Six
Xin
"Yeah, I don't know if I like that plan," Renée said as she leaned back in the chair, her gaze flicking from Gabriel to me, as if wanting to know what I thought.
Today, her t-shirt had the picture of a manically grinning animated woman with the right side of her hair all black and the left all white.
I assumed it was another character from some animated movie.
Her boots were bright orange this time, and I wondered just where she found them.
I doubted they were available in just any shoe store.
"I know it involves a lot of risk on your part," Gabriel said, and Renée scoffed.
We were in Gabriel's home office once again, and it didn't escape my notice that when it was just me and him, we usually stayed in his living room.
"You have no idea."
I could see how reluctant Renée was, and I understood it. Unlike me, she was just human, and this was a big risk Gabriel was asking her to take. A risk that could have consequences beyond what Gabriel was imagining, despite our best efforts.
"Does Renée have to be the one who does it?" I asked, and they both gave me mirroring puzzled looks.
"I am the thief," she said, in a tone that implied she had doubts about my mental acumen.
"I didn't mean the actual theft. I meant the rest of it, the part you're reluctant about. You would have to tell me all the details so they believe it was me."
"You would really do that?" Renée asked, her surprise clear in her wide eyes, and I shrugged.
Unlike her, I wouldn't end up in prison, and even if I did, I could disappear with a thought, take up a new face and name, and go on living. But of course, they didn't know that.
"I would."
Honestly, if Gabriel knew what I was, he wouldn't have even needed Renée's help. Hell, I could've set up all this evidence with one snap of my fingers, and Patrick would be in prison tomorrow.
But I couldn't tell him yet. He didn't know me well enough to accept what I was without either freaking out or removing me from his plan altogether. My best bet was to follow his plan and do as much as I could to make sure it succeeded.
Once Patrick was in prison, I could work on making Gabriel mine.
"If you're sure..." Gabriel started, and I nodded quickly. He glanced from me to Renée, an unreadable look on his face, then nodded. "All right, then. Renée, make sure you share all the details of your plan with Xin."
"I will," she said, then smiled at me. "Thanks."
I made a mental note to do some recon of Renée.
While I liked her, I needed to make sure she wouldn't have any reason to betray or double-cross Gabriel.
Unlike me, her only motivation to help Gabriel was the money, and I had to make sure she wouldn't turn on him if someone else paid her more.
I'd dug into her life online as much as I could, but she didn't have a big presence there, and I figured some in-person stalking would be more enlightening.
When I glanced back at Gabriel, I found him watching us with a furrow between his brows. I tilted my head, puzzled, and he glanced away, then shook himself before facing us again.
"Okay, then that's settled. As for what happens after that..."
For the next hour, we fleshed out the next few steps of the plan. We sorted out who was responsible for what, the order of things, the things we'd need to be careful about, and so on.
I also made a mental note to let one of my demon friends know what I was up to, just in case they needed me. While I wanted to prioritize Gabriel's plan above all else, I couldn't forget why I was in the human world in the first place. Maybe Lazlo and Kenji, since they were closer.
If I sensed the dark souls or Mammon in the middle of my mission, I would have to choose, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to make the right choice.
I had to tell someone so they could take my place if something did happen at the wrong time.
Once Gabriel was satisfied with our discussion, he decided to make us sandwiches since it was past lunchtime, and we followed him from his office to his kitchen.
"Wow, you should've been a chef," Renée teased as Gabriel unevenly chopped some veggies for a side salad, and he paused to roll his eyes at her.
"You're welcome to go find your own lunch," he said, and she raised her palms in surrender, her lips still curved in a smirk.
Deciding I'd be better off helping than just standing here, I joined Gabriel behind the counter. After I'd washed my hands, I raided the fridge for sandwich fillings and garnishes.
As I started putting together the sandwiches, Gray strolled into the kitchen. He'd been napping on the couch when we'd arrived, and hadn't woken up until now. Gabriel said it was because he was an old man in dog years.
Renée grabbed him before he could make his way behind the counter, and started petting him, much to his delight.
As Gray enjoyed her ministrations, she watched us, her dark eyes sharp and curious.
"Is something going on between you two?" she asked after a moment, and I dropped the slice of chicken I'd been about to place on the bread. Gray didn't waste a second to race around the counter and gobble it up.
"Nothing is going on," Gabriel said, and I glanced over to find his eyes intently focused on the salad he was mixing.
"Mm-hmm," Renée said, her tone implying she didn't believe him one bit.
Until now, I hadn't thought Gabriel had noticed me, much less that he felt any kind of way about me whatsoever. But now, now I wasn't so sure.
Because he'd answered Renée way too quickly, and he seemed to be doing his best to act like it was nothing.
It wouldn't be all that strange for him to feel something for me. We were mates, after all, and it was bound to happen at some point. But the fact that he hadn't acted on it and even now refused to admit it proved to me that I'd been right to hold back.
Gabriel wasn't ready yet, but that was okay because I could wait as long as he needed.
Gabriel
After lunch, I sent Renée and Xin away as fast as I could. Renée's question had flustered me, and I needed some alone time to get myself together.
I also couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Xin hadn't denied it at all. There was nothing between us, but they hadn't said it, or agreed with me. Did that mean they had feelings for me? But then why hadn't they said anything?
Xin was a beautiful person. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't even believe they were human. I was sure they could have anyone they wanted. They must be used to it. So if they did like me, why hadn't they said anything?
Was I reading too much into it? Maybe they'd just thought Renée was way off the mark, and that the statement didn't even deserve to be taken seriously.
This. This was exactly why I'd been avoiding thinking about Xin. Because it was distracting, and I had more important things to think about.
I unlocked my phone, then stared at the picture on my phone screen. It was from my high school graduation. Two days after this picture was taken, Kevin was arrested for stealing from AmazeAI.
It was probably risky to leave the picture up on my phone, but I rarely used it around Patrick, and he never paid much attention to me unless he thought I'd fucked something up for him.
After getting to know the kind of man he was, I doubted he remembered Kevin at all.
At least, I didn't think he'd recognize him at first glance.
Kevin and I looked a lot alike, though he'd kept his hair longer and he was always clean-shaven, so we didn't look like it at first glance.
We had the same dark brown eyes, we were the same height, our hair was the same coppery shade of brown, though his was lighter at the ends as it hung down to his chin in waves.
We were both smiling in the picture. It was the happiest I'd ever been, and Kevin had been so proud of me, even though I hadn't been the top of my class or anything like that. He'd just been proud that I graduated, that I got into a good college.
I'd never gone there, of course. I'd had to take a year off when he got arrested, and I'd worked two jobs so I could keep the small apartment we'd lived in, the place I'd grown up in. I hadn't even been able to afford a good lawyer for Kevin, which was probably why he was convicted so quickly.
Over several visits, he'd told me his suspicions about Patrick, and while his lawyer hadn't believed him, I did. But I was just a teenager. What could I do against someone like that?
I knew I'd need to be older, and smarter, probably even a little wealthier, before I could do anything. So I'd locked my guitar and violin in a closet and worked hard and got myself into a college, taking on my mother's name, and got the same degree as my brother, then got a job in AmazeAI.
It took a few years to get into Patrick's department, and another few to become his executive assistant.
Now that I was finally here, I couldn't let anything come in my way, even someone like Xin.
Maybe after it was done, if Xin was still interested, I could do something about it. But until then, I couldn't even think about it. I owed Kevin that much.
I traced my thumb over his smiling face, then exhaled a shaky breath before locking my phone again.
As if sensing my feelings, Gray clambered into my lap, and I buried my face in his warm fur.
He was getting old, and I knew I would lose him too.
I didn't want to think about it, but I was dreading the day.
He was my last connection to Kevin, and I wished there was something I could do to make him stick around longer.
I sat up, then scrunched my face as Gray licked the side of my face, his tongue scraping against my beard. I pushed his face away, then wiped mine with the corner of my t-shirt before glaring at him.
"This is why I don't cuddle you. I give you an inch and you lick my face!"
Gray smiled goofily at me, completely unrepentant, and I sighed. Damn dog.
The rest of the day loomed in front of me, and I had absolutely nothing to fill it with. I could stream a movie, or catch up on my laundry. The apartment could do with some cleaning too.
Sighing, I pushed Gray off my lap, and stood up. He watched me as he went belly up on the couch, and of course, I had to scratch his belly before I did anything else.
Once he was satisfied, I threw my clothes in the wash, then pulled out Gray's nemesis, the vacuum cleaner.
Plugging in my earbuds, I played the usual New Releases playlist before turning the machine on as Gray shot to his feet, still on the couch. He stood right there as I cleaned around the room, watching the vacuum with wary eyes as I drew closer.
When I reached the coffee table, he shot across the room faster than he ever moved these days, and I shook my head, smiling faintly as I continued working.
As I worked and mumbled along with the songs, my mind stayed blissfully free of all thoughts for a while. There was something strangely therapeutic about tasks like these.
Of course, once I'd finished up and put everything away and paused the music, all the thoughts and worries came rushing back.
Patrick. Kevin. Xin.
One I hated, one I missed, one I didn't want to think about yet couldn't seem to stop.
A month. If all went well, Patrick would be in prison, or well on his way. As soon as that happened, I would ask Xin out.
Yeah, that's what I would do. Hopefully, they wouldn't have lost interest in me by then.