"I did," Malakai nodded. "Someone cleared out the room for me. It was you, right?"
Laila looked slightly taken aback that he figured it out. "Why do you suspect me?" she asked.
"There's only that room and Captain Rhett's on that floor, so I just assumed—"
"There's nothing going on between us." Laila cut in quickly. Realizing how sharp that came out, she cleared her throat and added, "Ninth Vein."
Malakai simply stared at her. He didn't comment and changed the topic. "What about the Captain? I left him at some club last night to handle his business."
"He's back in his room now, Ninth Vein. Sleeping. He must've had too much to drink."
Malakai nodded, though he didn't miss the annoyance in her voice. Still, it wasn't his concern.
"The plan went well. We got enough money to start fixing the house. Can the renovations begin today?"
"Yes, Ninth Vein. Igyan's already supposed to come patch the exterior holes. When he arrives, we'll inform him that we're doing a full renovation."
