“What are you doing here?” Chase said, too dumbfounded to brandish his gun. It wasn’t ILLEGAL for Sebastian to sit on the curb and ask for handouts. The Corver City law had plenty of loopholes, and even the wealthiest man in the world could beg for money without consequence. But Chase couldn’t wrap his mind around why Sebastian would get one of his beloved fitted suits dirty by sitting on the ground. Was Sebastian that desperate for attention?
Sebastian blinked up at Chase, and then grinned like a Cheshire cat. “My hero,” he said. “Always around to save the day.”
“I could arrest you,” Chase threatened, but his heart wasn’t in it.
“No, you couldn’t.”
Chase’s mind was racing faster than a high-speed train. Chase couldn’t believe that less than a week ago, he was strolling out of Sebastian’s penthouse office, hoping to get blueprints of Sebastian’s home. Now, he’d visited the secret control room behind Sebastian’s bookcase. He’d gone against every moral fiber in his body to rescue Sebastian. At DarkWinds, he’d stolen a diagram of a contraption, which still sat in the pocket by his heart. Then, Jack Kent tasked him with putting Sebastian behind bars, or else both Chase and Helen would be unseated from their jobs.
Chase had worked hard for his career. It was the only thing that kept him sane, knowing he had power, and could use that power for good. Chase could easily leave Sebastian on the curb, return to the police station, and continue unearthing Sebastian’s secrets. Or he could intimidate the billionaire into revealing his ulterior motives.
Sebastian made a shooing motion with his fedora full of change. But Chase didn’t budge. He would stand here until the sun set if it meant he could get under Sebastian’s skin. Chase reached into his pocket and took out the scientific diagram, wondering if he could use this to get the upper hand. He unfolded it and shook it in Sebastian’s face. “Look familiar?”
The billionaire’s eyes narrowed as he snatched the paper out of Chase’s hand. Sebastian tried to keep his expression neutral, but he was no match for Chase’s investigative abilities. It was clear Sebastian knew this machine, and could read the scientific jargon meant.
“Where did you find this, detective?”
Chase derived great pleasure from the way Sebastian was unmoored. “None of your business. But begging? That’s a new low, even for you.”
Sebastian sighed. “I make sacrifices for my business meetings. Leave, I’m busy.”
“You don’t look busy.”
“You don’t look smart enough to understand my diagrams.”
“So it IS your diagram!” Chase said, leveling one finger at Sebastian’s face. His trench coat flapped in the wind, and his coffee threatened to spill past its lid.
“I WONDER how you got your hands on my blueprints, not knowing they were mine. Hmm. Obviously, you’re Jack’s newest spy.”
Chase stood with his mouth agape, absolutely speechless, as Sebastian refolded the diagram and handed it back to Chase. Sebastian was insinuating that Chase was working WITH Jack Kent, which was technically true. But Chase wasn’t a spy, and he wasn’t loyal to Jack. These blueprints were stolen.
“Jack is wasting your time, detective,” Sebastian said. “You’ll be more useful to me if you go back to drug busts and shoplifting investigations.”
“I’m not working for Jack Kent, and I’m not working for you. I work for the people of Corver City. Young people are suffering because of YOUR actions and your technology.” Chase said passionately, pointing to the diagram. “This looks like a torture device out of a science fiction movie. Don’t you care? Your Memory Maker has ruined this city. The sidewalks are filthy, there are people camping in the streets, and now you’re cosplaying poverty. It’s disgusting.” Chase could feel the heat rising in his cheeks.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” said a young man from behind Chase, causing him to whirl around. Chase knew that voice. Standing in ripped, dirty clothes, looking years older than the last time Chase had seen him, was Liam Landon.