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Adrian sighed, then shared a concerned look with Jordan. “Any ideas?”
Jordan drummed her fingers. “Blackmail? If we can dig up some dirt on Glass, she may back out of pressing the charges.”
That could work, I thought. Blackmail and dirty laundry wouldn’t even mean we’d need to implicate Elizabeth.
“Noah?” Adrian asked.
“I could try to modify any digital evidence they have. If it’s clearly tampered with, it won’t be admissible in court. Even a sloppy job could destroy the bulk of their evidence.”
“It’s all triple backed up, even in print,” Jordan said. “Your digital shit isn’t going to work this time.”
“Leave it to me,” I said. “Me and Elizabeth will handle this ourselves.” I couldn’t exactly explain my official plan of action since I hadn’t formed one. But I did feel that this Enzo fellow was some kind of key. All I needed to do was apply a little brain power, let the problem marinate, and I was confident a solution would pop into my mind eventually.
Adrian folded his arms. “As much as I want to call you insane and ask for a real plan, I have to admit you’ve never actually let us down before.”
“And there it is,” I said, spreading my arms. “He does remember I’m the most talented problem solver on our team, and now I’ve got Elizabeth as my partner. We’ll handle this. Easy. Just don’t do anything messy for a few days. Trust me to figure this out and let me know before any of you do anything rash.”
“If it’s going to be so simple, why have you been at Glass Designs for over a month with jack shit to show for it?” Adrian asked.
“Because I was chasing after this one, but now I’ve finally caught her.” I looked at Elizabeth, who was blushing. I still loved that she could look so unshakable on the outside, but she blushed at the slightest sign of affection from me.
Jordan said “aww” in the way you might if you saw a bloated toad trying to flip itself off its back and failing. “I think he actually likes her?”
“Yeah,” Noah agreed. “That’s my assessment as well.”
Adrian frowned. “What does that matter?”
“Who says I’m captured?” Elizabeth asked me quietly, ignoring the three of them.
“I do, but we can take off our clothes and wrestle about it later, if you want to argue.”
She smiled, but it was a measured, professional smile. From the way she straightened, I knew she’d very much enjoy my suggestion, even if she was far too civilized to admit as much in front of the others.
“Maybe Travis will be more focused now,” Jordan said. “He is unstoppable when he sets his mind on something—the problem is we can hardly ever seem to get his mind set on what we need it on because he’s off chasing something shiny. Now he’s got his shiny object. Imagine what a focused Travis Rosenthal could accomplish.”
Noah considered me. “Scary thought.”
I lifted my palm and lounged back in my chair, nearly losing my balance and toppling backwards before I caught myself. “Hear that, Adrian? They’re frightened of my potential.”
He sighed. “Just get it done. And I don’t care what Travis says. If any of us find a way to fix this, pull the trigger. I want this shit resolved as soon as humanly possible. I trust all of you to put your full attention on it. Our freedom may depend on it.”
“So dramatic,” I said.
“He really is,” Jordan agreed.
“Just get to work,” Adrian said.
“As soon as we get some food,” I said. “What kind of service is this, anyway? We’ve been chatting here for like ten minutes without a single sign of a waiter.”
29
ELIZABETH
I let myself into Mrs. Glass’ office and tried desperately to act natural. She had on an eye-wateringly orange dress, matching jacket, and neon yellow pumps. There was a time I’d admired her boldness, but everything I’d learned lately made me see her in a different light. She seemed… less.
I stood a little straighter, then rested my hands on the back of a chair in front of her desk. “You asked to see me?”
She set down her phone with a click, then drummed her perfect nails on the screen and smiled abruptly. “Well? How was the trip with you two?”
“Good,” I said. “It’s just…” I chewed my lip and called upon every shred of acting ability I had. Travis and I had talked about a plan, and this was what we’d come up with. All I needed to do was act convincing. “I feel like Barry is hiding something from me. I can’t quite put my finger on it.” I shrugged and smiled. “It’s probably nothing.”
“Hmm,” she said, frowning. “Tell you what. I’ve got some resources I can use to look into him. We can keep that a secret between us, can’t we?”
