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He narrowed his eyes. “Does my daughter find your wit amusing?”

“Humor doesn’t exactly run in the family.”

He stilled, his eyes boring into me. “I’ve just told you I have people killed when I don’t like them. For the record, they die very slowly. I admire your gumption, Xan, but if I were you, I’d mind your tone when you speak to me.”

“Understood,” I said, wondering if Virelle would afford me any protection, or whether she was the one to do the killing.

It seemed right up there with her interests.

What was it like growing up with parents like these?

I sometimes wished I’d known mine; having met Kara’s, I was appreciating being a foster kid from a whole new angle.

He stared at me a moment longer, then nodded. “You’re supposed to be intelligent, Xan. Use that great intellect of yours to figure it out. Embed yourself with the investigations unit. Use it, undermine it—whatever. Just find the asset before he arranges another raid on my property.”

“In New Providence alone, there’re two thousand people in SPAR. I’m open to ideas of how you expect me to do that.”

Dacien shrugged. “I don’t care. Figure it out.

” He took a puff of his cigar, waving a hand to indicate he hadn’t finished speaking.

“In the aftermath of the crisis, the public was already questioning SPAR’s transparency.

Recent civil unrest just adds oil to the fire.

Now, certain powers want to be sure that every decision made was morally sound.

” He pointed his cigar at me. “Present yourself as the one to clean up that mess. That should get you into their emergency management division.”

I shifted in my chair. “Why me? Surely you have better qualified personnel in your organization.”

“I told you last time. You’re an unknown; they won’t expect any connection between a philosophy academic and me.

But ultimately, you’ll do it because if you don’t, I’ll kill you.

” He gave a thin smile. “Maybe you’re thinking about running.

A smart man might, a coward would. But if you do, I’ll find you, and then I’ll give you to Virelle. ”

That pretty much confirmed his wife’s medieval hobbies.

He watched me as he puffed on his cigar, savoring the flavor. “On the other hand, if you want extra incentive—though I can’t imagine why you’d need it—do this for me, and maybe I’ll take more kindly to you bonding my daughter.

Like I wanted his blessing. I changed the subject. “Since you mentioned the response times, could the informer be the reason for SPAR’s slow response? I don’t see how—”

“No, no, dear boy. Nothing to do with it. That was politics, plain and simple.”

“I don’t understand. Who benefited from the delay?”

“I’m not in the business of spoon-feeding, Xan. Make yourself useful to me, and either you’ll get your answers along the way, or maybe earn the right to ask me a question or two.”

I bit back my frustration. “You do know I’m not a spy, right?”

“Ah! Thank you for the reminder. You’ll need toys.” He opened the same desk drawer the manila folder had come from, and dropped an open brown envelope on the desk. “There you go. Now you’re a spy.”

I picked it up reluctantly. “Cufflinks?”

“Secure radio. You’ll report to me, directly.”

“Yes, but cufflinks? They don’t go with hoodies.”

“Buy a suit,” he said coldly.

“Why do I need them? You texted me. I have your number.”

He didn’t bother to hide his exasperation. “It was a burner phone, Xan. I’m not giving you my number.”

“Kara has it,” I muttered, but pocketed the cufflinks anyway. “What about IDs? Paperwork? Or do I just rock up on Monday morning?”

“It’ll take a couple of days. I’ll send it to you.”

“Right.” I pushed myself up, heading for the door before the eyeroll I’d been resisting escaped.

“Take Kara with you. Otherwise she’ll only plague me while you’re gone.”

I paused, turning back. “Will you get access for her too?”

“Make her your assistant or something.” He frowned. “I do hope you show more initiative than this when you’re in there. Though, I suppose if you don’t, I’ll avoid a small fortune in paying for her wedding, won’t I?”

“We wouldn’t want that,” I said, well aware it was vague, and left Dacien to mull over my meaning as I walked out.

Before I’d made it too far, Harrington appeared as if by magic.

“Where’s Kara?”

“Still in with Lady Virelle, sir.”

“Crimson room, right?”

“Correct, sir, but they’re not to be disturbed.”

“Watch me.”

I knew where it was—bottom of the stairs on the left—and rapped the door once before I walked in.

Kara was sitting very uncomfortably in her chair, and I’d caught Virelle mid-sentence. She cut herself off abruptly, before I had a chance to catch any of their conversation, and gave me a stern look.

“Good evening, Virelle. How nice to see you again. Just a fleeting visit, I’m afraid—we left the stove on. Kara?”

She rose as if in a daze, then blinked and her chin lifted, her demeanor growing more confident with each step toward me.

“No doubt we’ll see you soon,” I said to Virelle, and walked straight back out.

“What happened?” Kara murmured.

“Let’s go home.”

I frowned, wondering why I said that.

Home. I’d been living there a week, sleeping on the couch. That wasn’t ‘home’.