Proof of Life (The Potentate of Atlanta Book 4) Page 3

  The evening didn’t go as Midas had planned, but we had a good time. Seanan awarded me winner of the prettiest pizza, which wasn’t saying much, then challenged us to a race to see who could eat their lopsided—but delicious—creation the fastest.

  No surprise, Midas won. He was a gwyllgi, after all.

  As we tidied up our workstations, Seanan reappeared with two boxes, one balanced on each palm.

  “Dad made these for you.” She presented the top one to Midas. “This is apple streusel.” Then handed me the other. “This one is really just a giant chocolate chip cookie disguised as a dessert pizza.”

  “I would have asked for lessons sooner if I had known we got prizes.” I leaned down and inhaled. “This smells amazing.” Ambrose smoothed his hand reverently along the lid, and Midas mostly hid his jolt of surprise. At times, my shadow still managed to unnerve Midas when he popped in. “I’ve never seen it on the menu.”

  “There’s not a big dessert pizza market,” she confessed. “He makes them for family, but that’s about it.”

  A wide smile blossomed across my face. “Now I feel even more special.”

  “Before your head gets too big to fit out the door, I should remind you that Midas’s family orders our pie by the dozens.” She turned to go. “Nightly.”

  “You’re saying I’m only special by association?” I clutched my pizza tighter. “That’s harsh.”

  Tossing a wave over her shoulder as she left, she chuckled. “That’s small business for you.”

  Juggling his box, Midas removed two twenties from his wallet then placed them on the table.

  You could tell a lot about a person by how they treated others, particularly those in the service industry.

  Fergus would get his trunk in a twist over it, but Seanan had earned the tip for salvaging our date night.

  Out on the sidewalk, I breathed in the cooling night air and the sweet hit of dessert pizza when Midas opened the lid on his.

  “I had fun.” He passed me a slice of his treat. “This was nice.”

  Answering before I took a bite required iron will, but I managed. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  “That’s the carbs talking. Wait until after you see your food baby, then we’ll see.”

  We had to walk past Choco-Loco on our way back to the Faraday, and we came to a stop together as if we had planned it.

  All that remained was a charred husk, but despite the temperatures required to do that sort of damage, no other buildings had been harmed. That, paired with what Gray told us Aubrey mentioned to him, had me convinced the coven was behind this.

  “We have plenty to keep us busy tomorrow.” I forced myself to walk on. “We can’t do a thing tonight.”

  The majority of the restaurant staff was human and would have gone home when the store closed at five. That didn’t give them a pass, it just meant waiting until daylight to make calls, secure their alibies, and question them about Chef Daaé’s last-known whereabouts. The after-dark crew would be mostly paras, and better informed, but we had to get our hands on a full list of employees before we started eliminating names.

  Usually, I left potential arson up to the sentinels, but this case hit too close to home for me to ignore.

  “We have enough time for a movie.” A smile twitched his lips. “I noticed a copy of It Came from Under the Kitchen Sink arrived.”

  “You don’t have to watch.” I snorted. “I know you think it’s lame.”

  “But you don’t, and that’s what matters.”

  Hank watched our approach from his position before the front doors of the Faraday. He kept his eyes on me, suspicious as always. Or maybe he was just annoyed. Sheesh. I hadn’t antagonized him in days.

  “Ford was looking for you,” he greeted Midas. “He mentioned a fire?”

  Proof word traveled, and fast. “Ford knew where you were taking me?”

  “I ran the idea past him. He told me to let him know how it went. He was thinking of taking Lisbeth.”

  The two of them had been getting closer, but their relationship was none of my business. I was too happy to have my friend back to ruin it with poking into his love life.

  Hand on Midas’s arm, I asked, “Do you need to check in with him before we go up?”

  “He might worry if I don’t,” he admitted. “We’ve had a bad run with fire lately.”

  “True.” I scrubbed my palm over his scalp. “Go fill him in, and I’ll start the popcorn.”

  Leaning down, Midas brushed his lips over mine. “One day—”

  “—we’ll go on vacation far, far outside the city and leave our phones behind in our apartment.”

  “That’s not where I was going, but I like your idea better.”

  “Give me your pizza.” I smirked when he eyed me with suspicion. “Where’s the trust?”

  “Ask the pulled pork plate that vanished from the fridge last week.”

  “Do you think your pizza is in greater danger from me, who just ate and has another whole pizza, or Ford, who has been on shift all night and probably missed his lunch after he heard about Choco-Loco?”

  “You have a point.” He handed it over then placed his palm on the box top. “Don’t eat it all.”

  “Shoo.” I slapped him on the butt. “The faster you find him, the quicker you come home.”

  Home.

  Our apartment.

  I liked the sound of both.

  With a spring in my step, I entered the elevator and mashed the button for the top floor.

  Already debating if I had room in my stomach for another slice, I let myself into the apartment. All the lights were on, which was weird. Midas and I never did that. But Remy was weird about, well, everything. She didn’t have a key to the apartment, but that didn’t stop her from popping in when the mood struck her.

  About to drop the pizzas on the kitchen counter, I noticed movement on my periphery and summoned Ambrose in a blink. Tossing the pies aside, I lashed out with my foot. A gratifying oomph rang out, and a body smacked the floor.

  “What in the…?”

  Whirling toward the familiar voice, I yelped, “Boaz?”

  “Freaking hell.” Sitting up, he rubbed the back of his head. “Who else would it be?”

  Boaz was taller than me by several inches, but I held the advantage now. Milk-chocolate irises striated with lighter bands, like swirled caramel, glared at me. White scars, more than the last time I saw him, stood out against his tanned skin. His platinum hair, baby fine and impossible to style, was shaved on the sides and longer on the top. It was also currently hanging in his eyes thanks to his tumble.

  Feminine laughter spilled from the loft, and I dropped my head back to find Adelaide sitting on the edge, dangling her legs. “I told you surprising her was a bad idea.”

  “You guys are here early.” I pasted on a smile while my brain played catch-up. “Wow.”

  “We have a hotel across town.” Addie stood and tread the stairs. “We’ll be out of your hair in a minute, but the oaf wanted to let you know we made it in.”

  “The oaf has a concussion.” He lowered his arm then shoved to his feet. “I’m seeing stars.”

  “You’re fine.” Addie pressed a kiss to his boo-boo on her way past. “He’s such a whiner.”

  “This I know.” I walked into her open arms. “It’s good to see you.”

  Not to be left out, my brother wrapped us both in a bear hug that lifted us off our feet.

  “I missed you too, doofus.” I kissed his cheek. “A lot.”

  “Savannah isn’t the same without you.”

  “Like you would know.” I pinched his ear. “You’re never home.”

  “She’s not wrong.” Addie slipped away from the huddle. “He’s barely around enough to annoy me.”

  “She’s desperately in love with me,” Boaz told me behind his hand. “It’s embarrassing, really.”

  A ballet flat hit him in the head and boun
ced off the wall behind him.

  “I can tell.” I smothered a laugh. “She’s obviously smitten.”

  The knob twisted behind us, and the front door opened, transforming Boaz’s smile into a frown.

  He nodded a curt welcome to Midas then turned to me. “Did you leave the door unlocked?”

  “I don’t know.” I scowled at him. “I was too busy being accosted in my own home to remember.”

  Midas paused between the door he shut behind him and me, and it opened a yawning pit in my gut.

  Fear he would refuse to claim me in front of my family left a sour taste in my mouth. He could play this off easily as doing a security check on unannounced guests or wanting to touch base with me on city matters. With the locked status of the door in question, he could invent any excuse and leave.

  As if reading my mind, Midas closed the distance, hooked an arm around my waist, and tucked me against him. Leaning down, he murmured in my ear, “Do they know?”

  “Nope.”

  Addie knew I was shacking up with Midas—her words, not mine—but Boaz was clueless.

  Things were about to get interesting.

  Gulp.

  “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” Boaz said casually, his gaze zeroed in on Midas.

  “I…” I wrapped my arms around Midas like Boaz might try to take him away from me, “…don’t.”

  “Then what’s going on here?”

  The words got stuck in my throat, and I don’t know why, but I couldn’t be the first to say them.

  Understanding gentled Midas’s expression as he wiped his fingertips over my cheek. “She’s my mate.”

  “She’s crying,” Boaz pointed out the obvious. “Why is she crying?”

  “He makes her happy.” Addie popped him upside the head. “Look at them.”

  Unable to articulate why it mattered so much, I pressed my face into Midas’s chest. “Thank you.”

  Boaz loved me, had always loved me. The purity of his love was part of the reason why I never allowed our mother to overshadow our relationship. What she did to me was apart from us. That didn’t mean the stain didn’t bleed between my carefully separated layers at odd times, like this one.

  It was hard feeling worthy of love, so hard, when I had learned early that it wasn’t given for free.

  “You have nothing to thank me for.” Midas cradled the back of my head in his palm. “This is nothing.”

  The tears started falling in earnest, and I strangled on old fear to say, “It’s everything.”

  “You didn’t cry like that when we got engaged,” Boaz grumbled to Addie, unconvinced.

  “I would have,” Addie said wistfully. “If I had known what I was getting into back then.”

  “We were about to watch a movie.” Midas kept me close. “Care to join us?”

  Addie and Boaz groaned in unison and leaned into each other.

  “Depends.” She grimaced. “Who gets to pick the movie?”

  With Midas holding me up, I found my own strength. “Our guests.”

  “Have a seat.” Midas gestured to the living room, where one footstool was still wrapped in plastic. “We’ll go make popcorn.”

  Addie’s face lit up like a kid at Christmas. “Linus popcorn?”

  “Yes,” I said solemnly, aware it was a cult favorite for anyone who had tasted it. “Linus popcorn.”

  Granted, I wasn’t nearly as skilled as him in the kitchen, but he had taught me how to make a damn fine bowl of popcorn by anyone’s standards.

  Under Midas’s stare, I dug out my Dutch oven, cranked up the heat, and filled it with oil and kernels.

  “I wasn’t hiding you from them,” I said when he didn’t make a peep. “I wanted to tell them in person.”

  “I’m not upset.” His warm palm cupped my nape. “I’m…confused.”

  “There are a lot of things about my childhood I haven’t told you.” I lowered my voice. “Or anyone else.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Boaz watched us like a hawk. “I want to explain it, to you, but…”

  “Take your time.” He wrapped his arm around me again. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Vision wobbly, I gave the popcorn my full attention before I burned it and stank up the place.

  A throat cleared in the living room, and I rolled my eyes. “Neither is my brother.”

  “You could plead exhaustion.” Midas gave me a look that pooled heat in my middle. “Send them away.”

  A smile tickled the edge of my mouth. “Do you really think that would work?”

  “Probably not,” he confessed. “Boaz is going to want to stare me down a while longer.”

  “That’s what I figured too.”

  “How long does it take to make popcorn?” Boaz yelled right on cue. “Did you have to drive out to a field and pick the cobs yourselves?”

  “Hush,” Addie hissed. “She’s a grown woman.”

  His grunt of pain led me to believe she had smacked, elbowed, or otherwise hit him.

  Not gonna lie. Her violent streak was one of the things I most admired about her. She was going to need all the luck, and sucker punches, she could get if she hoped to beat sense into my brother. The boy had a head like a rock.

  “Almost finished,” I sang out sweetly. “I just need to toss it.”

  Once I finished dousing the massive batch in salt and butter, I poured it into two giant bowls. While I got sodas from the fridge, Midas carried our snack to the living room. Wisely, he handed Addie the first bowl then claimed a spot where I could sink down next to him and curl into his side.

  “So,” Boaz began as soon as my butt hit the cushion. “How long has this been going on?”

  “Leave them alone.” Addie crammed a handful of popcorn into his mouth then turned to me. “I’m happy you found someone who loves you as much as you deserve.” She smiled warmly at Midas. “Remember, I might not be her sister by blood, but I won’t hesitate to spill yours if you hurt her.”

  Choking on his popcorn, Boaz spat wet kernels across his lap. “What?”

  “They’re mated.” Addie watched us. “That means he knows.”

  Faster than my brain could process, Boaz had drawn a dagger from goddess knows where and rested its edge against Midas’s throat. He leaned over Midas, who held very still but showed no signs of concern.

  Knuckles white, Boaz demanded, “You know who she is?”

  “I do.”

  Arms folded across my middle, I confessed, “He knows what I am too.”

  “Goddess, Ame. Do you know how dangerous this is?” His eyes widened. “Does Linus know he knows?”

  Tensing at the old nickname, I waited for the expected pain to hit, but only nostalgia filled me.

  “Yes.” I rested my hand on his. “He knows.”

  Searching my face, he kept his grip tight. “He’s okay with it?”

  “I’m still breathing, aren’t I?”

  Beside us, Addie blanched. “That’s not as comforting as you maybe thought it would be.”

  The truth was rarely comforting. Linus was my fail-safe, my guarantee that should I go off the rails again, I would be put down before I turned into a monster to rival Ambrose. But it was hard to hear that, and for me to mean it somehow made it worse.

  “I respect your concern for Hadley,” Midas said, crimson rolling across his eyes. “I even appreciate it.”

  A shiver tripped down my spine, not fear of Midas but fear for Boaz.

  “Lower the blade,” Midas continued, calm and reasonable, “or I will do it for you.”

  “Boaz,” Addie said quietly.

  “This is our home.” I put my foot down. “You’re our guest, but I will kick your butt if you don’t knock it off.”

  “You’re the only little sister I’ve got.” Boaz lowered his arm. “I worry about you, dork.”

  “Hadley will be the Potentate of Atlanta,” Midas reminded him. “She can handle herself.”

  “You’re Lethe’s little brother.” Boaz relented under
Addie’s warning glare. “Maybe it makes a difference, that you’re the baby, or maybe it doesn’t, but I worry about my sister.”

  Midas’s gaze dipped to the scars crisscrossing his forearms, proof of how much he loved his sister, a story I had no intention of sharing. No one else needed to know the depths of his love, or his pain. Everyone to whom it mattered already did, and I felt blessed to count myself in that small number.

  Addie, however, watched me, the stand-in for the little sister she had lost, and she smiled gently.

  “I think we all know how far we’re each willing to go for those we love.” She pulled Boaz down onto the couch beside her then draped herself half over his lap, which made him grin, but I suspected she was attempting to hold him down more than show affection. “Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get back to the popcorn.”

  Happy with the change in topic, I picked up the remote. “What movie did you guys decide on?”

  “There’s a new romcom.” Addie winked at me. “Lots of love words, grand gestures, and smooching.”

  “That still trumps whatever creature feature Hadley had cued.” Boaz patted her hip. “I’m in.”

  We rented Addie’s pick with the press of a button, dimmed the lights, and settled in to watch a feel-good movie together. As a family. A year ago, I wasn’t sure I had one anymore. This… I could get used to this.

  Snuggled up to Midas, his fingers in my hair, his lips never leaving my brow, I forgot about the popcorn and the movie, and I watched us all instead. And when my eyelids drifted closed, I listened to Boaz and Addie whispering and laughing, to Midas’s heartbeat and his every indrawn breath.

  I had lost everything to get here. Everything and then some.

  But goddess what a place to be.

  Three

  Dusk brought a summons that required Midas’s immediate attention, and he left Hadley sleeping under a quilt on the couch where he had woken. Boaz and Addie were gone, having let themselves out when the movie ended. The popcorn bowl on the couch sat empty even though neither Hadley nor he had touched it. Boaz and Addie had left their bowl on the coffee table, only bits and kernels, but it was sparkling clean now.

  Ambrose, it seemed, had joined them for the movie, or at least for the snacks.