‘I reconsidered. If you haven’t achieved anything within thirty minutes you’re just kidding yourselves anyway. Thirty minutes, and that’s it.’
Desperate for some form of mediation I glanced at the conductors. ‘Are you supporting this?’
The female conductor – I didn’t know their names – crossed her arms. ‘If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be going in at all.’
Mia remained noticeably silent with her eyes cast down.
Perfect.
‘I can see why you keep them around,’ I said to Lincoln.
‘Yes.’ He crossed his arms with a look of satisfaction. ‘As opposed to your fan club they actually understand rank.’
I shook my head. ‘They’re not my fan club, Lincoln. They’re my friends. They were yours once, too.’
He pressed his lips together, his eyes flicking to Gray. ‘Many things were mine once. You’re down to twenty-six minutes.’
I swallowed and started to walk. ‘Let’s go,’ I said to Gray, who was already beside me.
‘You’re going to have to deal with that, you realise,’ he said as we made our way to the side of the ten-storey stone building.
‘He hates me, Gray. And he has every right. It won’t help him to try and deal with anything at this point. I’m just here for Spence.’
‘Yeah, well, I wouldn’t mind if you clarified my role in all of this if you get a moment. I actually value my life.’
Gray was pointing towards the alley that ran behind the building when Lincoln’s husky voice sounded in my earpiece.
‘I don’t hate you.’
My breath caught hearing the unmistakable pain that accompanied each tight word.
Shit.
I’d totally forgotten we were wearing mics.
‘And I can assure you that I am well aware that you are only here for Spence. And exactly what your role is in all of this, Gray. So while we all appreciate hearing your conversation I would be immensely grateful if we could please get on with the task at hand.’
Kill. Me. Now.
Gray cleared his throat uncomfortably and mumbled, ‘Sorry ’bout that.’ Then he looked at me guiltily and pointed to his mic. ‘Forgot,’ he mouthed.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them I started walking again. ‘We should move around the corner,’ I said, humiliated and desperate to end the conversation that Lincoln and God knows who else was listening in on.
We chose a well-shadowed area at the back of the building and began to climb the wall, leaping between windowsills, using the stonework as footholds to scale the building. It wasn’t overly difficult. I considered what Lincoln had said earlier, referring to Gray as my partner. I could see how that would hurt, thinking I had replaced him as my Grigori partner – even though that was not the case at all. We worked together but in no ways like a partner team.
And then there was the kiss. It had helped me gain an edge in the fight against Lincoln, sure, but if I’d known what Gray was up to I never would’ve agreed.
I brushed that thought off quickly, telling myself that there was no way Lincoln would think there was more to the kiss than tactics. But maybe Gray had a point. Maybe I should at least set Lincoln straight on the partner issue.
Or maybe I shouldn’t.
Maybe I should just let him think what he wanted to.
It might make it easier for him – hating me. Maybe that’s why he’s been able to move on so completely.
‘Head in the game,’ Gray murmured behind me as we slid through a top-floor window. I looked down suddenly, realising I hadn’t even noticed we’d climbed the entire building.
I nodded quickly, silently chastising my runaway mind.
We climbed into an open-office workspace filled with sleek glossy desks and Aeron chairs – the type my father had obsessed over when he had his own office in the city. Clearly this company was doing well.
While I wiped my dirty hands on my black jeans we moved towards a doorway at the back of the room and found a small kitchenette. The area was deserted but all the lights were still on. Someone was home.
‘Do your thing, princess,’ Gray said, keeping a lookout.
‘I really wish you wouldn’t call me that.’
Gray grinned. ‘And I wish I was lying on a beach in the Caribbean.’
I rolled my eyes but I was already concentrating on the well of power in my stomach. I mentally willed it up and out of me, sending it through the building.