“How did you get him to agree?” Genevieve asked.
“Alongside the honey trap of him being in a sex club all night, I threatened to reveal the evidence of him harassing the daughter of a senior police officer. For all his faults, my father is well respected. Lyle wouldn’t like to lose face, even if he doesn’t give the tiniest crap about me. I played the game he set out for me.”
We all shared a sympathetic look. Children of terrible parents, turning emotional damage into strategy. The Skeleton Girls brand.
“What happened with Pollyanna?” Cassie added.
“Arran has gone with Lyle to get her and his crew member back. If she can help us find Dixie, it’ll be worth it. Or even if not. They’ve held on to her for days on trumped-up charges. She must be scared out of her mind.”
Cassie’s eyebrows rose fast to merge with her dark curls. “You sent Arran to deliver Lyle back there? Was that your suggestion?”
I nodded, and she cackled.
“You are so fucking smart, it breaks my brain. Not only did you protect Dixie and free Pollyanna, but you made Lyle an asset. Do you realise that? You sent him to the station with a skeleton crew escort. A clear sign of who owns him. We have enough on him now to control his arse. Great job.”
I warmed through, shy of the praise.
Cassie offered coffee, and I took it over my usual fruit tea. Since the showdown, energy crawled through me, needing an outlet. I was far from done. We had so many more battles to fight.
After I’d drunk deep from my mug, my brain started ticking over again, giving me the headspace to process all that had happened. One thought stuck, and I gained Cassie’s attention. “Arran said Lyle’s name had come up in your research. Something to do with him trying to make connections with Deadwater’s business network. Anything interesting in that?”
“Not really? Dixie listed him as being a key contact for a couple of the old boys she investigated. Nothing suspicious as such.”
A connection between Lyle and Dixie felt noteworthy. Lyle was new to Deadwater, arriving before Mila’s grandfather had died, the catalyst to so many events since. Yet he wouldn’t have known what Dixie was up to, or her true identity. I stowed the thought to the back of my mind, nothing more to do with it yet.
A message buzzed on my phone.
Kane: Missing you. Battling a need to run back upstairs and drag you somewhere with a lockable door. Or just outside again. Pretty sure no one will mind.
I breathed out amusement. We’d been apart for five minutes, way under the two hours allowed by the game rules, but he was handling the emotions-communicating deal like a pro.
Lovelyn: I miss you, too. Where are you?
Kane: Doing something daft for Mila. Be up soon.
Cryptic. But also sweet. A month ago, I couldn’t imagine him doing something daft for anyone. I loved that he was making an effort with his sister. I loved him. Admitting it to myself was the strangest kind of high. No comedown in sight.
My phone rang, and I jumped, then frowned at my father’s name on the screen. Crossing to a brick-arched window that overlooked the city, I answered.
“What the fuck have you done with my detective?” Julian barked.
I rolled my eyes, not that my father could see me, and put on a deeper voice to mimic his. “Oh, hi, Lovelyn. How is my daughter? My own flesh and blood.” I dropped the act. “Ever consider parenting classes? Or even human-ing ones?”
Julian went silent for a moment. Probably in shock because I’d always played ball with him. I didn’t necessarily smile on command, but I made myself available. I’d wanted the relationship with my only remaining parent. Mum had encouraged it, knowing that she was going to leave me. What had he done? Maybe the best he could. It wasn’t good enough.
To my surprise, his next question was very different. “I, uh, where are you?”
“In the warehouse, with my boyfriend. You know, Kane, the member of your favourite gang? Maybe we can all have dinner together sometime. You, me, Mum’s urn, and the gangster you’d love to arrest.”
It wasn’t a well-considered invite, but Julian made a sound of interest. “Dinner? At your ma’s place? Been a long time since I went there. Used to pick her up from that house on dates.”
My heart jerked, and I clutched the phone. I’d had no idea. A part of me wanted to ask everything. I craved hearing about their shared history. The rest of me slammed the door on that urge. I wasn’t ready to go there with him.
“Let’s not be too hasty. I’ll cut to the chase. You’re wondering why Lyle, the asshole who sent threatening messages about me and tried to break into my house in the middle of the night, showed up with an escort. Consider yourself lucky you got him back at all.”
“Fuck me sideways, that was him? And you own his arse? You did what I couldn’t. He was shaping up to be a royal pain, and my own daughter sticks it to him.” Julian laughed. “Chip off the old block after all. I’m proud. Listen, kid. Lay low for a while and I’ll throw you some work off the books. How does that sound?”
Proud. The word landed like a foreign object in my chest, right as a tight knot unravelled.
