“I’d say so,” he chimed in. James didn’t appear concerned at all. “Likely many decades to a hundred years or more old. Who’s guessing why it was added? And no worry, it’ll all be rubble soon.”
“Did you need anything else?” Caeda asked. Which was great, because Becka wasn’t putting her thoughts one in front of the other right now.
“No. Thank you, Becka Rowan. I’ll be sending my compliments to your house. Ladies,” he said, tipping his hardhat to Hanna and Caeda before he walked off, checking progress with his men.
Hanna turned to Becka. “I’m going to report the fresco message.”
“What, why?” Becka exclaimed. “I’m not responsible for that.”
Hanna crossed her arms. “No, you’re not. But it upset you, and there’s a reason, even if I don’t understand it.” She stepped closer. “Someone has to hold you accountable, Becka Rowan.”
For the love of…
“Great, you do that,” Becka replied. Too angry and upset to argue with the woman she’d wronged. “Good day, Lady Hanna.”
Becka turned on her heel and strode away from the monument, Caeda at her side.
“Are all of your jobs going to be this exciting?” Caeda asked.
“I hope not. Why?”
“Well, I definitely want to see how round two goes with our Lady Hanna,” Caeda replied.
“Oh, we’re on round four or five now, but you’re welcome to come next time.”
“Looking forward to it.” Caeda got a message on her phone and stopped short. “Becka, we have to get back to the townhome.” She looked up and met Becka’s gaze. “Now.”
Becka couldn’t tell if it was good or bad news. “We were just there. What’s going on?”
“Hamish found Saige. They just got back to your house.”
Chapter 15
Becka burst into the townhome with Caeda right behind her. On her left, Lydia was puttering about the kitchen, placing dishes of food on the counter. She looked up and forced a smile, nodding in the direction of the living room.
On Becka’s right was the living room, where Hamish’s hulking form perched on the edge of the couch over a slumped, disheveled Saige. He looked up at their entrance and held up a cautionary hand to slow their forward progress.
Saige’s head rested on her hands, and she hadn’t looked up at their arrival.
Becka wanted to respect Hamish’s warning, but she couldn’t help inching her way into the living room to get a better look at Saige. “I’m so relieved you’re back.”
The mess that was Saige ran a hand through her short, pixie-cut hair, her movement strained. Becka had the impression Saige had exhausted herself.
There was a weird tension between Hamish and Saige that Becka couldn’t quite put her finger on. What had changed between them?
Lydia sauntered across from the kitchen, stopping to stand at the entryway, a bottle of wine in one hand and a fabric shopping bag in the other. “Well lovelies, I am just tuckered out from my day posing for aspiring artists, so I’m off to bed early.”
“With a full bottle of wine?” Caeda asked, a hand on her hip.
“I never said I was going to sleep,” Lydia replied. She patted the bag. “I found some new books I can’t wait to dig into, and I must say a good Syrah is the perfect accompaniment for a saucy read.”
Everyone looked at her, even Saige. If Lydia cared about their incredulous looks, she didn’t give any sign.
“I picked up a generous spread from Bang Thai on the way home. They have the best coconut cauliflower curry I’ve ever tasted, and their garlic naan is so fragrant it’s divine. I recommend you eat before it gets cold.”
Becka and Caeda shared a look. Was Aunt Lydia going to say anything about Saige’s arrival?
“Saige, it’s lovely to have you back with us. Good night all,” Lydia said, holding the wine bottle against her chest like a magical potion of bliss, which Becka supposed it sort of was in this moment. “I am not to be disturbed,” she called out imperiously over her shoulder on her way down the hall.
The aromas wafting out of the kitchen were indeed enticing, but would have to wait.
“So, Saige,” Becka began. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Sorry to worry you,” Saige replied, and the haggard look in her eyes wrenched at Becka’s heart. “I’m not sure why you worried. I told you I’d be doing my own search for leads on Luce’s killer.”
Becka and Caeda inched further into the room, at least until Hamish glowered at them, daring them to come any closer. Was he trying to keep them away from Saige? Becka glanced at Caeda, who stood next to her, arms crossed and a hesitant expression on her face. It appeared this was new behavior to her as well.
It was Hamish who answered Saige, his tone gruff. “You left your phone, wallet, and keys behind. Took only the clothes on your back and snuck out in the dead of night.” At this point he shot to his feet, pacing back and forth in front of her. “How did you think we’d react?”
“That’s really not my problem, Enforcer Hamish,” Saige growled at him, putting him in his place. “I don’t work for you, and you don’t get to tell me how to conduct my business.”
He stopped, hands on hips. Becka thought she could hear the fabric of his shirt rip as he stretched his shoulders. “Your business became my business when you up and disappeared. Would it have killed you to tell someone what your plans were?”
This Hamish was a far cry from the easygoing and upbeat enforcer she’d met while hunting the poisoner back at House Rowan. He was hovering, acting protective, and being proprietary of Saige’s space. By the way Saige was glaring up at him, Becka half-expected her to kick him out of the house.
On second thought, it would be more like ordering him out, as exhausted as Saige looked.
Fearless, Caeda walked right up to him and poked him in the chest with her index finger. The petite fae had to look up to the wolf shifter, but there seemed to be no doubt in her she could handle whatever he had going on. They’d obviously been working together for some time, and Becka was grateful for Caeda’s initiative.
“I swear, Hamish, whatever’s got you riled up, you’d better wrangle it in quick before your wolf lashes out.”
“I’m within my rights…” he started.
Caeda cut him off, pushing against his shoulder with her hand. “No. You’re not. You’re out of line. Whatever this is, rein it in before I lay you flat out.”
A startled look passed over Hamish’s face, followed by confusion. He took a step back and then scrubbed a hand across his jaw. “Sorry. I don’t know…”
“Figure it out later. Now, back off,” Caeda ordered. Becka didn’t know how long they’d worked together as enforcers but had thought they were equals. Until now.
Hamish stood there dumbstruck for a moment, still appearing as confused about his behavior as her and Caeda.
“Why don’t you get a plate for Saige?” Becka asked Hamish. It wouldn’t matter if she ate much, but it would give Hamish an opportunity to collect himself.
Hamish nodded and walked over to the kitchen.
Caeda sat down next to Saige on the couch, while Becka sat on the chair across from her.
“So, you went off in search of leads?” Caeda asked.
Saige looked from Caeda to Becka and back again. “I’d heard there were shifters who were working as bouncers for some shady clubs downtown, so I went to check it out.”
Hamish returned with a plate for Saige, placing it and some flatware in front of her before backing off and standing in the doorway.
“Could you get her a glass of water too?” Caeda asked, her tone more of an order than a question. “I’ll take a plate too. Becka?”
“Yeah, sure. I could eat,” Becka replied, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever weird dynamic they were working out.
Saige picked up the fork and pushed food around on the plate. “I’m not hungry.”
“You’ll feel better after eating,” Becka s
uggested. “And maybe a hot shower too?”
“Okay,” Saige said, taking a tentative bite of the garlic naan. After a couple of mouthfuls, she continued. “You asked about the clubs. There are places where humans buy fae magic, or even fae themselves for a time. But to get in, you need to know someone who knows someone who knows someone.”
A shiver ran down Becka’s spine. “I’ve heard of them. A man once tried to abduct my sister, Tesse, to sell her magic at such a club.”
Saige nodded. “I figured that’s the type of place a Shadow-Dweller might hang out.”
The three exchanged tense glances.
“It’s one theory we’ve been working on, but as you say, locating them can be difficult,” Caeda replied. “Secrecy around the locations is tight.”
“Anyway, I’d made nice with Gullet, a bear shifter who I’d heard worked for one. I told him a sob story about how I was down on my luck, cut off from my enclave, and needed work. The bear said he might have something for me if I could be discreet. I’ve been hanging out with him, off and on, trying to get him to show me the club.”
Hamish returned with a tray carrying a glass of water for Saige and plates for Caeda and Becka. He handed them out, his expression calm and collected, but by the muscle ticking in his jaw, Becka surmised he was having a challenge holding himself back. Saige downed the glass in a few gulps, and then Hamish took it from her and returned to the kitchen.
“Did he show you where the club is located?” Becka asked.
Saige held up a hand and shook her head. “Not that straightforward. This last time I went to Gullet, I begged him for work. Claimed I’d been rolled and had lost all I had. That’s why I left all of my stuff here, so I’d look destitute. Anyway, he took pity on me and agreed to take me to the club and see if they’d hire me.”
Caeda leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Gullet took you there?”
“Oh, he was going to.” Saige slammed her fork down and slumped back into the couch.
Hamish returned with a full glass of water for her. Saige just watched him as he placed it on the coffee table. He stood back up, retreated a few steps, squared himself to Saige and crossed his arms.
“Gullet was taking me to the club when guess who showed up to ‘rescue’ me?” Saige pursed her lips.
“I’m not apologizing,” Hamish growled.
Anger flashed in Saige’s eyes. “I am no maiden in distress to your white knight complex, and Gullet did not deserve that black eye and chipped tooth.”
Hamish’s jaw popped. “The way he had his arm around you, you bet he earned it. Besides, any shifter who would support such an establishment needs to be taken down a few notches.”
Caeda looked just as uncomfortable being in this conversation as Becka felt. Did the wolf shifters even remember they aren’t alone?
“What’s worse,” Saige continued, her eyes sparkling with anger, “I’d spent weeks making inroads with Gullet, and now I doubt he’ll ever talk to me again. If you hadn’t interrupted us tonight,” she pointed at Hamish, “I might even know how to find the club.”
Hamish couldn’t contain his frustration, which erupted like a river of molten anger. “What were you thinking, trying to get into the club all by yourself? You had no backup. No one knew where you were going. If I hadn’t found you, you might already be dead.”
Saige jutted her chin out at him. “Nikkita does undercover ops all the time. She’s female. Why can’t I?”
“Because you’re—” he started, but then it was like a vice clamped down on his mouth. Confusion ruled his expression.
“Okay,” Caeda said, her voice singing the word into a phrase. She rose and deftly moved her diminutive frame into the charged space between them. “This has been a great talk, hasn’t it? Are you done eating, Saige? I bet we can chat again tomorrow, because you look like a deflated ball someone kicked down the street too hard. How about a shower? Some sleep?”
Her eyes on Hamish alone, Saige’s lips were pressed tightly together, like she was holding back her retort. “Yeah, Caeda. Sure. Shower. Sleep. Sounds good.”
Caeda held out a hand and helped Saige up. They walked together out of the room and down the hall. Becka could hear water running in the shower.
Becka rose to her feet. Caeda may have brought a temporary end to the argument, but there was still a worked-up Hamish to deal with.
“I think it’s time you head home.”
Hamish ran a hand over the stubble covering his chin. “I’m not sure I can leave her,” he rumbled.
“Some time to cool off could do you a world of good,” Becka said.
“No,” Hamish replied. “Look, I’m sorry I got angry. Saige took an unnecessary risk out there. I’m afraid she’ll do it again.”
“Saige isn’t bound by enforcer rules or procedures, and you can trust Caeda and me to keep an eye on her.”
“She may not be used to enforcer protocols, but she’s worked security for Brent for years. Saige knows better.”
Becka sighed. “Luce was practically her twin. They grew up together. Worked together. They were inseparable.”
“Exactly. She’s not acting rationally. I want to be here in case she tries to sneak out again.”
Again, Becka wondered at Hamish’s sudden personality shift and his overprotective stance concerning Saige. “What’s going on with you?”
Hamish opened his mouth to answer her, but his gaze was filled with confusion. After a moment, he shrugged. “I’m not sure why I’m so riled up.”
Becka waited a moment to see if he’d say more, but perhaps Hamish needed time to work out the answer? “The house is pretty full right now. I’m sure we’d notice if she tried to run off again. Plus, Quinn had window sensors installed.”
“I’m confident Saige knows enough to disarm any sensors if she wants to get around them. Also, I heard from Quinn. He said he’s going to be working through the night. Caeda may not stay, so that just leaves you and your Aunt Lydia, who appears headed towards a wine-induced stupor. I should stay.”
Why was Quinn working all night? Had she missed something important?
Becka walked to the front door, ushering him out. “This isn’t up for debate, Hamish. We’ll manage, and I’ll talk Caeda into staying.”
He scrubbed a hand over the top of his head. “Can I come back by in the morning?”
“You can call. We’ll invite you over or meet you at the station. But take the opportunity to figure out what you’ve got going on and get a handle on it.”
Hamish looked downright dejected. “Okay. Sorry. I’ll be in touch.” He headed out the door, which Becka locked behind him.
She mulled over what was going on there while she managed the dishes and put away the food. Becka didn’t feel like she’d handled Hamish with anywhere near the finesse Caeda had wrangled Saige, but no matter. At least the shifters weren’t at each other’s throats anymore, and hopefully tomorrow would bring cooler tempers.
A quick conversation with Caeda ensured she’d stay overnight with them, and then Becka headed up and got ready for bed. She curled up in a chair near her window, and Oriani jumped up into her lap, demanding pets.
“Were we all too loud downstairs for you, big boy?”
Oriani rebuked her with his mewling.
“Yeah, try being braver. You’ll get more love,” Becka replied.
Oriani let out a final meow and then curled up into her lap, planting his face into her palm.
With her free hand, Becka called Quinn. True to form, he answered after the first ring.
“You okay?” Quinn answered.
The velvety sound of his voice sent a tingle rolling over her skin. “Everything is fine. Well, mostly. I heard you won’t make it back home tonight, and I wanted to check in.”
“Check in, huh?” he asked, a playful note of humor entering his tone. “Miss me already?”
“I do,” Becka admitted, biting her lip. “Hamish said you planned to work all night?”
“I wouldn’t say okay. For a while there, I thought she was going to hurt Hamish. He’s being all overprotective alpha on her. But at least she’s safe back with us, which is a great start.”
“She’s resilient. I have faith she’ll bounce back. But she might not have if she’d gone into a club without backup. If those are run by Shadow-Dwellers, she’d have been recognized.” He sighed, and his tone shifted a little. “And I have a theory about Hamish and Saige. I’ve seen shifters claim mates before, and there can be some fireworks. It would explain his territorial attitude towards her.”
“Huh, yeah, that would make sense. Not something I’ve witnessed before.”
He chuckled. “It wouldn’t be. How was the library?”
“The ancient book was ancient. And weird. I’ll have more to tell you about the library. A lot more, but in person. Not like this. Oh, I did a magic eraser job for House Rowan. But it was weird, too. Weird day all around.”
“Sorry I’m not there to talk. Anything pressing?”
Becka thought about her conversation in the car with Mimir but didn’t want to mention it over the phone. “Yes, but it’s also something I’m more comfortable talking about in person.”
He seemed to hear the anxiety in her voice. “What’s it about?”
“Mimir.”
“Are you safe?” he asked. She could hear the instant tension in his voice.
“As much as I ever feel safe these days, I am now.”
“As much as I want to hear, it needs to wait until tomorrow. We can only hold Gullet so long.”
A twinge of anxiety floated through Becka. “Okay, I understand.”
“You’ll come in with Caeda in the morning?” he asked.
“Will do. Be careful.”
“Always am, beautiful.”
Quinn hung up, but his parting words sent another tingle running over her skin.
Becka scooped Oriani into her arms, moving him to the bed with her. He squawked in protest but didn’t move from his new location. Curling up against a pillow that still smelled of Quinn’s cedarwood soap, nagging doubts crept through her thoughts. Would Mimir make a move overnight? Surely they had time to delay their conversation until morning?
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