Vanished: City of Lies #1
Page 14
Jonah had explained to her that they had to reach certain stage goals in order to pass their exams. She found the concept of interdisciplinary work very exciting and it was certainly a challenge for all of them. It resembled real life immensely. As Quinn knew well, you couldn't choose your colleagues and you had to solve the tasks your bosses gave you if you wanted to get ahead. That was just the way life played out.
“You'll be fine,” Kate tried to motivate her. “You'll probably just have to get used to the fact that the conditions are different. You're just not the only genius in the company anymore.”
“Genius? I feel like the dorky intern,” Quinn interjected. The two friends had arranged to stream a movie together that night. “My one co-worker really sucks. Every little criticism I get, she has to go after.”
“That sounds really dumb, but it'll probably wear off in time. Maybe she's just not used to competition and gets a little snarky. But she'll learn to love you. You're the best.”
“Suck-up,” she scolded her friend with a laugh. “I'm still not so sure.”
“You'll see,” Kate insisted optimistically.
“Let's not go there,” Quinn wiped the subject off the table for good and turned back to the movie selection she could see in a second window on the display. “How about 'To all the Boys I loved before' then?”
“We've seen that one three times already. I'd rather have something new,” Kate shot out her suggestion. Her tense expression revealed that she was scrolling intently through the list of new releases.
“How are things going with Logan?” Quinn wanted to know from her.
“Hmm," Kate grumbled sullenly. “I saw him at the gas station the other day and I could have sworn there was a girl sitting in his car, but he gave me the eye and took off again real quick. Somehow he was totally weird. Maybe he's got a new girlfriend.”
“What a bummer,” Quinn agreed with her, pondering for a moment what Logan's behavior might mean. Before she puzzled around for long, she decided to inquire at the source. “I'm kind of hungry. Can you keep looking by yourself for a minute?”
“Yeah, sure. I'll hang up for a minute and the net will be better. Just call back when you're done,” Kate replied guilelessly.
“It's okay. I'll see you in a bit.” She raised her hand briefly, indicated a wave, and hung up.
Quinn rolled off the bed and grabbed the smartphone from the nightstand. Keeping her white lie believable, she made her way to the kitchen. Excited murmurs drifted from the room. No one looked up as she poked her head through the door. Ben, Rachel, and Jonah were discussing some technical topic on equal terms. There was no sign at all of Ben's problems with speaking freely, although he had once again barely gotten a word out during the greeting earlier.
She opened the fridge and let her eyes wander. A few ready meals, different kinds of pudding, milk and three cups of fruit yoghurt were all she found inside. She reached for a yogurt and checked the expiration date. A habit she would probably never get rid of, once she had opened a cup with a delicate green fur already growing on the lid.
Ever since she started living with Jonah, everything in the house was neat. An expired yogurt would certainly have jumped into the trash can here on its own and probably even brought out the bag afterwards.
With the mug and a spoon as an alibi, she left the kitchen and dialed Logan's number. Outside her open bedroom door, she paused and waited for the ring. Three times. Four times. Five times it rang. But Logan didn't answer. Then she heard a squeak that didn't come from the kitchen or the phone. Alert, she lifted her head and sharpened her senses.
Where did that noise come from?
It couldn't have come from Jonah's room, after all, he had just been sitting at the kitchen table. Once again there was a squeak. Despite all theoretical impossibility, the squeak seemed to come from her roommate's room.
What was going on in there?
Carefully, she pushed down the handle and pushed the door open a crack. She was reluctant to invade his privacy, but she had to know. Quinn couldn't imagine anyone being allowed in Jonah's room in his absence. More than her poor sense of order and rules, a morbid curiosity drove her. The image of a masked burglar flashed through her mind. Or had her clean-living roommate tied a will-less slave to his bed and now she was trying to free herself?
No, that was both absurd. No one was breaking into a dorm room, and Jonah wasn't one for escapades like this. That almost made him exciting again. But he was a rock solid guy who wouldn't be dangerous to her - she was already completely sure of that after this first week.
Slowly, the door swung open inward. Quinn retracted her head involuntarily and let her eyes scan the room as she remained motionless. All things seemed to be in place. Then her eyes registered an anomaly. She sucked in the air, trying to sort out the stimuli crashing into her.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
TO BE CONTINUED
BACKMATTER
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