“Renley is a real name, though,” I persisted.
“Who named their kid Jermajesty?” Paris queried.
“Jermaine Jackson.”
“He’s not a real celebrity.”
“True story.” Zoe kept her attention on me. “We know Grimaldi isn’t going to be there. We want to find that book. If he has it, it’s likely at his house.”
I wanted to argue with her — this was the stupidest idea I’d ever heard — but she had a point. “How can we get in without being seen?” I asked after a beat. “I mean, glamours are good, but they don’t make us invisible.”
“Luckily for you, I have a trick for that,” Zoe reassured me. “We can get in and out of that house without any busybody neighbors being the wiser. I promise. The question is, are you willing to risk your job in case we get caught?”
Months before, I would’ve scoffed at the question. I had taken the job because I wanted to find out what happened to my parents. I was singularly interested in discovering answers regarding their fate. Now, though, my life was full of so much more.
“Maybe she should stay behind,” Paris volunteered when I didn’t answer. “Given what’s going on, losing access to the gate is in nobody’s best interest.”
“That true.” Zoe flashed a tight smile. “It’s okay. I can go on my own.”
“I’ll go with you,” Paris protested. “I’m always the one who goes with you when we break into places we’re not supposed to be ... like the Academy ... and the Academy again. Oh, and the Academy a third time. Huh. We didn’t really vary our illegal activities very much, did we?”
“I broke into plenty of other places,” Zoe countered. “I had more than one break-in partner.”
“That’s because you’re a dirty whore, too,” Paris noted.
“Whore,” Collin muttered under his breath, his attention back out the window.
Zoe smirked at him. She seemed genuinely amused. “You can stay here, Izzy. Paris and I will handle the heavy lifting on this one. You don’t have to be afraid.”
She said the last part to irritate me. I didn’t need to be a genius to pick that up. Much like Aisling, she was a master at poking people until she got what she wanted. For that reason alone, I didn’t want to give in to her demands.
On the flip side, I really wanted to find that book.
“Let’s do it,” I said finally, resigned. “But if I lose my job, I’m going to be really mad.”
“That’s the spirit.” Zoe clapped my shoulder, hard, and then glanced over her shoulder at Collin. “Don’t forget, if you really want to irritate her, you should find someone to date ... and make sure you do it right outside the conservatory. That way she’ll know you’re moving on, too.”
Collin’s eyes filled with fire. “I think that’s a very good idea.” He wagged a finger at her. “You’re very smart.”
“I know.” Zoe was still smiling when Collin stormed off with a clear purpose.
“Why did you do that?” I whined. “Do you have any idea what it’s like being around them when they’re fighting? For the record, they’re always fighting. This could cause them to go nuclear, though.”
“That’s because they have chemistry.”
The statement threw me. “Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they don’t like each other. They’re sworn enemies.”
“There’s a thin line between love and hate.”
“That’s a really old saying.”
“It’s also true.” Zoe looked smug. “They may hate each other but they’re also hot for each other. The only reason Claire brought that guy to this specific location was to drive Collin crazy. She has the upper hand in their relationship and she knows it. They’ll be forever stuck in a loop if Collin doesn’t break free.”
“Yes, but even if he finds a nice woman to date, Claire might kill her,” I pointed out. “She’s extremely powerful ... and mean.”
“So, so mean,” Paris echoed.
“He’s not going to bring a nice woman out here,” Zoe explained. “He’s going to find some mouthy broad in a bar who he knows will drive Claire nuts. Then he’s going to bring her back here and torture both of them.”
“You sound like you believe that’s a good thing.”
“I do. They want each other, even though they’ll never admit it. We need to get them in the same room so they can scream at each other ... and then let nature take its course.”
That was the most ludicrous thing I’d ever heard. “They hate each other. They don’t want to be together.”
“Never say never.”
“But ... no. They really hate each other.”
“You can’t fight chemistry.” Zoe was adamant as she started for the door. “Now, come on. I want to illegally search Adam Grimaldi’s house. He sounds like a liar and a tool, and there’s little more I love than invading someone’s personal space.”
“Fine, but I think you’re overreaching with Collin and Claire.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
ZOE COULD BUILD DOMES. I HAD NO other word to describe the invisible magic bubble she encased us in so we could walk to Grimaldi’s house.
We had to park two blocks over to be on the safe side. If anyone was watching the house, they might notice us parking — and then disappearing — before we even got to the front walkway. Grimaldi’s house was in Grosse Pointe, the same city Grimlock Manor was located in, but it was several miles away, in a slightly less ritzy neighborhood.
“What is it with the houses around here?” Zoe queried, her eyes bouncing from turret to turret. “I mean, does everybody down here need to live in a castle? It’s freaking ridiculous.”
I had to laugh. Since she reassured me the dome was soundproof, I didn’t bother to hide my chuckle. “It took me some getting used to, too,” I admitted, thinking back to the home I’d shared with my grandfather in New Orleans. “The house I grew up in was a thousand square feet.”
She slid her eyes to me. “That sounds torturous.”
“I didn’t
