“Hiding? You nailed a corpse to my door,” I whispered as low as possible, my hand cupping the phone.
“Hmm... no, I think I would remember that. I’m actually quite upset that I didn’t think to do that.”
My limbs ran cold, my shaky hand clutching the phone became numb as I was sure every drop of blood in my body had pooled at my feet, and my heart threatened to drop through the floor from its heaviness. “Do you mean to tell me that it wasn’t you?”
“No. Though with the rate you’ve been poisoning people, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.”
“Nobody knows that it is me.”
“None that you know of. Your antics didn’t work on me. I’m sure they have failed on others,” he said, though his tone lacked concern. It sounded like he was insulting my skills. While it hurt to hear, it was unfortunately plausible. “Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
“I’m not. I am thinking,” I mumbled, finishing off my drink.
“How about you come and pay me a visit?”
“It’s midnight.”
“That hasn’t stopped you before.”
“Is there a catch?”
“Why? Do you want there to be? I can make one up if that’s what you’d like?—”
“I’ll meet you, but not for leisure. I have business to discuss with you.”
“Business?”
“A proposal.”
“Oh?” I could hear the smirk in his voice through the phone. “Consider me intrigued.”
“No tricks,” I warned, hanging up on him, slapping the phone against the receiver, and turning back to Phoebe. “I’ll be back.”
“You’re going out? Why?” she asked, panic in her voice. “It is late. You should stayhere.”
“I have something to do. I’ll be back before dawn.”
“Alina.” She grabbed my wrist. “What did he want?”
“Just a concerned citizen.” I tugged my wrist away.
She followed me as I rushed over to the entryway, tossing on a jacket.
“Alina,” she repeated, her fine brow twitching as her expression twisted into a worried pinch.
I raised my brow, waiting for another plea.
She stared away for a moment, just to avert her eyes. “Just... please be safe out there. All right?”
“When am I ever unsafe?” I grinned. “You worry too much. I will be back before you know it.”
It wasunnatural to arrive at his front door, ringing the doorbell like any civilized person. No smoke and mirrors, no sheathed daggers, no traps. A simple, modest announcement of my arrival. Though it seemed he left the door open for me anyway.
The imposing wooden doors croaked as they were pushed open. Only a few remnants of light remained inside the dwelling, a few gas lamps along the walls, with the exception of the majority of the light coming from his study.
The doors closed softly behind me before I followed the long carpet of light leading to the room.
Even with such terrible memories of the office, I might have liked to stay here under different circumstances. His collection of books far surpassed my own, for which I harbored intense envy. It would take an eternity to read them all, and I would gladly confine myself to finish in a timely manner.
