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Indy was careful as she tumbled down the rabbit hole of Nick’s feed. One stray like, and she would spontaneously combust with embarrassment, setting the whole plan on fire.
Thanks for playing. Try again in another fifteen years.
Nick wasn’t camera shy. There were copious photos of him— fancy dinners, fancy suits, beautiful women. A fair percentage of them were taken in different cities, but the good stuff, the info they really needed, came from what he’d posted at home.
Because Nick was the managing director at his very own recruitment company right here in Chance City.
Others might call it a coincidence, but to Indy, the bracelet in her hands proved otherwise. This was Fate, tapping her on the shoulder, calling her number up. Telling her it was her time.
Sasha patted her on the shoulder. “I guess we know what you’re doing tomorrow.”
* * *
The tram let Indy off at Rollins Street. Now that she was in the heart of the business district, her black jeans and top stuck out like a lost non-playable character. At least she’d covered up her tattoos.
Indy pulled her sleeves over her thumbs and tipped her head back. One Sapphire Place towered above her. Seventeen floors separated her from her future.
Oh god. Why had she thought this was a good idea?
Adrenaline rumbled through her rib cage, making her heart race and her knees tremble.
It was laughable. Her claim to fame was anact first, question them laterkickass heroine, whose gut instinct and fearlessness had helped her stop a number of megalomaniacs from destroying important historical landmarks (and in one case, had stopped them from opening a portal to Atlantis), and here Indy was, afraid to visit a high-rise downtown.
Indy might be named after one of the most famous fictional adventurers in history, but daring feats weren’t her forte.
Come on.Riley did daunting things all the time. How hard could it be?
One foot in front of the other. Like breathing. Except not at all like breathing and completely terrifying.
* * *
Stepping off the elevator on the seventeenth floor, Indy scanned the reception area of Recruit Global. It looked like the inside of a level-twelve fortress. Floor-to-ceiling panels were backlit by warm-toned LEDs, their surfaces glazed and polished to a mirror shine. She valiantly attempted not to let the lavishness unnerve her, but she could see her foot tapping in the reflection.
The receptionist smiled as Indy approached. Two frosted doors bookended the hallway on either side of her. One likely led to Nick’s office.
“Good morning, welcome to Recruit Global. I’m Lindsey. How can I help you?”
Indy smiled.Fake it till you make it.
“I was hoping to see Nick?”
“He’s running a bit late, sorry. Do you have an appointment?” The question was followed by frantic typing. “I started yesterday, so I’m not familiar with his schedule yet.”
“That’s okay,” Indy rushed to assure her. “I can come back? It’s actually a personal visit, so he isn’t expecting me, but I have something to give him. Give back, really. And I thought it might be easier to catch him on his lunch break.”
She should leave her number and let Nick call her. Then, if he never did, she could simply wake up riddled with embarrassment every morning for the rest of her natural life.
“Oh, of course!” Lindsey beamed. “He mentioned he might get a few personal visits.”
Huh.Personal visitswas beginning to sound suspiciously likebooty calls.
With a nod toward the door on her right, she said, “You can wait in his office.”
Indy wasn’t sure she liked the sly look Lindsey gave her. But she also didn’t want to blow her cover, so she walked calmly into Nick’s office and closed the door behind her.
And suddenly, she was standing in the cave of wonders, the belly of Nick’s life.
And… oh, it was wrong to want to rummage through someone else’s belongings, but she’d never claimed to be a saint. She was a writer, for fuck’s sake. Curiosity was a job requirement.
