It couldn’t with the back-and-forth motion of his thumb.
The flat of his finger ran over a healed knife wound from fighting Sheath. He paused at the ridges of scar tissue, acknowledging it before continuing forward. Booker had seen the consequences of Hellion, and he hadn’t flinched. As his breathing deepened, I blinked, and the lightbulbs in the room turned black.
I had questions… for later.
Right now, I wanted to savor the touch of a man who saw me… all of me… sort of.
11
Drew: Won’t be at the huddle this morning.
Wyatt: Friend Drew, are you down with the sickness?
Janet: Great, now that’ll be stuck in my head.
Wyatt: How does Drew fit in your head?
Janet: Sarcasm.
Wyatt: We agreed no sarcasm in texts.
Janet: Sorry.
Wyatt: Was that too sarcasm?
Orion: Yes.
Arthur: Yes.
Connor: Yes.
I smiled at the screen.If Janet had suspected something, she’d have said it. Though now that Orion and Connor knew, I could only imagine theywould take over all security cameras. They’d see not one but two faces leaving my apartment this morning. Then they’d see a quick stop for croissants and coffee. I’m sure I’d hear about it later.
“Ready for this?”
I glanced up. We had decided to change tactics. Well… he decided, and I nodded my head. Interviewing potential suspects one by one had been a trial by fire. With the number of employees, it could take us weeks to get through them all. For all we knew, we had already interviewed the mastermind and missed the signs. Instead, we were going to spend the day reviewing security footage to see if we could find the common link between Cypher and Redford. Find the link, and we could trace it back, or at least that’s what Booker hoped for.
“How else will the mystery get solved?”
He smirked before scanning his badge. Hydraulics hissed as the door to the security center opened. I gestured for him to lead. In this dynamic, I’d gladly play the part of sidekick. I also didn’t mind watching the way he sauntered with confidence.
Following him, I swore Booker still smelled of French roast and warm croissants. Waking to an empty bed had become our thing. After last night, I had been disappointed that he left early in the morning, but even as my brain tried to weaponize it, I remembered his touch. To my surprise, he barged in the front door with coffee and baked goods.He returned. I’d forever associate that smell with the way he explored my body.
“You must be Booker and Drew.” Lost in a memory, I hardly paid attention to the room. Hellion would have already clocked every human, defense, and potential weapon. I tried, but all I could focus on was the twelve-foot-wide screen that reached from floor to ceiling. There were so many more cameras hidden within the building than I could have imagined.
“Janson.”
The security guard moved toward us with his hand extended. The six employees in the room wore matching white dress shirts, but none of them were as large as he was. As he walked, he kept himself small, not wanting to give away his size. His shirt must have been a size too large, hiding the bulk.
“It’s a pleasure,” Booker said.
He shook Booker’s hand and then moved to mine. He squeezed. The subtle art of male dominance. Not hard enough to be threatening, but enough to show he had the upper hand. I returned the favor, except my strength was a mix of nightly patrols and supernatural might. He flinched. I won. Janet would be proud.
“Ms. Keyes mentioned you’d be visiting. What can we help with?”
“We’re looking for…”
I wandered away from the conversation, moving closerto the screen. It was broken into a hundred different windows, each one capturing a small section of the building. Three women sat at a desk, now and then glancing up. Orion always talked about what happened in the building as if he were an all-seeing god. Now I understood how he did it. If he were here, what would the computers be whispering to him?
