Page 37 of Just Dare Me
“You infiltrated a train yard and climbed on top of a hopper car to sample this salt, all while evading detection from East Side demons?”
“Not even close. We weren’t in a train yard. The train was going fifty miles an hour through Springwells. I didn’t climb on top of it. Idroppedonto it from the ceiling of a tunnel, then jumped across to the hopper cars. And I didn’t evade the East Side demons at all. In fact, they shot a missile at us, after which we killed one of their revenants before making a clean getaway to Detroit Water Ice Factory for Motown Mash served in a bubble waffle.”
Director West raises a brow. “Bubble waffle?”
“It costs extra. Should I include that in the report?”
She raisesbothher brows. “You’re submitting a report?”
“Ren’s typing it up as we speak. Although, I didn’t tell him it was salt. As far as anybody else knows, it’s an unknown material which is being sent to our lab for testing. This is your fair warning. The only people who know about the Detroit Salt Mine are the three of us in this room, so if East Side suddenly moves, or knows we’re coming, we’ll know it was one of you two that leaked.”
Adrian leans in, pinning me with a glare. A growl creeps into his voice. “One of us?”
I meet his eyes with the most neutral expression I can manage, and I keep my voice as matter-of-fact as possible—not contesting or patronizing, but simply passing on information. “It’s overkill, I know. An ‘overabundance of caution,’ or whatever. Until we know for sure who Necro X is, I have to assume that I can’t trust anybody. For once, I’m trying to follow the rulebook.” I know I’ve struck the perfect tone, because my dominance purrs with satisfaction.
Director West eases back in her chair with a smile. “Good for you, Shayne.”
Adrian places both palms on the desk and leans in even closer, causing the muscles of his arms to flex, showing off several large veins. “There’s still one more blank. What about Jay Brenner?”
“Oh. We weren’t looking for Jay. Our attack was only a distraction so I could get to the hopper cars and see what they were hauling.”
He narrows his eyes. “Not looking for him? Since when?”
“Can I pause this conversation real quick?” I maintain eye contact with Adrian, while lowering my voice to keep from coming off aggressive. “It’s just that this office already felt very small with you in it, but when you start throwing your dominance around, I’m practically forced from the room. If I could back my chair up, that would help—”
Adrian raises one of his meaty hands, cutting me off. “Stay where you are.” Slowly, he steps away from the desk, moving all the way back to the wall.
Immediately, the tension in my shoulders and neck melts away, and I can breathe much easier. Director West watches our interaction with interest.
“Your dominance is only moderate, but you wield it well,” Adrian says.
“Thanks. Yours is off the charts, and you wield it like a jackhammer.”
He turns slightly away from me, leaning a shoulder against the wall so that he’s no longer facing me. Even just that tiny adjustment is enough to completely put me at ease.
A burst of pride makes me smile. We just established boundaries between ourselves, and even though I was forced to acknowledge how much lower I am than him in the hierarchy, my confidence has been boosted by his show of respect. I might even feel the tiniest bit of loyalty to him now. Most alphas would not—or could not—be this accommodating. He can’t be wolf, no way. What about gorilla? Their dominance puts canines to shame. Is this guy King Kong?
In any case, dominance is so much more nuanced than I thought it would be. I’m pleasantly surprised.
“Adrian’s right, Shayne,” Madison West says. “Since when are you not going after Brenner? Something’s happened. You’re practically glowing.”
Heat rushes into my face. “Yeah, about that. We now think Jay is actuallynotbeing held by East Side. In fact, we think he never was.” The astonished looks from both of them makes me giddy. “I know, right? Talk about flying high. I’m in orbit.”
“What happened?” Madison asks.
“I saw him. At Comerica Park, opening day. He knew I’d be there. We’d made plans before…” I skip past that explanation. “Anyway, he knew I’d be there, and suddenlyhewas there in the crowd, looking right at me. Just for a second, and then he was gone. I think he just wanted me to know.”
Adrian grunts. “An illusion. A glamour.”
“You’re probably right, I know. That’s a very strong possibility. But if Jay’s not with East Side—if he’s out there on his own—some other pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Like why hasn’t East Side gone after Nick Gorgeous? We know he was their ideal vessel for Arael Moaz. What’s stopping them?”
Madison smirks. “Uh…Nick Gorgeous.”
“I know, he’s not an easy get, but still, they haven’t even tried. Maybe that’s because they need Jay first. If they don’t have the ghost of Arael Moaz, they don’t need a vessel. It could be that East Side is looking for Jay just as hard as I am.”
Adrian still looks doubtful. “Why not just come in? We can protect him.”
“Protect him? What happened to ‘kill him on sight?’”
