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“At the time we were involved, yes. When he got promoted to risk management, he cut off contact.”
I smiled. “But you tried to communicate with him anyway.”
She shoved a forkful of cake into her mouth. “What can I say? I enjoyed our time together, and I’ve never been much of a rule follower, inside or outside The Corporation.”
“Which department were you in together?”
“Operations. It’s the umbrella department of risk management. Here’s the thing, though. I loved my job. Loved. I never feel more alive than when I’m creating mischief and ruining relationships. It’s who I am at my core.”
“Is that why you chose to come here? You knew by showing up on my doorstep that you’d wreak havoc?”
She hesitated. “To be honest, I hadn’t given it much thought. It was purely a survival instinct. It seemed like the safest of all the unsafe bets.”
I couldn’t decide whether to be offended. “How did I seem like a safe bet to you?”
“Truth?”
“Truth.”
She scraped the frosting off her plate. “In two minutes, I sensed more humanity in you than any supernatural I’ve ever known.”
“That’s interesting, because as I recall, we were fighting to the death.”
Addison offered a meek smile. “Oh, come on. I was gathering intel. I had no intention of killing you, and I figured out pretty quickly that you wouldn’t kill me.”
“You don’t think I’d kill to defend myself?”
“I think you’d exhaust every other option first.” She tapped with her fork. “And that’s not typical of our kind. Gods and goddesses tend to do what they want, when they want, to whomever they want. We’re a spoiled, selfish bunch.”
“Gee, tell me how you really feel.”
She sprawled her hands. “It’s true. We all know it. It’s almost a badge of honor to be as ruthless as possible. At least, it was for me.”
“What happened? You don’t seem so ruthless now.” Unless she was still planning to double-cross me. I wouldn’t put it past her.
“I was humbled by recent events.”
“You hit rock bottom?”
“And bounced, then hit an even rockier bottom.”
“Sounds painful.”
Her mouth turned down at the corners. “You have no idea.” She splayed her hands on the table. “Will you tell me who you are now?”
“Nope.”
“Why not? I’m on your side now, remember?”
“The only side you’re on is yours. You’re the top priority, as you just reminded me.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Isn’t your survival your top priority? Or are you hiding in this house because you like the sound of clanging pipes and wallpaper curling?”
“You said it was a Barbie dream house.”
“I see the potential, but it’s falling short at the moment. You can’t live in potential. It’s unsustainable long-term.”
“Excuse me, not all of us have enjoyed a healthy paycheck from The Corporation.”
