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"Think he'll stay gone?" Dante asks.
I swallow the snort I want to let out. Instead, I chance a glance at Jenkins seated at his usual place behind the desk. He shakes his head, scowling.
"If he knows what's good for him. I'm tempted to send you after him just to finish the job," Jenkins grumbles.
"I offered to kill him two weeks ago," Dante says, glancing out the window as if he's not ridiculously invested in what Jenkins has to say.
"And I refused for good reason. He's still an asset to the Guild, though his usefulness is dwindling with every asinine decision he makes."
"And where exactly did he slip off to this time?" Dante brushes his hand along his leg, ever the picture of indifference.
"Synd. At least this time, he told me he was going. Convinced he'll be able to topple the mafia families there and pave the way for us." Jenkins shakes his head. "The council meeting is tonight."
"Well aware."
"This is a private meeting, Cruz. Not a time to flaunt your whores around."
Dante tilts his head, and I imagine he's smirking, though I can't see his face. "I'll bring whomever I like to the meeting. However, I'll reserve the favor for my most submissive bit."
A shiver rolls through me, knowing that will be me. I've never attended a council meeting, though I've seen the aftermath. Jenkins is always in a bad mood when the members meet. I don't particularly want to go, but Dante doesn't trust Grant not to take advantage of his absence, even with Jag still guarding his room.
Jenkins looks like he might insist Dante leave me behind, but then thinks better of it. The change in Jenkins only puts me more on edge. He's still the worst human being I've come across. The way he's conducting business now, though, speaks volumes. He hasn't had me pick someone for him in weeks. He hasn't harassed me either. I'm not complaining, but the switch in his demeanor, coupled with the way he's allowing Dante to control things, is concerning.
Dante doesn't care why Jenkins does the things he does. As long as Dante has access to the top tier of the Guild to set whatever traps, he won't bother to figure shit out. He should. Jenkins will eventually double-cross Dante, and we'll both be fucked. We need to make a move before Jenkins catches on. And before the Auction goes through.
"Have we chosen a reset date for the Auction?" Dante asks.
"One of the things we'll speak on tonight. This is the first year we've had to postpone."
Not to mention it’s the first time you bit off more than you could chew by trying to do two Auctions in one fucking year and then had to abandon the plan, asshole.
"Is this the first year it will be in the same city as headquarters?" Dante already knows the answer since I told him last week.
Jenkins isn't even hiding shit anymore. He used to have the perfect poker face. Maybe Dante really has worn the man down and made himself indispensable. The lines of exhaustion on Jenkins's face are pronounced as he nods at Dante, giving away every secret the Guild has kept for as long as I've been here.
Hopefully Dante will be able to use it to get me more access to the system. If we can bankrupt their cash flow, it'll shut down the satellite posts. That'll be the first step, but with Jenkins punishing me for being injured for almost a month, I don't know how I'll be able to do that.
"Perhaps you should allow someone else to take over certain aspects. I realize Anders was your first choice to organize the event, but this is too much for him."
"Are you volunteering, Cruz?" Jenkins asks, raising an eyebrow, but the look doesn't hit the same as it did a few weeks ago.
"I'm ill-equipped to organize an event of that magnitude. However, since I'm bankrolling the majority of it, dealing with the money might be more plausible."
Jenkins taps his fingers on his chin, contemplating Dante's suggestion. I hold my breath, my body perfectly still. I click on an icon on my screen I don't recognize.
It's not unusual to have programs come and go as my access to certain ones is often revoked. It's the Guild's fucked-up way of keeping me on a need-to-know basis. Though it makes my job harder, it also protects them from someone like me coming in and stealing their money.
"Do you know why I put her in this office?" Jenkins gestures to me. I keep my eyes fixed on my computer as the program boots up, subtly starting to breathe again.
Dante glances over his shoulder, murmuring, "No. I did find it strange you would put someone who can't be trusted in such a position."
Jenkins lets out a sharp laugh. "I trust no one, Cruz, much like yourself. Embezzlement comes in many forms, I've found."
"Embezzlement is only funds, Jenkins. Are you saying she's embezzling from you?"
"Certainly not. She wouldn't dare. Which is exactly why she's in that chair. I've had men dealing with our money, with the assets, with the Auction. Yet every time, they fucked me over. Eight years ago, Anders waltzed into my office—we were in some shithole city, needing to move on. And who did he drag with him, but her."
Jenkins pushes from his chair, rounds his desk, and steps next to me. He doesn't touch me, probably because he saw my father's face after Dante got done with him. His hand lands on the back of my chair, fingers brushing my back. I lean forward to get away from him, but it's not enough.
