Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 76

"Hey, can I speak with you for a second?" I whispered to Row as he typed away at the computer. He jumped at the sound of my voice, a hand flying to his chest when he looked up and saw me.

"Geez, you startled me. Yeah, of course. What's up?" he asked, turning around in his chair. I glanced at Cleo and Levi, who were both engrossed with what they were doing. I shook my head at Row. 

"Not here. Come with me outside." I walked away, leaving through the front door of the warehouse. I walked until I was standing behind the car, creating a decent amount of space between me and the building. No one should be able to hear me from all the way over here. 

Row whistled as he walked my way, looking at the damaged car. "My god, what happened to the car?" he asked, looking up at me when he made it to my side. I waved my hand in the air, dismissing his words. 

"Long story. I have some questions for you, and I don't want you repeating them to anyone else, got it? Can I trust you?" I asked him, wanting to be sure. His brows bunched at my words, but he nodded anyway. 

"Of course, you can trust me. What's up?" he tilted his head, waiting for me to speak. I glanced at the warehouse before I started speaking. 

"How close are you with Killian? Have you guys been friends long?" I asked him, leaning against the car. 

"Well, I've known him for years, actually. We've been working together for years, so with time, we eventually end up getting to know each other whether we like it or not. But I wouldn't say we are that close. He doesn't really trust anyone easily. I would say the person he considers a best friend would have to be Levi. They knew each other before the team got together." He gave me information I didn't even know. I wasn't surprised that Levi was someone he considered a best friend. He gravitated more to him from my observations. I nodded, digesting his words. 

"Okay, so you wouldn't feel bad if you went against him then?" I asked, gauging his reaction. His brows dipped, and he squinted at me. 

"What do you have planned, Scarlett? If you're going to betray Killian, I won't be able to help you with that. He seems happy with you, and betraying him would literally break him." His words were sincere, and I resisted the urge to poke out my lip at how sweet that was. 

"We aren't together, we're just friends, but I don't plan on betraying him, so don't worry. I would just like for you to do something for me and keep it a secret from Killian. It's regarding Archer." 

He nodded. "Okay, keep going." 

I told him about how I wanted him to track down Archer himself and inform me of any movements. I told him about the conversation that I had with Killian about killing Archer and how I wanted to be first. Row's eyes widened as I explained what I wanted from him. 

"You know, that kind of feels like a small betrayal against Killian," he started speaking after I was done, and I opened my mouth to speak, but he held a hand up, stopping me. "but, I'll do it for you. I saw what you looked like when you dropped at the doorstep, so I know the kind of rage you must be feeling. I'll help you out. I'm not as good as Levi, though, but since he's distracted with finding the other targets at the moment, I might be able to get information faster than him. I'll keep you updated." 

"Thank you, Row. I'm sorry if you feel I'm putting you in a tough spot. You don't have to go through with it if you don't want and I won't be upset. I'll understand." I told him, and he shook his head, a smile growing on his face. 

"No worries, I'll actually enjoy doing something sneaky for a change. This is going to be fun." He looked excited, and I chuckled at his excitement. There was still a lot of time left before Levi would have any information for us on the next target, so I decided to take a nap. I didn't want to be too comfortable, so I slept on the couch that Killian wasn't sitting on.