Page 59 of Static/Cling

After that, right up until he exited the elevator on the top floor, everything went exactly as Sal predicted it would. Only Sal hadn’t anticipated the last person Kassian wanted to find standing guard outside the top-floor office.

“Rufus.”

His older brother’s eyes got huge.

The guard standing on the opposite side of the door from him glanced over, a frown on their face. They had opened their mouth, about to say something, when the door opened.

For a moment, the bright fluorescent glare of the hallway lighting blinded Kassian to the dimmer interior of the office so that all he saw when he looked in were two faintly glowing points of light. His first thought was an enormous animal waited in the shadows, ready to pounce and all his brothers’ whispered stories about half-humans with were-beast powers buried his common sense in a flood of panic.

He blinked, shuffled a step back, then a man, tall as Kassian, but whip-thin, bald, and as human as he was, stood in the doorway. He had startling blue eyes Kassian very much wanted to look away from, but couldn’t.

“Laurier.” He turned his gaze on the guard who wasn’t Rufus, and Kassian almost sighed in relief.

The soldier snapped to attention, pivoting and saluting. “Sir!”

“God, you are so… eager.” The newcomer shuddered. “I need caffeine. Go.”

“Sir! Yes, sir!” They saluted again and marched off into the elevator that still stood open behind Kassian.

“General George.” Rufus also turned and saluted, albeit not quite so enthusiastically.

“At ease, soldier.” George turned a glittering gaze on Kassian. “You must be me, then. Or, at least, you wanted my underlings downstairs to think you were.” He held out a hand. “Pleased to meet you, General Sherman George.” He grinned, and some of the humanness left his face. “Or is it Mr. Briggs?”

Kassian and Rufus both groaned.

“You must also be extremely disappointed that I came and took my post a day early. Although it was a good plan, trying to get in using my name before anyone here got a good look at me.”

Kassian slumped. “You have no idea.”

“Rufus.” General George turned to him. “That is remarkable. You could be twins.”

“We aren’t,” Kassian and Rufus said at the same time.

That made George chuckle. Actually chuckle with a genuine smile that showed off perfect white teeth. The suddenness with which his humanity came and went made Kassian’s skin crawl. “Nevertheless. Escort your brother—he is your brother?” George paused long enough for Rufus to grudgingly affirm this. “Into my office, please.”

“Yes, sir.” Rufus jerked his head at the open door. “The hell were you all thinking?” he whispered as Kassian passed him.

Kassian groaned again.

“Have a seat, Kassian.” George motioned to the chair across the desk from the one he took.

Kassian didn’t like his familiarity, that he knew Kassian’s name, or that he called Rufus by his given name and not their shared surname of Briggs. He remained standing when George sat and laced his fingers together on top of the laptop sitting on the blotter. “Rufus, do make sure we aren’t disturbed.”

Rufus glared a Kassian before yes-sirring again and leaving the room.

George stared at him, waiting and silent.

Kassin sat, eyeing the computer and trying to decide how long it might take him to overpower this guy and get out. And would Rufus help him? Or try and stop him?

“Oh. This?” George splayed both long-fingered elegant hands over the closed lid of the laptop. “You don’t honestly think I would have kept such a valuable asset just sitting out in the open like this, did you?”

Kassian said nothing.

“Did you think you would waltz in here, take the computer, and sashay right back out?” He tsked and shook his head. “I had hoped for better from you, young man. You are the brains of the family, after all.”

Kassian bit his tongue to keep quiet. He was the brains of his family, but no one else was allowed to point that out.

“I know Rufus tried to have me believe he’s the family genius—the one with all the computer know-how, but really, he’s had weeks to try and break this encryption, and nothing.” George leaned forwards. “I’m hoping you will have better luck. For your friend Roger’s sake.”

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