“Awesome,” Cage says. His expression says he’s excited at the prospect of me coming, but there’s still a twinge of hesitation in his voice as if he’s not sure it was a good idea to invite me.
I’m not going to let him have those doubts though, and I assure him, “This will be fun. Nice, easy, and relaxed. No pressure, right?”
“Right,” he agrees, holding his glass up. I do the same, and we tap the edges. “Here’s to a fun time in Vegas.”CHAPTER 12CageI caught a red-eye back from San Francisco. Because I can sleep well on planes, I’m fairly alert and chipper when I arrive back in Pittsburgh. I head straight to Jameson because it’s a workday, but also because my apartment is there and I want a shower.
It’s quiet when I enter the second floor from the first-floor freight elevator. The first floor is unfinished, maintaining its abandoned appearance should anyone be successful enough to break into our building. The outside looks abandoned, too, with crusted, dirty windows and graffiti along the concrete wall that borders the underground garage.
I love the secrecy of this place, ugly on the outside only to find plush opulence coupled with high-speed tech the minute people step on floors two through four. That doesn’t even account for the research and development areas that are below the basement, which look like something straight out of Shuri’s lab in Black Panther.
I head over to Kynan’s office, doing nothing more than popping my head in to let him know I’m back and going to take a quick shower. He waves me off. Rather than take the elevator up, I bound up the floating staircase to the fourth floor that houses the apartments and communal area.
Joslyn, Kynan’s wife, is in the large kitchen. Something in the oven smells heavenly.
“Hey, Cage,” she says with a grin as she mixes something else in a bowl. “Welcome back.”
I crane my neck to see better. “Whatcha cooking?”
“Chocolate cake for Jackson’s birthday,” she replies.
“Is it today?” I ask, wondering if I’m obligated to get him a present or a card at least. He’s a friend—a coworker. I have a lot, though, and I haven’t done it before.
But things have been different since moving from the Vegas office to the Pittsburgh headquarters. Things are also different since we rescued Malik from his captors.
I think the bonds are a bit tighter.
“It’s tomorrow,” she replies. “We’re going to have a little surprise party gathering in the morning. Around ten… so be here.”
“I’m actually flying out to Vegas in the morning,” I reply, leaning my arms on the counter.
It’s a trip I’m very much looking forward to. Outside of a twenty-minute presentation I have to give on evasion theories and practices at a tactical seminar Jameson is sponsoring, I’ll have the entire weekend to spend with Jaime.
She smiles mischievously. “That’s right. The tactical seminar. I heard you’re bringing your new girlfriend with you.”
I’m so shocked she would know that I stand upright. “Where did you hear that from?”
“Rachel,” she replies with a shrug. “I guess you told Bodie, he told her, and she told me. Why? Was it a secret?”
“Not really,” I admit grudgingly. I had let Bodie know I was bringing Jaime and I wouldn’t be able to hang with him and Rachel, since I sort of wanted the weekend with Jaime alone.
“Well… I hope you have a great time. But stay out of trouble. You know Sin City is called that for a reason.”
I laugh at the joke, having no intention of us getting in any trouble. I’ll take Jaime to see the regular touristy things, probably indulge her in a show Saturday night, but past that… I intend to horde her all to myself. It’s why I told Bodie I wouldn’t be able to hang with him and Rachel. He totally understood, then proceeded to berate me again for not telling her the truth.
I know he’s right, and I promised him that I would look for a good time this weekend to break the news. I even had some demented reasoning that if she were stuck in Vegas with me upon learning the truth, she’d at least be somewhat captive, which would give me a chance to grovel and convince her to stick with me.
That’s sort of the plan, yet there’s a good chance I’ll chicken out. Which is funny. I’ve faced down enemy terrorists, flying bullets, and imminent death, and never have I thought of chickening out on a bit of it.
But this intriguing beauty by the name of Jaime Dolan has me scared to death of my path in life.
I bid Joslyn goodbye, slightly sad I won’t be partaking in the cake tomorrow. After I head into my apartment for a quick shower and a change of clothes, I trot down the staircase back to the second floor and my desk to catch up on some work.