“At least nothing blew up today,” I said.
Ms. Keyes looked up from the paperwork. Her office, like her desk, like herface,didn’t have a speck of personality behind it. I’d describe her as beautiful. The dark brown hair, pulled back in a tight bun, showed off sharp cheekbones and an exposed clavicle. Her eyelashes were long enough to cause a breeze when sheactuallyblinked. The dark, smoky eye with a hint of purple complemented the wine color of her lipstick. Yes, everything about Ms. Keyes would be gorgeous if she didn’t scare the shit out of me.
“Small favors,” she said.
A joke? That was ever scarier.
“And you’re certain these employees are cleared?”
Booker’s knee stopped bouncing. “I’m certain. Though, the last one, you might want to file a complaint. I’m pretty sure he’s stolen a small fortune in office supplies.”
She checked the paper before setting it on the desk. “He’ll be dealt with accordingly.”
“You’re not going to hurt him, are you?” Both Ms. Keyes and Booker looked at me. I felt foolish. Why would a multi-million dollar company bust the kneecaps of its employees? It’s not like there had been reports of dead bodies, just superhuman disasters.
“I’ll add a note in his file,” she said. “Mr. Carter?—”
“Drew,” I corrected.
“Drew,” she said, clasping her hands together. “I’m curious. Why so nervous?”
Did I admit that being unable to read her demeanor made me anxious? Or did I confess that this was my default state? For a split second, I imagined that if Hellion were sitting here, he’d have said his piece and walked off without a care. I reached to my hip, as if I had a baton at the ready. Try as I might, only Drew sat here.
“I’m always nervous,” I admitted. Might as well tell the truth. “Worse when we don’t have anything good to report.”
“No,” she said, sliding forward on her desk. “Thisisgood. Despite what the employees might say. I’m not here to fire people. I’m the director of Human Resources, forGod’s sake. Who would revel in knowing they hired a supervillain?”
Booker still hadn’t spoken up. In the interviews, he had been controlled and smooth in his delivery. It appeared that I wasn’t the only one slightly unnerved. Though I couldn’t tell if he was anxious or angry. How did everybody but me have a great poker face?
“We’ll keep working through the list,” I said. I put my hand on his leg, pushing it hard enough that he couldn’t continue his bouncing. His eyes shot from my face to my hand, and I withdrew it quickly, fearful I had overstepped a personal boundary.
“Drew’s right, Ms. Keyes?—”
“Catherine.” She gave me the faintest, controlled smile. “It’s only fair.”
“Catherine,” he said. “We’ll keep working through the list tomorrow. I’ll make sure my report to headquarters highlights your cooperation.”
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but somehow I felt like I was the third wheel in this meeting. This wasn’t anything Booker couldn’t have found out on his own. I didn’t have any government training, and unless he wanted me to identify the Bordeaux color of her lipstick, I was useless.
“We’re not opponents on opposite teams,” she said. She stood behind the desk, blocking the afternoon light from the window. “You’ll have my cooperation and any resources you need. Should we call it a day?”
“Thanks, Ms.— Catherine.” I offered my hand. She gave it a tight grip and a single up-and-down motion. When she turned to Booker, he didn’t offer his hand. She didn’t seem surprised. He got out of his chair and gave her a quick nod before heading to the door.
Rude.
“He’s exhausted,” I said as I quickly exited.
Following him into the hallway. His stride required me to all but run after him. We walked down the hallway toward the main lobby. He stopped short, turning around. His face had scrunched up, and I couldn’t tell if he was angry or smelled something foul.
He put his back to the dark wood of the wall, hands shoved in his pockets as he stared at an oversized architectural drawing of the building. I hadn’t known him long enough to assume this was an episode. Perhaps his natural state was slightly aloof and off-putting? His brooding expression wasn’t a bad thing, at least not in the attractiveness department.
“I don’t like her,” he whispered.
“Ms. Keyes?” I laughed. “Why not?”
“She…” He bit his lower lip. “I can’t say exactly. I can’t figure her out.”
Everybody in Secret Identities Incorporated had a secret we didn’t want out in the world. Wyatt wasn’t human. Connor wasn’t human. Janet… wasn’texactlyhuman. Even Orion had a secret he didn’t want getting out. We all hadour public-facing persona and the reality. I couldn’t fault her for not being thrilled about this. If we found out she had hired villains in the making, she’d be fired.
