There were two chairs positioned in front of Jamie’s desk, and for a moment, Cadence foresaw bickering between Christian and Elliott as to who deserved to sit in the one she didn’t occupy herself—trusting neither of them would want her to stand—until Jamie, also likely envisioning the problem, picked up another chair by the door and carried it with him to the desk where he set it so that all three of them would have a place to rest. Since this one was slightly different than the other two, Cadence chose to sit there so that there could be no discussion of who got the better seat. She imagined this was what having children must be like and hoped these two alleged adults could at least sit near each other and not resort to eye poking or hand slapping.
Jamie discarded his lab coat and went around and sat behind the desk. He still looked like a doctor in a white button-down shirt and red striped tie. She thought it was just as well that he was on the other side of the table so that he could be the authoritarian having already tired of being the grownup herself while in the hallway.
Keeping his voice low, Jamie said, “So… we all agree that it would probably be a good idea to try to convince Aaron to let us bring out the titanium bullets?”
“I do,” Christian said quickly. “Both of us can remember fighting these kinds of goons was no easy task the first time around, and regardless of what has caused this strength, it’s time we upped our game.”
Cadence was glad to hear Christian still wasn’t convinced it was the portal, though she was 99.9 percent sure that had to be it. “I agree. And I say that even though I did get hit last night.” She spoke without glancing at Elliott because her point really wasn’t to make him feel bad so much as to punctuate the fact that she knew she was taking a chance at someone getting hurt.
“Sorry,” he muttered, obviously still feeling bad about it. “I think we all know that using them assumes more risk than we are used to, and I don’t think the entire team needs them. But us, hell yeah.”
“And who else?” Jamie asked. “Aaron and Hannah, I’d assume.”
“I would say Aurora could handle it as well,” Cadence added. “Maybe… no one else.”
“Brandon?” Elliott asked.
Cadence sighed. “Maybe. I mean, he is always very careful, but he’s just a kid. If he did accidentally hit someone….”
Elliott nodded in understanding and said nothing else about it.
“Okay, so… who brings it up?” Jamie asked.
“Not it,” Elliott blurted before Jamie had even finished his sentence.
Cadence narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to the doctor. “Honestly, Jamie, I think if anyone has a chance at convincing him, it’s you.”
“Me?” Jamie repeated, his face echoing the shock in his voice. “Why me?”
“Because you’re the most rational,” Cadence replied. “We all know he’s not going to listen to Christian, and since Elliott has already excluded himself from the possibility through his magical use of the ‘not it’ powers, that only leaves you and me.” She rolled her eyes in Elliott’s general direction. If she thought Aaron would listen to his ol’ pal, she might have pressed it, but she knew Jamie was their best bet.
“What about you?” Jamie asked. “He might listen to you more than me.”
She was already shaking her head. “Clearly, if I could convince him of anything, I wouldn’t have had to drive to Utah to retrieve Elliott.”
“You could try using your special powers,” Christian said in a quiet voice.
Her head whipped around sharply to take him in. He was sitting with one ankle crossed over the other knee, his hands folded in front of him, his eyes downcast like his comment was nonchalant. “Don’t.”
Christian glanced up at her, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, but he seemed content to let it go.
Until Elliott asked, “Special powers?”
“He’s just being an idiot!” Cadence replied, wishing she had sat between them so she could smack him.
A chuckle came from somewhere deep in Christian’s throat. “You just don’t want me to say anything because you know it’s true. And they’ll agree.”
A list of names riddled with obscenities began to form on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t get a chance to express them before Jamie asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Christian?”
“Oh, come on!” he said, sitting up. “We all know that Cadence has a certain power to twist us anyway she wants to, don’t we? Haven’t we all bent over backward for her at one point or another?”
“And you think she’s somehow manipulating us into doing what she wants?” Elliott asked, both bushy eyebrows raised.
“I do,” Christian nodded.
“That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard,” Elliott muttered. “I help Cadence cause I like her. She isn’t some stupid siren, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“Thank you!” Cadence proclaimed, looking at her friend affectionately.
“Jamie?” Christian asked, eyeing the Healer. “Do you remember the first night Cadence was here?”
“I remember,” he said quickly. “But I agree with Elliott. I liked Cadence—as a friend—because I’d already started to get to know her. I was the one who drove her out of the Eidolon Festival—an event you missed because you were off at Dr. Morrow’s lab. So… no, I don’t think there’s any way that’s what’s happening with her.”
“Thank you, Jame,” Cadence said, satisfied that he was mostly telling the truth. He was an awful liar, and there was a hint in his eyes that maybe he was contemplating the possibility that Christian was right, but she felt that could’ve been more about saving face than anything else. Perhaps it would be easier for him to accept she had somehow manipulated him into thinking there might be something more than a friendship between them than the fact that he may have actually been interested in her romantically. Either way, she appreciated his agreement with her against Christian’s stupid proclamation.
