Page 64 of In Your Light

Sawyer immediately thought of his superior. The very man who had been AWOL up until he flew into town—literally fucking flew because the man was a giant bird made of darkness and shadows—and Sawyer snorted again. “Good luck with that.”

“You think you can stop this mine going ahead,” Bickell said.

“No, I won’t stop it,” Sawyer said, leaning back in his chair, smiling. “Not me personally. This town will. And I don’t mean the good folks that live here. I mean the actual town. The cove of Tenebrae and the mountain you want to desecrate. It doesn’t take kindly to people who wish to bring it harm. The last miners who tried, ooh, a hundred years ago or so, all left because of the unexplainable shit that happens around here. You should read up on that. I mean, you saw the water when you came in, right? How dark and swirly it is. It calls to you, if you know how to listen to it.”

“You’re insane,” Bickell whispered, his eyes wide.

“Well,” Sawyer said casually. “Not sure about certifiable, but being a little crazy in this town does help. I mean, it’s where the dark things live, after all. Tenebrae, it means dark place. Where the monsters call home. You need to leave reality behind and get cool with a lot of weird shit.”

Ciaran frowned. “‘Monsters’ is a bit harsh.”

Sawyer reached for his hand. “You know I love you.”

Bickell’s jowls worked overtime, and he sputtered, “This isn’t over.”

Sawyer smiled at him. “Not by a long shot.”

Bickell turned and stomped toward the door, and Sawyer couldn’t help but add, “I hope your helicopter doesn’t have any mechanical issues. Might wanna tell your pilot. A lot of vessels have navigational and engine failure in these parts. Something to do with magnetics....” He shrugged, and Bickell stared at him. “Oh, and restricted visibility with the mist. It’s like soup out there. And storms just come up out of nowhere⁠—”

Bickell stared at him, about to say something, but then he clearly decided not to and stalked out the door. Michael gave Sawyer a nod and a smile before he chased after his boss. A few seconds later, they heard the engine start and the rotors begin to whir.

Sawyer didn’t even get up. He smiled, extra pleased with himself. “So, that went well.”

Ciaran looked at him for a beat before he started to laugh. “You certainly have a way with words.”

Then the door to the flat opened, and Fray walked out first, grinning. “You don’t give a fuck what he came here for? Is that what you said to him?”

“Monsters?” Tobin said. “What the fuck, Sawyer?”

Hendrix, Kellan, Dylan, Hudson, and Beau all filed in too.

“Were you all listening?” Sawyer asked.

“Yep,” Fray said. “Pretty much.”

“The guy was a dick,” Sawyer said. “I hope he shits himself the whole way home, thinking he’ll fall out of the sky.”

Fray laughed at that.

“What I said about the mechanical problems wasn’t a lie,” Sawyer added. “We’re not letting that mine go ahead. No fucking way. We have to protect this town and the mountain, and everyone who calls it home. And you know I don’t actually mean the monster thing. I was just trying to scare him.”

“It worked,” Beau said.

“Will you really get into trouble, though?” Dylan asked.

“No,” Hendrix answered. “Telling a billionaire to fuck off is basically a civil obligation.”

Sawyer looked at Ciaran. “See? Hendrix gets it.”

“I liked how you said nothing was free,” Hudson said. “It was a nice touch.”

“And the bribery angle,” Beau added. “Because you know someone got paid to get that mine approved.”

Hell yes, they did.

Kellan had been kinda quiet, and when Sawyer looked at him, he took it as his cue and stepped forward. “The mine situation aside, we need to talk about Hadeom,” he said quietly. “Not just about who or what he is, because I have a few theories, but the more pressing issue.”

“He killed Salem’s mother,” Dylan said. “That’s what Salem said, and Hadeom didn’t deny it.”