Disbelief silenced me. Royce was resting against a wooden bench with her eyes closed. Contentment consumed her.
“Ishmael–”
Her comfort disturbed me in ways I wasn’t ready to admit. My world was going up in flames and she was in the sauna,sprawled out like a piece of meat on the grill during a summer cookout.
Unbothered.
Unphased.
Not worried about a fucking thing.
I ended the call. Waiting for Matte to send another text or try my line again was absurd, suddenly. I hit her contact and waited for her to pick up. It wasn’t long before she was on the line, sighing with relief.
“Mr. Grayson… the images… the imag–”
“Matte–”
“Yes?”
“I’m aware.”
“What– what should we do here?”
“It’s Sunday. You rest.”
“We’re all at the office, waiting for you–”
“I won’t be there, Matte, neither should you all be there. Sunday is rest day. Nothing has changed.”
“But, Mr. Grayson.”
“It’s being handled,” I assured her, ending the call.
I didn’t have answers for the team. For the first time in history, I wasn’t sure what the next step was or if it would suffice. I knew that Royce had promised me the seat and somehow, I believed her.
The red dot on my cell was idle. Unmoving. My target was immobile and I doubted that would change any time soon.
Stay put.
I flipped on the lights throughout my condo as I stalked my closet. Once inside, I was dressed in under two minutes. I had no time to waste and rest could wait.
I made it out of my home and into my car without incident. My GPS called out one turn after the other, leading me to the newest spot on the city’s rave list. According to the voters, it was a must everyone visited. Truthfully, not everyone had the budget to visit. Upon arrival, I knew that you’d need at least a band to touch their marble floors.
“Good evening, Mr. Grayson. Welcome toHydro-Oasis. How are you today?”
The entire city knowing my name and face was something I was still getting accustomed to. If I could run a faceless race, then I would’ve. My actions would speak for me. They always had.
While most preferred visibility, it wasn’t on my list of priorities. I’d much rather be felt than seen. Valued than viewed.
“Unfortunately, the entire complex is res–”
“Nancy, his pass is under the keyboard,” the older gentleman informed us both.
“Thanks, Harold.”
Confusion plagued me. Still, I remained silent, allowing Nancy to take heed, because the complex being reserved didn’t have shit to do with me. I would be inside whether it was her that granted me access or not.
“Here’s that pass, Mr. Grayson. You’ll wear this around your wrist until you end your time here. This bracelet will give you access to every pod in our facility, including special services and VIP soaks.”
