“I don’t have?—”
“Booker.”
“He’s not?—”
“He’s on the board.”
Better him than me. The tension eased in my shoulders. As I let out a deep breath, my chest burned, and when I glanced down, I could see a spot of blood. The stitches must have popped. I shifted the color of the fabric, returning it to light blue. My powers might not stop an alien invasion, but they served a purpose.
“There’s something about him I don’t like.”
“You added him because he works for the government.” Orion loved to play the mysterious detective. We humored him, but truth be told, he had become predictable. Work for the government? Conspiracy. Too nice? Conspiracy. It didn’t take much for him to connect imaginary dots.
“Partly.” Oh? There was more? “Why him? I saw him in the lobby when I left work. A normal government guy would have been profiling the employees.”
“That’s his job.”
“He had his eyes closed.”
“You didn’t see him in the interview room. That had tobe exhausting. Staying at that level while employees have meltdowns?”
“I’m telling you, Drew. There’s more to him than we realize.”
My right hand dropped to my leg, rubbing my knee. I could almost feel Booker’s hand pressed against the fabric. Casual and unassuming, that, on its own, was a slight comfort. It was the sensation of calm flowing through me that stood out. Just thinking about it, the muscles in my body relaxed, and I?—
“Still with me?”
Unfortunately, yes. “I’m here.” I took another bite of my ice cream, savoring the flavor. Try as I might, the calm fled, leaving me rattled as usual.
“I think he’s working with the lizard people.”
“Do you now?” I didn’t buy it, but I didn’t mind hearing his theories about Booker. It’d make for an interesting conversation next time I saw him. In the meantime, I’d let Orion continue his outlandish theories. He talked while we waited for Wyatt’s return. In turn, I listened, my eyes focused on my knee and the hand that wasn’t there.
5
No word from LaToya.
I checked my phone for the millionth time, praying the lawyer had returned with good news. She wouldn’t send an email. It’d be a missed opportunity to grandstand and make her presence known. Yet, I checked again as Booker finished the last interview of the day.
Still nothing.
Booker knocked on the two-way glass. Jolted from my phone, I didn’t realize he had finished with the Department of Genetics supervisor. I had been sure he’d be a bad guy. He wore a black turtleneck sweater with brown shoes. Even if he wasn’t guilty of espionage, he committed crimes of fashion.
“Come on over.”
As I exited our makeshift office, I stepped into the interviewroom. The white walls and white table with white chairs made it unnerving. The only thing that broke it up was the obvious two-way mirror. When he gestured for the chair, I raised an eyebrow. I’m not sure how they held focus groups in this tight space. The intensity of the light made my skin crawl.
“I think they designed it to be unnerving.”
“It’s working,” I said.
We sat down, and he shuffled through the employee records. The exhaustion showed on his face. The lines around his eyes were deeper, as if he hadn’t slept the night before. I couldn’t tell if he needed a coffee or a hug.
“Are you a rule follower?”
I had to think about it for a moment. Drew? Yes. Tint? Yes. Hellion? No. “Mostly.” I didn’t want to lie. “Why do you ask?”
“Not even a little part of you likes to walk on the wild side?”
