Page 96 of The Shade of Things
“Yeah, I am, and you’re going to help, since Ohrists have been running this game for decades under your noses in a reclaimed demon space.”
“Just because someone is squatting in a former demon space doesn’t make it our problem.”
I jabbed a finger at her. “Get over your bullheaded issues with me and tell me what I need to completely obliterate the place.”
Clea tapped the X-Acto knife against the counter a couple times, sizing me up.
I held her gaze.
“How big is the space?” she said sullenly.
I tamped down my smirk of victory. “Huge. Larger than the Park.”
“That won’t be easy to destroy.” Her eyes narrowed. “How about a trade?”
“For what?” I didn’t trust her for an instant.
She reached under the counter and retrieved a wooden box about three inches high, which was overlaid with brass carved into ornate deco designs. “Open this puzzle box. None of us have had any luck. We can’t use brute strength or magic on it because of what we fear is inside.” Yikes. That didn’t sound dangerous or anything. “Figure it out and I’ll burn a favor I’m owed to get what you need.”
“Why do you think I’ll be able to crack it?”
“You love puzzles, don’t you?” She picked up a black marker, wrote a price on a sticker, and placed it on one of the masks.
“Yeah, but jigsaw puzzles, Tetris… Hang on. How do you know that?”
“Eli mentioned it to Nav and me at lunch.”
My hackles rose. “You had lunch with Eli?” Why didn’t he mention that to me? If it was just Nav, okay, but he was fraternizing with someone that he knew didn’t like me.
Clea shot me an odd look. “Yeah. Will you do it or not?”
I took the box. “When I bring this back, open, you hand over the means to destroy that space.”
“I said I would.”
Tucking the puzzle box under my arm, I strode back out to my car. Once inside, I phoned Eli.
“Yo, Mir. What’s up?” There was a familiar loud clang on his end of the phone and he sounded a bit breathless. I’d caught him at the gym.
“I just saw your buddy Clea,” I said. “Heard you talked about me.”
“Come on, it’s not like that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? You know she hates me.”
There was silence. “Sorry. Having some water. Look, Nav and I arranged to have lunch yesterday, and Clea guilted him into bringing her. I didn’t tell you because it would upset you and it wasn’t a big deal.”
No, it wasn’t. I fiddled with the puzzle box in my lap, wondering why that had pushed such a button for me. Would I have cared if I wasn’t already feeling guilty about keeping my own secrets? Eli’s wasn’t even anything hush-hush, it was lunch, but given how close we were, I’d automatically expected him to tell me even the smallest thing involving me, and the fact that he hadn’t stung.
“I overreacted,” I said and let him get on with his day.
I put the box in my purse and checked my phone for any texts or calls from Zev, but as he still hadn’t made contact, I fit the key in the ignition.
Had Laurent expected me to broach the subject of the Ascendant and Tatiana’s crash and that’s why he didn’t mention it? I’d been so focused on not hurting him and not forcing him to choose between his aunt and me that I’d forgotten how few people he let inside his walls. If I was touchy about perceived betrayals, they were a hot button for Laurent.
That diamond-bright anger inside me shattered into dust, my shoulders slumping. After wiping my palms off on my skirt, I started the engine and drove over to Hotel Terminus.
Sadly, my dismay amped up when it came into view. My first impression of the hotel was that Laurent left the dirt- and rust-streaked exterior as is to keep people away, also using its appearance to make people underestimate him, because how could someone formidable live here?
