Page 73 of The Quiet Witness

He held the door open to let his colleague pass in front of him and shut it with a resounding click, successfully sealing them off from the rest of the house.

Max plopped down in a chair, face a cruel, twisted mask in the light of the desk lamp. Not a mask, his true face. Lucien held up a bottle of Whiskey in invitation. Filling it generously before handing it over. He slid into a chair of his own, swirling the amber liquid around as he asked. “Why have you come here?” He made sure there was no hint of welcome in his voice.

Lest his visitor got the wrong impression.

Max tasted the veiled question slowly before answering. “You know I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need to be.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and stared into Lucien’s eyes. He smirked. “You’ve made a mistake, brother.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“You missed one.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ghost padding over to the door, head tilted slightly, almost as if he was…. listening to something.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Oh, Kate. He was going to rip her a new one. A flash of disappointment hit him in the chest. One thing, he’d asked her one thing. For her own good.

“Care to elaborate on the mystery?” He murmured while catching Ghost’s eyes, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. Sensing his quiet command Ghost’s nails clicked against the wooden floor, coming to sit down next to him. Good boy.

Max’s eyes shot to the dog. Unease rippling through his shoulders. Lucien felt the man shake himself inwardly. Just a dog.

“That contract involving the family poisoning?” He waited for Lucien to nod. “The girl escaped.”

He let a hand graze over Ghost, fingers disappearing in the long white fur. “Which girl? To my knowledge, there was an assignment for five individuals. Last I checked, those have all been dealt with.”

Max sneered. “There was another girl there. Foster child apparently, she got away.”

Lucien nodded. “There was indeed an unknown girl. She left before the festivities started, probably off somewhere to weep over her sorry life.”

“You should have gotten rid of her!”

Lucien studied the man in front of him for a moment. Letting the weight of his stare do the talking. A slight hunch in Max, near invisible. But there, nonetheless. Good. “Max… I did my job with the information you…” He trailed off, letting that sink in. “Delivered.”

He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingertips together. “It is not my problem, if false information is spread around.”

Max’s eyes widened at the accusation.

He never did handle criticism very well. It is part of the reason he has never risen beyond third-in-command. Anderson doesn’t need a ticking time bomb handling his affairs.

Lucien went on undisturbed. “Before you come here and accuse me of botching an assignment.” He glanced at the whitening knuckles of Max as they clenched around his chair. “I’d take a good look at the messenger.”

Max snorted a laugh. ‘‘You’re slipping Lucien, I would get it together before our dear employer…” He trailed off.

Lucien leaned forward at that, his eyes burning into Max’s. “Before Anderson does what exactly? Replace me with you?” He scoffed. “I don’t see that happening.”

He knew that would trigger the last of the man’s slipping composure. Remaining in control of one’s emotions is key to surviving this job. Being able to play others’ emotions? Equally as important.

Max shot up from his chair, towering over Lucien. “You know what Lucien? I think your soft spot finally tied the noose around your neck. I think you’ve offered the little mouse a way out.” He shook his head, spittle landing at Lucien’s feet. “Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve skirted around the rules.”

How awfully hygienic. And… truthful at the same time. Soft spot indeed.

Lucien sighed internally. Wooden floor, bodily juices. Not a good mix. A certain scarlet life giving fluid would have been better. At least that would have been worth the clean up.

Max’s blood-shot eyes turned frantic. Skirting around the room as if the girl would just pop up. “Where is she, huh? We’ve been searching every damn nook and crevice for a trace of her, so I know.” He barked out a low laugh. “I know you did something.”

His finger stretched out to Lucien. “You have something to do with it.”

The poor man was panicking. Fearing the very noose he mentioned. He had fucked up with intel. It wasn’t something Anderson took lightly. Mistakes were not accepted in their line of work.