For a little over three years, Riley had reported to work at the New Breley branch of the Bureau of Environmental Affairs. It was the longest consistent employment he'd ever had, as well as the longest stretch he'd gone of living in one place, other than his childhood home. 

It had been fitting that he'd ultimately wound up in the Department of Recovery, as quietly attoning for his past was precisely what Riley had come there to do. Director Phelps had always been more than fair with him, in spite of his checkered past. But she wasn't in the majority. His first few months at the BEA had been some of the rockiest of his life.

When Dash had introduced the possibility of Saben being involved in Gabriel's disappearance, Riley had become filled with dread. It was a selfish dread, less concerned with Gabe's safety and much more deeply tied to the fact that digging up information on Saben would send Riley straight to the door of a man who had made his early days at the BEA so challenging. 

But Riley had opened his mouth and volunteered. He'd sent the text to arrange the meeting. It was foolish, the way he kept getting involved. For someone who only wanted to be alone, Riley was inserting himself into a lot of other peoples’ drama lately.

The lobby of the BEA was busy as ever, the guards barely scanning his face as Riley swiped past the security gates. There was the usual morning throng for the elevators, but Riley bypassed them, heading for the stairs. The air grew cooler as he made his way down, and he took some measure of comfort from that. 

The comfort all but evaporated when he reached the landing for B2, and found himself in front of the heavy metal door. There was a keypad here, but his badge was useless; only elemental magic could unlock the doors on these floors. He touched a finger to the cold mental, letting a little magic spill out, just enough so the wards would know he wasn't human. The door swung open for him. 

He paused after crossing the threshold, letting himself adjust. Magic use was heavy in the basement levels, since they housed the training rooms for the field teams. The first time Riley had come here, it had almost reminded him of his hometown, a rural community bursting with magic. But now that the memory of home was fresh in his mind, he recognized that the feeling was different; in Wild Haven the magic was buoyant, unrestrained. Here it was being honed. It made his ears prick.

He walked down the long hall, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. At the far end were the offices, and he quickly scanned the nameplates before stopping at the one he sought. Riley read the title and grimaced to see he'd been promoted again. 

The door opened after two knocks. A tall man in a pinstriped suit answered. It had been a few years, but he looked more or less as Riley remembered; the same close-cropped blonde hair, and small, darting eyes. His suits were clearly more expensive now, and with better tailoring, but he still ruined the effect with a cloud of too much cologne.

“Damn. You really did come,” he said, looking Riley up and down.

“Like I said, it’s an in person conversation,” Riley said, shouldering his way into the office.

“So bold. A couple flattering accounts in the news and you walk around like you own the place?”

“Shut up, Adam,” Riley said, throwing himself into one of the empty chairs. Special Agent Adam Volk eyed him critically before coming to lean against the edge of his desk.

“I need to know if Felix Saben is back in town,” Riley said, cutting right to it. The less time he had to spend in this office, the better.

“Damn, Decker. I’ve heard you're down for anyone, but surely he’s a little much, even for you,” Adam asked archly. When Riley’s expression didn’t falter, he leaned back.

“Seriously, what’s your interest in Saben?”

Riley sighed. He’d known coming into this that he’d have to tell the Agent something.

“Heard a rumor, and I have a friend who isn’t in with Saben. Wanted to see if they have any cause for concern.”

“This must be quite a friend if you’re coming to me.”

Riley shrugged, unwilling to engage. No way in hell was he giving Gabe’s name up to Adam; if Gabe wasn’t actually in trouble already, Riley wasn’t about to create some for him.

“If Saben’s operating here again, you’d know, wouldn’t you?” Riley said, playing to the Special Agent’s ego. He doubted Adam had had much of a personality change since they'd last had to interact.

Riley kept his face impassive as the other man stared him down. Finally, Adam shook his head.

"That poker face of yours is really something else," he said. "Though I bet you think I should be grateful for it."

"All I care about is the information on Saben," Riley said quietly. 

"Fine," Adam said, ambling back to the other side of his desk and sitting down. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Give me a day or so, and I’ll see what I can get back to you.”

Riley nodded, rising to leave. This had gone better than expected.

Before his hand touched the doorknob, Adam added, “Once I do this, we’re square. You go back to your little tenth floor cubicle, bury yourself under some paperwork, and I never see you on my floor again.”

"Sounds like we both win,” Riley said. He slipped out and shut the door behind him, refusing to look back.