Page 24 of Fatal Bonds

“I have a general idea of what an event schedule might look like, Maks.” There’s a bite to her tone, but I’m certain it’s at least partially due to her nerves.

“You’ll be fine,zaya,” I promise.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Lindsey heads toward the door of the ground-floor bathroom in the building housing Costanzo Realty Investments Inc., and Liam opens it for her, allowing her to slip into the lobby before he locks the deadbolt once more. Our makeshift setup is small enough to be portable, but if anyone were to walk in on us, it would be pretty obvious we don’t belong here.

“Testing,” I say into the comms link connected to Lindsey’s ear.

“What are you, 007?” she grumbles, making me chuckle.

“Just thought I’d checkbeforeyou get into the interview.”

“Speaking of which, please don’t pipe in unless I ask you something. I’ll do better handling this on my own. If I have you whispering in my ear the whole time, I’ll look like a crazy person.”

“Noted,” I say with a smirk.

Silence falls across the line, only the sound of her heels cutting through the mild static.

“Hi, uh, Lin—Bethany Stewart, here for my interview for the internship position?”

Lindsey’s voice rises at the end like a question, and I can hear the nerves in her tone, but the receptionist must consider that reasonable for a college student coming for an interview because she sounds clipped, almost bored in return.

“Of course. I’ll show you to Mr. Costanzo’s office. He stepped out for a moment, but he’ll be back shortly.”

Liam glances in my direction, surprise flashing across his face.

We can’t actually be that lucky, can we?“If Emiliano is out of the room, take the opportunity to do a bit of digging if you can.”

“I know.” The reply sounds muted, like Lindsey’s talking around clenched teeth, and I press my lips together as I catch her unspoken irritation. I’m already breaking her rule to stay quiet.

“If you want to sit and wait here, I’ll let Mr. Costanzo know that you’ve arrived,” the receptionist says, and I catch the faint sound of her heels against the hard floor as she departs.

A door clicks, and something rustles—maybe Lindsey’s wire against her shirt. Then the distinct sound of her sharp walk as she moves.

“What did I tell you about staying quiet?” she hisses as a drawer rolls open across the line.

“Apologies,” I say, working to keep the humor from my tone.

Lindsey releases a soft growl, but I can tell her focus is on digging as she shuffles papers and opens and closes drawers.

“I’m not seeing it,” she states just above a whisper. “Maybe his secretary is the only one who has his calendar.”

“I assure you, he keeps one for himself.” It’s been some time since Emiliano and I were close enough to be in the same room together, but I know him. I’ve seen the schedule she’s looking for. “It would probably be a black leather daytimer.”

“And you’re sure he would keep it here?” More rustling, more drawers sliding on soft rollers as they open and close.

“Yes.”

Heels click across the floor, and I listen intently for where she might have moved to, but I can’t tell just from the sounds carrying across the line.

“This is so stupid. I’m going to get caught.”

“Don’t get caught,” I command.

Silence settles in the room, and I drum my fingers on the counter, my tension escalating now that I can’t tell what’s going on.

“Give me an update, Lindsey,” I say when I can’t wait any longer.

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