Page 72 of Blades and Bone

“Keep an eye out for Felix, although with the sun now up there may be nothing to find.”

Hamish closed his eyes and exhaled, not wanting to believe it to be true. Even though in his heart he expected Felix to be already dead, it was too hard to hear it from someone else.

“I hope that’s the case, as the alternative, of his body being found, is going to cause a lot more problems.” Brodie sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. “Not to be callous about it.”

“We are all aware of the reality and that he won’t be returning home. The important thing now is to protect the matriarchs, find Lara, and anyone loyal to her. Vivian has started making a list. We’re hoping that Felicity may know something…but we also don’t know where Felicity’s loyalties will lie.”

Brodie pressed his lips together. “I want to say it’s with Vivian, but I can’t. What is the plan if we cannot trust her?”

“Act as if you do and let Hamish ensorcell the truth out of her. If she supports Lara, eliminate the threat. If you can’t do it, call me,” Garrick said as if he were ordering coffee.

Brodie scrubbed a hand over his face. “If it comes to that, I will be calling you.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t.”

“Agreed. I will call you if anything crops up between now and lunch.” Brodie hung up and sat there for several seconds, unmoving as if he couldn’t figure out what to do next. Or maybe he didn’t want to start.

Hamish sat up and ran his hand down Brodie’s back. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know that there’s anything you can do.”

Hamish nodded. Fair…he didn’t know Lara or Felicity. He hadn’t read their files the way Garrick would have. No doubt he had already asked for extra information from Vivian and those files would have been updated. People would already be putting together profiles and identifying any close links and possible bolt holes. “Why don’t I make coffee?”

“Yeah…that would be great.” Brodie managed a smile.

Making coffee was the smallest possible thing he could do that was remotely useful. He pulled on underwear and jeans and padded out to the living room, trying not to think about the body that had been vacuumed up in the corridor, or near the coffee table.

“Fuck me.” The dildo had been sitting on the coffee table all night. It needed to be cleaned or destroyed, as it would have traces of DNA on it from where it had been used as a weapon. He picked it up by the head and gave it a test swing. It actually wasn’t a bad mace, though he preferred its other use.

He turned, intending to take it to the kitchen and scrub it with hot soapy water, but instead froze, staring out past the back patio.

Hanging from one of the trees was the cook.

Had he been there the whole night? Or had someone strung him up after the attack? He backed away, running into Brodie as he entered the living room.

“Whoa. What is it?”

“The cook is…” He turned his head, even though he didn’t want to look.

“I’ll make the call.” He took the dildo out of Hamish’s hand. “And I’ll chuck this in the dishwasher.”

Hamish grimaced. “Ew.”

“Not with plates…fine. You wash it and make coffee.” Brodie turned him around and gave him a nudge towards the kitchen.

Being told what to do gave him something else to think about. It also meant someone else was dealing with the bigger problems. He put the plug in the sink, along with the dildo, and turned on the hot water, then turned on the coffee machine.

It wasn’t a cheap one. Perhaps it had been in the cafe at one point before they’d upgraded. More likely, Brodie had just decided that he wanted it and had bought it for himself, even though he could have coffee made for him anytime he wanted.

While the sink filled, he gathered cups and ground the beans, tamping them down just the right amount before fitting the portafilter to the machine and getting it going.

Brodie had stepped outside and was on the phone, standing on the patio, staring at the trees as if it were perfectly safe to do so. Maybe it was.

Maybe they should’ve noticed the body last night.

He returned his attention to the sink while the coffee machine gurgled, spitting out something that would hopefully make him feel more equipped to handle whatever the day brought.

“Garrick is coming to have a look. He’s unblooded, so that makes things harder. No doubt that was the plan.” Brodie came back in and shut the door a little harder than needed, and then the blinds. It was the first time Hamish had seen the blinds closed. “He said we may need to call the cops and call it suicide. Fuck Mirabella and her schemes.”