Page 15 of Expose Me

As usual, he wore an impeccable suit and tie, his salt-and-pepper hair neatly combed back. A custom-made tie clip with a neat row of sapphires held his tie in place.

“Mr. Reyes.” Marina sprang to her feet and thrust her hand out. “We haven’t officially met yet. I’m Marina—”

“This is hardly the time for pleasantries,” Reginald cut her off, and I stifled a smirk. He hated ass-kissers. “Please fetch me a VitaBrew, Mary.”

“It’s Marina.” To her credit, she stood her ground. “And as I’m the senior-most member of Spirit and Sapphire in attendance, other than yourself, I’ll have someone else fetch your drink.”

Reginald looked her up and down, then grunted with a nod. It was the most approval she’d get from him. She held her head high until he turned his attention to me, then tapped away at her tablet—ordering his drink, no doubt.

“Hey, Reg.” I flashed him a tight smile. “You’re not gonna believe the morning I’ve had.”

“So I’ve heard.” He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat across from me. He gestured to my cuffs, and Marina unlocked them from the wall, leaving them around my wrists. Then she took the seat next to Reg, and we all sat in silence while he pulled out his phone and scrolled through some notes. I waited patiently. There was no rushing Reginald Reyes. Especially when it came to procedure.

After a few minutes, he set the device down and sighed. “How long have you been aware of the new portal that opened in the abandoned church around the corner from your apartment building?”

“A couple of hours maybe.” I shrugged.

“And how did you come to be aware of it? It opened inside a building and is still concealed.”

“Is it? I didn’t even know that. I only know there’s a portal because I happened across one of the supes from that world and—”

“And when was that?” he cut me off. Reginald was blunt but rarely hostile. A prickle of uncertainty skittered down my spine. Something was not right here.

“Technically, last night just after ten, but I didn’t know he—she—was from another realm.”

“And you didn’t report this?”

“As I said, I thought I was just helping a girl in trouble. Didn’t think there was anything to report.”

“You left this very building after a meeting just after six, is that correct?” The change of topic took me by surprise.

“Six-oh-eight,” Marina supplied helpfully.

“Didn’t realize you were keeping track of my schedule so closely.” I gave her a withering look. “Yeah, around then.”

“And it took you four hours to walk the few blocks back to the apartment?” Reg raised a single brow.

“No. It took me four hours to do whatever the hell I wanted with my free time. What’s with the interrogation, Reg?”

“That’s what we do when evidence seems to suggest a member of this House has betrayed us.” Marina shot me a firm look. “We interrogate them.”

“Whoa, what the hell is going on here?”

Reg glanced at me before reaching for his phone again. I could’ve sworn I saw a hint of disappointment, maybe even uncertainty, in that look. He turned the screen to face me and showed me several images as he spoke. Pictures of me in that damn bar last night.

“Can you explain why you met with a member of the House of Gold and Garnet in No Man’s Land last night? What did he hand you? What did you discuss?”

Ah, shit!

“I had no idea he was from Gold and Garnet,” I explained, trying my best not to launch myself across the table and strangle Marina. She was clearly having me followed, and she looked way too smug about it.

I explained about the necklace the man was looking for, about my little side-hustle. They both looked skeptical.

Someone came in with two VitaBrews, but my hostile interrogation got back on track as soon as the door had closed again.

Disappointment, frustration, and anger roiled inside me as they sipped their drinks and continued to accuse me of shit I didn’t do.

When did I realize I was in the company of a new supernatural species?

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