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“Hey,” Blaze piped up. “We should at least hear what she’s got to say. It is her life we’re trying to piece together.”
“Thank you.” I folded my arms over my chest. “I could go talk to the contacts I know in this city. They were connected to the household. Maybe they know more than I do about where else this organization operated or who they really were.”
Despite his earlier support, Blaze frowned. “Because they’re connected to the household, they could be under surveillance. You might be walking into a trap.”
“I’d be careful about it. This isn’t my first rodeo, remember.”
“I don’t think you want them knowing you’re even still in town,” Talon put in.
I threw my hands in the air. “Fine. Then I’d just spy on them from a distance and see if they lead me anywhere useful. Happy?”
His mouth still slanted in at a skeptical angle. But thankfully, at the same moment Julius strode into the room. “Since you’re arguing loud enough for me to hear you through my door, I’m going to weigh in.” He nodded to me. “You obviously understand the risk.”
Relief started to trickle through me at his confident tone. “Yes. I am the one who almost just got kidnapped and then found out that my whole life has been a lie. Believe me, I’m not going to be giving anyone out there the benefit of the doubt.”
“Good.” He gave Talon and Blaze a look as if to remind them that he was in charge here and then returned his attention to me. “I trust that you’ll be discreet, and you should be able to take an active role in this investigation. Like Blaze said, it’s your life. And we’re not your jailors anymore.”
My shoulders relaxed. “Good. So you’re not going to make a fuss about me leaving?”
The corner of his lips twitched upward in a subtle smile that shouldn’t have been so sexy. “I hope you’ll come back of your own accord this time, but no, I won’t. I don’t want you going in and out of this building alone like you did two nights ago, though. It’s too visible. If the people searching for you haven’t connected you to this place, I’d like to keep it that way. I can escort you out through our private route and meet you when you get back, if you’ll agree to those terms.”
“Sure,” I said, my spirits rising. I didn’t know if I’d totally believed until this moment that the men really were going to treat me like an equal among them rather than a prisoner. “That’s fair.” I didn’t want anyone involved with the household tracing me here either.
“Excellent.” He dug into his pocket and handed me a wad of cash for good measure, with a glint of amusement in his eyes. “And I can’t let you go out there without proper resources. I’m guessing you’ll find a way to spend this wisely.”
* * *
I leaned against a light fixture a few shops down from the bakery, a light brown wig covering my tightly concealed locks of black hair. The hat that I wore atop it hid any irregularities to the wig, and sunglasses masked the rest of my face. I knew from my observations of Blaze’s software that revealing my full face even for a second put me at risk of being captured by a street camera and IDed.
So far, I hadn’t been able to find any sign of the guy I was looking for. I’d strolled past the bakery a couple hours ago and again a few minutes ago, and Jay’s curly hair hadn’t been anywhere to be seen through the front window.
It wasn’t a big shop. If he’d shown up for his usual late afternoon shift, I should have spotted him.
A waft of the sweet, doughy scent carried on the breeze and set my mouth watering. It was too risky to go right inside and ask after him, but man, what I wouldn’t have given for one of those chocolate chip cookies to hop its way out here.
Maybe Jay had taken today off? Maybe he’d changed his schedule? Leaving the apartment had been enough of a hassle that I didn’t want to give up on my quest without getting some idea of when he’d actually be here. Julius might have been willing to escort me out, but he’d insisted on keeping part of the route secret, leading me blind. As a precautionary measure in case I was captured, which I couldn’t blame him for when it’d already nearly happened yesterday.
I got a break when one of the women I had seen working behind the counter emerged from the alley. She must have left through the side door. She was just running her fingers through her billowy hair, which was creased from being trapped in its net for however many hours.
As soon as I clocked which direction she was headed in, I ducked through a nearby shop, darted around to the end of the block, and ambled toward the bakery as if I’d only just arrived in the area. When I came up on Jay’s coworker, I made a show of stopping in my tracks.
“Hey!” I said brightly. “You look familiar. You work at Moe’s, don’t you?”
The woman halted abruptly and then laughed. “Now I feel like a celebrity. I do.”
“I was just heading over there. Best cookies ever.” I didn’t have to fake the enthusiasm in my voice with that comment. I groped for the right impression to give to sell my next question and settled on slightly coy, as if I had a crush. That was a normal reason for asking about a guy, right?
I dipped my head and twisted my hands in front of me with feigned nerves. “Say… is that guy with the curly hair and the goatee working today? I was hoping I’d get to say hello.”
The woman started to grin, but then the smile faded. “You mean Jay. He was supposed to be in today…” She bit her lip.
My pulse hiccupped. “What? Did something happen to him?”
Enough real distress must have come into my voice to convince her to reveal a little more. “Oh, I’m sure he’s fine. Just being flaky. I heard he’s missed his last couple of shifts. The manager couldn’t reach him today. He’s probably just not answering because he knows she’ll chew him out.”
“Oh! Well, at least I’ll get to have those cookies,” I said, and gave her a little wave to let her carry on her way.
I didn’t go into the bakery, of course, but walked right by it, my forehead furrowing. Sure, Jay hadn’t seemed like the most dedicated worker ever, but I didn’t like that he’d suddenly “flaked” on his job within days of me reaching out to him.
