Ten
Xin
We were stuck in a limbo while we waited for Patrick to get back from his trip, and I knew it was driving Gabriel crazy because he'd texted me quite a few times, wanting to know if I was sure we'd left no clues at Patrick's place and if the storage unit was secure and if I was sure nothing could go wrong.
If he was left to his devices, he would worry himself sick. So I decided to go see him.
Hella had already left to hassle another demon, so I teleported straight to his door, making myself visible once I'd made sure the hallway was empty.
I knocked, then waited to hear Gabriel's footsteps get closer and closer before the door opened, and he gave me a surprised look that quickly turned to worry.
"Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. May I come in?"
Gabriel blinked, then stepped aside. "Of course. Would you like something to drink?"
I shook my head, laughing when Gray raced over and almost crashed into me. I grabbed him just in time so he wouldn't hurt himself, then scratched his chin as he wagged his tail rapidly.
"Hello to you too, Gray," I greeted, smiling when he gave me a doggy grin.
"Take a seat," Gabriel said, and I followed him to the couch. Once we'd sat down, Gray tried to squeeze himself between us before reluctantly taking his spot on the floor instead.
"I apologize for dropping by out of nowhere," I said as I turned to Gabriel. "You sounded worried in your texts, so I just wanted to assure you face-to-face that everything is going to be okay. No mistakes were made, and it will all be fine."
Gabriel stared at me for a long moment, then nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you come all this way."
"Not a problem," I assured him, and he nodded. I wanted to reach out and touch him. Just a light touch, maybe on his hand? I wanted to trace the veins visible on the back of his hand, follow their path all the way to his heart.
Not yet, I reminded myself. I had to be patient with him. But maybe I could...
"I have a question for you," I said against my better judgement. I didn't know how Gabriel would reply, but maybe it would give me an idea of where I stood. If the answer was a firm no, it would mean I had work to do.
"Yeah?" Gabriel prompted when I didn't continue, and I exhaled, steadying myself.
"After this is over, after Patrick is arrested, will you go out with me?"
Gabriel went still, every muscle in his body frozen in time, and my heart sank. It'd been too soon. I should've waited.
He shook his head, seemingly shaking himself out of his stupor.
"You—you want to go on a date with me?"
I nodded quickly, and he rubbed his palm over his face, then met my gaze.
"Yes. Once Patrick is arrested, I'll go out with you. But until then..."
"Fully professional, I promise," I said, trying not to show the giddiness I felt on my face. "Therefore, I think I should leave."
Gabriel's eyes twinkled, and I remembered people didn't really use therefore in conversations these days. I was sure he already thought I was strange, so I didn't try to correct myself.
I started to get up when Gabriel reached for me, his hand hovering over my wrist without touching it.
"Wait."
I sat back down, and he shrugged. "Stay for a while. It's almost lunchtime. I could make us some sandwiches?" he suggested, and I tried not to beam at him, though I was nodding before he'd finished speaking.
Gabriel smiled, then handed me the flatscreen remote before hurrying off to the kitchen. Gray took his place on the couch almost instantly, and spread his body over my legs before I could follow Gabriel.
Kissing the top of Gray's head, I gave him a rub, chuckling when he almost fell off in his attempt to show me his belly.
I was glad he liked me, because, if all went well, we would be spending a lot of time together once this thing with Patrick was dealt with.
When Gabriel came back with two plates stacked with sandwiches, I finally turned on the flatscreen, picking a movie he said he'd been meaning to watch.
While I wouldn't say this to him, having lunch with him while watching a movie very much felt like a date to me, even if we talked shop in between bites and scenes. I would happily take every moment I got to spend with him, though, with or without a label.
Afterward, I lingered as long as I could, but I didn't want to overstay my welcome or make Gabriel feel pressured into it now that our feelings were out in the open.
I helped him clean up, gave Gray a few more kisses, and then left.
Or at least I meant to, but something made me turn invisible and go right back. I knew it wasn't right to creep on Gabriel like that, but I couldn't help myself.
I found him sitting on the couch with his face buried in Gray's back and his fingers curled in his short fur.
"What am I going to do, Gray? They're so fucking good and out of my league, and here I am making them wait."
I wanted to tell him I'd wait for him forever if that was what he needed, but of course, I couldn't. If I did, he would definitely want nothing to do with me.
I didn't stay any longer, and when I got home, I spent some time simply thinking about everything that had to happen for me to get here.
Without the dark souls' escape, I never would've ended up in the human realm, and without Eshim moving away, I never would've crossed paths with Gabriel.
Gabriel
A little after eight that night, I got a text from Renée.
Renée: The pieces are sold!
Me: All of them?
Renée: Yep. Told you my fence would come through. Are you sure about letting me keep the whole thing?
Me: How much did you get for it?
Renée: Just under half a mil.
That was more than I'd expected, but it didn't change things. I'd promised Renée she could keep whatever she made from selling the uninsured pieces, and I wasn't going to change my mind.
Me: Keep it. Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done it without you.
Renée: Eh. I think Xin could've handled it. They're more than meets the eye, but they seem very determined to help you.
Remembering what Xin had asked me earlier made my heart skip, and I shook my head, taking a moment to catch myself before I replied.
Me: Either way, if all goes to plan, this is the last time we'll communicate.
Renée: Roger that. Good luck with the rest of your plan. I'll keep hold of this phone for a while just in case you need me again.
Me: Thank you, for everything.
Renée: Trust me, it was my pleasure.
With a chuckle, I backed out of the chat thread, and immediately found myself clicking on Xin's number.
Me: Did Renée text you?
Xin replied in seconds, and I wondered if they'd been waiting for me to text, then shook my head at myself. They were a hacker. Of course they were on their phone.
Xin: No. Is something wrong?
Me: Not at all. She was just telling me she sold the art pieces and got half a mil for them. I told her to keep it.
Xin: Nice! She earned it.
Me: Exactly what I thought. How are things going on your end?
Xin: Good. I spent the afternoon embezzling money from AmazeAI. It was fun :)
Years ago, Patrick had embezzled money in my brother's name, and even though the money was never found, my brother had gone to prison for it.
While getting Patrick arrested for insurance fraud was a good first step, it wasn't my end goal.
I wanted to expose the embezzlement, and I wanted to prove my brother's innocence without a shadow of doubt.
It wouldn't help Kevin now, but I still wanted his name cleared.
It would be impossible for me to do it without Xin, and I felt lucky they were the hacker I'd chosen for this job. I doubted another person would be as dedicated to this mission as them. Maybe the only reason they cared was because they wanted to get in my pants, but even so, I'd take it.
Wanting to ask them more about what they were doing, I called them as Gray returned from his trip into the kitchen, his chin dripping water all over my thigh as he lay his head on my leg.
Wrinkling my nose, I scratched his head and smiled as Xin greeted me in their warm, mellow voice. Gray stared at me, the judgement clear on his face.
"Hey, tell me more about that. What exactly are you doing?"
Earlier today, we'd discussed it a little over lunch and movie, but we hadn't gone into detail, mostly because I'd been too distracted by the fact that they'd asked me out.
"I backdated it so it wouldn't look suspicious, and I used Patrick's schedule to make sure every transaction took place when he was in the office but you weren't. Since he wasn't caught last time, I used the same method.
That is, I used your IP address and credentials to make the transactions.
I managed to track down his offshore account, and transferred the money there, leaving a trail that an adequately skilled digital forensic expert would be able to follow. "
"So basically, you've stolen from AmazeAI using my credentials, but only at times when I wasn't in the office but Patrick was?"
"Yes. With Kevin, the issue was that he'd also been at work when Patrick used his credentials, so the suspicion never fell on Patrick. I made sure that won't happen this time."
"We still need to work out how to lead the investigation from insurance fraud to embezzlement," I said as Gray started licking my fingers.
While Aisha could control the investigation to a certain extent, she wouldn't be alone, and she couldn't just decide to investigate Patrick deeper without some concrete evidence of a crime.
"The cops would have to interview you, wouldn't they?
After Patrick, you would know the most about his house and schedule.
There's a possibility they'll suspect you until they find me.
You could try to insert the fact into the conversation if you get an in.
That would give your cop friend an in to look deeper. "
They were right about that. But also...
"Are you sure about getting arrested? Can't we do it another way?"
"It's the fastest way to point the finger at Patrick. I'll be fine—don't worry."
"But what if they decide to press charges?"
"They won't. And even if they do, I'll get out of it."
"How?"
"Trust me," Xin said, and for some unfathomable reason, I did. I had since we started working together, even though sometimes I felt like I barely knew them.
Why was it so easy to trust them when I'd spent the last decade keeping my distance from most people?
"You better be right. Our first date can't be inside a jail cell."
Xin was quiet, and I wondered if they regretted asking me out. They'd seemed pretty earnest then, but maybe they'd thought better of it.
"Xin?"
"Sorry, I just... I was worried you agreed because you still need me for your plan, so it was nice to hear you say that."
I should feel hurt by that assumption, but to be honest, if I didn't have feelings for Xin, I probably still would've said yes for exactly that reason. I wouldn't let anything come in the way of my plan.
"I do like you, Xin," I admitted in a low voice, and Gray tilted his head as he watched me, as if he was trying to understand my words.
"I like you too," they said, and I could hear the smile in their voice. "I just have a little more work left to do. Come Monday, Patrick's downfall will be in full swing."
"I can't wait."
Before putting my phone away, I texted Aisha to let her know what would happen on Monday—without actually including anything incriminating in the text—so she could make sure to be the one to take the case.
Instead of heading to bed, I found myself sitting in front of my closet, my violin cradled in my lap. It had been so long since I'd felt the urge to play. My fingers skittered over the strings, making sure they were tightened properly.
Would Xin want to listen?
Kevin had always enjoyed listening to me. He'd preferred the guitar over the violin, but he'd liked them both. Maybe that was why I hadn't played since he died. All my favorite listeners were gone. Who was left to play for?
Maybe, if everything went well, I could play for Xin someday.