Page 45 of Gray Dawn

It was a…

…lie.

He was lying. To Master.

Heneverlied to. Master.

“We’ll see about that.” He tapped his cane three times on the tile. “Your ridiculous hairpiece is in the back of a car as we speak. The driver is running it all over Dallas then circling back to the distillery. If my granddaughter comes to fetch it, we’ll know you have been compromised.”

“Yes, Master.”

“That jar.” He slid his gaze behind the golem. “Why do you have it?”

“I caught a moth.” The golem found he couldn’t lie this time. “But it escaped.”

“Peculiar.” His fingers tightened on his cane. “You haven’t been right since I paired you with my granddaughter. She’s done something to you.” His hard stare made the golem flinch. “You’re old for one of your kind. It might be time to take you apart. Add some new clay. Work out the impurities. Then reanimate you.”

“That would kill me.”

The golem didn’t know how he knew, but he understood the addition of more clay from the blessed pits where golems were molded would dilute the core of who he was until he wouldn’t wonder where the moth girl went. If she was okay. If he should have kept her. Safe.

“That is exactly what I mean.” Master turned, placed his hand on the door. “Don’t leave this room.”

“Yes, Master.”

That was what the golem said. But for the first time.

He stared at the doorknob. Wondered what might happen.

If.

He.

Turned.

It.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Using her blanket as a hood, Colby finished extracting the information on the thumb drive Nan gave me. I wasn’t thrilled she was back at work the second her eyes opened, but the news about Clay hit her hard. She wasn’t going to rest until she got her bestie back, so I might as well supervise. Otherwise, she would forget to eat or sleep. I had seen it happen a million times during Mystic Realms game-a-thons.

“There’s a video.” Her voice came out soft, tired. “Want me to cue it?”

We had retreated to the hotel to avoid the cleaners, crossing our fingers Nan had given us intel we could use to take down her boss and not a virus as a parting gift. I wanted to believe her fury had been genuine, but I wasn’t confident enough to bet on it.

That was why we bought a laptop off a random teen in the lobby for twice what he paid for it.

“Yeah.” I checked to make sure everyone had a clear view of the screen. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

On screen, Nan typed a mile a minute, cutting brief glances at her laptop’s camera.

“If you’re watching this, whoever you are, I’m either dead—in which case, fuck you—or you robbed me. If you’re a thief, yourdays are numbered. If you’re not…then my mother was right and working for Luca was the death of me.” She finished what she was doing and sat back in her chair. “Chances are you’re either Rue Hollis or one of her minions.” She shot a bird at the screen. “You’re probably half the reason I’m dead.” She exhaled. “But you’re not wholly to blame.”

“I have minions.” I pursed my lips. “I like the sound of that.”

“Your inner evil overlord is showing.” Arden elbowed me. “Now hush.”

“You’ve probably figured this out by now,” Nan continued, “but I’ll break it down in case you’re behind.”