Page 27 of Violet Spark
The dark side was so tempting. Maybe Icouldwork here. Plot world domination while cute guys got me coffee and cookies. If Alling had offered good medical insurance for my mom, I might actually go for it.
No, it sucked, but I was going to pass on the cookies. They were poison. Maybe literally.
First, I had to sneak out of here. Then, I had to get my hands on Brayden’s thing. Heh. Hisotherthing.
I flushed the toilet and washed my hands. Peeked out the bathroom door.
Across the way, through the lounge’s glass wall, I could see that the doc had arrived. His white coat was a dead giveaway.
Ugh. Why had I thought the worddead?
He blocked Mr. Alling’s view as I scuttled past the lounge and headed for the exit.
BantaMatrix was full of busy-looking people of all nationalities in trendy street clothing. The place was cool that way, and it gave me cover. I was just one more artsy world-changer scheming to make people fart rainbows.
I didn’t break into a run until I hit the parking lot.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ISLIPPEDinto my Fiesta and got the fuck out of there. My head and stomach whirled in a sickly sweet churn faster than the tires. No puking in the car; it was a new rule of mine.
If I started my own Mojimo 2.0 handbook, in addition to no puking it would include no boyfriends and no mysteries outside Legendelirium. But this version of me was obviously as buggy as the last one.
Gulping down a few steadying breaths, I cranked the AC to high and headed toward the 10. What had Alling said about renewable energy? Well, he better figure it out quick cuz I was burning through fossil fuels trying to dry this drench of terrified sweat.
What was going on? Explosions, break-ins, missing persons, sketchy dudes all over the damn place… What had Brayden gotten himself into?
And why the fuck had he sucked me in? Emphasis on the suck.
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking so I pulled over into a strip mall before I got to the freeway, tucking the Fiesta unobtrusively between a minivan and a monster truck.
Not that I thought anyone was following me.
But I didn’t think anyone wasnotfollowing me either.
Letting out a harsh breath, I unwrapped my clenched fingers from the steering wheel. Another breath. Okay, time to focus my quest-loving, design-trained, I’m-the-manager-how-can-I-help-you brain.
Brayden was missing. People were looking for him, but for some reason he’d come to me. Why me? Heh. Since he wasn’t into me romantically—still burned—it had to be because I was convenient. I lived and worked relatively nearby, and I had nothing to do with his BantaMatrix-life. So when he’d decided to run, he’d come to me. He must’ve been desperate.
To extract myself from Brayden’s drama, ideally with no more scorched holes and some money in my pocket, I had to get my hands on whatever he’d left behind, and then figure out whether Alling or Dane would make me the better offer, cash in, and walk away.
Really, this was a newbie-level quest.
My phone blared and I almost went through the Fiesta’s roof. I grabbed and answered without looking.
“Mo! What is haaaaappening?In the event that I should disappear or die. Whaaaaat?”
“Swann,” I gasped. “I’m not dead,” I noted helpfully.
“Tell me you’re someplace safe.”
I glanced around. “I’m like ten steps from a pawn shop, a nail salon, and convenience store.”
“Okay, stay away from the gel nails because you know you’re just going to chip them anyway. But I guess that’s safe enough for now. Was your house seriously robbed?”
“Uh, yeah. My system’s definitely gone.” I told her everything, including my new quest.
She interrupted the part where I strode off into the sunset with a satchel of treasure. “Go to the police. Now.”
