“Hadley is learning to cook,” Midas bragged. “She’s very good.”
“That’s great, Hadley.” Addie tossed a hand towel over her shoulder. “If you’re not too busy, we can do this again tomorrow night.” She beamed at her. “We can tag team dinner.”
Hadley wasn’t the only one more comfortable in the role of caretaker, and in Addie’s case, he understood why she felt the need to fuss over Hadley. Her little sister had suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. She had been housebound and often bedridden from the pain and exhaustion. Addie had been her caretaker, and just because this Hadley wasn’t her Hadley, she couldn’t seem to flip the switch of sisterly affection.
“I can try.” Hadley thawed, unable to resist Addie’s warmth. “You’re more advanced than I am.”
“You can set the menu,” she offered. “I’ll help you learn to cook whatever you like while I’m here.”
“That would be amazing.”
The sisters chatted while Midas and Boaz filled plates for them and then made their own. They moved to the dining room and settled in for a family dinner that reminded Midas of growing up in the den.
After his second helping, Midas sat back in his chair. “Are you comfortable in your temporary quarters?”
“The apartment is great.” Addie pushed a tomato cube around her plate. “Four bedrooms, so plenty of space for everyone.”
The reminder of who else had joined them shot tension into Hadley’s shoulders. “How is…Dad?”
“Good.” Her smile was more of a grimace. “Ready to see the art installation, but it opens tomorrow.”
“He’s butting heads with Mother.” Boaz rolled his eyes. “They weren’t thrilled with the original hotel choice. Now they’re not thrilled with staying in a guest apartment. They’ve fought over food, luggage, and the choice of rental vehicle. I half expected them to start yelling ‘his leg touched my leg’ or ‘she keeps looking at me’ during that last half hour of the drive.”
“They’re both used to being top dog.” Addie rubbed the spot between her eyes. “I’m with Boaz, though. I was ready to muzzle them halfway into the trip.” She flinched. “No offense meant, Midas.” She bit her lip. “Not that you are a dog, but I don’t want you to think that I think that—”
“You’re fine,” he assured her. “You didn’t offend me.”
“So.” Hadley crunched on garlic bread. “The real reason you keep inviting yourselves over is revealed.”
Grimacing, Addie dropped her fork. “We’re not imposing, are we?”
“No.” Hadley reached across the table to her. “I’m teasing.”
Fingers linking, she gave a playful tug. “Then you won’t mind if we stay and watch a movie?”
“I don’t want to say we’re desperate.” Boaz scratched his jaw. “But we’re desperate.”
Withdrawing to her side of the table, Hadley leaned into Midas and whispered, “Do you mind?”
Though he would rather spend the predawn hours cuddling her, alone, he said, “Not at all.”
“The man of the house says you’re welcome to stay.”
Amused, Midas countered, “Only because the woman of the house asked so nicely.”
A sour expression twisted Boaz’s features, but Addie was all but clapping her hands with glee.
The Pritchards had disowned Amelie after her crimes and her bargain with Ambrose were exposed. For that reason alone, Midas understood why Hadley hadn’t asked after her mother and why the others kept mentions of Matron Pritchard to a minimum. He couldn’t shake the impression Hadley’s silence stemmed from more than that one act of betrayal, but she would explain, when she was ready.
And if she never unburdened herself, he would accept that too. Just as she had accepted his past.
The four of them pitched in to make cleanup fast and painless, and they reclaimed their spots on the couch from the night before. They settled on an action flick to balance the scales after the romcom, but the movie didn’t matter. The point was spending time together, and Midas wanted Hadley to soak up all the love she could get before Boaz and Addie returned home.
With Hadley using his shoulder as her pillow, Midas lowered his lashes to watch her observe her brother teasing Addie, who humored him with softness in her eyes. He knew she worried about them, but Midas saw the affection between them. Their marriage might have been arranged, but they were trying to make it work.
Midas wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, only that he woke in an empty apartment with a note stuck to his forehead and a blanket pulled up to his chin.
A knock on the door provided him with the reason he was up earlier than usual, and he was tempted to pretend he didn’t hear and go back to sleep.
After he removed the note, saving it for when his eyes were less blurry, he trudged to the door and found Ares waiting on him with blood smeared across one cheek.
Yeah.
Some nights it didn’t pay to get out of bed.
Six
As I sipped my second café mocha of the night, I listened to Reece’s update, plucked straight from the cleaners’ database, and regretted the sweet fullness curdling my stomach.
The wall in front of me was painted an unrelieved black, and the two rows of monitors anchored there blended in when not in use. The upper row held four monitors, each about thirty-four inches and filled with the shadowed outline of a teammate. We had a full house tonight, which was always nice. The lower row mirrored the one above it, but those were always on and flashing surveillance mooched off city cameras as well as our own private mounts.
“Station Thirteen retrieved fourteen bodies,” he announced. “Eleven of those were gwyllgi, so it’s safe to assume they’re the Knoxville pack members Claudia reported missing. We’ll have conclusive results in two weeks. The other patrons are unidentified, except for one regular whose wife called in to ask if her husband had
