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“Thanks,” I said, smiling.
This guy used to know me, smile and nod in recognition. There wasn’t a drop of familiarity now.
I took my chai and headed outside to the park across the street, walking to the large oak my grandmother had loved, wondering if I’d hear from her. A month ago, hearing from the dead would’ve been an absurd thought. Not anymore. Or maybe I was so desperate to speak to someone I knew cared about me that I’d believe anything at this point.
I took out my phone, dialing Johnny. It went to voicemail—again. I didn’t bother leaving a message.
“Billie?”
I spun, startled to hear anyone calling my name at this point. A man who appeared a little older than I was walked briskly toward me.
A childhood friend? It couldn’t be. They’d never remember me at this point. This man with his height and tawny hair wouldn’t be someone I’d forget easily.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked as he caught up to me.
He smiled, laughing a little. “No, you don’t, but I’ve heard of you and was hoping we could talk for a moment.”
Heard of me? No one had everheard of me. I was in debt, had no job, no prospects. Plus I was pretty much invisible on top of that.
Wait. I wasn’t even fully a person anymore. I couldn’t even claimthat.
“Can I walk with you? I’ll only take a moment of your time,” he said.
I closed my mouth, realizing I’d been standing there confused and gaping.“Uh, yeah, okay.”
The park was fairly busy today. How much harm could there be?
I walked. He walked.
Please be someone normal.Anythingnormal.I was maxed out on crazy.
“I know you’ve recently taken a position with Kaden’s organization.”
Nope. Not normal. More crazy, which was the last thing my life needed. I was on an overload of crazy. I sighed, feeling there was no way around hearing him out.
“Who are you, exactly?”
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a card. “My name is Alaric. I have a competing organization.”
“Oh. That’s very nice.” I took the card and put it in my pocket. It was politer than tossing it in the garbage pail we passed.
“Thank you. I’m hoping it’s even nicer for you, as I wanted to offer you a place with my team.”
“You did?” Every part of me was groaning.No. No more teams or crews or whatever they wanted to call them. I wanted none of this.
“Of course. This is a very competitive market, and good tinkers are hard to come by.”
“I’m not sure what you heard, but my skills are mediocre at best, and I don’t plan on being in this business long.” I picked up my pace, and he did the same, smoothing back his thick hair, as if that made a difference.
“I happened to have a man in the area at a recent tinker you performed. We know this was a particularly difficult subject. You shouldn’t undersell yourself.”
The concert. I felt bad for some kids, and now look, it was screwing me left and right. I still thought that Kaden would’ve have helped me get out of his crew if he hadn’t discovered my usefulness. Now I had a new person wanting me.
“Even if I was spectacular, which I’m not, this isn’t my cup of tea,” I said, realizing how far I’d walked from the car and that he’d trail me back the whole way.
I spun, and as suspected, he dogged my steps.
“I can understand your resistance to talking, but let me fill you in on a few of the finer points of this situation, in case not all of these matters were explained thoroughly. I’ve heard you’re new to Kaden’s organization. Just because you joined them doesn’t mean you have to stay with your current employer. I would suggest to anyone in your situation to explore all their options. Maybe his crew isn’t a good fit, but mine might be. I can offer you a highly sought-after recruitment package.”
