Page 116 of Carbon

“Why don’t you girls relax in the lounge?” Ruth suggested, and I nodded, forcing a smile. “I’ll show you through.”

“Good idea.”

Roxy followed us silently, hugging a cushion to her stomach as she squashed herself onto the far end of the sofa.

“Any preferences on what we watch?” I asked, picking up the TV remote.

As I didn’t have a clue what to say, perhaps a little mindless entertainment would help?

Her only response was a barely perceptible shake of the head.

I flipped through a hundred channels, searching for a suitable movie. A romance? Nope, that would rub salt into her wounds. Not a thriller either—too violent. I settled onBilly Elliottin the end. Surely that couldn’t offend?

We’d almost got to the final credits when I felt her eyes on me.

“What’s going to happen?” she whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“To me. What’s going to happen to me?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will I be able to stay here tonight?”

After what Black and Gideon had said earlier, I couldn’t imagine them kicking her out. “Of course.”

She seemed to relax infinitesimally.

“Do you want me to ask the person who owns this place about the future?”

Another quick nod.

“I’ll be back.”

Now, where should I start? The conference room. I needed to find my way back to the conference room, and I could wait outside until Emmy came out. Technically it was Black’s house too, but I was too nervous to hold an actual conversation with him in case he laser beamed me with his eyes or something.

Only when I found the home of Project Carbon, after three wrong turns and an accidental trip to the gym, the room lay empty.

“Looking for Ben?” Emmy’s voice from behind made me jump.

“You, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“Roksana’s nervous about how long she can stay here.”

“As long as she needs. You want me to talk to her?”

“Please.”

Except when we got back to the lounge, Emmy stopped at the door, and I bumped into her. Peering around the door jamb, I spotted a man seated in my spot on the sofa, his body angled towards Roxy as they talked.

Emmy took two steps backwards. “Gideon,” she murmured. “Did Roxy say much to you earlier?”

“Hardly a word.”

“Yet she’s speaking to him. Let’s leave them to it.”

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