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“You wouldn’t have to do it yourself, I’d do it for you,” I assure him.
“Perfect.”
CHAPTER2
SEVEN DAYS LEFT
KADE
When I reach Harker’s office building, I take the elevator up to the sixth floor before stepping out. With Harker handling my finances, I’ve been here often enough that the secretary merely glances up and gives me a nod before going back to his work.
I head down the hallway to the far corner where Harker’s office is. There’s a waiting area outside it where a young man and a woman are sitting. They don’t seem to know each other if the distance between them is any indication. Pushing Harker’s office door open, I realize he’s not inside and promptly call him, but he doesn’t answer.
Irritated, I walk over to the chairs and sit down between the man and woman.
“Someone called him out a bit ago,” the man says as he stares at one of those ridiculous handheld game things in his hand.
“He acted like it wouldn’t take long,” the woman says, “but I’ve been here twenty minutes.”
“Ha, I’ve been here forty. You guys want to playMario Partywhile we wait?” he asks as he eagerly looks between us.
I ignore the man-child and lean back in my chair where I proceed to write death threats to Harker.
Me: Where the fuck are you?
Me: Don’t be late, eh? I swear that I will wring your balls if you make me late.
Me: Oh, that’s right, you don’t have any balls. Your wife’s got your balls.
Ah… at least threatening others gives me an ounce of joy in my life that’s so lacking it.
Suddenly, the guy slips into the chair next to me.
“I really think it’s going to be a while; we could playMario Kartwhile we wait.”
I stare at him and wonder at what point it looked like I wanted to partake in anything he’s offering.
He’s currently giving me a grin that makes me pause to take him in. It’s like he’s loving this and I don’t even know why. Even though he’s similar to me in height and weight, his hoodie is too big for him and there’s a bunch of superhero stuff all over it, making him look out of place in Harker’s office where everyone else is dressed professionally.
“Oh, don’t you know whatMario Kartis?” he asks.
“No, no… I just don’t give ashitwhat it is,” I say, hoping he gets the hint that I’m not a small talk kind of guy. I’m a no-talk kind of guy unless I want something, and then I expect to get it with minimal pushing.
His blue-green eyes lock on to mine. “Ah… okay, okay. Some people just don’t like the little Italian dude. I get it, I get it. I have other games, though. Ooh, old school? How aboutTetris? We couldTetrisit up in here.Tetrisparty, y’all.”
Why is he stilltalking? “Does any part of my face look like I want to engage with you?” I ask, not used toanyonewillingly coming up and talking to me, but perhaps that’s because most people know who I am. I suppose nerds who climb out of their mother’s basements aren’t as privy to the underworld.
He cocks his head and stares at me for a long moment. “Well… you kind of looked like you were going to snap your phone in half in unadulterated anger if I continued to let you text, so I thought you could put some of that fury intoTetris. Like… fuck that little block with the hook on it, ya know?”
I glower at him. And the thing is, I have a good glower. One that generally makes anyone I toss it at do whatever the fuck I want them to. Generally, I don’t even have to lift a finger or speak a word to get them to understand, but this one is far too dense with that irritating smile of his, like he thinks it’s charming or something. “If you say… one more thing aboutTetris, I’m going to take your little toy and toss it in the trash.”
He flips the game thing this way and that before grimacing, like he’s realized maybe that doesn’t sound overly pleasant. “Sooooo not aTetrisfan, I take it…” He gives me a look like he pities me. “How much did those blocks wrong you, my man?”
“Go sit absolutelyanywhereelse,” I plead.
“Anywhere?” he asks.
“Yes…anywhere else.”
