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She flashed her cellular phone screen at me, as if the big check mark on the screen would mean something to me. I’d need to ask her later to teach me about that. Fernando had set me upfor phone calls and typing messages, but I had not yet learned to take full advantage of my device.
I thanked her as we retrieved our bags from the trunk.
The interior of the tavern was so dark I had to squint for my eyes to adjust, even after the relatively low level of daylight outside. There was a distinct scent of fish, though it didn’t appear to be the type of establishment anyone should go to with the intention of consuming anything.
Like the cartoon man-spider’s senses, I felt a tingling.
A villain was afoot.
Sure enough, I spotted a man in a trench coat at the bar. As I did, he turned, having sensed me as well.
Silas was already here.
CHAPTER 7
“Iwas wondering how long I would have to wait before you showed up,” Silas said.
Reeling from the fact that he was here, I tried to make sense of our new dynamic. Silas had never been even a single minute early for anything, but that was seventy years ago. I relied on my knowledge of his past behavior to predict what he would do now, but if I was wrong…what else would be different about him now?
“I’m over an hour and a half early,” I said. “You must be obscenely so. Is that because you have no need to pack since you only own one set of clothing?”
“Style doesn’t need to be loud when it’s evergreen,” he said, his eyes falling to my canary and white striped dress.
“Evergreen?” I scoffed. “Congratulations on mastering disgruntled-hobo-chic. It was high fashion when, exactly? That’s right—never.”
Silas smiled at me,amusedby my insult.
Heat rose up my cheeks as I held back the desire to tear that smug grin from his face. Can’t smirk if you don’t have lips.
“It seems the two of you know each other,” Imogen said, stepping between us. She offered her hand to Silas. “Hi, I’m Imogen. Nice to meet you.”
“A pleasure to meet you as well, Imogen.” Adopting the facade of a totally civil, decent human being, Silas shook her hand. “Has the library assigned you to watch over our Lily here? Keep her out of trouble?”
“No,” I snapped. “I invited her.”
“I wouldn’t know the first thing about joining your library,” Imogen chuckled. “That is unless it involves walking into the bathroom and—”
“It doesn’t,” I said, before she could once again utter the wordspotty portal.
Silas shifted his attention to me. “I’m glad to see you’re making friends.”
“Of course I can make friends. As many as I want, whenever the mood strikes, if I so wish.”
“Of course you can,” Silas said. It was so patronizing he might as well have patted me on the head and offered me a lollipop.
“You don’t want friends?” Imogen shot me a pitying look.
“I’m self-sufficient,” I said, kind of wishing I had that lollipop. It would be nice to have something to bite right about now.
“Well, I say we’re friends already, or if not, we will be soon,” Imogen said.
Silas’s eyes bore into me, likely trying to figure out what my play was. I smiled wickedly back at him, letting him know that yes, this was a scheme, and yes, I would use Imogen to crush him.
Silas slid his slimy gaze back to Imogen. “How did the two of you meet?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but I wasn’t about to give Silas any more information than he already had. If I did, he could use it to mount a defense. As of yet, he did not have Imogen’s last name or any other identifying information he could use to look her up in the library.
“We’re wasting time,” I said. “Where’s Vinny? Some of us are more interested in doing our jobs than socializing.”
