Page 153 of Secrets (The Sins Trilogy 2)
“My job. I’m here for Ivy.”
I thought I made it clear earlier that she doesn’t need to bother. “It’s okay. I don’t need you around. Not anymore.”
“Gotta finish out my contract,” she says lightly.
“You don’t have to give the money back. I won’t tell Ton—Anthony.” The correction hurts every time. But it’s necessary. He isn’t a friend. He’s nothing to me. And calling him Anthony is a reminder of what he truly is.
She shakes her head. “Sorry. Professional ethics.”
Anthony doesn’t deserve her. “You’re being a stubborn mule.”
“And? Mules are cool.” Her voice is bland. “Maybe I’ll make that my bakery logo.”
Sharp annoyance breaks through the general blueness of my mood. Bobbi’s not going to budge. I might as well humor her until I figure out what to do about the situation. “See you tonight,” I say to Julie.
As Bobbi drives us toward the foundation, I say, “I appreciate you giving me a ride. But I don’t want you around, and it isn’t anything personal. Besides, wouldn’t you rather be making cakes and cookies?”
“You can do better than that. It totally is personal. You never wanted me around,” she says neutrally.
I fidget, hating it that she made the point with such bland accuracy. “I like you, Bobbi. I just didn’t like having a bodyguard. And right now, you know…you remind me of him.” There. I admitted it. I sigh, waiting for judgment or some kind of sympathy that’s going to make me feel even worse right before work.
“What would you say if I told you Byron’s paying me to keep an eye on you?”
What? You’re a double agent?I swivel in my seat. “Is he?”
A corner of her mouth twitches up. “Course not. Just hypothetically.”
Oh. Right. I feel absurdly gullible, which is annoying. “I’d still ask you to do your own thing, instead of wasting your time with me. You want to live your dream, right? So you should do that. This supposed danger I’m in—whatever Anthony told you—is all fake.”
It has to be. He lied about everything. I don’t see why he wouldn’t have lied about the “danger,” even though he sounded so sincere when he told me about the killers. Besides, if there really were killers, why didn’t he go to the police?
Because they’re fake.And it’s crime to file a false report.
Bobbi pulls into the foundation garage. I climb out, then wonder if Elizabeth was in on the deception all along. She’s close to Anthony, and she must’ve run a background check on me. Which, now that I think about it, is probably another reason Sam never wanted me to get a job, because who knew what a check would show?
What about others at the company? HR?They surely know…
My skin crawls. It seems like everyone knows the truth about me except me.
“What’s wrong?” Bobbi asks.
“Nothing.” Whether people know or not, that’s on them, not me, for being lying jerks. I need to go to work with my head held high.
When Bobbi and I step inside the foundation, Tolyan is at his desk. When he notices me, he lifts his head and nods once. “Iris,” he says. That’s about as friendly as he’s going to get.
“Good morning.” Watching him closely, I add, “The name is Ivy, by the way.”
There isn’t even a mote of surprise in those winter-cold eyes. So he knew about my real identity, too. For how long? Does Elizabeth know? Sudden anger pulses through me at the possibility that she’s been in the “Let’s Fool Ivy” conspiracy.
I almost roll my eyes at myself over the stupid question. Of course she knows. Tolyan doesn’t keep secrets from her.
“Is Elizabeth in?” I ask.
He nods once, watching me with the stillness of a predator debating if he’s hungry enough to pounce.
Ignoring the unsettling scrutiny, I step into her office and close the door behind me.
Elizabeth is beautifully put together as usual, her loose hair tumbling around her shoulders, a pale green dress draping over her as though she was the model the designer was dreaming about when he created the outfit. She looks at me, her eyes guarded. My anger turns to bitter disappointment. So. She knows about the fallout between me and Anthony. She must’ve heard from Ryder or something.
