of documents.

Bilal wasn't surprised to see Cecil there. He was always by his father's side. They'd been best friends for years, always looking out for each other.

"I need to have a talk with pops."

"Ah, yes." Greg let out a sigh before removing his glasses. He glanced at his son and said, "I need you to take a trip to Oregon."

"Oregon?" Bilal reiterated while focusing on his dad. "What's out there?"

"A new distillery," Greg muttered. "I got a call from Dixon, and he says I need to come out there and complete some last-minute paperwork."

Bilal lifted his arms and said, "You know you can do everything online, right? All Dixon has to do is send the paperwork to your email."

"No." Greg shook his head. "Someone has to go out there and attend the meeting in my place. I would love to sit in and...share my thoughts, but I have to leave for Nigeria in three days—another business trip."

"What kind of meeting is expected in Oregon?" Bilal probed, wanting to know everything.

Greg touched his stubbled face and said, "It's all about partnership. Dixon wants to expand the business by partnering with local restaurants, distributors, and bars. I need someone there to negotiate terms and listen closely to the kind of product development, marketing, and promotion the company is expected to do."

"I don't know..." Bilal trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. There was no way he could leave right now. He had unfinished work at his technology company and was still waiting on Decon and Natirah to capture the woman who witnessed Wyatt murdering a man in the alley a few weeks back.

"I won't be able to go. I have a lot of tasks to complete—it's impossible for me." Bilal's brain began to wander as he tried to devise an idea. "How about you get Tiana to do it?"

"That girl is not going to go out there and attend those meetings—you know that."

Bilal only shrugged. It was worth trying. He figured Tiana would be down to get out of town and take care of some business. After all, she loved working, and meetings were her thing.

"I'm sure she'll go." Bilal pressed. "It's not like you're asking her to transport guns to Oregon."

Tiana was Greg's youngest child. Not only was she the baby of the family, but she was the only child who didn't come around like the others. She picked up her phone whenever she got ready and stayed far away from their organized crime activities. Tiana wanted no part of it since she'd witnessed a lot of drama growing up. The lifestyle was draining, so she decided to create her own path. Tiana lived a few hours away, and she resided in a condo. Thanks to the allowance her dad gave her.

Bilal thought the whole situation was foolish. He figured it was one of his baby sister's whims. She'd recently decided to leave and announce her reason. Not only did she disappoint the family, but she was hurting her parents. Greg and his wife, Suzanne, were older people. They were in their mid-60s and didn't need that kind of worry. However, Tiana was only twenty-two. She didn't seem to care about her parents' feelings or health.

"I'm not asking her, so just forget about it." Greg waved his son off and muttered, "She's dealing with nursing school, and I want her to focus on that."

Spoiled.

Tiana was spoiled. She had Greg wrapped around her finger.

"When is she coming back home?"