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Uh-oh. I was in for it now.

Penny rose slowly from the chair, as though debating whether to make one last stand on my behalf.

“I’ll see you back at the office,” I told the fury. “Get started on those reports.”

“Yes, boss,” she whispered.

Justine waited until the door clicked closed to give me her full attention.

“I apologize, Maya.”

Not the statement I expected to hear. “For what?”

“The Keith Irwin debacle is on me. Going forward, a complete blood panel will be protocol for all incoming Neighbors.”

“The odds of it happening again…” I held my thumb and finger a millimeter apart.

“It was an oversight we can correct, therefore, we will.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t keep you updated. I was trying to put out multiple fires at once.”

“You’re resourceful and determined, Maya. Two of your best qualities. I’m not convinced Penelope shares your attributes.”

“She’s annoyingly competent,” I admitted.

“Even so, I think we should reassign her to another Neighborhood. There’s a small one near Bali that might be more manageable for someone with her temperament.”

I couldn’t have been more floored if I’d ended up on the literal floor. “What? Why? Because of the weapons?”

Justine whipped out a tube of peppermint ChapStick and applied it to her upper and lower lips. “She tries to be friends with everyone. It’s a problem.”

Not the response I expected. “Should she alienate them all instead?”

“A friend to everyone is a friend to no one,” Justine said.

“You sound like Meemaw.”

She popped the lid back on the tube. “I suspect that Penny would’ve worked faster gathering those weapons if she weren’t so committed to exchanging pleasantries with every Neighbor she encountered on the way. I may complain about your relationship with Meemaw, but the upside is that you focus on the work when it comes to most everyone else. I worry that Penelope will be the opposite.”

“I was the one who failed to finish the list,” I said. “Penny completed her half, but I was too busy. Too distracted.”

I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. Shut up, Maya. This was a boon for me. Penny was a threat and Justine was offering to eliminate that threat.

And yet I still couldn’t let her take the fall for me.

“I appreciate your desire to protect your young charge. It’s admirable.”

I grasped at biodegradable straws. “I’m not. It’s the other way around. Penny is loyal.”

“The only loyalty I want to see is to this Neighborhood. Security director is a vital force on Evermore. If I can’t rely on Penelope, then I’ll make whatever change is necessary.”

“Give her one more chance, please. I’ll admit, I found her annoying at first, but I wasn’t exaggerating her competency. It’s impressive. She’s impressive.”

Justine studied me for what felt like an eternity. Finally she said, “One more chance, but only because the thought of going through another round of interviews is enough to give me hives.”

I exhaled all the air from my lungs. “Thank you, Justine.”

“Your report needs to be incredibly detailed, Maya. The Board will want to know everything.”