Collin had said his closet was made of glass.Maybe Ian only pretended to be oblivious.What if he had hired Sami to get close to him?Distract him, manipulate him—
Breathe.He couldn’t jump to conclusions about Sami’s intentions, not again.Sami was his… something.Friend, probably.Slightly more, if it were up to Baz, or had been until a second ago.This didn’t have to mean anything.He could have transferred to a different school, o-or found a loophole to get certified anyway or… or he was a much better actor than Baz had given him credit for.
Lips pressed together, Baz got out his phone and pulled up the ARDC—the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
“What are you doing?”Eevee asked.He shook his head.Last name, Adam.First name, Sami.And… no matches.Not in Chicago, not in Illinois, not in the entire goddamn country.
Baz’s insides twisted into one, nauseated ball.“He’s not licensed.”
“Maybe he’s a paralegal or something?”
No.The case already had a paralegal, one privileged to join Ian at whatever meeting he had at court today while Sami waited outside.Because whatever he was, he wasn’t a lawyer.
No wonder Baz had found no trace of him on the Hoffman & Cobb website.No wonder he never got any credit.
It all made sense now.Why Sami hadn’t been deterred by his frosty attitude, why he hadn’t run for the hills like most men would have when Baz started to crack.That had been the point all along, wasn’t it?Getting under his skin to make him lose focus or whatever the hell Ian’s twisted mind had wanted to get out of this.
How had Baz been such a fool?
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin anything—”
“This is not your fault.”It was Sami’s.What reason did he have to hide his actual job description, whatever it might be, if not to lead Baz on?
“I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”
“Yeah.”Baz didn’t doubt the presence of a reason.Ian saying so, Sami feeling bored.Baz being an oblivious idiot who had seen a spark where there had been only a ruse.
What else had he expected?He wasn’t Eevee.People didn’t fall in love with him.
“He was so sweet with you, it’s obvious he cares.I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm by not telling you.”
A knife rammed into his chest.Oh, Eevee.Always seeing the best in people.It should have been a relief, hearing he wasn’t the only one who had fallen for the charade, but they hadn’t gotten the wrong impression by accident.He bet he hadn’t run into Sami as often as he did by coincidence either.This had been a game all along, and he had fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.
“I should… I-I have to…” His phone crashed onto the bench when he jumped up.Somewhere in the room, Lucipurr hissed again.Baz couldn’t care, he grabbed his phone and was already out the door, pushing through a group of tourists trying to get in.The honk of a passing car bellowed in his ears.
If all that had happened between them was a lie… Baz didn’t have the words to describe how fucked up, how downright evil, that was.Worse, he knew Ian wasn’t above it.
What was the end goal here?Distracting Baz, making him fall in—breaking his heart before the trial?It wouldn’t work.It wouldn’t!Baz was better than that, he… he…
His knees trembled, forcing him to lean against the rough facade of a building.He buried his face in his hands.His clothes were too tight,too much,the way they clung to him, itching his skin.He ripped off his jacket, pushed his sleeves up.Every cell of his body was on fire, barely cooled by the trail of tears running down his cheek.
What if it was all a lie?The words bounced around in his head tirelessly, taunting him.
“What’s wrong with him?”the loud, uninhibited voice of a child asked.
Baz blinked his eyes open against the overbearing brightness of the torturous sun.The judgmental stares of strangers were arrows piercing through him.He prayed for the ground to swallow him, to relieve him of the pain burning his heart.But the universe wasn’t so kind, demanding once again that Baz took care of himself.
He gathered every fragment of strength he had and channeled it into his legs to move.He wrapped his arms around his body to hold himself together.
H-he needed to get back to the office.The only person who would give it to him straight, who would find an innocent explanation, could there be one, was Aya.She had called bullshit from the beginning.It was due time he stopped ignoring her wisdom.
The mere thought of taking the crowded train full of noises and smells pushed tears into his eyes.He couldn’t.No, one wobbly step after the other, he dodged people in his way, begging the tightness in his chest to let him breathe.
By the time he saw the gray river distorting the sunbeams, the growing void inside of him had swallowed most of the shakiness along with the colors of the world.
His feet carried him to Aya’s office, marching past Tammy without a hello.He wished he could claim he had a sixth sense for Aya’s schedule, but the truth was, she could have been in the middle of a meeting, he still would have barged in on her.
She was about to protest—he’d recognize herready-to-fightexpression anywhere—but a slither of softness eased the rock-solid frown.
