Page 56 of Conspiracies and Chemistry

What the actual fuck? I took a step back and stared up at the building. There were no signs of life in the upper windows, not even a twitching curtain.

If this were a roleplaying game, and I’d encountered a troll or a gatekeeping lackey, I’d have options. I could climb the building and try to open a window, I could scurry around the back to try to find another door, or I could take another swing at the gatekeeper.

I wasn’t against a climb, but I figured a second go was the easiest way. I brushed the hair out of my face, took off my sunglasses, and forced a smile. I rang the bell again.

“No soliciting!” It was the scowling guy again.

It was odd that he’d said it in exactly the same way with the same squinty-eyed expression. “Are you an AI?” I wondered aloud.

“AI? Never heard of ’em. Go away, or I’ll call the police.” The words were slightly different, but the glitch in the middle was the same.

I shoved my glasses back on. She was an evil genius.

And I was going to get into her goddamned lair.

Not bothering to tell her robot doorman goodbye, I circled the building to the tree line. It was so dense that no light penetrated the barrier of palm-sized, waxy leaves. Taking a fortifying breath, I flicked on the flashlight on my phone and pushed in.

The trees were spaced far enough apart for me to pass, but the dense canopy blocked the sunlight. Leaves brushed against my arms and my face. It wasn’t unpleasant—they were leathery with a spicy scent—but it was deep enough that I started to fear I’d chosen wrong, and there was nothing on the other side but more trees, or possibly an ogre. Until I bumped into a chain-link fence.

The black vinyl coating explained why I hadn’t seen it. It was practically invisible in the gloom. But a fence meant there was something behind it to protect.

If it was Tessa, I also wanted to protect her.

“Moment of truth,” I mumbled, pacing the fence. “This is where I go from being a concerned friend to being a stalker.” She’d said it wasn’t a good idea for me to come over. But she hadn’t said no.

I could turn around, shove back through the trees to my car, and call her like a normal fucking human. Knowing Tessa, she wouldn’t tell me if she was hurting. She’d minimize her pain like she’d done over text. It had to be severe if she’d missed four days of work.

My heart spasmed. Over the fence, through a few more trees, and maybe battle a flame-breathing dragon, and I’d be able to look Tessa in the eye. If she said she didn’t want me there, I’d turn around and leave, no matter how my stupid heart ached.

So I climbed.

My loafers weren’t the best shoes for scaling a fence, and they’d be scratched up by the end of this quest. Still, I stuck them into the holes of the fence, and with the bouquet tucked under my arm, hauled myself up the ten-foot barrier, thankful for the lack of razor wire at the top.

As I swung my leg over, my trousers snagged on the metal, and I winced at the ripping sound. God, I hoped Tessa was on the other side of this adventure.

I dropped down, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Then I pushed past one more row of trees to emerge, blinking, into the sunlight. My loafers scraped against a driveway. A motor court, actually. I squinted across the expanse of concrete. On the other side of the pavers was a house. It wasn’t quite a mansion, but it was about the same size as my much less secluded home. Unlike the apartment building out front, it was well maintained, with sparkling white stucco. Gerbera daisies in magenta, saffron, and pink grew among deep-green bushes and trailing succulents in the surrounding flowerbeds.

The front door opened, and Tessa stepped into the doorway. Her skin was paler than usual, and she shielded her eyes from the sunlight. She leaned against the doorframe. “I see you were undeterred by my security system.”

“That’sa security system?” Brushing leaves off the sleeves of my dress shirt, I crossed the driveway. “I expected at least a hedge of thorns and some attack dogs.”

“The cats vetoed the dogs. And it looks like something got you.” She pointed at my pants.

I looked down. Dammit, there was a rip right at the inseam. It only slightly dimmed the joy of my victory. “Any determined person can get through that.”

“Not without setting off the silent alarm.”

I swallowed. Did climbing a fence count as breaking and entering?

She gave me a weak smirk. “Lucky for you, I took pity and called off the police.”

My shoulders loosened. “I appreciate it. I wanted to check on you. And give you these.” I held out the bouquet.

She took them from me. “I thought I told you not to fall in love with me.”

“I didn’t,” I lied. “These are get-well flowers.”

“Yellow roses are cheerier. They mean friendship. These roses are red and white, for everlasting love. I’d have thought your Ivy-League upbringing would’ve taught you that.” She buried her nose in the bouquet and looked up at me through her eyelashes. Without mascara, they were auburn like her hair.

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