Page 37 of Blades and Bone

“We are branches of the same family. Which means if one branch is poisoned, the other is too…or should be. How are you today, sister? You didn’t eat yesterday.”

Vivian’s hand rested over her belly. “I cannot eat much at all besides blood and rare steak.”

Brodie had only eaten the steak and some green salad. He glanced at Garrick, suddenly understanding what the message was about.

Chapter Eighteen

Hamish let the front door close, then immediately grabbed Brodie’s purple rope, stuffing the coil in his pocket and putting on his runners. How close was the man assigned to watching him? In his mind, he retraced the paths, identifying the best place for an ambush without attracting the attention of the guests or anyone else. There wasn’t one.

He needed a Plan B, and probably C and D. He wasn’t supposed to be the one making the plans; he was the one being told what to do. Which meant he wasn’t sure what to do beyond solving one problem at a time.

First step: get the attention of his security detail.

Second step: stop them from following him.

Garrick would definitely have some more steps in there and more detail. He’d worry about that in the subsequent debriefing. He only got a few meters down the path before he became aware of the man following him…where the fuck did the guy hide out?

If he kept following this path, he’d end up in the resort proper, surrounded by humans, and he didn’t want to head to the fancy house where his family was staying, not yet anyway. He turned left as if he wanted to explore the fringes of the rainforest.

Was that technically still resort property?

Technically, he didn’t give a rat’s ass; someone was poisoning his family, so as far as he was concerned, the treaty was void.

The guard followed at a respectful distance as if he wanted Hamish to feel as if he were almost alone. Hamish hiked a little deeper into the forest. The shadows deepened, and the air grew heavier. He adjusted his footsteps to move silently, then when he rounded the corner, he stepped off the path, pressing himself against the tree. He slipped the rope out of his pocket and waited.

The guard followed, untroubled.

Hamish slowed his breathing, listening to the man’s heartbeat and footsteps. The rope was cool and silky against his fingers. It was the wrong weapon for the job, but that was all he had.

The guard walked straight past him. Hamish stepped behind him, looping the rope around his throat and pulling tight. He whispered in his ear. “You are weak and sleepy.”

The guard’s struggles subsided even though he was gasping.

“That’s right. You’re a possum and need to sleep during the day.” The guard made a noise, and his body became heavy.

Hamish eased him to the ground and tied the guard’s hands behind his back, trying not to think about the way it had been around his wrists last night. “Let’s put you in your possum house so you can sleep.” He hauled the guard off the track and behind the tree, tucking his legs in so no one would see him. “Sleep tight, possum.”

The guard’s eyes closed.

“You will sleep until dusk or when I come back to check on you, whichever comes first.” That way, if he didn’t return, the guard could get himself back to the resort.

Brodie was going to be pissed about the loss of the rope, but that was something he’d have to deal with later. His dick was very much on board for whatever punishment Brodie doled out. Traitor.

He moved quietly back down the narrow track to Brodie’s house, then turned toward what the resort called the bungalow. He didn’t bother going to the main entrance where guests arrived.

Instead, he made his way around to the staff entrance, which was still guarded, though not as well. He crouched in the garden, watching.

Not sure what he was supposed to do once he was in.

He frowned. This was where making a plan before doing anything might have been a good idea. It might have helped if Garrick had laid out a few ideas about what he needed Hamish to do once he was in the house.

Between guards and internal staff, plus the actual Ashby vampires, there were a lot of people loyal to the Ashbys who could poison the Reids. A human would add vitamin C to food without understanding the impact it would have on vampires. And he hadn’t been in the house long enough to get to know the staff or for them to get to know him…which was a point in his favor.

He glanced at the guard again; the man was a little shorter and a little thicker around the middle. For possibly the first time in his life, he wished he’d put a suit on, or at least the suit pants, as then he could’ve just taken the resort polo shirt off the man. It was a pity his own guard wasn’t in uniform.

Could he throw the shirt on with his jeans? Or was that too casual? He glanced at his runners and the artfully frayed hem of his jeans.

He was going to have to do a little more ensorcellment and make things up on the fly.