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Oh God, I thought with a sudden rush of panic. Of course that’s what he’s doing, you absolute moron. You really do have cotton for brains. This was the easiest way to get me here, so why wouldn’t he do it? Why wouldn’t he walk away with his paycheck and wash his hands of my problems? All he had to do was go along with my inane plan, and I’ve basically walked myself here for him.
I whipped a look at Kael over my shoulder, and he met it with stony indifference. That was it. He really was going to just leave me here. I balked, suddenly, my steps faltering and my heart pattering away with an unsteady rhythm. Kael’s eyes on me shifted, cascading from my face to my balled-up fists, and then straight back to my panicked expression.
He caught up to me, and while my father went to the door to punch in the code, Kael came to stand close to me, his chest pressed against the back of my arm. Surreptitiously, he marked my wrist with his finger. “Two,” he whispered, so faint, it could have been a breath.
I blew out a silent exhale of relief. That meant he was still going along with this. Right? As the front door opened, and my jail cell awaited, I realized it didn’t matter at this point. If Kael was going along with our plan, then I’d have to go in there and let him play his part. If he wasn’t, he’d make me go in, anyway. And I didn’t want to risk blowing our plan on a wisp of doubt.
I walked through the open door and prayed.
Mattie was losing it. I saw it in the falter of her steps, and then the wide-eyed, scrabbling panic that had clearly settled into her thoughts. I tried to reassure her with a silent tick on her wrist that she was acting out of turn, that our plan was still on, that I wouldn’t leave her here like she apparently thought I would do. I didn’t blame her for doubting. One of the handful of things I truly excelled at was intimidation. It was just the way my face had been built. As a kid in elementary school, I’d gotten sent to the principal’s office for “death glares” and “insubordination.” I had Resting Kill Face. There was no cure for RKF, as far as I could tell, so I used it to my advantage.
And it seemed that Mattie had fallen for my frigid indifference, so I had to hope that she took my signal for what it was and didn’t lose her composure once we were inside. I motioned for her to go in first, and the laser-sharp gaze of her father followed her swinging ponytail as she went through the front door. I went in after Mattie, and then my attention fell to the extravagant apartment.
Like most penthouses these days, it had an open floor plan that swept away from the ornate foyer area. Nearly every exterior wall had been built from floor-to-ceiling glass, and wrapping around the perimeter, a verdant garden porch lined the white-dominant room with cheery green. For the most part, that was the only color to be found. White furniture sat on white marble floors, flanked by shiny white furnishings and achromatic decor. The Thornes didn’t prefer neutrality—they clearly abhorred color.
“Please, join me in my study,” Mr. Thorne offered, sweeping a hand to the left. The bottom floor stretched out to a living room, kitchen, and media room, all spotlessly sterile and as inviting as a root canal. But he led me past all of that to a door tucked away in a hallway, and when he opened it, revealed a glass and polished white marble study. I’d seen a lot of studies, libraries, mancaves, etc. I’d never seen one that looked like a museum lobby. White shelves lined the white walls perpendicular to glass panels overlooking the city. His desk held all the character of a full ream of bleached printer paper.
No wonder Mattie had gone crazy here. I felt crazy standing here. There was a safe behind the black and white cityscape photograph, I was fairly sure, based on the way it sat away from the wall. The drawers in the desk looked locked. The bookcases were largely ornamental, and I didn’t detect any hidden rooms in the architecture of the floorplan. Our best bet for finding what Mattie needed was the desk, the safe, or his personal computer.
Mattie and Mrs. Thorne filed in behind us, and then Augustus shut the door with a crisp snap before coming around to stand behind his desk. Mattie stood by her mother to my left, looking out the window at the dark New York skyline. Alicia and Augustus Thorne stared at me with rapt attention.
Well, that had been easy. I’d apparently already sold them on the idea that I was in control, and I hadn’t even spoon-fed it to them yet. Alicia Thorne looked immaculate in lightweight, wide-leg trousers and a pressed white blouse that looked like each individual ruffle down the arms had been ironed by the world’s smallest laundromat. Augustus appeared much the same in his three-piece, blue suit and tightly knotted, blue and red tie that was a millimeter away from being tight enough to strangle him. He shifted a look toward Mattie. “Thank you for returning her.”
Mattie stared out the window, looking genuinely morose. I forced myself not to glance at her anymore, and I fixed my attention on Mr. Thorne’s apprehensive, brown-eyed gaze. “I won’t deny that it was a challenge. But we worked it out in the end.”
Both parents glanced at Mattie, and then at each other. Alicia asked, “How did you do it?”
Mattie stiffened, lips tightening and pinched face beginning to round on her mother. I caught her look before she could get there, snagging those agate-hard windows into her fiery soul. Three, my hard look said. Her chest rose and fell with a heavy breath before she looked back out at the glittering skyline. I gave Alicia a questioning tilt of my head. “I was told my methods wouldn’t be questioned.”
“Oh, we’re not questioning,” Augustus rushed to assure me. “We’re just curious. For… future reference.” Sweat gathered on his upper lip, and he looked nervous. Probably at the idea of losing Mattie again. I still couldn’t understand their adamant need to have her here and trapped in their home, but I suspected that was all part of what Mattie had hidden from me.
I intended to find out sooner rather than later. I didn’t like the feverish, worried look in Augustus’ eyes. “I see,” I replied placidly, my left hand resting on my utility belt. My thumb idly caressed my taser gun, and both of the Thornes dropped fleeting glances to the gesture. “I believe Mattie and I came to an understanding.”
My insides slithered at the hopeful look they exchanged. I didn’t know what was at stake here, but it had to be something significant if they didn’t even bat an eye at the suggestion that I had abused Mattie into obedience. Alicia set her thin lips in an unforgiving line. “Ghost, we appreciate your bringing her home, but I really must insist—I must ask if you will prolong your assignment.” She took a hesitant step toward me, her reflective pumps clicking over the marble floor. “Just for a short time,” she rushed to add.
I fed off my curiosity about their motives when I gave her a speculative quirk of one brow. “Why?”
Mattie’s posture had gone from rigid to nearly vibrating with pent-up fury. She didn’t want me asking questions, and based on her body language, I estimated that I had maybe two minutes here before she blew a gasket.
Alicia shared another glance with Augustus before replying carefully, “There’s a joint venture we’re in the middle of. A rather important opportunity for us all.”
“It will allow us to retire,” Augustus added. “And secure the business for the future. You understand, I’m sure.”
He said this like I was an equal, like I had the same problems billionaires shared. It was a monumental effort not to rub my forehead in irritation. “Of course,” I replied placidly.
“Our good friend is the other party in this deal, but he’s a family man, you see,” Augustus explained, his attention straying to Mattie momentarily before returning to me. “He has ideas about stability.”
Well, that tracked. It was the same reason politicians polished their families and hid the rot underneath when they faced the press. Mattie was a bit old to qualify for the blissful family image, but then again, I was convinced that anyone in the one percent of America’s wealthiest had to be a little touched in the head. I nodded once. “So, you’d like to ensure that Mattie stays nearby until this deal is brokered?”
“Yes,” Alicia said, her thin shoulders melting with a measure of relief. “Precisely.”
“How long?” I asked, shifting like I was growing restless.
Only I wasn’t growing restless. Mattie was. Her fingers tapped against her thigh, and she gripped the front of her silver metallic jacket like she wanted to rip it off and go Hulk on the room.
“Two weeks,” Augustus promised swiftly. “On Halloween, we have a gala where we plan to be seen as a family. We’ll sign with him November first. I’ll arrange for it.”
Absurd. If any of this had been real, I never would have agreed to babysit an heiress for two weeks. It was a true testament to these people’s entitlement that they thought someone like me would entertain a laughable proposition like that.
