Far too quickly too. It was like the woman had a psychic pulse on things. Or at least, whatever her witchy magic did.
Everyone made quick work of leaving the room, unlike at some meetings where the business owners loitered. I watched the guy on the right side of the room, Nate Silvers from my notes. He was one of the last to leave, taking extra effort with his briefcase.
Once it was just Cillian and me remaining in the room, I shifted my laptop to face him. “Nate Silvers contradicted himself in a few different spots regarding the budget. I highlighted it in the notes.”
“I’ve had a suspicion he’s been trying to skim off the top for a while,” Cillian said, stepping behind me to peer over my shoulder. “This should give me the direction of what to check out.” His proximity sent a reflexive shiver up my spine. The way he loomed wasn’t like the average human, not with the sheer size of him, and the brimstone and musk scent rolled off him, surrounding me. The amount of time I’d been here plus the amount of time we’d spent working together had started to addle my mind. I’d become used to his presence, even if I still loathed him.
“I’ll send you a copy of the notes,” I responded before closing down the document and shutting off my laptop. A normal person might say thank you, but I wouldn’t hold my breath that Cillian would bother. He said the bare minimum and not much more, unless it was a rare occasion when he shared.
“Hey, boss,” Charles said from the doorway, his smile as easy as ever. “Here to provide my escort services.”
Right. Back to my prison.
Cillian grunted, which was his way of dismissing me, because the man hadn’t learned basic decency. I slid the strap of my laptop bag onto my shoulder and didn’t bother acknowledging him as I headed away to follow Charles.
The second we stepped outside the private meeting room, Charles led me straight out onto the casino floor instead of making the sharp right in the direction of the private elevators we normally took.
“Theo’s waiting for us over at Sinspiration Deli,” Charles explained. “Thought you might like some more time away from upstairs.”
His kindness made my chest squeeze tight. As much as Cillian could be brusque and rude, Charles, Theo, and Amelia had made life in this new space tolerable. All of them tried in their own ways to make my time up there a little easier. Charles, with his random rambling and the coffee chats we’d started to have. Theo making sure I had food, as well as asking for book recommendations on the regular. Amelia had been a little tougher to crack, as she wasn’t the sociable sort, but her regular check-ins had come to mean a lot. Maybe they all helped in order to ease their own consciences, but regardless, I appreciated the attempts.
“Thank you,” I said, tugging on the strap of the laptop bag.
“Boss has a big luncheon out in Peregrine, so Theo’s off the hook for cooking until later,” Charles said. “He always snags the opportunity to grab meals elsewhere when he doesn’t have to cook for himself.”
“You’re not going to cook him a meal?” I asked.
Charles barked out a laugh. “Unless we want the Spires to burn down around us, no. Me and the kitchen don’t get along.”
“Convenient that you’re dating a chef,” I said, keeping pace with him as we wandered past different rooms filled with gambling tables.
“Happy coincidence,” he said. “The second I met Theo, goddamn. Have you ever hooked up with a werewolf? Hot doesn’t begin to describe it. And thatknot.”
I snorted. I should be surprised by Charles’s overshare, but I’d begun to see that was his nature. I appreciated it. “Can’t say I have. My dating and hookup history is a bit sparse.”
Charles blinked. “No way. With baby blues and golden curls like yours? Plus, your ass is like a work of art.”
Heat flushed my cheeks at the compliment. “My coworkers always said I was too picky.”
Charles shrugged. “Do you feel like you’re too picky?” He swiped at some longer strands of his dark brown hair, which had begun to drift over his eyes.
I licked my lips, his question settling deep inside me. “No, I don’t. I’m not interested in hookups with assholes, which means dating, and it’s a cesspool out there.”
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen. Speaking of the cesspool—Damian.
“What was the wince for?” Charles asked.
“My neighbor, who won’t take no for an answer,” I responded. “Even though I’ve turned him down dozens of times, he still thinks he has a shot.”
“Well, that’s unattractive,” Charles commented. “Is that how guys normally act with you?”
I opened the message.
Where have you been? There’s an eviction notice outside your apartment. Did you move?
My stomach dropped. Of course. While I wasted away here, my normal life had fallen by the wayside. I’d contacted the library at least, to tender my resignation, but I hadn’t contacted my landlord, because part of me wasn’t sure whether I should try to keep my place or not. Apparently the decision had been made for me. However, that meant everything in my apartment would likely be tossed.
“What’s wrong?” Charles asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and gesturing toward the overhang featuring Sinspirations Deli in neons. “We’re here.”
