“She won’t tell you?”
“Of course not. She doesn’t trust me.”
“Does she trust anyone?”
“She trusts August… I should have brought him. I suppose I could kidnap him and bring him back.”
“I bet he’d willingly come if you asked him,” Nolan says as he sets the book down and gets up. Pleased he’s willing to help me, I lead him back to Valerie’s room. He sits down and types her password in before turning to me.
“That’s all you’re doing, correct?”
“Very much,” I promise before I sit down and check her emails, assuming the person in charge of doing the screening of registered supers would have emailed her the results, but there’s nothing there.
“Is she slacking on her job?” I grumble as I pull up the database but find it needs a password as well. I wave Nolan toward it. He tries the password he used for the computer to no avail.
“I don’t know. She hasn’t opened this in front of me,” he says. “What are you going to do when you find this information?”
“Figure out whether they’re the ones I’m looking for.”
Nolan stares at it for a second before going, “Come on.”
He logs out of the computer and then I follow him to the hallway. We eventually find Valerie screeching at some people.
“Do you have a minute?” Nolan asks her.
“Why is he here?” she asks.
“We were wondering if we could help look into the people whose superpowers match what Ellison’s stalker has,” Nolan says.
Valerie quickly looks between both of us. “Did I not just tell you on the phone that we were handling it?”
I try not to let my irritation seep out, knowing that if I do, she’ll match it, and we’ll get nowhere. “You don’t trust me to help.”
“I don’t,” she says. “We have this handled. We cannot have some… random man running around the city harassing people on the speculation that they could be involved. Go. Now.”
She storms off and I look at Nolan, well aware he did this so he could read her mind.
“Nolan?”
He’s quiet for a moment before meeting my eyes. “She gave me nothing.”
No, she gave him something… but does he see her side? Does he also believe that I can’t be trusted? Maybe I can’t be, now that they know what I’ve done.
I clench my jaw and give him a nod. “I see. I thank you for your services.” And then I leave the building. I drive homefeeling more irritated than I’d felt driving here. Instead of going inside where I’ll have to face the others, I climb to the roof and shoot Landon and August a text.
Me: I’ve returned; you may leave.
Landon: Where are you?
Me: Lookout.
August: We can stay and watch him together.
I mean… they should, shouldn’t they? I’ve proven that I’m not good enough alone.
Me: That is your choice.
I remain on the slanted part of the roof for hours, even after Landon shouts at me to come down and August texts me to come eat dinner with them. But I refuse. I will see this person the second they appear and I will shoot them in the fucking head.
