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“Razorsedge is so much easier,” Zee declared. “All I have to do is get my dick out and everyone’s happy.” His head tilted, face turning thoughtful. “Maybe I should try that here?”

“Definitely do not do that.”

“Uh oh,” he grumbled, noting my tone. “What happened at Daddy Vampire’s? Was it as boring as a box factory?”

“It could have gone better.”

“Nobody died, right?”

I winced. I’d deleted myself from Reynard’s monitoring system, so . . .

“Oh fuck.” Zee dropped his feet to the floor and leaned on the table. “Adam Vex, did you have another accident? Was it Reynard? Is he dead? Not that I’d care. Or notice. But is he?”

“No, Zee. It wasn’t like that. Nothing happened.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.” Zee rolled his eyes and air quoted. “Nothing happened.”

“It really didn’t. I was just there and found something I probably shouldn’t have, but it’s all fine now. Nobody actually died.”

“Are you sure? Because your aura tastes like a whole lot of fucked-up, just sayin’.”

If I told him what I’d found, he’d launch into a tirade about how Reynard was bad and couldn’t be trusted, and I did not have the energy for that. I slumped, face first onto the table and folded my arms over the back of my head. I needed Tom, and whiskey, and a day off, and maybe some frantic personal time with Zee against a wall. “Wanna get wasted and fool around on the roof?” I mumbled into the table, still face down. We could probably throw together some of Tom Collins’s drinks and hope they made something that wouldn’t prove fatal.

“Is that a concierge cry for help, I hear?” The screeching of chair legs on the floor filled the bar, then his voice grew distant. “A concierge’s work is never done, you know. I’m on call all the fucking time, fluffing towels, saving lives. Anyhoo. Bye.”

I looked up in time to see his tail vanish out the door and the door swing shut.

Okay, there was definitely something going on with him. He’d never turned down an offer like that before. Was it me? Had I done something? Was it because I’d accidentally-maybe-on-purpose squished his general to mush? People seemed to die around me. All the time. Had Zee noticed, and realized his future was better without me?

Didn’t he want me anymore?

Ugh, being a boring human was hard.

Tom would have known what to do.

I frowned at the limp and basic Tom Collins behind the bar. Zee had draped a sign around his neck that read: OUT OF ORDER. Then in brackets had added, more out of order than usual.

I moved to the bar and ventured behind it, into Tom’s space. Everything had its place. All the bottles, glasses, cannisters, and trays were where they should be. It was all clean and shiny and perfect. He’d run a tight ship.

A cable ran from the humanoid robot into its brain box, where the chip was housed. The only other cable ran to the power outlet. Nothing appeared to be out of place. Strange, how the unit shouldn’t have worked at all. Tom had said he’d gotten around the wards, but how? Was Tom really just a computer chip and programmed AI, or something more?

“Good afternoon, Adam.” Reynard strode into the bar looking sophisticated and powerful, and took a stool. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m good!” I tittered. “So good. You know? Having a great day, living my best life.” Reynard’s eyebrow arched. “I mean, uh . . .” His eyebrow arched higher. “Nothing happened. Nothing at all. Everything is super fine.”

“Adam.”

Mercy, if his voice sounded any more like chocolate I’d lick it, and him.

“What happened at the office today?” he asked.

If I told him what I’d found, or what I’d done, he’d ask why it mattered, and then we’d have to talk about all the things I couldn’t talk about, and once I’d begun, I wouldn’t stop, because I wanted to tell him everything. Add to that the unfortunate fact his family were mean, and had already tried to kidnap me once, and while I was really, really into Victor Reynard, I was also really, really into staying alive and hiding.

If he knew the truth, it would put him in danger.

Or, he’d leave.

And I didn’t want him to go.