Jo smiles. It has taken her days to put together a decent outfit in Josie’s closet, and this is the first time she’s felt as if she might actually catch Nick’s attention. A tight, low-cut halter, hip-hugger jeans, and a pair of wedge sandals that look as if they’ve never been worn. Jo knows Nick has never seen his ex-girlfriend look quite like this.
“I’ve missed you,” Jo says. She pushes off the car with a thrust of her pelvis and snakes her way over to Nick. He stands frozen, his eyes locked on to hers as she places a hand on his chest and slowly traces it down the front of him. “I’ve missed every part of you.”
“Josie?” Nick says. His voice is husky. “Wh-what’s gotten into you?”
Jo smiles. “Oh, you know. With all those unexplained murders recently, I’ve just been reevaluating my life. What I want. Who I want.”
“Oh.”
“Didn’t you hear?” Jo says. She hooks a finger into Nick’s belt loop. “Two more bodies found this morning. That makes six this week alone.”
Nick takes a step toward her. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess that would make you question . . . things.”
Jo leans forward, pressing her chest into his. “Do you want me to show you what I’ve been thinking about?”
Nick swallows. His head bends down to meet Jo’s upturned face. She can feel his want and she smiles to herself. That was too easy. What was wrong with Josie that she couldn’t keep him?
His lips graze her own when suddenly, his body stiffens.
“Nick!” Madison races across the parking lot and pulls Jo away from Nick. “What the fuck are you doing? Were you kissing her?”
Jo laughs hysterically, uncontrollably.
“This isn’t funny,” Nick snaps. He grabs Madison by the shoulders. “I wasn’t doing anything, I swear. I was just shocked. But we’re done.” He glances at Jo, his face hard. “There’s definitely nothing between us anymore.”
Jo sobers up immediately. She’s heard that before from Nick. But this time, she doesn’t quite believe him.
“Whatever you say, Nick.” Jo tosses her hair, casting an exaggerated wink at him as she turns to leave.
We’ll just see about that.
THIRTY-EIGHT
2:43 P.M.
“ARE YOU SURE THIS IS GOING TO WORK?” NICK said. He fidgeted with the tie Josie had brought for him to wear for his fake interview. “I mean, do you even know what you’re looking for?”
Josie reached over to the driver’s seat and straightened his tie, just like she used to do for her dad—her real dad—on the rare occasion he had to wear one. “What, yes. Where, not a clue.”
“Oh, that’s comforting.”
Josie smiled. “Isn’t it?” She patted Nick’s tie. “Just stick to the script, okay? You’re a potential Grid employee, scouting out post-graduation jobs. We just have to act like stupid high-school kids, ask the right questions, and hope we get lucky.”
Nick pursed his lips. “I thought you scientific types didn’t believe in luck.”
“We don’t.”
With a sigh of resignation, Nick stepped out of his car and into the afternoon sunshine. Josie followed, and together they stood side by side at the entrance of the National Headquarters of the Grid.
The building was unpretentious, all metal and glass in a utilitarian style popular in the 1970s. The entrance was unguarded, and employees came and went as they pleased with the use of security badges tethered to their clothes on retractable cords. But other than that, the headquarters for one of the most powerful companies in the world was oddly informal.
Four stories, lined straight across with windows showcasing a variety of mundane office tasks. In one window, a woman stood at a copy machine, staring out onto the lush grounds of Fort Meade. In another, two men sat at rapt attention while a woman in a lab coat diagrammed at a whiteboard. In a third, a man had his feet up against the window, his chair tilted back, as he gabbed away on the phone.
Where the government hospital at Old St. Mary’s had been like gaining access to a maximum-security prison, as Josie and Nick strolled up to the main entrance to the Grid, it felt like they were walking into the DMV for a license renewal.
After a check-in at the receptionist’s desk, which produced two visitor’s badges, a young man in khaki pants and a tucked-in polo shirt hurried into the lobby.
“Nicholas Fiorino?” he said, extending his hand to Nick.
Nick flashed a giant shit-eating grin. “That’s me.”
“Richard Katz,” the young man said, pumping Nick’s arm furiously. “Director of Public Outreach for the Grid.” His gaze drifted to Josie. “And you must be Josephine Byrne,” he said in somewhat reverential tones.
Now it was Josie’s turn to fake-smile. “You can call me Jo.”
Richard took her hand in both of his and shook it delicately, as if he was afraid she might break. “It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Byrne.”
“Jo,” Josie corrected.
“Right.” Richard gingerly let go of Josie’s hand, but his eyes never left her face. “And you may call me Richard.”
Josie caught a glimpse of Nick rolling his eyes, and fought hard to suppress a giggle.