The REASON Series - the Complete Collection by Zoey Derrick Page A

keep an eye on it."
    I smile because I can't even begin to imagine the things she would do if someone was trying to steal my clothes. "Thanks, Ms. Wilson."  

    The coffee shop is decorated like a junkyard. There are tons of eclectic metal objects, from sculptures to wheels and old hubcaps. The furniture and tables are all mismatched, too, but in some strange way, it all works. There are a couple of computers lined up along the wall with a sign overhead that says, Up to 1 hour free .
    The girl behind the counter is wearing a spiked dog collar, short jean shorts with pink-and-black striped leggings underneath, and a black fishnet shirt over a thin white t-shirt. The fishnet on her arms is ripped, and her black bra is visible beneath the t-shirt. It’s a look that I thought had died about ten years ago, but she manages to pull it off spectacularly. It compliments the massive, six-inch-long Mohawk she's sporting.  
    "Hi, there, what can I get for you?" she asks in an overly friendly tone. The black lipstick she's wearing cracks when she smiles.  
    "Hi. Just a bagel, plain."  
    "Sure thing. Anything else?"
    "A large glass of ice water."  
    She rings it up and grabs my order.  
    "Can anyone use those computers?" I ask as she hands me my change. I don't want to be told to get up if I sit down.  
    "Absolutely. You have one hour, but unless we get really busy, take as long as you like."
    "Thanks."  
    I grab my water and bagel and head toward the computer on the end. I'm not super familiar with computers, but I know how to search the internet, and that’s all I need to know today.  
    I sit down and jiggle the mouse, and the screen flickers to life. Clicking on the browser icon opens up to Google. I type in two words: Mikah Blake.

    Thousands of results pop up in a matter of seconds. There's everything from his company to random news articles. I munch absently on the bagel as I start with the homepage for MSB Enterprises. Sure enough, there is a picture of Mikah. It’s a formal picture, and he’s not smiling. He’s barely recognizable this way. I read his bio.
    Born Mikah Shannon Blake, 1987, Dublin, Ireland. He’s a little younger than I thought. Well at least I was right about the subtle Irish accent. Mr. Blake moved to the Boston area in 1990— My jaw drops. He was in Boston the year I was born. —with his father and mother, who later had three additional children, two boys and one girl.  
    I continue scanning the rest of the bio. I was right about the Ivy League education: Mr. Blake graduated from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2009 with a Master of Finance (MFin). Holy crap, he was only twenty-one when he received his Master's degree. My age. Wow!
    The last sentence captures my attention. Mr. Blake is the youngest entrepreneur to make it into Forbes 500. This explains a lot. Mikah is a very driven individual; I have no doubt that he will stop at nothing when it comes to something he wants. I smile slightly at the events that led up to yesterday’s hospital visit.
    I hit the back button and move on to some more articles. I finally find one that captures my attention, dated April 16, 2011. CEO of MSB Enterprises, Mikah Blake, buries father, two brothers in Boston.
    "What in the world?" I click the link.  

    Mikah Blake attended funeral services at St. Ambrose in Boston this afternoon for his father, Shannon, age 48, brother Shane, age 20, and brother Ronin, age 17. All three were killed when their vehicle was hit by a semi-truck going the wrong way down Highway 95 Tuesday last week....  

    I can't read anymore; my eyes are swollen and tears are falling down my cheeks. I click the button to go back to the search results. The next two or three pages are filled with more articles about his father and two brothers. I finally come across one that says something about his sister, Victoria.  

    Victoria Blake, younger sister to CEO Mikah Blake, was admitted to Boston Medical Center early yesterday morning after