Page 26 of A Barista's Guide to Love & Larceny
“You can’t put any of this in your article,” Max said, seeming to realize the implications of everything he’d told them.
“We won’t mention you in the paper. I swear,” Dani soothed. It wasn’t a lie, since they weren’t actually writing an article.
“Thanks,” Max said with obvious relief. “I should probably get you out of here. If you hang around… I just don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
Before Dani or Oliver could weigh in on the matter, Max pressed the emergency stop button again.
“If you don’t want us to write about it, why tell us at all?” Oliver asked as the elevator descended.
“I shouldn’t have told you all that stuff,” Max said as the elevator descended. “If they find out I talked, getting fired would be the least of my problems. But I just don’t know who else to tell.”
No, Dani thought,but we do.
Nine
“Cazzo.” Silva slammed her hands against her desk.
“Yeah,” Dani said. “Pretty much.” She didn’t speak Italian, but between the professor’s inflection and the fact that they had just finished telling her about their visit to OneiroLabs, it wasn’t hard to infer.
She and Oliver had escaped OneiroLabs without interception, thanks to Max sneaking them out through the service entrance. They’d had to wander the streets a bit before the enchanted car found them, but the ride back to Fox’s Leap had been blessedly uneventful. Once they were settled in the back seat, Dani noticed that Oliver was shaking as they stared out the window. Words feeling inadequate, she reached over and touched them lightly on the forearm. Oliver put their own hand on top of hers and squeezed; they sat quietly for the rest of the drive, each processing what they’d experienced.
Dani still wasn’t sure how she felt. She definitely didn’t love what she’d done, pushing Dr. Rodriguez and Max with her ability. It had left her with a sensation of griminess that was more than skin-deep; but there was also an undeniable curiosity. She’d never played around with her power much, not wanting her parents to use it in even more inventive ways. It was weird to think she might be able to do things with it that she didn’t even know about.
But all that paled in comparison to what she’d witnessed at OneiroLabs. None of it seemed real. Professor Silva had made everything sound so simple when she’d talked Dani into helping her—but nowit was clear nothing could be further from the truth. What OneiroLabs was doing was messy and unethical and probably illegal.
Right now, all Dani wanted was to get the rest of her money and let the expert take it from here.
Professor Silva sat back in her chair and let out a long, agitated exhale. Outside, the afternoon’s drizzle had abated, but Silva’s skylight told a different story, with a false storm throwing itself against the glass.
“I’m sorry,” Silva said. “I’m not upset with you. You performed brilliantly under the circumstances. I just—I should have known it wouldn’t be so easy as to saunter in and ask them what their formula is.”
“Well, we did find out that it’s plant-based, like their other products,” Oliver said with an upturn of hope in their voice.
“That doesn’t help us create an antidote unless we knowwhatplants they’re using, and what magical elements are influencing them,” Silva said.
A crease appeared between Oliver’s eyebrows, like they were puzzling something out. “I could probably help with that,” they said slowly. “I mean, I’m not an expert on oneirogenic arcanobotany, but people have been using plants for dreaming since ancient times. I’m sure with a little research I could come up with a few likely suspects on their ingredient list.Artemisia vulgariscomes to mind—sorry, I mean mugwort.”
Silva gave them an approving look. “That would certainly help us get a better understanding of how to counteract the effects, or at least slow their progress,” she said. “But it won’t be enough for a cure. For that, we’ll need the exact formula.”
“Not sure how you’re going to get that,” Dani said. “The guy we talked to said they could sue him for the little he told us.” She and Oliver had agreed not to disclose Max’s name to anyone. “I don’tthink even my ability could weasel out all the ingredients from the few people who know what they are.”
“You’re correct, of course, Miss Lionet,” Silva said. “OneiroLabs, and this Dr. Rodriguez, will not surrender the formula without a fight. And with our newfound knowledge about the clearance needed to access it—”
A sudden knock on the door made Dani and Oliver jump. Silva, on the other hand, remained unfazed. “Non ti occupare. She’s here on my invitation,” she told the two of them. “Come in!”
The door opened to Katya, the girl Dani knew from la ruota, who’d brought Silva to the game in the first place. She was wearing her usual outfit—a collared shirt under a V-neck sweater and a pleated skirt with knee-high socks. She didn’t look at Dani or Oliver as she shut the door behind her.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said to Silva. “My forensics teacher talked my ear off about the presentation I gave today. Did I miss the important stuff?”
“Not at all,” Silva said, beckoning her closer. Katya came to stand on Dani’s left, finally acknowledging her and Oliver with a nod. “We’re still talking everything through. Miss Novak has been helping me with this project for a few weeks now,” she explained to the other two. “She did an internship with OneiroLabs over the summer and has been able to provide some insight from her time there.”
“Doing what?” Oliver asked Katya.
“Security,” Katya said, like the question bored her. “I’m an arcane technology major, with a concentration in security systems.”
“Could you tell Miss Novak what Dr. Rodriguez said regarding the security surrounding the product?” Silva said.
Dani related what Dr. Rodriguez had told them about the high clearance. Katya pursed her lips when Dani was finished.
