Page 25 of Play the Game

“Mai’s on a call with Chase,” Kessler said. “I don’t know about Kat.”

“I saw her in the conference room earlier,” Alder said. “Don’t worry, she knows the schedule. Drinks in the lounge at five, dinner at six, on the road to Ann Arbor at seven.”

That would put us in the town around 11:00 p.m., under cover of darkness. The areas around the three spots we’d chosen for installing digital boosters and relays should be deserted by then.

“Sparks said Li and I get to help this time,” Kessler said. “Does that mean we get to play with your toys?”

“Absolutely not. I’ll give everyone a tutorial about installing them on the drive, and you’ll have cameras on you so I can talk you through it once you’re on the ground.” I grabbed two rocks glasses and poured a small amount of my concoction in each. I handed them to Kessler and Alder, who eyed them, then set them down on the bar.

“Cool.” Kessler nudged Alder. “You’ll be with me. That’ll be fun, won’t it?”

Alder glared at me. “I do not understand the new world order. Why is tactical installing our equipment, and why am I not staying in the van?”

“Because this is the Carbonados we’re surveilling,” I said. “We have to get in and out quickly, so we need an extra team. And you’ll do fine. Kessler will have your back.”

Alder huffed and turned away from me. “Can I get one of those?” she asked Bond, who obliged.

“Sparks is in TJ’s office, in case you’re wondering,” Kessler said.

I shrugged, trying to hide any tells that would telegraph my feelings to her. “Five more minutes until happy hour officially starts, so, not really wondering.”

“Hmm.” She stared at me for a few long, tortuous seconds, then turned toward the sound of approaching teammates.

Li and Hart arrived, and Kessler took over pouring drinks from my pitcher for everyone. Hart sniffed hers, then blinked rapidly.

“Ooh, sorry, we should have warned you,” Li said. “The first rule of Jensen’s drinks is never smell Jensen’s drinks.”

“And, if you must, use good lab protocol,” Bond added. “Hold the glass away from your face and waft the scent toward your nose.”

They regaled Hart with stories about some of my more memorable drink recipes. I slid onto one of the barstools and relaxed. I still had friends here. I still had a team and a place. But when TJ and Tam arrived, my heart fell. I loved all these friends, but none of them could replace her.

TJ held up his glass to make the first toast. “Jensen tells me this new, never-before-seen drink is in honor of Kate Alder’s first trip into the field.”

“It’s called the Kate-astrophy,” I added.

Everyone groaned, but they also laughed. Most importantly, Tam laughed.

TJ held up his glass, and we all did the same. “To Alder!”

“To Alder!”

Everyone took a sip and winced.

“What are the chewy things?” Hart asked.

“Don’t ever eat the chewy things!” Li yelled.

I sighed. “Dramatic much? They’re tea pearls. And they’re mango flavored.” I could feel Sparks watching me, but I couldn’t look at her and trust myself to keep my composure.

Then someone turned on the music, Bond repeated her Penn fiasco stories to the rest of the team, and soon, we were all talking over each other. When Sparks wandered away from the group and sat on the sofa, I followed her.

I perched on the edge of the coffee table, a respectable distance away from her. “Tam.”

She shook her head. “I need more time. I’m sorry.” She stood. “I’m not quite finished packing, so I’ll see you at the van at seven.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

“Hey, Jase.” She turned toward me. “The mango pearls were a nice touch. Thanks.” She smiled at me, and my heart lifted.

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