10. Clay
Chapter 10
Clay
Sweat beads on my brow as I approach Paul. Eli has the power to cut us off from our super soldier abilities. I experienced it firsthand when he infiltrated our hideout last year, posing as Vera’s former boyfriend. When he cut the connection to my powers, it felt like I’d lost a limb. I was unconscious for hours. It took just as many for my powers to return. If he does it again here, he could drag Paul and me back to the hell we worked so hard to escape.
The same fear rests in Paul’s eyes and the chaotic patterns streaming from him. I rush to his side and squeeze his arm. He lets out a sigh, and we both watch Eli maneuver through the room with Emilia.
“We knew this was a probability. Keep it together and try to get him alone. Garrett is on standby ,” Specter says in our implants. Just hearing his voice settles my nerves. If Eli cuts us off, Garrett can teleport here and grab us before Eli takes us in.
“He won’t do anything with so many witnesses. I need you both to settle your heart rate. We’ve got your backs,” Raven says.
Paul and I share a look, and we both attempt to relax. We’ll never face the dark alone again. I glance at Fiona as she settles onto a barstool with her second glass of wine. I can’t deny the relief when she confirmed she’s no longer friends with Deanna. Not that it matters. But even Elijah, arguably the most dangerous man on the planet, wants nothing to do with his ex-wife. If Deanna is a black widow, then Fiona is a beautiful, harmless butterfly.
It doesn’t take long for Eli to extract himself. He makes eye contact and disappears into the dark hallway leading to the back of the house.
Dylan signals for me to follow from across the room, but Raven speaks into my implant. “Tell Dylan to stay behind.”
I point to my temple and shake my head at Dylan. He glowers, and returns to his position near Emilia. I squeeze my fists and follow Eli down the creepy hallway, itching to use my lightning. I find him in the courtyard. The surrounding air constricts and I call my lightning. He puts his hands up in surrender.
“I just bent the air to prevent eavesdropping. Are Alex and Skye safe?” he asks, showing unexpected vulnerability. I let the energy in my hands drain into the ground. He watches me intently as he waits for my answer.
“They’re safe.”
He lets out a long breath and rubs the back of his neck, exhaustion apparent in his features. “I know Raven is watching. Tell me your plans.”
“Only if you braid my hair while we tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets.”
“Listen, kid. I don’t have time for this.”
I bristle at the ‘kid’ comment, but I let it pass. “How about you tell me what you’re up to first?”
“Edgar employed me at Reilly Tech as an accounting consultant. We made sure Reilly Tech got Victor’s assets. Edgar wants me to seduce Emilia to get all her secrets and maneuver the assets where he wants them.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“What he asks. Except for the seducing part. I’m not Victor,” he says with venom, and I can’t help but smirk.
“Skye killed him.”
His eyes widen, and a strange sadness flickers across them. “Good for her.”
“Well, technically, Jordy shot him first, but she finished him.”
His eyebrows raise. “Jordy is alive?”
“Damnit, Clay!” Raven grumbles and I wince. Whoops .
Elijah smiles. “That’s good news. She was…lost without him. And Alex gets his second chance. They must be so happy.”
There’s nothing but truth in the statement, and his concern for my friends makes me ask my next question. “Is Fiona part of your plan?”
My heart picks up speed and I clench my fists, dreading his answer.
“No. Her father excommunicated her. As far as I know, she’s no longer affiliated with Infinitum.”
I puff out my cheeks and scrub a hand through my hair. It doesn’t mean much, other than we still don’t have any conclusive evidence that she’s our mole. There was genuine pain in her voice when she talked about the falling out with her parents. It’s all so damn frustrating.
“Tell him,” Raven says in my implant and I sigh.
“We’re trying to find the people working for Edgar within Reilly Tech. The plan is to have him arrested for his embezzlement crimes.”
Eli frowns. “Has Raven gone soft?”
“He doesn’t want us to be like you. Besides, death is too good for that asshole.”
Eli looks to the side and nods, unperturbed by my insult. “Understood.”
“Will you help us?”
“I’ll do my best. I promise not to hinder you. If I blow my cover, I’m dead.”
“Give him your burner phone,” Raven says.
I sigh and pull the phone out of my pocket. Eli takes it without a word and nods.
“Thank you,” I say.
He raises an eyebrow.
“What you did to Vera was shitty. Helping Skye and Alex doesn’t erase that, but it means a lot.”
He searches my face and his throat bobs before he speaks. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for the indirect part I played in your captivity. I’ll do my best to prevent it from happening to anyone else.”
I long suspected that he was well aware of his father’s torture techniques. Eli was already against Edgar when we met the first time, but Skye claims in the interim, they killed someone he loved. My parents’ terrified faces flash through my memory and I hold out my hand. He slowly takes it and we shake.
“Deanna showed up earlier this week and spoke with Fiona. It wasn’t friendly. She may have recognized me, but I distracted her. Can you get her off our trail?”
He frowns. “I don’t have contact with her anymore, but I’ll see what I can do. Keep Fiona away from her. She’s dangerous.”
“Well aware.”
He nods once and leaves me standing there alone on the patio. My ears pop as he disappears inside and the air returns to normal. Despite our different backgrounds, we’re both just trying to do the right thing. I can respect that.
Dylan appears, and I fill him in. He takes a call from Raven and I rejoin the party, scanning the crowded room for blonde hair with purple highlights. Eli plays at the poker table nearest me, chatting with Xander like they’re best friends. Paul shakes his head, confirming Fiona left, and I bury my disappointment. This latest development tells me more about her, but I sense we’re just scraping the surface. Time to dive in.
“Why don’t we just see what happens during the merger? It will be easy to spot new assets going missing or not adding up,” Fiona suggests. She’s not wrong.
“If they’re smart, they’ll wait until things settle down before starting up again,” I say.
She frowns, but miracle of miracles, she doesn’t argue.
“Regardless, we’re out of time. Let’s keep monitoring,” Dylan says.
Another few days have gone by with nothing to show for it. What if Fiona isn’t who we’re looking for? That’s what she’d want us to think. Hiding in plain sight would be a smart move on her part.
We work in silence for another hour and I catch my eyes drifting towards her as she sifts through recent financial transactions. I’ve never figured out if I have a type. Candace was dark-haired with an olive complexion. Even though she was manipulating me, the connection with her was all-consuming. Charlie says that they programmed it that way, and until John confirmed she did the same thing to him, I was convinced that our connection was real. Even when I killed her, I did it knowing I was in love with her. When this fight is over, I probably won’t have a need for a type. But if I was a betting man, I’d say it was Fiona.
Her intelligence is next level, and she lets my insults and off-handed comments roll off her. She knows who she is and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. I admire that. It’s just too bad that she works for Infinitum.
Huh . Maybe I have a type, after all.
She has her headphones in and hums along. I recognize the song as Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. She likes classic rock too?
She glances at me and does a double take when she catches me staring. I wink at her and she scowls and flips me the bird before she continues to ignore me. She’s one thousand percent my type.
I heave a sigh and check the results from our latest algorithm search, signaling Dylan when something catches my eye. He scoots over and glances at Fiona, who’s chewing on her inner lip, ?focused on her search. I wonder what it would be like to have her full concentrated attention. Am I jealous of a damn laptop? Get it together, Firebolt.
“What have you got?” he whispers.
“Arthur has visited Edgar’s office more than three times as any other person in the building.”
Dylan considers for a moment. “It could be part of his job.”
Before I can answer, Eli appears in the doorway, startling us both because he can cloak everything about him, including his patterns. He nods at us but addresses Fiona.
“Edgar would like to see you,” he says.
She stiffens, glancing at me. “About what?”
“I’m not sure.”
Something isn’t right. Fiona stands, adjusting her tight pencil skirt before she grabs her small purse she carries by a wrist strap. She dressed sexy today and I like to pretend it was for me. I notice the slight tremor in her hands as she passes, and a wave of her anxiety pulses into me. I stand, but Dylan puts his hand on my shoulder.
Eli motions down the hall when she hesitates at the threshold. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
She glances at me again before she takes a deep breath and holds her shoulders back, taking determined and measured steps towards Edgar’s office. That’s my girl.
Whoa, what?
The air changes around us, and Eli lowers his voice. “Edgar is up to something. He wanted me there, too. I’ll watch out for Fiona. You have my word.”
He meets my stare as he speaks, and my shoulders relax. I nod and he follows her.
“If your first thought isn’t about what orders Edgar has for Fiona, we’ve got problems,” Dylan says, and I blink at him. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. Fiona is terrified, so all I could think about was keeping her safe. Eli picked up on it, so it’s no surprise Dylan did too.
I shove a hand through my hair. “Fuck.”
Dylan sighs. “I know you like her, but you can’t let it derail you. If she turns out to be innocent, you can pursue her. Until then, keep your guard up.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t…I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Happens to the best of us.” He smirks, easing my tension.
I send a tendril of my power down the hall. The second Fiona enters Edgar’s office, my perception of her cuts off and the recoil is like a slap in the face.
I extend my hearing, but that hits a wall, too. “Edgar has his office sealed.”
He pulls out his phone. “I’ll ask Specter to follow Arthur and get some intel. You do the same with Fiona tonight. She seems to trust you.”
Something heavy settles in my gut at his words. Trust is a curse word in my book. Minutes drag on, seeming like hours. My powers pick up on her like a dog with a scent the moment she leaves Edgar’s office, and I’m moving without thought, barely holding myself back from speeding to her side.