“I guess. How many sessions do you have today?”
“Four. You?”
“Five. At least we’ll be busy.”
They swerved into the collective’s parking lot. Heath was sitting in his car and got out when they parked. The guards were in place, too.
“Waiting for us?” Oliver asked Heath after they exited their car.
“Waiting for somebody to come. Like I said, the medallion thing spooked me.”
Oliver squeezed his arm. “It spooked us all.”
They went in through Heath’s studio. It was bigger than either of theirs because he worked mostly with groups. He switched on the light and searched the reception area and his office, then checked out the practice room. “I guess it’s all right here.”
Even though they hired someone to come in very early and sweep the place, they all remembered the snake incident andthe barbell blocking the door and were overly conscious of their vulnerability.
Oliver unlocked his door and Finn and Heath followed him into his practice. They took the same kind of survey of his entire place then checked Finn’s studio. Each of them finally went to his own studio.
Finn stood in the doorway of his, though, staring out at the common area. The juice bar for clients had recently been finished. Already a few clients were drinking coffee at one of the eight tables. Finn found himself scrutinizing them. He even walked around, ostensibly looking for a place to sit. In reality, he was searching for a medallion. Fuck. This was nuts. When he saw nothing, he went into his practice and then his office.
A knock at the door to his reception area, then it opened. Joe Larson, Scarlet’s boyfriend, stood in the doorway.
“Hey, Joe.” Finn stood. “Want to sit?”
“Yeah.”
Joe started to talk right away. “I’m at a loss, Finn. Scarlet and I aren’t seeing each other because of the mess going on here but I’m worried about her. She speaks highly of you. And you seem pretty fair minded. How is she?”
He studied Joe, a man in love if he ever saw one. “Scarlet’s sad, Joe. You haven’t known her long, but I can count on one hand the times I ever saw her sad.”
“Over the collective’s problems?”
“In an indirect sense. My guess is she’s sad over her separation from you.”
He laid his head back against the chair. Finn studied him. His hair was uncombed, his face pale. But mostly, his posture was defeated. Finn got up and sat down next to him. Leaned his shoulder against Joe’s. “Hey, buddy, don’t give up hope. This mess with the collective has to end sometime. She’s worth waiting for, isn’t she?”
He sat up straighter. “Of course. If she doesn’t find someone else first. I worry about that Krause guy sniffing around her.”
“Give her a little credit, Joe. She’s too smart to get involved with one of her guards.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” He stood. “I’m sorry to intrude on you. But I had to talk to somebody here.”
Finn took a card out of his pocket. “Here’s my contact information. Write down my cell number on the back.”
Afterward, Joe said, “Thanks, Finn.”
“You’re welcome. I love Scarlet and want her to be happy.”
“Hmm.” With that he left.
Finn dropped down and took out his cell. She answered on the first ring. “Hey, there.”
“I love you, Elise.”
“That’s nice to hear. What brought this on?”
“Nothing important. I just wanted a bit of contact.”
