Page 91 of The Tracker's Revenge
“Yes!” Rosalina and I said in unison.
I hardened my expression and glowered at the men.I swear if either of you offers us money...
Jake examined the rafters.
Eric nodded. “So... how long will it take?”
“It depends.” I shrugged and wiped my mouth with a rough paper towel, which was all Eric had for napkins. “The trance doesn’t take long, but the recovery can, depending on how quickly I can track my mark.”
“Can’t it wait?” Eric asked, looking annoyed.
“No, it can’t.”
Well, in reality, it could. It wasn’t as if Mr. Taylor or Mekare would die without a mate, but things with the agency were already hanging by a thread. Wehadto survive this rough patch.
Jake polished off his fifth hot dog and patted his belly. “Can’t you call your customers and explain that something came up? Just say it’ll take a few extra days.”
“We made one of them wait already since I was otherwise occupied fighting hybrids, and the new customer is too high profile to mess around. No, it’s not an option.”
I glanced over at Rosalina to judge her thoughts on the matter. She wore a neutral expression, which was probably her way of making me feel less pressured.
“I don’t mean to sound insensitive,” Jake said, “but there are more important things going on right now.”
I knew he was right, but still, his comment rubbed me the wrong way. “That’s easy for you to say,Mr. I’ve just inherited the Knight fortune.Some of us aren’t that lucky.”
Jake heaved a sigh and leaned forward, pressing a hand flat on the table and letting his eyes dance between Rosalina and me. “Look, I know you’re worried about losing the agency, but you don’t have to be. I can help you. Like you just said, I have theKnight fortuneat my disposal.”
Again, I knew he meant well, but his offer just pissed me off. I opened my mouth to tell him off, but Rosalina beat me to it, speaking with tones and words that were far kinder than I would’ve used.
“We appreciate the offer, Jake. It’s very generous of you, but I’m afraid we cannot accept it. The agency means more to Toni and me than you know, and its successorfailure will depend entirely on us.”
I met my friend’s sharp green gaze and gave her an almost imperceptible nod of agreement. For her sake, I might’ve been tempted to accept Jake’s help, but I was glad to see we were on the same page. We would both go down with the ship if it came to it.
We would have no one else to blame but ourselves. But if, on the other hand, we succeeded, the victory would be that much sweeter.
“Well,” Eric said, “it seems it’s decided. Can you do the trance tomorrow? Or do you require preparation?”
“We have everything we need,” I said. “I can do it first thing tomorrow after I get a good night’s sleep.”
Eric rose from his chair, picking up his plate and walking to the small metal sink to wash it. “A good night of sleep is something we all could use. There are two bedrooms. One is, of course, mine.” He pointed toward the door on the far left. “You all can flip a coin for the other. Whoever loses can take the pullout sofa.”
“I’ll take the sofa,” Jake offered. “If the extra bed is big enough for two people.”
“It is.” Eric put his now-clean plate on the drying rack and picked up one of the shopping bags he’d gotten at the convenience store. “This is the bathroom,” he said, standing in front of the door next to his room. “There are enough towels for everyone.” He lifted the paper bag and shook it. “I also got some toiletries.”
With that, he walked into the bathroom and locked himself in.
He’d been thoughtful to get food and toiletries for everyone, but he was far from a perfect host. He had no trouble letting us know he was in charge and would get first pick on everything. That was Eric, all right.
“I’ll go get settled.” Rosalina washed her plate, then disappeared into the second bedroom, leaving Jake and me alone.
