“Sorry, there must have been a miscommunication. I’ll go get it smoothed out.”
And I also needed to call Black. I had a feeling he’d be very interested in the latest development.
CHAPTER 9 - SKY
“THERE’S BEEN A change of plan,” Black said.
Day three of my new job, and I’d already drafted my resignation letter. The handwriting was a little shaky because I’d been too tired to hold the pen properly, but it was still legible.
So far, I’d run the equivalent of a marathon while Alex rode a trail bike alongside, lifted weights until I thought my arms were going to fall off while Black watched over me, turned black and blue through fight training, and possibly broken a toe when I tripped up the stairs in exhaustion. My ears were still ringing from shooting, and the amount of damage I could do with plants terrified me. I was never, ever eating anything cooked by Sofia. Carmen was also trying to teach me Spanish, but I couldn’t remember anything except joder.
And now Black wanted to change things?
“Does it involve me running anywhere? Because I’m not sure I can crawl.”
“I have to go to Kentucky.”
Hurrah. Did that mean I’d get a lie-in? “Have fun.”
“So you’ll have a new trainer tomorrow.”
Fucking fantastic. “Is he a sadist in his spare time?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Oh, good. Then he can’t possibly be as bad as the last trainer.”
“Tell me again why we hired you? Because it wasn’t for your charming personality.”
“Right now, I’m not even sure.”
Black’s lips quirked. Was that meant to be a smile? So far, he’d been a miserable bastard, all “do this, do that, die if you want, I’m not picking you up.” I had no idea what Emmy saw in him.
“You’ll train with Alex as usual in the morning. Rafael’s currently in Colombia, but he’ll be back at some point tomorrow. He can pick up where I left off.”
“How? By making me dig my own grave?”
“No, that’s part of next week’s plan. If you breathe your last this week, we’ll just feed you to the cat.”
Ah yes. The fucking cat. A woman like Emmy couldn’t possibly have a normal pet, could she? No, she had a bloody jaguar. It had a fancy jungle enclosure out the back, but it preferred kipping on the sofa and mooching around the kitchen in search of scraps. Everyone else acted as if this was normal.
I was fairly sure Black was kidding about me being kitty chow, but I also didn’t want to test him.
“Tell me again why I haven’t run screaming from this place?”
“Because you like a challenge. Enjoy dinner, and I’ll see you in a few days.”
Enjoy dinner? It was nine p.m. and even my taste buds had fallen asleep. I almost went straight to bed, but I knew if I skipped eating, I’d pay for it in the morning. At least there was proper food at Riverley. Emmy’s nutritionist really cared about our diets. I’d spent so long living on junk due to a lack of cooking facilities that steamed chicken and vegetables was a tiny slice of heaven.
I could have cried when I got to the kitchen and found I wasn’t alone. Tonight, I was too tired to pretend to be sociable. But I also couldn’t afford to alienate anyone in this new world, especially when I didn’t know who they were.
“Hi.”
“You must be Sky? I’m Hallie.”
She knew who I was, yet I didn’t know who she was. “That’s me.”
“It’s good to finally meet you. And weird not to be the new girl anymore.”
“You work for Blackwood too?”
“Yup. Started two months ago in the investigations division. Dan’s showing me the ropes, but she’s gone to Kentucky.”
“Don’t you have a backup trainer?”
“Nah, I just have a bunch of cold case files to dig into. You know, review them in light of new developments, blah, blah, blah.”
I pulled the nearest pre-prepared meal out of the fridge without bothering to check what it was. The Post-it note stuck to the top said to heat for three minutes, and I used the time to open a can of energy drink and pour it down my throat.
“Wish I had your job. Apparently, Rafael’s going to play drill sergeant tomorrow, so I might not make it through to the evening. Do you know him?”
“Rafael? Yes, I know him.”
“What’s he like?”
“Tall, dark, and grouchy. And also a little scary, but he has a kind heart.”
“I’m not sure whether that description makes me feel better or worse.”
Hallie forked pasta into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. She had a pile of papers spread out next to her—typed notes with what looked like photos peeping out from underneath. On the other side of the plate lay a notepad and pen.
“You’re training with Emmy, right?” Hallie didn’t wait for an answer before she continued. “I guess if you want to learn all kinds of freaky stuff, Rafael would make a good teacher.”
That was something, at least.
“Are you still working?” I nodded at the papers.
“I got curious. This stuff was in with the other cold case files. How much do you know about what’s happening in Kentucky?”
“They’re looking for a painting. Two paintings.”
“Red After Dark and The Girl with the Emerald Ring. Plus a missing pay-off—ten million dollars in cash and jewels. It just vanished. Poof. And after the botched exchange, Emerald disappeared again too. The perfect crime.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“Well, Emerald’s still missing and so is the money. It’s kinda fascinating. Before I got this job, I was a true-crime junkie, podcasts and documentaries, but now I’m right in the middle of things.”
The microwave dinged, and I juggled the hot dish between fingertips as I carried it over to the table. I hadn’t yet found a pair of oven gloves.
“Where do you think the money went?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. And don’t forget, it wasn’t simply stolen—it was swapped for a fake pay-off. Counterfeit hundred-dollar bills and diamonds in an identical briefcase.”
I hadn’t realised that part. “So someone was clearly organised.”
“Highly organised. The briefcase was only out of Alaric’s sight on four occasions. The first came after it was packed at FBI headquarters when he left it in his office while he used the bathroom. That was before he spent the night at Little Riverley. You’re staying over there, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but now I wish I wasn’t. That walk’s the last thing I need after dinner.”
“Nobody’ll mind if you sleep here.”
Nobody except me. Changing rooms would mean admitting defeat, and I hated to lose. That was the only reason I hadn’t quit.
“Nah, I can’t be bothered to move my stuff.” Which had grown to three or four suitcases’ worth. I’d brought a single bag from England, but Bradley had already given me more clothes than I’d ever owned in my life. “So Alaric and Emmy were dating?”
“According to Dan. Emmy married Black for a green card, and they didn’t…you know until much later. Which is weird, because I can’t imagine either of them with anyone else.”