Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
SINCLAIR
An hour into my work day and I felt as though I could have put 'stalker' on my resume.
When Charlotte went to make herself a cup of coffee, I had a quick look over her desk.
Like the rest of us, she knew to turn off her computer screen when she stepped away. Anyone would think we didn't work for the same team.
Apart from a photo of what looked like a new kitten, I saw nothing suspicious on her desk. The kitten was only suspicious because I could have sworn she was allergic to cats. Or was that Divina? Either way, without opening her computer and taking a look, I couldn't discern anything.
I barely managed to step away before she returned and found me looking suspicious as fuck.
I went back to my desk and back to work until Kylie stepped out from behind hers.
Under the guise of trying to find a pen—they did walk off on an almost hourly basis around here—I rose and went over to her desk for a good look there.
Again, her computer was turned off, but her workspace was strange because there was nothing personal there.
No photos of partners, children or pets.
No posters to remind her that Friday would come eventually.
Not even a game roster. How long had she been here?
At least a couple of months. Long enough to make some kind of mark on the space.
Granted, not everyone wanted to, but her space was strangely bare.
"Looking for something?" she said behind me.
Apparently I couldn't put 'good stalker' on my resume. I jumped and turned around, trying not to look as guilty as fuck.
"I was looking for a pen," I said. "The damn things seem to sprout legs and run off." I choked back a laugh that didn't sound genuine even to my ears.
She didn't look convinced, but she smiled. "I've noticed that. No matter where you work, there's never enough pens. Which is weird, because we do most of our work on computers."
I shrugged. "There's always some kind of paperwork to be done. Things that need to be signed by hand. Amendments to the roster that need to be made, but we have to scribble on it to save having to print it all out again."
I was babbling. A sure sign of nerves.
She looked at me funny. "Yeah, I guess so." She gestured towards her desk. "Help yourself."
She had a whole cup full of them, but the cup said nothing on the side of it. It was a plain white coffee cup that looked like it was never used.
Either she was the tidiest person in the world, or she really hated having personal things around her. At least the pens had the Demons logo on the side. Otherwise, I might have thought she was a serial killer.
Honestly, I wouldn't rule that out. She worked here, after all.
"Thanks." I smiled a little too broadly and grabbed up a pen.
"I'd say any time, but chances are they will have run away by this afternoon," she said with a smile.
The laugh I gave in response was higher than normal. I hoped like hell she didn't notice. She might think I'm a serial killer.
I hurried back to my desk and slipped back into my chair.
I wouldn't win any awards for my espionage skills.
So far this morning, I'd learned nothing of any significance.
Maybe I wasn't going to. I could very well be barking up the wrong tree here.
Just because Aidan thought they were suspect, didn't mean he was right.
Tank and BJ might be the only ones. Or they could be totally innocent too.
If I kept thinking about this too hard, I was going to start to suspect myself. I was pretty sure I had no reason to. I'd always been loyal to the Brantleys.
I'd never tell, but I'd had a crush on Joshua Brantley at one point. Why wouldn't I? He was rich, smart and hot.
He was also as controlling as fuck, like his older brothers. Hot stopped being quite so hot when I couldn't do anything or go anywhere without the permission of a guy.
No thanks.
I turned on my computer and tried to focus on work, with half an eye for the goings-on around me.
People talked in low voices, moved around to get coffee or go to the toilet. Just the usual everyday sounds and movements in the PR department. Nothing out of place, but everything put me on edge. Every whispered word, every person who walked past.
I kept expecting someone to pull out a gun and started shooting, or for the whole place to explode.
Absolutely nothing happened. I booked some appearances for the players, making sure to include the children's hospital, and the junior Dusk Bay hockey team. The players were role models to kids like that and everyone got a lot out of those appearances.
Honestly, I wasn't sure who enjoyed them more, the players or the kids.
Even the big, bad grumpy ones like Phoenix and Tiger seemed to like hanging out with kids who adored them.
And the kids— They walked away sure they wanted to be professional hockey players someday.
Most of them wouldn't make it, but one or two might and that made it worthwhile.
I was just looking into ice dancing when people started to step away from their desks and go to eat lunch.
One of the rules our office manager made was that no one should eat at their desk. It was a habit a lot of us had, but she was right. We needed to step away and take a break. It was good for us and gave us a chance to get to know each other better.
With that in mind, I grabbed my lunch out of my bag, closed my computer and followed Charlotte and Kylie without trying to look like I was following them.
After all, there were only so many places in the arena to eat lunch.
I was hoping they'd choose to eat outside in the winter sun, but instead they headed to the cafeteria.
They both ordered coffee and sat down separately.
Charlotte with a group of other women and Kylie by herself.
She sat with her back to a wall, facing the room.
I couldn't blame her, that was always my preferred choice of seating.
Trust was a precious commodity I didn't have much of, even before all of this started.
When you grew up surrounded by criminals and dubious people, you tended to assume everyone was one.
Taking that as a cue, I slid into the chair opposite Kylie. "Can I sit here?" I placed my sandwich down on the table and started to peel back the cling wrap.
"It's a free country," she said.
I suddenly felt like I was back in high school. "That's what they want you to think," I said with a laugh. "Then you reach adulthood and start paying taxes, buying food and paying rent. Then you realise, maybe it's not so free after all."
"Right." She gave me the same funny look she had when I asked for a pen. "I just meant you could sit there if you want to."
"Oh, I know, I was just saying…" Shit, this just got really awkward.
I picked up half of my sandwich, cut diagonally of course, because I'm not a serial killer, and bit into one of the pointy ends.
I managed to swallow without incident. "So, are you enjoying working here? You've only been here for a few months, right?" I hoped that was the case. I'd look pretty stupid if she'd worked at the arena for years and I hadn't noticed her.
Of course, I didn't know everyone who worked here, but the PR department wasn't so big that anyone could fly under the radar for that long. We tended to know each other and each other's business pretty well.
"It's fine." She sipped her coffee and bit into a wholemeal wrap that looked full of vegetables. She was giving me absolutely nothing.
"Great," I said with enthusiasm I really didn't feel. If it wasn't for that list, I'd pick up my lunch and go and eat somewhere else. But we did have that list and I could have died the other night because of someone on it. Or someone not on it…
Either way, I had to do what I had to do to figure out if she was some kind of threat.
She set down her wrap and picked up her coffee. "What do you really want, Sinclair?" she asked bluntly. "You've been behaving squirrelly all day. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed."
She didn't sip the coffee in her hand. Her brown eyes were focused on me. Full of suspicion and unease.
Her gaze probably mirrored my own. Between the attack on the arena and Aidan's list, we were doing a really good job of being suspicious of each other. Maybe there was no one here working for the Fiorellis, they just wanted us to think that was so we'd be divided and drive each other crazy.
If that was their plan, it was working way too well. I might be jumping at shadows where there weren't any. Honestly, that was preferable to having a traitor in our midst, but how would we know? Once a seed of suspicion was planted, it was difficult to kill off.
"I'm just trying to be friendly," I argued. "Is there a law against that?"
"That depends on why," she said. "Or what you're planning."
I sat back in my chair and looked at her in surprise. "I'm not planning anything. I'm just getting my work done and eating my lunch." I leaned forward again. "What makes you think I'm planning anything?"
She leaned forward too. "It's just a vibe I get. Like something is coming. I don't know what, but something. If you're trying to question my loyalty, don't. I have no agenda against anyone here."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "That's what someone would say if they do have an agenda." It's exactly what I'd say. Anything to put people off the proverbial scent.
Then again, the majority of people who were up to something weren't going to come out and admit it, were they? I mean, some people would, but not most.
"That's true, but I don't," she said. She glanced down at the table.
"But?" I prompted. There was clearly something else going on here.
"I know who does." She looked back up. "I don't expect you to believe me."
I frowned. "What are you talking about? You know of someone working against the Brantleys?"
"I don't know for certain, but I saw them talking to Geneva Mancini right before the attack on the arena. I didn't know who they were at the time, I'd only been here for three or four days. I didn't understand the significance until much later. So much later I didn't know who to talk to about it."
I wasn't sure if I should believe her, but she seemed sincere. If nothing else, I could hear her out.
"I see how that could happen," I said slowly. "It's difficult to know who to trust sometimes. But you can trust me."
"Can I?" she asked. "You haven't heard what I have to say yet."
"No, but you can trust me to listen and I can take whatever you have to say to someone who knows what to do." Whether that was Aidan, Elenna, Coast or one of the other guys, I wasn't sure. That depended on what she told me.
She bit her lip. "It was Phoenix DiMarco. They looked… Cosy."