Page 74 of Set Fire to This Cardhouse

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There’s a new receptionist behind the desk, who looks up with an air of confusion when Toby stomps past. Liu catches up just as Toby’s about to leave the building.

“Feel better?” Liu asks brightly.

“Marginally. Punching him would have been the icing on the cake, though.” The rotating glass door isn’t fast enough for the restless energy simmering in Toby’s bones; he considers kicking it, but with his luck, he’d break a toe. Switching his suitcase to his other hand, he inches forward.

The fresh air feels amazing on his heated face, and he waits for Liu to catch up. Liu does so with an amused, “Well, you won’t hear me argue. Always thought Welton had the kind of face that would go particularly well with a black eye.”

“Best boss ever,” Toby tells him. Further down the road, he spots the coffee shop, the one with the lukewarm coffee and the inability to prepare a beverage with soy milk. He averts his eyes and finds Liu watching him intently.

“Mike,” Liu begins carefully, “sold himself pretty badly in there.”

Yeah, that’s what Toby thought. He exhales in a rush. “You think he took the fall for me.”

“I think” —Liu hesitates— “that he knows how much this job means to you.”

“He’s an idiot,” Toby decides. There, a free cab! He waves it over before turning back to Liu. “I didn’t need him to save me like some fucking damsel in distress. We could have pulled this off without him jumping headfirst into the meat grinder.” The air is getting slightly scarce in his lungs, so Toby takes a quick breath. He doesn’t remember his suitcase being this heavy. “There was cause for a deviation from protocol, and sure, a diplomatic incident doesn’t look good, but with the amount of money that’s been invested in my training, I’m a valuable government asset, so don’t you think—”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Liu interrupts. “What matters is Mike’s take on this. If he thought there was a risk that it would break both of your necks, it made sense for him to take all the blame.”

“He’s a stupid, brave idiot.” It comes out openly affectionate, and Toby doesn’t care. He turns away as the taxi pulls up, but Liu’s hand on his shoulder holds him back before he can slide into the back seat.

“Where are you going?”

“To Mike’s hotel.” Toby shoves his suitcase into the taxi before he catches sight of Liu’s expression. His stomach drops. “What?” he asks. “Liu Wei Zhou, what is that face?”

Liu tightens his grip on Toby’s shoulder, fingers digging in. A deep line appears between his brows. “They consider him a bad influence—a disruption of the Agency’s workflow. His contract has been suspended, effective immediately.”

“So?”

“When Welton told you that further contact between the two of you is discouraged? You know that means forbidden.”

Toby frowns. “See if I care.”

Keeping his hold on Toby, Liu reaches past him to retrieve the suitcase from the backseat. He sets it down on the sidewalk, then slams the door shut and raps on the roof.

“What are you doing?” Toby asks softly.

Liu waits until the taxi has driven off before he meets Toby’s eyes. “Mike is probably on his way to the airport by now—they escorted him to the hotel while you were kept waiting. I’m sorry.”

“They can’t do that.” Toby takes a step back, shaking his head. His throat is dry, desert-dry, like sand rubbing over his palate. “They can’t just shoo him out of the city like he’s a cat that walked into the neighbor’s house.”

“Unfortunately, they can.” Liu splays his fingers. “It’s complicated, but since he’s not on a normal contract, yeah, they can. Or rather, they can give him a choice: either he voluntarily removes himself, or they lend him out to an organization that will take him entirely out of the country.”

There must be something wrong with Toby’s vision because he has trouble focusing, exhaustion blurring all edges. “He’s not a commodity.”

“He is.” Liu sounds pained. “So are you. So is every agent working in the field. Did you not hear them in there?” He lets his arms sink to his sides, looking away. “An expensive investment, granted, and mutually agreeable solutions are preferred. But in the end, you’re a commodity, to be employed in whatever way most benefits the country.”

“You don’t think like that,” Toby says. It’s not a question, but Liu replies anyway.

“No. Of course I don’t.”

Toby thinks about sitting down, right here on the sidewalk, like a three-year-old at the end of his wits. He needs sleep. Fuck, he needs sleep. His body didn’t weigh a ton last time he checked. “Did you get to talk to him?”

Liu shakes his head. “Not alone.”

“Fuck.” Toby runs a hand through his hair. It feels sweaty and disgusting; he feels sweaty and disgusting. “Jesus fuck, why is this—How is that fair? I can’t just fly after him, right? I mean, how ridiculous would that be?” He lets his shoulders sag and kicks the suitcase. It skids a few feet on the pavement, which doesn’t make him feel better at all. Toby turns away. There’s a short pause before he adds, “Not to mention I don’t even know his real fucking name.”

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