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“It was my lame attempt at a joke.”
I spun around and pushed my back into my seat, crossing my arms. “Not funny.”
“You’re right, but it was also my way of telling you that it’s safe for me to go in there. We’ll deal with the rest later.” He squeezed my hand. “Now let’s talk about what happens when we get to Charlotte. I’m going to need the car, so I’ll have to drop you off somewhere. There was a coffee shop a couple of miles away from the office.”
“No way. You can drop me off at the corner of the building. You didn’t bring those binoculars for nothing.”
“I brought them in case I wanted to check out the building before the meeting, not for you to play Nancy Drew. And don’t even think about taking that sword with you.”
We’d brought the sword I’d used to kill the Raven Mockers. It was currently in the trunk, wrapped in a towel. David insisted it was a last resort. “Look, I agreed to let you go in alone,” I said, “but the only way I’m getting out of the car before we get to the business park is if you physically kick me out.”
“Ellie, it’s all strip mall offices and warehouses. It’s going to look suspicious if you’re just standing around.”
“I don’t care, David. I’ll find somewhere to hide out of sight. But I’m not going to be two miles from you.”
“Fine,” he groaned. “But you need to stay away from the front of the building.”
“Okay.” But I’d already figured out a plan. After texting Collin, I had looked up the location on the Internet again, paying close attention to the buildings around the office. There was an abandoned warehouse next to it, as well as a couple of businesses I could possibly visit in the guise of a customer.
Exhausted after my mostly sleepless night, I dozed off after our conversation and woke up an hour later when David patted my arm. “Ellie. We’re here.”
I bolted upright in the seat and took in my surroundings. We were parked in front of a strip mall with several cars parked out front. At least there were witnesses.
“Is one of those offices it?” Most of the complex looked abandoned.
“No. We’re on the east end. We need to head toward the center of the industrial park. I’m having second thoughts about you staying here, though. Where are you going to go? It’ll be much safer if you wait somewhere more public.”
“No, I’m not leaving you here. Besides, there’s a flooring showroom a little bit down from where you’re going. I’ll go in there and pretend to look for carpet.”
He turned to me with narrowed eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?”
I gave him a haughty look. “I didn’t want to give you several hours to come up with reasons to stop me from doing it.”
He released a heavy breath. “I just want to make sure you’re safe, Ellie.”
“You forget that I’m the one with powers.”
“Sure, against supernatural beings. I’m dealing with humans.”
“That you know of. And you’re unarmed and unprotected. And what are they going to do when they find out you don’t have the research information Allison was supposed to bring?”
“Ellie. We have a plan.”
“Which is sketchy at best. You’re going in alone while I’m hanging out in the carpet store. End of discussion.”
We drove through the semi-deserted park in silence. David pulled up in front of the flooring store and glanced down the alley in the direction of the office. I leaned over and gave him a kiss, then stared into his eyes. “Please be careful.”
“I’ll be fine. Wait here.”
Rather than answering, I opened the car door and climbed out before he could realize I hadn’t agreed. I gave him a small wave and walked over to the showroom, going inside without looking back. The car drove off and I pushed down my fear. He was right. He would most likely be safe.
I wandered around the showroom, staying close to the windows. The building he was visiting was close enough that I could see him park and get out of his car. When he disappeared inside, I took a deep breath.
“How long do you want to give him before we start to get worried?”
When I spun around, Collin was standing three feet behind me, his trademark cocky smile on his face.
“What are you doing here?”
