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That lightened his touch. “I disagree, but what makes you think you suck at relationships, my fairy angel?”
Ellie could lose herself in that low comforting voice, but still, she forced an answer out. “My parents never really cared about me. It was never a family, more like an arrangement. My mother had me when she was really young, too young, and my father dropped out of school to start working. I think that in the beginning, they cared for each other, in what I imagine was puppy love, they were high school sweethearts. But as time went by, I believe they grew dissatisfied, frustrated with their situation. I was the obvious reason for their situation... I’m not saying I lacked the important stuff, but they lacked warmth, compassion. Maybe it was a blessing they placed me in foster care.”
“Your parents may have been lacking, but your every cell is filled with compassion. You feel for others, to the point of losing yourself in the process. It’s no surprise you chose a job where you could help others.” A slight hesitation made her turn, and Sam winced. “I have something to admit. When I moved in next to you, to get closer to you, I learned you’d been put on administrative leave at work.”
Sam didn’t ask why, but she could hear his unasked question nonetheless. Ellie didn’t want to come across as desperate to find a reason to live and have him believe she’d used him as an anchor. He’d become so much more to her than a simple mission or case. “As you said, it’s hard work. I think I overdid it.”
With a low hum, Sam seemed to accept her explanation, but for good measure, Ellie changed the subject. “How has your day been so far? Any headway?”
The mix of a sigh and a snort coming from behind her was revealing. “I thought so when Finch asked me to sort through some paperwork. I thought he was beginning to trust me, but I’m only given piles of bills, and the only bit of useful information was the address for this place.”
Interested, Ellie moved from the floor to sit beside him on the more comfortable couch. “What kind of bills?”
Sam shrugged, taking one of her hands in his, tracing the skin idly with his fingers. “Water, electricity, taxes, food... you name it, it’s probably there. What surprises me is that the house is under some obscure company name, one that probably escaped scrutiny when the authorities were hunting for Finch. He’s kept afloat despite it all, which is amazing in and of itself. He’s also owned this house for years, way before he established himself as a political and business figure in the city.”
Ellie pondered on that. “Maybe this house means something to him. It might be the reason he’s kept it for so long.”
This time, the derision in Sam’s tone was undeniable. “Finch is anything but sentimental.”
“Okay, so if it’s not because he likes the place, there must be another reason. Nothing stood out to you in all those invoices and bills?”
“It gave me the approximative number of staff he employs, which is less than what it appears, but there’s still enough that we need to have a plan before stepping out that door. I tried to memorize account numbers, but I doubt it will be worth it.” Sam hesitated for a second before continuing. “One thing caught my attention, but I don’t know what it means, or if it’s information at all. The electricity bill is high. Unusually high, even for a mansion of this size.”
“High? The lights are on in the communal areas, but I haven’t seen anything capable of drawing a lot of energy. Although I haven’t had access to every room here.”
“You probably know more about the layout of the building than I do. But you’re right. I haven’t seen anything justifying that expense.”
Ellie nodded, but stayed silent, trying to come up with an idea or a suggestion. “Could other houses be connected to the mansion?”
Sam didn’t seem to consider that option. “I don’t see why or how he’d do it. And his neighbors are quite a distance away and just as rich. Why would they want to do that?”
“If it’s not coming from outside, it’s coming from inside. I haven’t seen any external buildings on the property, so the only place that’s left is the basement. I’ve seen what I think is the basement door. There are probably other access points, but the door I saw was in the employees’ section.”
“Finch keeps me in his office.”
Ellie felt an idea starting to form. “But not me. Panem has sent me to new parts of the house to clean, and his surveillance isn’t as intense as it was a few weeks back.”
Sam’s face darkened at her suggestion. “No way. You’re not an agent. You’d be taking too high of a risk. We don’t know what’s under the house or if it’s guarded. Hell, maybe there’s guards down there.”
It was clear that Sam was shutting the option down hard, so hard that when she opened her mouth to argue, he squeezed her hand.
A quick look at the clock slammed the door on their conversation. Sam stood, and with a last kiss, he was out the door.
Ellie sat back on the floor, the last scraps of her lunch forgotten, her mind circling around that seed of an idea Sam had planted. It was a bad idea, but at least it was a possibility. And what did they have to lose?
Chapter Nineteen
Ellie had never felt moreanxious in her life. Since her discussion with Sam a few days before, she couldn’t think about anything but exploring the basement.
As she’d told Sam, she’d seen the door, and it wasn’t a surprise that not only was it locked, it used some sort of fob.
It confirmed that whatever was downstairs was worth protecting. It took a lot of patience watching the guards pass through the employees’ area as she was busy cleaning to check if any of them had an access chip, but from what she could see, they appeared to use standard keys. Apart from the keypad alarm near the entrance, the remaining security was quite basic. Not that she was an expert, but Sam had reluctantly agreed with her observations in a previous discussion that he’d quickly ended for a more pleasurable form of communication.
It wasn’t much of a leap to deduce that only Finch, and maybe Panem, had access to the basement.
The surveillance on her had lessened. Panem was still popping out of nowhere to check on her, but it wasn’t as intense as in the beginning. They’d also assigned her new spaces including the offices, first Finch’s, then Panem’s, and finally the head of security’s office, which was further proof they thought she was under control.
As for Finch, she knew he liked to see her in such a subservient position, especially when Sam was in the room, and it was one of the reasons why Ellie made sure to finish her work as quickly as possible in that zone. She wanted to spare him the pain of having to see her on her hands and knees.
