“Of course she knows something. Why do you think she’s here?” Blume was in his office. A lower, indecipherable response revealed someone in the room with him.
“Then find out,” said Blume. “I want to know what connections she’s making and who she’s talking to.”
More murmuring, then: “With Sinclair? So what. Of course, there’s more. You people are so damned short-sighted.”
She leaned closer, trying to hear the other voice, but the soft reverberation told her only that the speaker was male.
“Then do it. I want it taken care of,” said Blume.
The elevator signal chimed behind her, followed by the scraping sound of the doors closing. At close range, her spelled veil would not fool anyone. She hurried from Blume’s office in the opposite direction. As she reached the far end of the hall, the elevator chimed again. She ducked around a corner when she heard footsteps coming nearer.
She reached a brightly lit elevator lobby and hit the call button. When an elevator arrived, she rushed in and slammed the DOOR CLOSE button. The door slid slowly together as the sharp sound of footsteps rang in the lobby. A shadow appeared on the floor. The doors closed. She leaned against the wall and laughed as the elevator descended.
The elevator opened onto the main lobby for Blume’s building. Laura moved quietly within the area behind security. The two guards on duty didn’t even look to see if anyone exited the elevator behind them. She rounded a corner and faced a set of doors. A burst of voices and music greeted her when she opened the door to yet another corridor, the one that led to the rear of the Vault. She shed her masking veil and walked toward the bar.
As she reached the private elevator, it opened, and Gianni stepped out. He frowned when he saw her. “What are you doing away from your post?”
Laura threw an annoyed look at the nearby restrooms. “I needed to take a break.”
Gianni glanced at the restrooms and back at her. He gave her an insincere smile. “Your shift’s over anyway. Let’s have a drink.”
Instead of taking her to the bar, he unlocked a nearby door, and they entered a small, cluttered office, no closets, a sealed window. In the small space, she sensed no one else-no Inverni fairy masking himself from view. To be on the safe side, she activated her body shield. The room had no exits. Laura hesitated on the threshold. Being alone with the man who’d tried to shoot her wasn’t high on her list.
Gianni eased himself into the desk chair. “Don’t just stand there, sit. You did okay tonight.”
She gave him a tight smile and eased into the guest chair. “Thanks.”
A knock sounded, and a bar server in her early thirties came in with two drinks on a tray. She smiled. “Hey, Sal. Starting earlier tonight?”
Gianni laughed too much. “I never stop. When you getting off?”
Still smiling, she shook her head. “When my husband comes to pick me up. You need anything else?”
He grinned. “Sure. Tell your husband I’ll drive you home if you want.”
She laughed at that and tapped Laura on the shoulder as she left. “You watch that one, hon. He’s not as nice as he seems.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Laura said, unable to keep the dry tone out of her voice.
Gianni held one of the glasses in the air, waiting for Laura to pick up hers. He tapped her glass. “Blume sends his compliments and thanks. Me, too.”
She nodded and sniffed the drink. Mead. A nice one if she wasn’t mistaken.
“We got off to a bad start,” he said.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
Gianni leaned back with his glass. “Yeah. The whole Sanchez thing had me bad. I couldn’t help thinking if it was me instead of you, he’d be alive.”
His vocalization dripped with falsehoods. “It wasn’t my fault, Gianni.”
He nodded vigorously. “I know, I know. Like I said, the Sanchez thing screwed with me. We were tight.”
“Why the change of heart?” she said, echoing Blume’s words to her.
He shrugged. “I thought I’d clear the air since you’re going to be working here.”
“Then I get a steady gig?”
Gianni nodded. “Until Blume says otherwise.” He rocked his head from side to side. “Yeah, Sanchez was a good guy. You know?”
She shook her head. “He wasn’t with you guys last time I worked with the SWAT team.”
His look of realization was on the overboard side. “Oh, right. Good guy, though. So you didn’t get to talk to him much?”
She sipped the mead. “No more than you and me.”
He gave a long, considering look. “Anyway. I have something else to take care of, so you’re good for tonight.”
“Already?” she asked.
He stood. “Policy. New employees are monitored until background checks are complete. I have something else to do now and can’t watch you.”
She furrowed her brow. “You run a background check on an InterSec staffer who works for the SWAT team?”
Gianni held out his glass. “This isn’t Little League in here. Bottoms up.”
She tapped glasses with him again. They finished the mead. Gianni walked her back to the bar. “See you next Tuesday,” he said.
Laura pursed her lips as he walked away. His voice had been modulating in the false spectrum when he said good-bye.
I’m leaving. Watch for Alfrey, she sent to Sinclair.
Everything okay? he asked.
Yes. I’ll wait for you outside, she sent.
She made one more visual check of the bar. Gianni was gone. No sign of Alfrey. Not engaging Blume too quickly was acceptable. The key to gaining confidence was not looking eager, but given the overheard conversation, she thought she might have tipped her hand. She considered that Alfrey might have been the one with Blume, though given Gianni’s odd behavior, she surmised his was the muffled voice. She had no doubt the overheard conversation was about her. How-and if-it connected to the drug lab was one question. She was more interested in the strange exchange she had witnessed on the street between Blume and Alfrey.
Whomever he was talking to, she was sure of one thing. Blume was afraid of something.
CHAPTER 28
LAU RA JUMPED AT the blare of a car horn, surprised she had wandered into the crosswalk not far from the entrance to the Vault. Too much in your head again, she thought, annoyed. She had stamina, but the physical toll on her was affecting her mentally and emotionally as well. She was letting herself get distracted, and in her line of work, that could be fatal. Even Gianni had said as much when she questioned him about Sanchez. Every error, even small ones, had consequences.
She approached the SUV with her keys already out. As she played with the ring to separate the ignition key, it slipped from her hand. A wave of dizziness swept over her when she bent to pick up the ring. Light-headed, she leaned a hand against the SUV. The mead had been strong, but it was only one drink. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself, annoyed that Terryn was right. She was overextending herself. Running multiple personas was possible, but not without enough sleep.
She slid into the driver’s seat and watched the front door of the Vault. Her mind wandered to Sinclair. Again. Either he was playing her well, or he was genuinely interested in her. She was letting Sinclair get to her, and damned if she could come up with a good reason why not. People hit on her-it was part of the Washington scene whether or not anyone admitted it-but Sinclair had something sincere about him that attracted her, despite the fact that he lived a lie, pretending to be a human normal. She could understand that, too. It only served to enhance his appeal. He could have hidden in any number of occupations, unseen, undetected, but he chose law enforcement. That said a lot about him as far as she was concerned.
The night reached its tipping point, and people left the club in larger numbers. Black cars and limos pulled up, and a series of businesspeople departed with their security guards. At closing, a cluster of patrons spilled out, followed by security staff. A flurry of waitstaff left in the final wave. The outside door of the Vault closed for the last time. A lone light remained on as the club closed for the night. Still no sign of Alfrey.