Page 49 of Firestorm
The old man had looked ancient since I’d first met him some twenty years ago. Sensors were so rare these days, I was almost positive he wasn’t allowed to retire. He’d probably be working this job until he died.
Also…Mr.Sombra? I should have corrected him, but I wasn’t in the mood. Mild disrespect wouldn’t bother me today, not when I was so close to getting answers about my new obsession.
“Hello, Vince. How are things?” I gave him a charming smile, but the old man was not easily swayed. He met my beaming smile with a bored stare.
I’d broken into his office and looked over his paperwork for Skye’s testing before he’d arrived for the day. His handwriting was undisturbed, clear as day. Air and water.
But he’dlied. I knew it deep in my soul, just like I knew that Skye was probablymine. But what I couldn’t figure out no matter how hard I wracked my brain, waswhy?
Vince had lost one of his Links to childbirth, married his remaining Link, then lost her and his son in the Gulf Capitol Massacre. He’d been alone ever since.
His home was paid off. He didn’t own a car. He never even went on vacation. And without hacking into my father’s advanced servers…there was no more information to find.
Vince was a mystery.
And Skye Aria was the only mystery I had time or patience to ponder.
“Fine, fine.” he replied, eyeing me a little warily now that I’d flashed my teeth. “What brings you in today?”
I sighed. “I’ve met a girl.”
“Oh?” Vince took a loud slurp of his coffee before clearing his throat. “Congratulations?”
I grinned. “She hasn’t metmeyet,” I supplied, then waved my hand back and forth. “But that’s fine. I need to know everything about her, though. Starting with her false results thatyousigned off on.”
Vince raised a bushy white eyebrow at my comment, not sweatingin the slightest. He knew I could go into his mind without him ever knowing, and yet he still looked at me like I was a petulant child unworthy of fear.
I hated it. But also respected it?
“Never given false results,” Vince replied smoothly. “What’s her name?”
“Skye Aria.”
Vince paused just barely before placing his coffee mug down on his work counter. “Hmm, Skye. Aria. Are-ee-uh.” The old fucker drew out the syllables of her last name while he stroked his gray-stubbled chin. “Ah, yes.Skye. Air and water. Comes from a long line of air. Sweet girl. What about her?”
My chest heated at his endearment. Who did this old man think he was callingmySkye asweet girl?
“You lied,” I clipped, all sense of patience gone. “Why?”
Vince stared at me for a few moments before shrugging. “What do you think you know?”
I ground my teeth together.This old fuck.
I sighed dramatically before standing and pacing the room. I looked over his certificates and licenses hanging on the wall like he was some kind of doctor. “Are you always this insufferable, Vince?”
“Usually I’m a bit more agreeable,” he drawled. “’Specially when someone brings me somethin’ I need.”
I gave him another smile that was all teeth. “And what is it you need, Vince?”
“I’m gonna level with you, boy,” –I bristled at that– “I need a memory scramble and then I need off this continent. Can you get me to the Gulf islands or not?”
I went completely still.
That…was totally unexpected.
Also…of course, I could get him to the islands. Who did he think I was? The Gulf islands were still Royal territory, even if they insisted on keeping their own capitol and government.
“And what will you give me if I provide this for you, Vince?”
