The Future in My Veins

Chapter Sixteen

Unedited.

Chapter Sixteen

I decided to let Luke come with me to the Guild. Even though I remained mad at him, I banked the rage and decided having my support system outweighed any anger or pride. The car ride was quiet and tense, something I expected since he would wait for me to engage conversation. He didn't want to risk setting me off again and having this situation going beyond mild anger.

After collecting our visitor badges from the front desk, where Hank was surprisingly absent, I headed to the meeting with Jesse. After this, I'd head down to the M&M to give Brad his fifteen minutes of fretting and check with the Dorian's staff about the status of the autopsies. He wasn't conducting them here but he'd fax the reports to his office before sending them out to anyone else.

James buzzed me in with no wait time and greeted me with the usual, "Rookie," when I walked in. Luke decided to darken the hallway and not join me in the security office. Some things, he reckoned, I needed to do on my own.

"James. How goes things?"

He shrugged and swiveled a little in his chair. "You know how it goes this time of year. It's the slow period between Christmas and New Year when no one knows what the hell is going on but so much shit is happening."

"That seems to be the general consensus," I agreed. "Where am I going?"

"Conference room. David and Cap are already there."

Great. Full showing of colors then. "Do you know what Jesse wants?"

"No," he said carefully.

Well, that's fun bullshit. "Yeah, ok. You're a terrible liar."

James just shrugged and tilted his head toward the conference room. "Go get 'em, tiger."

"Using my own words against me? Shameful."

"It's not like you invented the phrase!" he called after me.

"No one else you know uses it!"

I walked to the conference room and didn't even bother knocking before opening the door. All three men looked up at me and I stopped two steps in. "What's up, buttercups? Everyone looks guilty as fuck."

They stood around the podium, looking as conspiratorial as ever. The only one who looked loose and comfortable was David. The other two put uptight in professional demeanor which told me they'd try to keep it from getting personal.

"You've had your coffee then?" David quipped.

But we all knew David hated professional.

"Happily caffeinated but just as mean." I looked from him to Jesse, completely ignoring Gregori. "What do you want?"

"Good morning to you too, Vertigo. Having a nice leave of absence?"

"It's been super awesome so far, thanks for asking, Jesse. I'm doing all the fun things I never got to do when I worked all the time. How's it going with you? Fuck anyone else over lately?"

"Jesus Christ, Geo," Gregori muttered. "Could you try to be civil?"

Yeah, ok. Wasn't in the mood to argue. "Get to your point or I'm leaving."

Jesse grabbed a file off the podium and held it out. "After reviewing the case, the Security Office has officially rescinded our demand for a deep-set tracker based on life-threatening health issues—"

"You mean because you've decided I'm actually dying? Enjoy the show last night then? Make you believe the words you read on paper?"

"Princess—"