Nelson nodded. “Could be they just want the baby.”
We all winced at that thought.
“I’ll give you the laptop as soon as I can,” Nelson said after a long silence.
I glanced at Evie, and she nodded. We could get out of here. I practically jogged back down the stairs, inhaling the fresh air as soon as we were outside. The heat felt all-encompassing, but it was better than the smell of that room.
“There are a few reasons why bad guys kill each other right after a job,” Evie said.
I thought about it. “Either they decide they don’t want to split payment for their bad deeds, or the dead bad guy learned something he wasn’t supposed to know.”
A bullet in the head would easily take care of the first. No, whoever had done this wanted him to suffer.
“I’m betting on the second,” I said.
“Yeah,” Evie murmured. “Me too.”
“What did you find?” Kyla asked, slipping her phone back into her pocket as we approached.
We filled her in, and she frowned. “You think a harpy did it?”
“Either that, or some other creature with eagle-shaped claws. We need to talk to Hystea.”
“She’ll probably come into the bar within the next couple of nights. Better to ask the tough questions on our turf and over a drink so she doesn’t feel like her back is up against a wall.” Because a cornered harpy was dangerous as hell.
Evie nodded. “Whoever hired these humans is cleaning up. There are more of them who are in serious danger. I’ll be surprised if we don’t find more bodies.”
I took a deep breath, longing for air conditioning.
“Bar’s closed on Mondays,” I said. “You guys want to come back and go over everything?”
Evie nodded. “Sounds good. Since when are you closed on Mondays?”
“Since Orin declared I was working myself into the ground, and I could either close Mondays or hire another bartender. It’s a slow day, so it makes more sense to close for now.”
“I knew I liked him,” Evie purred, and I grinned at her.
“He’s gay.”
She sighed.
“What about Liam?”
Kyla shook her head warningly at me behind Evie’s back. Evie sighed again. “I need a stiff drink in my hand before I talk about that.”
We piled into her car since she’d driven to the crime scene.
I might not have wards set in my bar, but I knew something was wrong before I was even close. By the time my bar came into view, I’d broken into a cold sweat.
Something was very wrong.
“Stop the car,” I said. “Now.”
Evie double-parked, and we all jumped out. Someone laid on their horn, and Kyla stabbed her middle finger into the air. The guy finally pulled around Evie’s car and rolled down his window, opening his mouth. Evie whirled on him and raised her hand. It was lit up with a red glow.
I stared at her. “What the hell is that?”
Tires squealed as the man took off. “Light,” she said. “Just a light spell, but it looks impressive as shit.” She took a deep breath as we both looked at the broken wall in front of us. The bricks had been smashed into minuscule pieces.
