Page 56 of Set Fire to This Cardhouse

Well.

There’s really no immediate answer that comes to Toby’s mind, but somehow, he feels marginally better than he did when this conversation started. Give him a mango lassi and some food, and he might be approaching passable—maybe even good enough to examine Liu’s offer from a safe distance, with due caution. Not because he’s a coward, but because he knows that once he opens Pandora’s Box, it’ll be hard to force it shut again.

***

The lassi has dwindled down to a thin layer of yellow at the bottom of Toby’s glass, his plate cleaned except for one lonely pea sitting in a puddle of tomato sauce. Time for an inconvenient truth to sink in: the paperwork for Ecuador won’t resolve itself. There are a few details that Toby needs to discuss with Mike, make sure their answers match up.

He isn’t looking forward to spending any length of time with Mike. Not while things are in that weird, tense halfway state and it could all go very wrong. Or very right. At this point, Toby isn’t sure anymore.

He doesn’t look directly at Liu, preferring to watch Liu spear one last bite of chicken. “I’ve been thinking.”

Liu chews, swallows. “Did it hurt?”

“You’re as funny as a clownfish fresh out of water.” Toby continues before Liu can send him on another sidetrack. “I think you should split us up—Mike and me. Put us with new people.”

Liu neatly sets his fork aside and tilts his head, observing Toby with a smile that lingers mostly around his eyes. “I take it you’ve decided to give this thing a chance?”

“Yeah.” The word sits heavy on Toby’s chest. “And since I’m not very good at compartmentalization...”

“Who are you, and where did you hide the real Toby’s body?” Without waiting for a reply, Liu reaches over to grasp Toby’s shoulder. “Good for you, man. I’m glad.”

“Don’t sound so proud of yourself.”

“Oh, but I am. Should have become a life coach, but then, you guys keep me plenty busy on a regular basis.” With a grin, Liu leans back. “One request, though: Singapore. I want you and Mike on it. Can you do that?”

“You mean postpone everything else until after?”

That’s how it would have to be—Toby can’t risk an emotional striptease that might end with Mike on a very different page, only to then go through the excruciating experience of still having to do a job together. Awkward.

“If you think that’s better, yeah.” Liu nods to himself. “You know, I may pair you with Jesy afterwards. She’s ready, and her set of skills is nearly identical to Mike’s.”

“You’d trust me with Jesy?” Toby didn’t mean to ask that aloud.

“No one else I’d rather pair her with.” Liu’s lips curl into a wry smirk. “Just keep any honey trapping to a minimum. Are we clear?”

Yeah, they’d train her in the art of seduction—of course they would. Which means... “Seduction is one of Mike’s specialties too, right?”

“Surprised?”

“No. He didn’t outright confirm it, but I assumed as much.”

If Liu were a better man, he’d at least try to mask his amusement. “Worked on you, didn’t it?”

“What did I tell you about being funny?” Toby exhales and pushes his plate away. The fact that Mike specializes in seduction doesn’t mean he can’t be serious about it too, although it might explain why he doesn’t do relationships—if that was Toby waiting at home, he’d hate every second of it. But then, not everyone’s a possessive bastard.

“I’m your boss,” Liu says gravely. “You have to pretend I’m funny even when I’m not.”

“I’d like to apply for a transfer, please.”

“No,” Liu says, “you don’t.”

“You’re right.” With a slight shrug, Toby gives Liu a grateful smile. “I really don’t.”

***

“I don’t care.” Mike manages to look at Toby without actually looking at him, his gaze fixed on a spot between Toby’s eyes. “Put whatever you want in there.”

“You don’t care,” Toby repeats evenly.

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