Proof of Life (The Potentate of Atlanta Book 4) Page 14

  “Our mole won’t be that careless.”

  They would steal a replacement from another enforcer or from the supply room to stay under the radar.

  “It won’t hurt to check.”

  “Every clue leads us that much closer,” I agreed. “That extra bit of distance probably saved my life.”

  “You think they lured you away.” He searched my face. “You think someone was protecting you.”

  I think I was desperate to connect dots, to forge connections, to make this nightmare make sense.

  “It has to mean something.” I flashed Boaz’s ring. “This has to mean something.”

  Or else it meant nothing, and I was unraveling faster than a ball of yarn in a roomful of kittens.

  “The same person protecting you might have also protected your family.”

  His tone came out questioning. He was asking me if that’s what I thought…what I hoped…had happened.

  “I don’t know.” I raked my fingers through my hair. “Maybe?”

  Ambrose reported in and shook his head. Then he coiled around Midas’s shoulders like a mink stole.

  Midas had the good grace not to shudder, as Bishop would have, but then again, he was curious about the other man in my life. Maybe he really didn’t mind cozying up with Ambrose for my sake.

  “We need to identify the bomber.” Midas led me with light fingers on my elbow to the corner where he called us a Swyft for the ride home. “It’s the only way we’re going to get our answers.”

  “You’re right.” I leaned against his side. “Ares left a handful of seconds before I saw the glint at the bar.” I wrestled my phone from my pocket and shot her a text. “I need to ask if she noticed anything unusual.”

  Yet another ball I had dropped while juggling so many, each its own mini ticking time bomb.

  “Do you want to eat before we go home?” Midas glanced at me. “Ford did bring us burgers.”

  “We can eat those later.” I recalled our guests. “Let’s pick up something hot for Linus and Grier too.”

  “Does he eat?”

  “Only when she makes him.” I snorted. “Mostly she eats his food too, except for a bite or two.”

  “One of the many reasons she gets along so well with Lethe.”

  Once our Swyft driver arrived, we gave him the Faraday’s address, and I ordered pizzas online.

  With dinner handled, I texted Ares to ask if she had noticed anything peculiar at the bar that night.

  She replied with a disappointing no, but she had been farther away than me from the explosion.

  Bad news must travel fast, because Hank didn’t so much as squint at me funny when we passed him.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he murmured as the door shut behind me, but I heard him.

  Midas and I waited for our order in the lobby, and I was glad no one was around to push condolences on me. I was too afraid in my current mood that I would push them back, and no good little potentate went around instigating shoving matches.

  When the food arrived, I tipped the delivery girl then asked her to bring the extra meat pizza on top out to Hank. Poor guy never left his post these days. The least I could do was feed him in thanks for his efforts to keep the residents safe.

  And no, I wasn’t going soft because he was decent to me one whole time.

  Back up in the loft, we found Linus standing before the windows, a phone pressed to his ear. Grier sat on the couch with pages of notes splayed around her. Lethe sat on the floor near her with a greasy bag on her lap, and crumpled burger and fry wrappers littered the floor.

  So much for leftovers. All the food Ford brought was gone. Even, and it hurt to see it, my apple pie.

  “Good thing we brought food,” I muttered to Midas. “I hope there’s enough.”

  “Not my fault your hostess skills are rusty.” Lethe stuck a fry in her mouth. “I was starving to death.”

  Grier nudged Lethe in the shoulder with her bare foot. “No, you were not.”

  “You’re supposed to be on my side.” Lethe flung a second fry at Grier’s head. “Traitor.”

  Grier caught the fry and wrinkled her nose. “Do you want this back?”

  “Yes.” Lethe held out her hand. “Duh.”

  “We brought pizza.” Midas held the boxes high. “You don’t have to fight over cold fries.”

  “But I like cold fries.” Lethe polished off the remaining ones to prove her point. “Hot pizza works too.”

  “The wake plans are done.” Grier shuffled her papers. “I waited to finalize the bookings in case you wanted to take a look first.”

  “I trust you.” I twisted the clunky ring that had somehow made its way back onto my finger. “You know them almost as well as I do.”

  “We settled on a rustic steakhouse owned by a former colleague of Linus’s,” she continued, ignoring my use of present tense, “a professor from Strophalos University.” She flashed me a photo on her phone. “He’s Society, and he’s excited about renting it out. He even volunteered to help in exchange for an introduction. Apparently, he’s a big fan of yours. He mentioned a fight with a chupacabra?” Her eyebrows rose. “The catch is, we pay all damages.”

  That was the purpose of insurance, his and ours, and we both knew it. The OPA was liable for any damage caused by its agents. His butt was covered either way. What she had agreed to pay was a hefty bribe, a premium I would reimburse. Not that I blamed the guy for being greedy when his business had a wrecking ball aimed at it.

  “He was very concerned for his employees,” she said with a snort. “So very concerned he felt the volunteers for our event ought to receive hazard pay. With an administration fee tacked on, of course.”

  “Goddess what a headache.” I rubbed my forehead in sympathy. “Thanks for making the arrangements.”

  “Catch me up to speed.” Lethe cleaned up her mess, tossed it in the trash, then got a drink. “You ditched your sisterly duties and then what?”

  “Lethe,” Grier warned her in a low voice. “I volunteered to handle it.”

  “That’s because you’re a sucker.” She cut her gaze toward me. “Well?” She waited. “Impress me.”

  “Hadley doesn’t owe you an explanation.” Midas stepped up to Lethe. “You need to watch your tone.”

  “Baby brother, she hasn’t heard my tone yet.” She honed her glower on him. “Neither have you.”

  “As hard as it is for you to believe,” he said, sounding tired, “this isn’t about you.”

  “This is about Amelie—I mean, Hadley—doing what she always does.”

  Lips gone numb, I still asked, I was curious. “And what is that?”

  “You stir up a shitstorm and then duck before any of the muck splatters you.”

  “You didn’t like Boaz.” Midas stepped closer to her. “You barely knew Addie. Why do you care?”

  “You know who else gets splattered when this happens?” Lethe jerked her chin toward Grier. “Who always gets splattered around Hadley?”

  The urge to defend myself never manifested, and I didn’t look too hard at why. “You’re right.”

  “No.” Grier squared off with Lethe. “She means well, but she’s wrong.”

  A growl poured out of Lethe’s mouth, and her hands curled into fists down at her sides.

  “You’re my best friend,” Grier said quietly. “I get you want to protect me, but Hadley isn’t an enemy. She made mistakes. Guess what? We all have. None of us have clean hands. There’s blood on all of ours. The life she’s carved out for herself here impresses the heck out of me, and I won’t let you diminish it in my name.” She shot her friend a knowing glance. “If you’ve got a beef with Midas, take it up with him. Don’t take it out on her.”

  “Fine.” A snarl curled her lip as she stared down Midas. “Let’s take this outside.”

  Guilt hit me hard that I had come between Midas and Lethe. “Your problem is with me.”

  “Pin a rose on your nose,” Lethe sneered, shrugging off Grier�
��s attempts to rein her in.

  “Leave Midas out of this.” I spread my hands. “Let’s handle this between ourselves.”

  “Hadley, you don’t have to humor her.” Midas touched my shoulder. “I can—”

  “You shouldn’t have to defend your choices to her.” I slid my gaze to hers. “He’s sacrificed enough, don’t you think?” Pallor swept through her, and her mouth fell open in shock that he had told me. “He’s always made the hard choice, always put himself second to those he loves, and I’m over it. You might let him do it for you, but he’s not doing it for me.”

  Wide palms landed on my shoulders, and Midas turned me to face him. “How did we get here?”

  “You made a lot of questionable life choices.” I rolled a shoulder. “And you laughed at my jokes.”

  “They were pity chuckles, and that’s not what I meant.”

  “I love you.” I clasped his wrists. “I’m willing to beat up your big sister to prove it.”

  Lethe strutted over, and I let him go with a wink that promised I would be okay, but she didn’t leave.

  “Let’s eat.” Lethe crouched as she lifted the boxes from the floor where Midas had tossed them to play referee. “I’m hungry.”

  Turning her back on me, she carried the stack to the dining room and placed them on the table.

  “I’m confused.” I pivoted on my heel to keep her in sight. “What happened to taking this outside?”

  “You called me out on being an asshole, and I decided you were right.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Amelie was selfish, and I didn’t like her much. She hurt people I love, and I take issue with that.” She let out a breath. “She was also Grier’s best friend, and I admit I was jealous of their shared history too.” She flipped open a random lid and helped herself to a slice. “I expected Hadley to be Amelie 2.0, a shiny new label slapped on the same old product.” Her forehead creased as she chewed. “Grier has a marshmallow heart, and I figured she was giving you a pass when she bragged on you. Linus’s views tend to fall in line with hers, so I didn’t give either of them much credit.” She set aside the thin crust and flicked a glance at her brother. “I didn’t give you much credit either.” Her gaze wandered back to mine. “I gave you none at all, and I was wrong to write you off without meeting the new you first.”

  “Today is a day for the history books.” Midas brushed his fingertips down my spine. “Today is the day Lethe Kinase admitted she was wrong.”

  “I didn’t say I was wrong.” She selected another piece. “I was just less right than usual.”

  “You literally said I was wrong,” Grier chimed in. “We all heard you.”

  Cocking her arm, she flung the crust at Grier and hit her between the eyes. “Shut up.”

  “Make me.” Grier stuck out her tongue. “I dare you.”

  “I have a better idea.” Lethe scooped up six more pieces. “I’m going to eat your share.”

  Jaw dropping, Grier pointed at her. “You monster.”

  “I might be a monster, but I’m the monster with all the cheesy pepperoni pizza.” She cackled and bit into her stack like it was a sandwich. “Suck pineapple and ham, Grier.”

  Mouth gaping, Grier kicked off her shoes. “Why don’t you suck my big toe instead?”

  “Ladies,” Linus intoned, pocketing his cell and stepping between them. “There’s plenty for everyone.”

  Both of them turned to him, and he let one side of his mouth quirk in the tiniest of smiles.

  “I placed an order the moment Lethe picked up the boxes.”

  “I love you.” Grier bounced over to him. “You are the absolute best.”

  “You are no fun,” Lethe grumped in his direction. “None.”

  Wading into the fray, mildly afraid of getting between them, I did what I should have done first and announced, “Boaz and the others are alive.”

  That shut them up.

  Sure, they were looking at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was, but I had their attention.

  Now to redirect it before blood—or more food—started flying.

  Ten

  A slim black dress swirled around Hadley’s knees, and Midas kept getting caught with his eyes roving her legs. The stilettos were new, and they did interesting things to her calves. He couldn’t tear himself away.

  “You might want to dial it down a few notches,” Grier cautioned beside him. “This is a wake, not a rave.”

  “She’s beautiful.” He hadn’t meant to say it, but he didn’t regret it either. “I can’t seem to help myself.”

  “I respect that.” She twirled untouched wine in a glass. “I have the same trouble around Linus.”

  “But this isn’t the time or the place.”

  “We have one chance to sell this.”

  Her own pale eyes were dark with what he would have mistaken for grief if he didn’t know it for worry. The room was filling with people come to pay their respects. Most were here for Hadley’s sake. The rest were part of their team. The mixture of the oblivious and the undercover kept his teeth on edge.

  Women’s room is clear.

  Men’s room is clear.

  Parking lot is clear.

  Kitchen is clear.

  Alley is clear.

  Voices whispered through his earpiece as the enforcers, all tested and cleared, made their rounds.

  Drawn to her like a magnet, Linus’s gaze found Grier, and he inclined his head toward the door.

  Behind him, his wraith, Cletus, hovered above the crowd in his tattered cloak, his cowl hiding the void of his face, as he searched for unseen dangers.

  “I have to return to my post.” Grier lifted her glass in acknowledgment. “More guests are arriving.”

  As people entered, Grier drew an impervious sigil on each of them, playing the gesture off as a necromantic rite of mourning. The sigil was an invention of hers, a close secret kept by her inner circle. It worked as advertised, making those who wore it impervious to harm.

  Between Linus and Grier, Hadley and himself, they had taken every precaution. From the sigils to the location, the trap was set with as much control of the outcome as they could manage between them.

  Hadley ended her most recent circuit of the room beside him. “I got nothing.”

  “I haven’t noticed any peculiar behavior either.” A heavy sadness filled him. “We know everyone here.”

  “We expected the bomber to be one of us.” She rested her hand on his forearm. “It sucks to have it confirmed.”

  “It’s not confirmed yet,” he reminded her then checked his phone. “Mom says the party is in full swing.”

  “I can’t see them targeting the Faraday a second time.” She kept her head down to hide her expression, but the words were spoken as more of a prayer than a certainty. “They know we’re on to them now.”

  “I don’t mean to intrude,” a willowy teen all but whispered. “May I have a word, Midas?”

  “Go.” Hadley nudged him toward the young gwyllgi. “I’ll be right here.”

  Suspicion bloomed when the girl led him to a quiet corner, and he resented the coven that much more for making him doubt the young among his own people. “How can I help you, Amber?”

  “I had an appointment with Doc Liz at the infirmary, but she didn’t show.”

  “There must have been an emergency at the hospital.”

  Liz was a surgeon who worked at the local human hospital, but she pitched in when Abbott needed a hand, usually with young females in the pack.

  “That’s what I thought too, but she’s not returning my calls to reschedule.”

  “When was your appointment?”

  “The night Choco-Loco burned.” She rested her small palms over her flat stomach. “That’s why I gave it a few days. I didn’t know about the fire until after she missed our appointment, but I figured if she wasn’t working over at the hospital, then she must be helping people hurt in the other bombings. I didn’t want to take her away from that.”r />
  Midas hadn’t seen Liz in a week, maybe two. Their paths didn’t cross all that often, but he didn’t want to admit that and worry the girl. “I’ll call Ares. She can get a message to Liz for you.”

  Using Ares to reach Liz set a bad precedent and might leave her feeling like a receptionist for her wife. That was conflict he didn’t want to invite into their home. But the girl was worried, and his inner beast picked up on her nerves and wouldn’t settle until he took action.

  Keeping his voice low, Midas asked, “Can Abbott help?”

  “It’s personal,” she whispered back. “I would rather talk to another woman about it.”

  “I understand.” That is to say, he understood her situation was beyond his ken. “There’s a healer in Buckhead—Briony Timms. She’s a friend of Abbott’s. She can see you if it’s an urgent matter.”

  “I’ll wait for Doc Liz,” she mumbled, cheeks pink. “I—I’ll take the number though. Just in case.”

  Once he got her squared away, he returned to Hadley, who had been half listening to their conversation if her frown was any indication. Unable to resist, Midas traced the scooped neckline that exposed several inches of her back.

  “You’re distracting me.” She bounced her shoulders. “Behave.”

  “You’re distracting me.” He relished the chills rising on her skin. “You should have worn a burlap sack.”

  “I was fresh out,” she demurred. “All I had in the pantry was cling wrap, and that felt risqué for a wake.”

  A mental picture of Hadley bound in clear plastic unspooled into his head and stuck there.

  “You’re growling.” She backed against him until her shoulders hit his chest. “Loudly.”

  Suddenly, he was grateful she hid the front of his pants. “You paint a vivid picture.”

  “Can you two fake it a while longer, or do I need to separate you?”

  Midas clenched his fists when he noticed Bishop standing beside them.

  “I get we’re all happy there’s evidence to support Boaz and company might be alive, but you shouldn’t be that kind of happy in public, let alone here and now. Think with the head on your shoulders, not the one in your pants.”