That sounded like a plan. When I turned, though, I found Paris watching the conversation with unveiled interest.
“Oh, well ... .” Crap. I had responsibilities as a boss, too.
“You don’t have to worry about me.” Paris was oddly unflustered, which made me respect her even more. “I get that this is a big deal. I was just here for a tour anyway. My first day isn’t until tomorrow. How about we hold off until then?”
I was beyond grateful. “That doesn’t upset you?”
“No, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to spend a little time in that library researching the gate. There must be some precedent for what just happened.”
“There isn’t.” Cormack was firm. “If there were, someone would’ve found it by now.”
“I still think it’s worth checking out.”
“If you want to waste your time, go ahead. I guarantee you won’t find anything.”
“Never say never.”
Yup. I definitely liked her. She was going to turn out to be a good choice. I could feel it.
Three
I had been to reaper council headquarters only a handful of times, including when I interviewed for my job. I wasn’t familiar with the layout, so I trailed behind Cormack, my mind busy with a thousand possibilities, and exhaled heavily as we navigated the labyrinthine hallways.
“I didn’t even know they had a hospital wing here,” I admitted.
To my surprise, Braden quietly reached over and linked his fingers with mine rather than verbally respond. When I spared him a look, I found his handsome face lined with concentration. He seemed distracted.
“We’re on the job,” I reminded him, pulling my hand away.
He scowled. “You’re just trying to punish me,” he muttered.
I almost laughed at his morose expression. “Actually, I’m not.” I studied him for a long beat. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong? If you blame me for this ... well ... I don’t know what to tell you. It’s not as if I caused it.”
He slowed his pace and gave me an incredulous look. “Do you honestly think I blame you for this?”
I was taken aback. “Well ... .” How was I supposed to answer?
“I don’t blame you for this.” His temper was on full display as he stepped closer to me. “Let’s say I did, though. What is there to blame you for? Fourteen people disappeared through the gate sixty years ago. Five came back today looking as if no time had passed. What blame is there to pass around in that scenario?”
That was a good question. “I don’t know. I ... .” I frowned, which made him smile for the first time since I’d come to on the gate room floor. “If you don’t blame me for this, what’s your problem?”
“What’s my problem?” Braden’s eyebrows hopped. “Seriously? I thought you were dead.”
Realization finally hit me. “Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh.’” His fingers were gentle when they slipped a strand of hair behind my ear. “Do you have any idea the fear I felt when I saw you go down?”
I hadn’t even considered it, which seemed rude. There was no way I could admit that. He wouldn’t take it well. “I’m sorry.” That was true. I never wanted him to feel any pain. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
He merely shook his head. “Izzy, I’m not blaming you. You didn’t cause this. No one caused this ... at least as far as we know. Sometimes things just happen. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t afraid.”
The admission made me feel warm all over. “I guess you kind of like me, huh?”
He snorted before gently grabbing the sides of my face and resting his forehead against mine. “I kind of like you a lot. That’s something my sister would’ve said, though, and I don’t like being reminded that you have so much in common with Aisling.”
“Does it make you feel dirty?”
“Oh, don’t be gross.” He wrinkled his nose and gave me a quick kiss before I could pull back. “I don’t really care if you’re against displays of affection on the job, I need one right now.”
He was so earnest I couldn’t deny him. “Okay, but we’re not doing more than this.” I squeezed his hand and remained still before pulling away. “That’s all you get until we’re alone later.”
His eyes gleamed in a fashion that made me believe he wanted to test my boundaries. Thankfully for both of us, Cormack had realized we’d fallen behind and chose that moment to clear his throat to get our attention. Embarrassed, I snapped my head up.
“It would be best if you two didn’t swap spit in the middle of the reaper headquarters when we’re dealing with a crisis,” he volunteered.
Braden scowled at him as he took a step back. “You have to ruin all my fun, don’t you? You’ve been like this since I was a kid.”
“If you’re talking about that time you and Redmond decided you were superheroes and were going to jump off the roof, I still maintain I was saving your lives, not ruining your fun.”
Braden made an incredulous face. “We weren’t going to jump. We were going to float. We made capes with wing things.”
“Yes, and I’m certain the sewing prowess of eight-year-olds would’ve held up against wind velocity.” Cormack rolled his eyes. “Stop arguing. We don’t have much time. We certainly can’t waste any on the two of you making out in an office hallway. That’s unprofessional.”
“Ha!” I jabbed a finger in Braden’s chest. “I told you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Braden ruefully rubbed the spot where I poked him. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that my father and girlfriend regularly team up to torture me. It makes me feel warm all over.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at him. “I’ll soothe your fragile ego later if you let this go now. I promise to make it up to you.”
He brightened considerably. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I have no doubt.”
CORMACK LEFT US OUTSIDE WITH Oliver while he attended a closed-door meeting in Renley’s office. That gave me a chance to study the photos on the wall and pace as Oliver stared into nothing, his thoughts clearly overwhelming him, and Braden played a game on his phone.
“I don’t remember reading anything about missing reapers when I was researching for my placement here,” I noted after a bit, my gaze falling on a faded black-and-white photo. “Don’t you think that would be a big part of the curriculum? Or at least mentioned in the history books?”
“Are you sure there’s no mention of it?” Braden asked. “I wasn’t the best student — before or after reaper training — so I can’t say with any degree of certainty that it wasn’t mentioned.”
“I can.” I was firm on that. “I would’ve remembered that story. I conducted a lot of research before applying for my position here. I knew I would have only one shot. Trust me when I say that a story about fourteen people going missing through the gate when I was trying to dig up information on what happened to my parents would’ve caught my attention.”