Page 58 of Skinwalker's Bane
“I think it’s a badly thought-out plan to remind me I’m a skinwalker first and foremost. I’m heading to see Haydn and figure it out.” He patted Peter’s shoulder. “Sorry to disrupt your day.”
Peter shrugged. “It’s going around. We’ll make sure the suit is intact, then lock it up tight again. Go.”
* * * * *
Haydn looked surprised for a split second, then nodded. “You sent Perez out anyway.”
“No tools. Just moving the crap around out there, pulling it closer. It needed to be done, anyway. Probert has his Droolies doing night shift for the next three nights. He can keep a watch over his shoulder.”
Haydn nodded. “Good plan.” He stepped aside. “Come in. Noa was just putting coffee on.”
Adam stepped into the slice apartment and heard the spatula clank and groan as it slid away from the front of the apartment, heading back to the bay at the foot of the Wall. This apartment was bigger than any of the others, which fitted with Haydn and Noa’s positions in the Institute. They could have moved to the Esquiline or even the Aventine, if they really wanted to. They were Wallers at heart, though. They liked living among the people they worked with.
Noa smiled at Adam from the kitchenette. “A nice scare to wake you up after the soiree, hmmm?”
“I think it was just that, a scare,” Adam said in agreement.
Haydn raised his brow, then waved toward the chairs at the little table. “Tell us.”
Adam went through what Corin had told him about the day crew’s chatter. “It seems likely they didn’t intend any real harm.”
Haydn sat back, considering Adam with a lowered brow. Noa sat on the third chair and put a mug of coffee in front of Adam, and a smaller one in front of Haydn.
Haydn didn’t immediately pick up his cup, although Adam didn’t hesitate—he was badly in need of stimulants right now. “I could run an investigation, question Corin’s crew. He might resent that, though. The crew certainly would. It might come better from you and Noa, and maybe Cai, as the voices of reason.”
“We can certainly run another investigation,” Noa said lightly.
Haydn hadn’t spoken. Adam looked at him. “I’m missing something.”
Haydn nodded and finally lifted his cup. “I didn’t say anything when you didn’t report the incident with your own crew. You fixed it, you kept it in house, and I probably would have done the same. Now the problem is trickling over to other crews, which you don’t have control of.”
Adam stared at him, feeling a little winded and also foolish—he might have presumed that Haydn would find out about the locker room confrontation he’d had with his crew. Haydn was a superior director. He stayed on top of problems and always learned about every little issue.
Haydn hadn’t finished. He put the cup down. “Ultimately, I don’t give a shit who you’re sacking. Between you and me, I like Devin. She’s not your average Palatino. She’s not stupid.”
Being declared not stupid was probably one of Haydn’s higher forms of praise. Yet it was a left-handed compliment. Adam frowned. “But,” he prompted Haydn.
“But you’re not just bedding her anymore,” Haydn said flatly.
The coffee mug jerked sideways, sloshing the hot liquid on his thigh. Adam hissed as the heat hit his flesh and held up the pants fabric away from his thigh and blew on it.
“Whoops,” Noa said quietly. She grabbed a cloth and wiped up most of the spill.
Haydn sat silently watching. Patience was etched onto his face.
When they were finally all seated once more, Adam looked Haydn squarely in the eye. “You’re telling me I should stop seeing her, boss?”
“I don’t get to control your personal life,” Haydn growled. “Idoget a say when your personal life affects the crews. Tonight, that happened. You recovered well and the only person who gets to take this on the chin tonight is you. Only, it could have been your whole crew and if Perez wasn’t so gutsy, itwouldhave been.”
Adam nodded, because he couldn’t deny this. “She’ll get the bonuses due to her. I’ll make sure of it.”
“You’re sliding past the point again,” Haydn said. “If I thought you were just having one of your extended moments, then I wouldn’t say anything. You were always good at prioritizing your life. Only, I saw you last night.”
“I barely spoke to her,” Adam said. “I didn’t even dance with her.” As he said it, he realized that it had bothered him more than he thought to sit and watch everyone else dance with Devin while he had to grit his jaw and stay still.
“Exactly,” Haydn said.
Noa smiled.
