I let it ring a few times before answering, putting some more distance from the shop.
“Are you ready to be reasonable?” Aidan asked, as if he were talking to recalcitrant child.
For a few moments, I allowed myself a vivid and highly enjoyable vision of ramming my knee into his gut. I opened the door into the floor above Kane’s shop and merged into the office workers going about their business. I wouldn’t go to P&S, though, not yet. I didn’t want to give up the keycard. It might still be useful.
“Why have you rejected all my applications?” I asked. “I mean the real reason.”
I paused around a corner, waiting for his answer.
“I know it’s not about my skills,” I pressed. “You don’t like hiring women or something?”
“Your lack of skills is an issue,” he said stubbornly. But before I could call him on the lie, he continued, “Your lack of commitment is another.”
That shocked me into moving again. I walked down the meandering corridor, barely seeing where I was going. “My what?” I searched my brain but couldn’t come up with a reason he’d think I lacked commitment. “I applied whenever possible. How can you say I lack commitment?”
“Yes,” he answered patiently. No faint echoing murmurs of conversations or cars rose in the background. He was definitely prowling inside the building. “Your tenacity at applying is commendable, if dumb—”
“Really?”
“—however, look at the amount of jobs you’ve held.”
“What about them?” I said, still not getting it.
His lecturing mode made an appearance when he answered, “The pattern suggests you’ll get bored soon and move on to the next job.”
“I work for a temporary agency,” I explained, very slowly and very clearly.
“Exactly. It shows a lack of focus and intent.”
I stared at the screen, dumbfounded. “Because I’ve been waiting to join the Institute!”
“Our experience today is also a clear indicator that you could never work for the Institute,” he continued as if I hadn’t yelled.
“Why not?” I asked, unable to help the satisfied smile curling my lips. “I have the artifact and you don’t. Isn’t that enough proof I’m good at this retrieval business?”
A short silence followed my words. That’s right, I thought with an inner cackle. Chew on that.
“Gloating will not help your situation,” Aidan said, his voice so cold, frost clung to my cheek.
“Does wonders for my ego, though. Admit it, Greaves, we make a good team.”
“We make a horrible team. You didn’t listen to anything I said, you put us in danger by trying to use the Fae artifact two times, and you tried to stop Ren from changing the binding.” His tone had grown more and more fatalistic the more items he added to the list of failures.
“Don’t worry,” I told him jovially, “I have a new plan. Your assessment of my skills and our teamwork is no longer necessary.”
“Wait a moment here, Maddie.”
“Why? Are you ready to reconsider my offer? The Eye for a job?”
“No.”
“Then why should I wait?”
“Because you don’t know what you’re doing!” he exploded. “Meet me and hand over the damn eyeball. Let the experts deal with it.”
I harrumphed. “Please, experts. You didn’t even know it was an Eye until your cousin told you. Besides,” I said, poking the Eye through my sweatshirt and t-shirt, “I think it likes me.”
“It’s an eyeball.”
“A sentient, intelligent eyeball,” I corrected. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to change the bonding.
“I will find you, Miss Dover,” Aidan warned in a low voice. “I have your address, your boss’s address, and your phone number. Are you ready to run for the rest of your life?” Then, in a voice meant to put the fear of God in me, “What about your mother?”
I rolled my eyes. As if the guy who had stopped me from using the Eye and protected me with his Fae weapon instead of feeding me to the hound to buy himself some time would do anything to my mom. “You’re the Institute, not the CIA.”
“Are you sure?” he asked smoothly. “Haven’t you heard about our dungeon? Perhaps your friend at the Well might end up a guest while he answers some questions about your visit.”
“I’m sure he might, if I had visited,” I told him, a trickle of unease running down my back. Unlike my mom, I wasn’t so sure Kane wasn’t a free-for-all. After all, the Institute must be fully aware half of what the Well peddled was, if not exactly illegal, definitely not registered with the Institute, as all Fae artifacts were supposed to be.
“We both know I missed you by seconds,” Aidan said through his teeth. “Stop this game right now, Maddie. This is your future we’re talking about. Do you want to be blacklisted by the Institute, not to mention incurring fines for failing to register a found Fae artifact? It will follow you for the rest of your life.”
When he put it that way, it did sound kinda bleak. Good thing I’m a glass-half-full kind of girl. “You’re so right. I must think of my future. See you soon.”
“You’ll meet me?” he asked, suddenly hopeful. It made me think of an eager puppy, and I choked a laugh.
“I’m sure I will in the future, but not today.” With that, I ended the call and turned my phone to silent. I wouldn’t put it past him to go through every nook and cranny of the building spamming my phone to see if he caught the ring tone.
I needed a good hiding spot in the building. By now, Victor and whoever else Aidan might’ve called for reinforcements would be here, likely covering the exits. They had my current photo, thanks to my seven applications. Damn my eagerness to please and keep the profile updated.
My good mood soured a bit at the memory of my mom helping take the photos with my phone. No, don’t use the selfie camera, she had told me, your face looks weird with it. Here, let me help you. She had been as excited about my applications as I. In fact, she had been right there with me the first time I’d sent it, all eagerness and hope, helping me format my resume and write the cover letter.
The resume had gotten longer, but the cover letter had changed little. I blinked away the sudden moisture in my eyes blurring the corridor. Mom had been there for the heartbreak of the first rejection. Had turned the Congratulations Cupcakes into Never Give Up Cupcakes. We no longer had cupcakes, but she had gotten cute flower magnets—from the arts and crafts store where I was working at the time—for the fridge, and built a pretty garden that grew with each rejection. It took the sting away, somewhat, made me feel resilient. Like a healthy weed, my mom had agreed with that easy grin of hers.
I lifted my phone in salute. Here’s to another flower in the garden, Mom. May it be the last.
By the time Kane got back to me, I was sitting on an exercise ball in one of the supply closets of the gym on the fifth floor, eating one outrageously priced sandwich and chasing it down with an orange-tasting sports drink from the vending machine. The Eye remained safely tucked between my t-shirt and the waist of my jeans. I had considered offering it some of my food, but the thought of watching it turn into a hungry mouth held me back. “Eat a finger, grant a wish” wasn’t that far-fetched for an artifact’s power.
“Can you talk?” Kane asked, all excitement.
“Yup. Got something for me?”
“Yeah. By the way, that guy you were talking about, Greaves, he dropped by.”
“Figured he would.”
“I told him nothing.”
“What are friends for?”
“Exactly. So, I asked around and got a name for you. I took the liberty of setting up a meeting between you both today.”
I gripped the sandwich wrapper very tightly. “So fast?” I eyed the yoga mat I had expected to use for a mattress later that night.
Kane took an offended air. “It wasn’t that easy, you know.”
“Sure, sorry.”
“I had the impression you were in a hurry, but if not, I can change the details.”
I grinned into the phone. “You’re the best, Kane. The stars write your name at night and angels sing of your deeds.”
“As well they should. It took some favors, but the man’s ready to meet you in forty-five. Think you can make it?”
“I think so.” I had to, if I wanted this whole plan to work. “Where?” Perhaps if I used one of the windows on the second floor, I could drop onto a dumpster or something and avoid the main doors.
“Basement level, room 6A.”
“Which basement?”
“Our basement.”
Groaning, I closed my eyes. “I don’t think the basement is a good place. What about one of the empty offices on four?”
“I could ask, but…this guy is important, Maddie. You want to be on his good side.”
Couldn’t hurt, I agreed to myself with some resignation. “Okay. Do you know where 6A is?”
“Between 5C and 6B””
“Funny.”
“South side.”
I drew a map in my head. That would be close to the freight elevator. Perfect. “Thank you, Kane.” A last-second nagging stopped me from ending the call. “Who is this guy? Are you sure he can tell the Institute what to do?”
“No names, Maddie. But yes, I’m sure.”
“I owe you one.”
“You sure do.”
The call ended, and I pocketed the phone. I drummed my fingers against my thighs as I went over the conversation and formed a plan. Sure, the basement was bad news, and hopefully the hound wouldn’t be coming back, but I doubted Aidan would stand around patrolling it. He might be watching some of the stairs, but there was no way he had people watching the stairs and the entrances and the freight elevator. Not to mention it was keycard locked.
If he recognized his boss, though, he might get curious and follow.
But by then it would be too late. His boss already knew about the artifact and wanted a good look himself. All I had to do was get to the meeting place in time.
It proved exceedingly easy, now that I knew the freight elevator went down to the basement. Full of nail-biting tension, but easy. Nobody waited for the elevator on my floor, and the cab didn’t stop until it touched the basement. I peeked around the doors and sagged with relief when I found the corridor empty. It was bright and a welcoming gray.
It took me a few minutes to follow the correct passage—not all doors were marked—but I eventually got to 6A. I was ten minutes early and sweating like I had just raced the stairs down instead of walking sedately the whole way. Concentrate, Maddie, I admonished myself. Gotta play it like a pro. You have the artifact. You are bound to the artifact. They can’t take it from you.
My heart moved from hammering my chest to blocking my throat.
Before it decided to abandon ship altogether, I raised my hand and knocked firmly on the door.
“I’m hErE—” I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m here about the artifact.”
The door opened, and I stepped inside a room bigger and cleaner than the office Aidan and I had raided earlier in the day. It was brightly lit, empty of furniture and anything else except for the man who had opened the door. He closed it with a soft snick, and I got my first good look at him.
Well, crap.
I was in big trouble.