I send her a sharp look.
“What?” She shrugs. “Too soon?”
Seth gives a tired laugh and drops into the seat next to hers. His eyes are still a little glassy, but I’ll take that over the alternative.
“You should’ve told me. I would’ve pulled you from the mission.”
“I didn’t realize what I had done until I went into the men’s room and saw three of me in the mirror. Then the fire alarm went off and the last thing I remember is getting into the back of an Uber.”
“Not an Uber,” Katherine says, stepping into the office and closing the door behind her. She sits at the desk and logs into her computer, typing as Seth, Ruby, and I exchange quick glances. She turns her screen so we can see the paused video image. “This is from an ATM machine inside of the Merius Hotel.”
Katherine hits a button and the video plays. A man is withdrawing cash at an ATM, blissfully unaware that in the background Seth is being escorted into the lobby like a washed-up rock star who pregamed too hard. He’s stumbling, his arms slung around their shoulders, but that doesn’t stop him from kicking one leg out at an odd angle.
Ruby leans closer to the screen. “Are you... dancing?”
Seth squints at the footage. “I think avoiding a potted fern. Or celebrating it. Hard to say.”
My gaze locks onto the man and woman with Seth. The man is wearing a hotel uniform and looks disturbingly at ease guiding Seth. But the woman...
My jaw clenches.
“You recognize the woman,” Katherine says, and I know she knows I do.
“Yes,” I say, my voice rough. “It’s Cybil Langford.”
“I was kidnapped by your ex-girlfriend?” Seth nails the mock indignation, but it doesn’t relieve the pressure weighing down on me.Does he realize how lucky he is that it was Cybil and not Ramirez?
“She’s not my ex-girlfriend,” I mutter, but I catch Ruby’s pointed look. I press on. “There are some new developments.”
Katherine folds her arms. “Let me guess. Ms. Langford might be our elusive interceptor at the museum? Edmond might have a more nefarious purpose for investing in Ramirez’s deal?” She leans forward. “Or maybe Ms. Langford isn’tjustthe unassuming assistant?”
Those didn’t sound like guesses to me. I swing a look at Ruby, but she gives a tiny shake of her head. I face Katherine, trying to find an explanation for how bad it looks, because it looksreallybad. But for the first time since running into Cybil, I’m feeling like maybe the rose-colored glasses have slipped and I’m seeing her as... Nope.I can’t.
“I know how it looks, ma’am, but—”
“Don’t get formal on me, Ben.” She sits back in her chair and folds her arms again. “Save that for the report. What I want right now is an explanation for what happened tonight.”
Taking a breath, I recount the events of the night. I don’t leave out anything, including Seth’s unsteady posture and glazed expression, my conversation with Cybil, and then the way I found her in the hallway, which led to the fire I started and the terrifying moments when we couldn’t find Seth.
“I’m sorry.” I face Seth, because this apology is as much to him asit is to Katherine. “I should’ve recognized you were sick and called the operation right then.”
“I’m good, man.” Seth shrugs. “Your girl didn’t get too frisky with me.”
The room falls silent, and I slide a sideways glance at Katherine. She’s expressionless, unlike Ruby, who is biting her lip.
Seth, still woozy, blinks. “Wait.”
Another second passes in his medicine-induced state until he realizes what he said.
His eyes widen. “Too soon?”
Ruby full-on cackles, and for the first time all night there’s a tiny break in the tension.
“We’re all grateful for your safe return,” Katherine says, her tone deep and genuine, but I know she’s not looking for an apology—she’s looking for the truth about how our mission tonight imploded. And her next words confirm that. “Let’s go back to the conversation you had with Rook and Ramirez.”
“I know they saw me talking with Cybil, so I assumed they were going to ask me about our conversation, but instead, they wanted to know if I thought she might be willing to give me information on Edmond’s accounts.”
Katherine frowns. “Why?”
