Ezekiel sighs, and I wish I could stay because at least here things feel normal. I’ve basically lived here for the last few months, and even before that I spent more time here at the lab than I did at home. But I can’t put Ezekiel at risk.
He says, “You’ll look out for him, right?” I realize he’s speaking to Jasper.
And Jasper says, “I’ll do my best.”
We rise, the whisky leaving me feeling warm and a little floaty, which is nice. I hug Ezekiel, something I haven’t done nearly enough since Mom died. He holds me a second longer than I expect, which tells me how worried he is.
As Jasper and I head to the door, Ezekiel says, “Walter Wolfe.”
My blood freezes. Does he know who Jasper is after all?
“What about him?” I say, trying to stay casual.
Ezekiel scratches his chin. “It’s probably nothing, but a few months ago, I was at a function, and Walter Wolfe was there.” His gaze is somewhere up and to the left like he’s remembering the evening. It’s not uncommon for Wolfe to show up at these things. You see him in the paper sometimes making a donation to one organization or another. Helps him with plausibledeniability that he’s only a humble businessman trying to help his community.
“You spoke to him?” I ask. I can’t imagine it, but the inevitable chitchat at those kinds of parties are exactly why I’m happy to let Ezekiel go to them while I stay at the lab.
He nods. “We got talking, and he told me that he thought our work was nobly intentioned but that it wouldn’t even make the headlines because he was on the verge of finding a machine that would turn back time.” Ezekiel drops his gaze to mine. “I didn’t take him seriously, of course, but what if he meant it for real?”
I snort because even with everything, what he’s suggesting is absurd. “You think Walter Wolfe built a time machine?”
He ducks his head, clearly understanding how ridiculous he sounds, but he says, “It would be quite the business opportunity. Think about what you could charge people to go back to the moment before a financial transaction went south, or”—his eyes soften—“before you lost a loved one.”
Ouch. I know that feeling.
“But a time machine?” I question. “That’s never been Wolfe’s thing, has it?” Villains tend to fall into two categories. The first is the old-school guns and drugs kind, which is what I assumed Walter Wolfe was into. The other is more of the mind control, world subjugation, and travelling at the speed of light type of bad guy. I’ve never seen any indication that Wolfe has any interest or capabilities on that front, even when I worked at SPAM.
Ezekiel’s phone rings on his desk. When he goes to answer it, Jasper catches my hand, tugging me close.
“We have to go,” he says, speaking softly.
“Just a minute.” But I can’t very well walk out of Ezekiel’s office without saying goodbye. Social graces are not my strong suit, but even I know to do that much.
Jasper has no such compunctions, apparently.
“No, I mean, we have to go because I think I know where the time machine is.”
I inhale sharply. Ezekiel’s on the phone with IT, getting an update on the data breach. He’s got his back to us. Still, I turn a little closer into Jasper. He smells good. Does he always smell like this? Like freshly sawn pine. Maybe I will start calling him Lumber Jasper after all.
“Where?” I ask, balling my hands into nervous fists.
His lips are practically against my ear when he says, “Pretty sure I’ve seen the plans for a time machine in Walter Wolfe’s office.”
CHAPTER 8
We excuse ourselves after I get Ezekiel to promise a few more times that he really will stay at Ziro Labs tonight. I hold back my questions for Jasper until we’re driving away from the lab.
“Your boss has a time machine and you didn’t think to bring that up before?”
Jasper’s back to looking sheepish. “I didn’tknowit was a time machine. I was in his office and saw some plans. It wasn’t like they were labelled as ‘Plans for Top Secret Time Machine, Don’t Tell Morgan’ or anything. Why would I think that was what it was?” He glares at me, and his expression is so hurt that I snort on a laugh that becomes a cough before it becomes laughter again. The sound is big and I lean into it. Jasper watches me with amusement in his eyes and for a minute I don’t resent it.
“Ugh.” I sigh as my laughter subsides. “Why can’t everything have big labels like that? ‘Top Secret Plot to Trap Jasper and Morgan on the Blind Date from Hell.’ So much simpler.”
He sticks his lower lip out. His eyes sparkle. My laughter starts all over again. Is this what having fun feels like? It’s been a while since I’ve done anything besides work, which I wouldargue is its own kind of fun. But it’s not the same as joking around with someone.
“It’s not so bad, is it?” he asks.
“The company could be worse,” I say, but I arch an eyebrow. “But that’s like saying a funeral is a good time because you get to see long-lost relatives for the first time in years. It’s fun for all but the guy who dies, and in this case the guy is me. You don’t know what that’s like.”
