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“You risked blowing my cover to give me shit about bureau paperwork?” I roll my eyes.
“No, I came to see if you needed out. I wasn’t sure what was happening with your mother. Malik said it was too complicated for you to meet me right now. So…” She throws out the hand that isn’t clutching the bucket. “I came to you.”
My heart softens at Malik’s thoughtfulness. Even when he’s not looking after me, he’s still watching out for me. “Nothing has changed with my mom. She’s still on the slow descent to checking out.”
She crosses the room and places her hand on the door. “You need out, send an SOS or call the number. I won’t come here if I don’t have to.” She sighs. “I’m off to clean one of the other gazillion rooms in your wing of the house.”
“Dai Qing?”
She half turns to me before opening the door.
“Does the bureau have a file on me? On my family?”
Frowning, she faces the door for a beat before focusing on me again. “Of course. Files on everyone. They check everything before you’re hired.”
“I want to see it.”
Dai Qing laughs. “Don’t we all. Not possible.”
“Then I want to see what the bureau knows about my brother.”
With a deep breath, she looks me full in the face. “You don’t want to be sucked down this hole, okay? Vengeance, whatever you want to call it, it’s not going to bring him back. It won’t make you feel better. What you feel isn’t fixed by knowing.”
“What do you know?”
She sighs. “You’re asking the wrong questions. What happened to him wasn’t because of The Cage, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay. If you have information, I want to know.” I point my finger.
A brisk knock on my door stops me short.
Her voice a harsh whisper as she says, “Leave it. Nothing good comes from you knowing these things right now, okay?”
“That’s bullshit,” I whisper back.
“Kimmy, I can hear you whispering in there. Who you got with you?” Finn’s voice calls from outside my door.
Dai Qing glances up at me, her face draining of color. His reputation must precede him. Nobody wants to be on the wrong end of ruthless.
With a sweeping motion, I gesture to my bathroom with her cleaning supplies. The bucket in her hand, she scurries to the en suite. Sucking in a breath, I relax my shoulders and open the door.
“One of the cleaners.” I school my tone to boredom. “She thinks I’m messy.”
Finn peers into my room. With a glance over my shoulder, I confirm she’s visible in the mirror tidying up my things.
“I’ll have her fired.” He’s loud enough for Dai Qing to hear.
I stifle a smile. We may not get along, but her reaction to his statement would be similar to mine. Blind rage and defiance. The bucket clatters to the floor.
He tries to enter my room, and I place a hand on his chest. “Don’t worry about it. I think she’s a temp, anyway.”
He frowns. “We don’t allow temps.” He hones in on Dai Qing, his eyes narrowing. “You a temp?”
She looks up, meeting his gaze in the mirror. “No, sir. Every Sunday, I come here. I clean.”
Her accent is so thick, I have to strain to understand her. “Maybe I misunderstood.” I shrug. “We’re usually out on Sundays.” My heart thunders in my chest, and for the millionth time, I’m glad he can’t hear it. How often can I raise Finn’s suspicion without pointing the finger at myself?
His icy stare scrapes over her one more time. “She seems vaguely familiar.”