Page 45 of Raze
It’s no wonder I made better progress in my short time here alone than they had in the years they’ve been here.
“Has anyone seen Jackson?” Aiden asks instead, staring pointedlyat me. I can’t imagine why. The door to Jack’s room had been locked from the inside when I left it. There’s no way he could have seen me in it. Jackson also promised me that no one could hear us, and I believe him.
I take a bite of another strawberry and slurp the juice, this time while keeping eye contact with Aiden. His lips thin at my noise, and I smile at him. It feels like sweet satisfaction whenever I piss him off. I know it’s childish, but it gives me some small burst of pleasure that I can still affect him.
“Nope,” I reply, popping the “p” for good measure.
Kellan chuckles and then shoves his plate in front of me. “Haven’t seen him since yesterday on the roof,” he says to Aiden, even though he’s only looking at me.
“What is this?” I point to the sandwich on the plate in a low murmur, just for Kell.
“Eat it. You missed breakfast, and I’m not letting you pass out on me during training tonight.” He goes into the kitchen to make himself another one before I can argue that I can make my own.
A knot forms in my throat at the simple but meaningful gesture. I’m so used to doing everything on my own and not having anyone else looking out for me. This right here is just…Oof. I willnotget choked up in front of them all over it, though. They don’t need to know about my time on the streets when I struggled for food. I grab the sandwich and take a large bite to shove any feelings down with it.
When I look up, I catch Dane watching me. His face gives away absolutely nothing of what he’s thinking as he stares awayunashamedly. I swallow the food. I debate on whether or not I should call him out for it even though I know it’ll only trigger his recent asshole reflex, but Aiden intervenes before I have to make that choice.
“I’m still getting the Guild situated for a longer stay and making sure they are secure. We got ourselves somewhere safe; now, it’s their turn. We won’t be moving on anyone until that is in place.”
I work quickly through my sandwich as he talks, pausing halfway through when I realize that sitting around here doing nothing is his plan right now. “That’s whatyou’redoing. What about us? We can at least keep going at GE before all trails run cold, if they haven’t already. My last lead died with the congressman.”
“We don’t move until all of us are ready, so we don’t bring GE to our doorstep or the Guild’s. You may not be used to working as a team, but this is the way we do things.” Aiden’s voice is firm, like he thinks he can shut down my questions, just like that.
I go for another strawberry and bring it to my lips, but don’t bite down until after I’ve spoken. “And if I don’t agree? Am I your prisoner here, or will you let me keep doing things the wayI’vebeen doing them for the last few years? Considering my success rate at getting their attention is pretty high.”
He scowls. “We’re not trying to get their attention. We’re trying to take them down from the top without having to face everyone between us and them first. If we get into a battle of just numbers, we’ll lose.”
I switch tactics. “What about Thorne? What’s our plan for him since he kicked our asses when it was five against one?”
“Keep training with Kellan.” He turns to look at Dane. “You should start joining them when you can. Aside from the truck bays and the locker room, this place is livable. We can put a hold on any more updates if needed.”
Dane flicks an annoyed look at Kellan, who’s grinning at him in a look that spells ‘I told you so’ all over it.
I finish my sandwich and pick up the plate, stealing one more strawberry for my exit. Sitting still isn’t really my style, and neither is following directions. I waited patiently. I heard his plan. It sucks and takes too long. So, I’m taking things into my own hands.
“Where are you going?”
I set my plate down in the sink and turn to Aiden, smiling sweetly. “To the lady’s room, why? Did you want to come?”
He gives me an annoyed look and then turns his back on me without taking the bait.
Good.
He doesn’t need to follow and see where I’m really going. I stride down the hallway, past the bathrooms and rooms to the very end, where there’s a door leading outside and to freedom.
He can do things his way, and I’ll do mine my way.
We’ll see who gets to the top first.
The university’s coffee shop is just as busy mid-afternoon as it is in the morning. With my last lead dead and no secret messages fromGordon, I’m back to square one. Well, almost. I still have everyone who attended the mayor’s end-of-summer party who I can investigate, which is what brought me back to the north end of the city.
I’m sure most, if not all, of them have ties to Gifted Enterprise.
I sip the overpriced coffee and pretend to read something on my burner phone so that I look distracted. The amount of money I’ve spent today, including buses to get here, makes me cringe. I’ve been getting by at Old Red since the guys have been supplying the food, and I haven’t needed to buy anything else, but now that I’m back in hunting mode, I’ll need to replenish my funds again.
Hype is too dangerous for me to return to, so I may have to find a regular bar that has no problem hiring me off the books and without identification. It’s doable, but a hassle to find the right one.
The bell rings over the door to the coffee shop as another patron enters. I glance up briefly to see if I recognize this one. Average height, brown hair cut short, stuffy professor suit, and a plastic smile. It’s Ken Doll from the beach house, who’d been pushing me into taking up his internship opening.
