Page 21 of Married to Lies

“It’s Quentin.” All the amazement I felt permeated each word. The line went silent again, and I asked, “Did I lose you?” I checked the timer, seeing the seconds ticking past.

“I’m here,” Jada said, not sounding so happy for me anymore.

“Did Twyla hear you having the world’s quietest freak out?” I half-teased.

“No, I...” She trailed off uncomfortably.

My system went on guard. Usually, my friend would be laughing with me. “What is it?” I asked.

“Before you go any further with Quentin, there’s something you need to know.”

My eyebrows rose. “What is it?”

She stalled for a second. “I can’t tell you yet. Come over to the house after work?”

“I have a meeting with my boss after work today, and my date with Quentin is tomorrow afternoon. I can come beforehand. Does that work?”

“It will have to.”

8 Quentin

I made my way to the conference room despite being the only founder in the office today, and Rei consumed each of my spinning thoughts.

Miracle of all miracles, she hadn’t actually run away downstairs. Although I’d had my doubts when she got that panicked look and disappeared into the supply room. And when she asked me why her, every single reason poured out of me so thick I worried it would smother her.

I pondered how to answer her final question. Why not just say hi?

There wasn’t an attractive way to say that I hadn’t dated for years because of my trust issues.

The conference room door loomed ahead of me, and I had to push all thoughts of Rei into a box to revisit later. Right now, there were matters of life and death demanding my attention. I pushed into the room, seeing Daniel already setting up the video call. A cursor moved across the big projector screen, signing me in to the call.

My image appeared in the middle of the screen, showing my every move as I sat toward the end of the table. Daniel tested the audio and then looked back toward me, checking to see if I was ready.

I nodded, and he logged me in.

A black square with several smaller gray squares filled the screen. CRUZ, AARIC, and JUDE were in white letters. Bryce’s showed BM.

If Cruz were here, he’d make his typical joke about Bryce sharing initials with “bowel movement.” But it was just me.

“You’re on,” Daniel said, making his red mustache move.

I nodded, getting my pen and paper ready while faces came into view on the screen. I studied them while Daniel left the conference room to give me privacy. Cruz had bad hotel art in the frame behind him. Aaric’s pale face was bright like he was sitting in front of a window. Jude had a nondescript brick wall behind him, an annoyed look on his face. And Bryce had the telltale signs of a hospital in the background. White cinderblock walls, some framed quote about hope. People smiling and wearing white clothes. I could almost smell the antiseptic.

“Fill us in,” Cruz said quickly as he mussed the long part of his hair using the webcam. Satisfied, he added, “What’s the update on Simon?”

Bryce looked ten years older than he had just days ago as he said, “The doctor told me he’s responding well to the treatment based on his labs. He’s also been able to keep down some food, which is a good sign. Iris has been here twenty-four seven to keep an eye on him now that she’s no longer a suspect... By the way, Q, she wanted me to say thank you for sending your lawyer.”

“Of course,” I replied, meaning it. “We all know who was behind it.”

“Who?” Jude said at the same time Aaric did.

“Jasper and his cult... isn’t it obvious?” The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. “The Daybreak Dominion already attacked Simon once. Clearly, they’re getting desperate for him to die so we don’t have time to get married and the kids keep his shares.”

Bryce nodded his agreement. “Simon doesn’t want to believe Jasper directed the attack. He thinks it’s one of Jasper’s followers, his Rays, who acted on their own.”

Cruz asked, “Have the police looked into it?”

Bryce nodded again. “They’re ‘following every possible avenue.’” But he seemed annoyed. “I know they’re just following procedure, but it all seems to move so slowly. Jasper is denying any involvement.”