“Don’t strangle her,” I repeated.
I didn’t knock. Pushing the door open, I barged intoCatherine’s office. She didn’t look up from her laptop. Clacking keys continued, as if she were sending the most urgent email of her life. I shut the door, feeling my determination waver. I thought this would be a Hellion-centric exchange, but what was I going to do? Break a finger until she confessed?
“We need to talk.”
“One moment.”
I stood in front of her desk, waiting. Catherine Keyes paid me no attention. I imagined grabbing her by the ponytail and knocking her chin against the keyboard. When she spit blood, it’d stand out against the turquoise blouse. Would she be able to reach the alarm under her desk before I lunged? With security tightened, I’d have a minute tops before officers busted into her office.
“What can I help you with? Any updates?”
While I lay in bed, I practiced what I was going to say. It ranged from accusations to cocky laughing. Most of the time, it resulted in my heart racing before I threw the desk to the side. Now, standing in front of her, I felt my conviction falter. What if I had misread the clues? Maybe it was all speculation, and she was a victim of dire circumstances?
My shoulders straightened. She preyed on my need to placate.
“It’s you.” Not as confident as I had hoped.
“Me.” She didn’t deflect.
Catherine leaned back in her chair, hands claspedtogether. Her face remained neutral, which made her even more alarming. Connor’s statement had me twitchy. The natural reaction to an accusation would have been a worried expression, deflection, or even anger. Instead, the corner of her lip curled. Most of the time, it’d have gone unnoticed, but the control she exuded made it stand out.
“You caught me.” This hadn’t been any of the outcomes when I practiced. “What gave me away?”
“Bad lighting.” I reached into my pocket, producing Tia’s photograph. Tossing it onto the desk, she barely glanced at it. “I have enough evidence for a trial.”
Catherine laughed. Not the maniacal laughter I expected. Everything about this amused her, as if she knew it was only a matter of time. With how deftly she had manipulated me before, this was nothing more than another chance to elicit sympathy. As my fingers curled into fists, the sting of nails in my palms kept me grounded.
“You’re done for.”
“Did you practice your determination?” She leaned forward. “I can almost taste your conflict. You’re a sweet warring contradiction.”
Okay, this had gotten weird. When a villain talked about tasting something, a hero had to be careful. It wouldn’t be the first time somebody tried to eat me.
“That contradiction is the only thing keeping me from breaking every bone in your body.”
The smile grew wider. “Hellion joined the party. It’sunfortunate that Drew holds him back. I appreciate a vigilante who leaves a trail of carnage in his wake. It has a certain irony I adore.”
“Why?” I needed to know. Not why she consistently sabotaged Synergy. This was more personal. “Why me?”
She held up her hand, palm facing me. The silver bands around her fingers almost shimmered. No, not the rings, her hand. As her arm stretched across her desk, it grew brighter until the light turned almost a vibrant yellow. Nope, her having powers was not in any of my rehearsed dialogues.
“Chaos,” she said. “I felt it the moment you walked into Ricardo’s office.”
“You’re a super?”
“That turbulence, it’s like a succulent midday snack.”
This didn’t change her guilt, but it left me with more questions. She knew about my identity, but what about the others? I wasn’t scared of whatever sorcery she had at her disposal. It was the knowledge behind that condescending smile that gave me pause.
“Was it Apex who gave away my identity?”
She chuckled as if I were barely an inconvenience. “You were easy to read. I only needed to ask the right questions, and Apex figured it out. The real fun was your partner.”
Booker? What did he have to do with this? If she hurt him, the desk would be against the wall as I charged. I’dthrow her out the window without a second thought. She’d pray for the cops to rescue her as I?—
“Booker hasn’t told you?” It was becoming increasingly annoying how she read me like my thoughts were on display. “Tsk tsk. Your boyfriend has been keeping secrets.”
“Keep his name out of your mouth.” My fists tightened.
