“I was. Not just for the Monstandts, but for the sake of others who had contacted my family in the past. My family decided to take care of multiple birds with one stone, and here I am,” I said, feeling Luka’s eyes burning holes in me with their intensity. “They wished to know whether their money was being properly invested for the sake of optics. If the Arete Resort was not living up to its promises and the expectations that went with them, then I would report back, and they would make an appropriate decision.”
“Meaning they would pull our funding, putting their money somewhere that would make them look better instead of what matters,” Reggie said through clenched teeth. “And others, who could bring us more funding, which we need to expand operations, are waiting to hear your report before they decide to place their money down.”
“A rather blunt way of putting it, but yes,” I told them, letting them put the pieces together and see what conclusions they came to.
It was Reggie who shot me an annoyed look. “Are you trying to blackmail us into making sure you don’t get into trouble for this?”
I smiled at the accusation. “Blackmail? For the record, I never said anything about blackmail or coercion. I figured I should anticipate that word rearing its ugly head as well. No, I’m telling you who I am so you understand the full scope. Not in the interest of bullying you into doing what I want, but to help you do research and understand the professional you are dealing with. That way, when I say I had no part in what someone outside of Luka and I did, you might be willing to give that more weight. And when I tell you Luka is absolutely free of any blame, then that too might be afforded a little more weight than when you thought I was a lost soul looking for help.”
“And that has nothing to do with what you report back?” Mr. Shepherd asked curiously, though I could see the doubtful look on Reggie’s face.
“My report is more or less finished. I’ve been waiting to return home and summarize my notes into a final report to send to those who paid for my services.”
“And would I by chance be allowed to see it?”
“My notes? Absolutely not. I don’t show my notes to anyone; they’re made over time on a job for me to organize my thoughts. I go over them later, assess what my original thoughts were, and compare them with what I felt later. The final report is where I combine all my thoughts and observations.”
“And that would be your way of saying I don’t even get to hear your assessment.”
“Until I have gone over everything away from this environment, I can’t give you an accurate assessment. And it goes against every personal code to speak before I’ve gone through that process.”
“Your personal code clearly does not cover breaking the rules of the place you’re investigating,” Reggie said with a dark look.
Mr. Shepherd grimaced before tapping the desk next to Reggie. “Why don’t you take Luka. I think it’s safe to say that Rowan’s time here is finished one way or another, so Luka has the day off.”
“And his status?” I wondered.
Mr. Shepherd gave me a sharp look. “Whether your explanation is enough to give you what you want or if we believe you aren’t trying to get your own way is irrelevant. Without you, he doesn’t have anything to do. We’re still sorting through candidates who might need a Guide; he would have been sitting around and cooling his heels either way. That he will be out of commission while we carry out our investigation is coincidental but useful timing.”
Reggie shot Mr. Shepherd a look before sighing and motioning to Luka. “Come on, we can go yell at each other in your room since you look like you want to yell at someone, and I feel the same way.”
Luka shot me a look that told me the person he was looking to yell at was me, but I gave him a shrug and a smile because there wasn’t a whole lot I could do right now. He had every right to be mad, especially when he had been so willing to believe me and stand by me. I hoped that by the time I had the chance to speak to him again, he would be willing to hear me out and wouldn’t be bitter because he had tried to help someone who was never here to be helped in the first place.
“So, Mr. Moore,” Mr. Shepherd said as he stood up. “I think I’ll have our breakfast delivered while you and I talk. Make yourself comfortable while I make a few calls to confirm your story. Not that I don’t believe you, but prudence.”
“Of course,” I said, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been forced to deal with the head of a business or organization in a tense situation. But it was the first time I had a personal stake in the matter. That personal stake was no longer in the room, but his presence lingered, and I wondered how badly he was tearing Reggie a new one.
I needed to bring myself back to the moment, removing the Rowan who had been at Arete for weeks, learning about it—who had also learned things about himself and his life. That Rowan needed to be carefully set aside but not discarded.
The Rowan who knew business negotiations, how to make a comeback, and deal with bruised egos and manipulation, as well as professional bullying, to stay on top, needed to be present. I didn’t think Mr. Shepherd was the sort to behave like that, but I knew what ugliness could come from a person whose passion project was under threat.
My worries and concerns for Luka—forus—would have to wait.
“Well,” Mr. Shepherd said when he returned, his expression grave. “I’ve confirmed your identity enough for us to talk. I’ll leave the deep dive to people who know what they’re doing better than me.”
“Delegation for the sake of efficiency? You continue to impress, Mr. Shepherd,” I said in the measured voice I used for business dealings.
“At this point, Rowan, I think we should be on a first-name basis, so call me Marc,” he said as he sat down.
“Marc,” I said with a smile. “Shall we begin?”
LUKA
I wasn’tsure if I wanted to be confused or pissed off. What didn’t help was that I didn’t know what to be the most confused about or who to be the most pissed at. All I knew was there were a whole lot of things I’d been kept in the dark about, and now, before I could get any answers, I was being dragged out of Mr. Shepherd’s office.
Well, not literally dragged. As bold as Reggie was sometimes, he was smart enough to realize that touching me, let alone taking me anywhere by force, was a quick way to have a limb removed. I didn’t want to leave the office as it was; I wanted answers, and I wanted them right now. I wasn’t being given a choice, however, and that wasn’t doing a whole lot to improve my mood. All I could do was be led out of the office. To my surprise, I wasn’t taken back to the resort proper, but into the room Reggie used to introduce new intakes.
