I shook the thought out of my head, then shifted my focus back to Garrett, who was still listening to Alton’s instructions.
“Yes, sir. I’ll do that, then,” he replied, then hung up and gave us both a sheepish smile, dimples and all. “So, yeah, I’ve just been informed there was a gargoyle attack at Park West. I trust you’ll have the full report ready tonight, Crowley.”
“It might come as a shock to you, but some of us actually do our jobs in this coven. So, yes, Garrett, you’ll get your report in a couple of hours, tops. I just need to debrief Harley,” Wade replied bluntly.
“No need. I can debrief her,” Garrett retorted, then gave me another one of those winks that I didn’t quite get. “Over drinks, later? There’s a great bar just around the corner from the science center. Ditch this loser first, though,” he added, nodding at Wade.
“You’re just a bundle of messed-up, dysfunctional crazy, aren’t you?” I said in response, befuddled by his contradictory remarks. Did he hate me, or was he asking me out? Not being able to feel his emotions made it very difficult for me to ascertain his true intentions.
“Probably, but you’re gorgeous, and I’d like to take you out for a drink. Hopefully, you’ll give me a chance to apologize for being a jerk earlier,” Garrett replied, putting on a charming smile. And it was working. Why was it working?!
I looked at Wade, and anger poured through my veins. A couple minutes more of this and I feared I’d end up breaking up a fight between these two.
“That’s very… nice, and unexpected, of you,” I mumbled. “But I think we should—”
“You either debrief us both or I debrief her and give you my notes, along with my account of the event,” Wade replied, his voice low and cold enough to send chills down my spine. “Either works, provided you wish to prove to Alton that you’re a professional and not busy chasing skirts.”
“Whoa,” I gasped, my face flushed.
Tension crackled between them, and somehow, I was caught in the middle of it. However, I didn’t take kindly to being called a “skirt,” especially not in that bubbling sea of testosterone. And I had a bad habit of making rash decisions on impulse when annoyed—which didn’t even begin to cover my state at that point.
Given that we were in a public space and I’d already drawn enough attention to myself earlier, while jumping out the window of my apartment, a more discreet solution to end this ridiculous standoff was needed.
“You know what?” I said, suddenly enlightened. “No one’s getting into my pants, and no one’s chasing this skirt, either. Garrett, sure, I’ll go out for a drink with you, but not tonight. It’s been a long freaking day and I just need to sleep, after I eat. Wade, you need to debrief me tonight, and I need to stuff my face with spring rolls and fried rice. So let’s get moving.” I stood, pointing at the restaurant counter, where our order had just been bagged. “Food’s ready.”
I then walked over to the clerk, who smiled at us as he handed over the food. Wade followed, without saying anything, but I could feel the shame and anger boiling inside him. He knew he’d messed up, his mouth talking without him, but he couldn’t concede in front of Garrett. He was probably saving the apology for later.
We left Garrett, who was staring at me with a mixture of shock and amusement, behind. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve said he was impressed, somehow. Maybe other girls just swooned over him and tolerated his snappy retorts, but I had no intention of giving him the satisfaction.
The main reason I’d accepted his invitation for drinks was to try and gather some intel from the investigative team. I had a personal interest in the gargoyles now. I also wanted to annoy Wade a little for referring to me as a “skirt.” And that had worked like a charm. At the same time, I requested that Wade debrief me because I wanted to hit Garrett where it hurt most—in the investigative team. If my assumptions about him were correct, he’d yet to realize that sure, he got to go out with me, but missed out on the opportunity to debrief me in an official capacity.
Hm, guess Mrs. Smith was right. Men can only think with one brain at a time.
“You have the makings of a deviant,” Wade said in a low tone as we stepped outside, and I passed him the food bags in return for the jar.
He knew exactly what I’d done, and I didn’t know whether I should fear future retaliation or take it as a compliment. Wade could be very confusing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road ahead.
The sound of cars driving by hurt my very soul, as I remembered the state of my Daisy, back at Park West. I’d worked hard to get her in driving shape. I’d bought her from a secondhand dealership, and she was barely running at the time, choking whenever I switched gears. All it took was one big-ass, vengeful gargoyle to render her useless.
Wade’s Jeep was parked just another block ahead, between two bland sedans. There was no sign of its scuffle with the gargoyle back at the casino. Good mechanic… It stood out like a black metal giant, which seemed emblematic of Wade’s personality somehow. I stole a glance at him, just as he turned his head to steal one at me, and our eyes met for an awkward second.
“Come on, get in,” Wade said, looking away, suddenly cold and distant. He clicked his key fob and the Jeep let out a double beep, its doors unlocking. “We still have a lot to do before tomorrow.”
“Can I eat in the car?” I asked, my stomach pulling my sleeve.
He scowled at me as we got in. “Would you let anyone eat in your car?”
I thought about it, and he was right. I would’ve blown a fuse if someone wanted to eat hot Chinese food in my Daisy. “Sorry, never mind,” I said, looking down. “But you’ll have to put up with my stomach growling louder than a gargoyle.”
“That’s cool,” Wade replied, then turned the radio on, and the volume up.
A heavy metal song blared through the speakers. Yeah, my stomach didn’t stand a chance with that noise. I gave Wade another sideways glance and noticed the muscle twitching in his jaw as he twisted his key in the ignition.
He was definitely annoyed, maybe even upset.
I understood then that the “deviant” part wasn’t meant as a compliment. I’d upset him by choosing to go out with Garrett, but he was conflicted because I’d also given him the task of my debriefing.
And he really didn’t like being conflicted.
“Can you try and turn the Empathy off when I’m around?”
From the sound of his voice, he was also still irritated by my ability. He couldn’t hide from me. I almost felt sorry for him, while stifling a grin as I pressed my lips tight.
“I usually do, but I can’t shut it off entirely. I still get whiffs of emotions here and there. But my system’s all upside down after the assembly today. I need to sleep it off.”
“I kindly ask that you try, nonetheless. It’s extremely uncomfortable to be around you, otherwise.”
Oh, ouch.
Yeah, I’d pushed the wrong buttons on the guy. Did I feel sorry, though? Or did I find his anguish amusing?
Food for thought, right after the spring rolls and fried rice.
Chapter Seventeen
After I scarfed down my Chinese dinner while Wade debriefed me, Santana took me to my room. She’d kicked another magical out of there to get me in. The guy hadn’t even had a chance to take down all his movie posters, and he’d also left his toothbrush and shaving cream behind.
After a hot shower, I sank into the memory foam bed, expecting to quickly drift into deep sleep. I didn’t. Instead, I tossed and turned, my eyes popping open every five minutes. My brain was too busy processing everything that had happened, from the moment I’d first seen Wade, down to Garrett’s flirtatious wink as he asked me out earlier.
In between, snippets of preceptors, Readings, Finch’s “flight” across the cafeteria hall, and the gargoyles kept bothering me, each carrying question marks and warning signs. If the Bestiary was so secure, how come monsters kept slipping out? How did the same gargoyle manage to escape twice?
If the boxes were so amazing and super charmed, how did that creature outsmart them? Or did it? What if it was an inside job? Was someone from the San Diego Coven trying to stir it all up? What was their endgame?
Ugh. I am not prepared for any of this!
I sat up with a frustrated huff, disliking the darkness that had settled around me. The windows showed me the outside world, as they overlooked the park. The circular fountain was somewhere farther to the left, and there was no moon out tonight, just stars and strips of clouds.
Clearly, I wasn’t going to get any sleep, not after everything that had happened. My heart was still aching over Daisy, and over the fact that I couldn’t enjoy my own place anymore. If one gargoyle had made it out twice, and brought two more with him to hunt me down, chances were that there could be a third attack, if the Bestiary was still vulnerable.
Remembering the Mage Council’s warning, I couldn’t help but worry about Alton, Wade, and all the other magicals, especially my Rag Team. Not that I was emotionally attached or anything, but still, I felt bad for them. If they lost points on this, chances were that Adley’s research was going to suffer.
Like it or not, for the next month, the coven is your concern, too.
I slipped into my jeans and T-shirt, then went for a walk through the coven, looking for the Bestiary. It was a little after midnight, and barely a handful of witches and warlocks were still out at this time. I couldn’t remember the exact route that Alton had taken to get to the Bestiary—not that there would be signs pointing to the most dangerous place on Earth, anyway.
So, I wandered through the hallways for a while, gawking at bronze dragons along the way. I caught a glimpse of a familiar corridor to my left, so I went through, remembering how the walls closed in on me as we got closer to the Bestiary.
Fifteen minutes later, I was standing at the end of the distorted hallway, fitted around the tall, oval door. I didn’t see any of the extra security yet and figured they’d yet to start their shift. I turned the knob, but the door was locked. It made sense, though. I wouldn’t keep a terrarium full of poisonous spiders and deadly snakes without a lid.