“It has to mean something.” I flashed Boaz’s ring. “This has to mean something.”
Or else it meant nothing, and I was unraveling faster than a ball of yarn in a roomful of kittens.
“The same person protecting you might have also protected your family.”
His tone came out questioning. He was asking me if that’s what I thought…what I hoped…had happened.
“I don’t know.” I raked my fingers through my hair. “Maybe?”
Ambrose reported in and shook his head. Then he coiled around Midas’s shoulders like a mink stole.
Midas had the good grace not to shudder, as Bishop would have, but then again, he was curious about the other man in my life. Maybe he really didn’t mind cozying up with Ambrose for my sake.
“We need to identify the bomber.” Midas led me with light fingers on my elbow to the corner where he called us a Swyft for the ride home. “It’s the only way we’re going to get our answers.”
“You’re right.” I leaned against his side. “Ares left a handful of seconds before I saw the glint at the bar.” I wrestled my phone from my pocket and shot her a text. “I need to ask if she noticed anything unusual.”
Yet another ball I had dropped while juggling so many, each its own mini ticking time bomb.
“Do you want to eat before we go home?” Midas glanced at me. “Ford did bring us burgers.”
“We can eat those later.” I recalled our guests. “Let’s pick up something hot for Linus and Grier too.”
“Does he eat?”
“Only when she makes him.” I snorted. “Mostly she eats his food too, except for a bite or two.”
“One of the many reasons she gets along so well with Lethe.”
Once our Swyft driver arrived, we gave him the Faraday’s address, and I ordered pizzas online.
With dinner handled, I texted Ares to ask if she had noticed anything peculiar at the bar that night.
She replied with a disappointing no, but she had been farther away than me from the explosion.
Bad news must travel fast, because Hank didn’t so much as squint at me funny when we passed him.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he murmured as the door shut behind me, but I heard him.
Midas and I waited for our order in the lobby, and I was glad no one was around to push condolences on me. I was too afraid in my current mood that I would push them back, and no good little potentate went around instigating shoving matches.
When the food arrived, I tipped the delivery girl then asked her to bring the extra meat pizza on top out to Hank. Poor guy never left his post these days. The least I could do was feed him in thanks for his efforts to keep the residents safe.
And no, I wasn’t going soft because he was decent to me one whole time.
Back up in the loft, we found Linus standing before the windows, a phone pressed to his ear. Grier sat on the couch with pages of notes splayed around her. Lethe sat on the floor near her with a greasy bag on her lap, and crumpled burger and fry wrappers littered the floor.
So much for leftovers. All the food Ford brought was gone. Even, and it hurt to see it, my apple pie.
“Good thing we brought food,” I muttered to Midas. “I hope there’s enough.”
“Not my fault your hostess skills are rusty.” Lethe stuck a fry in her mouth. “I was starving to death.”
Grier nudged Lethe in the shoulder with her bare foot. “No, you were not.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side.” Lethe flung a second fry at Grier’s head. “Traitor.”
Grier caught the fry and wrinkled her nose. “Do you want this back?”
“Yes.” Lethe held out her hand. “Duh.”
“We brought pizza.” Midas held the boxes high. “You don’t have to fight over cold fries.”
“But I like cold fries.” Lethe polished off the remaining ones to prove her point. “Hot pizza works too.”
“The wake plans are done.” Grier shuffled her papers. “I waited to finalize the bookings in case you wanted to take a look first.”
“I trust you.” I twisted the clunky ring that had somehow made its way back onto my finger. “You know them almost as well as I do.”
“We settled on a rustic steakhouse owned by a former colleague of Linus’s,” she continued, ignoring my use of present tense, “a professor from Strophalos University.” She flashed me a photo on her phone. “He’s Society, and he’s excited about renting it out. He even volunteered to help in exchange for an introduction. Apparently, he’s a big fan of yours. He mentioned a fight with a chupacabra?” Her eyebrows rose. “The catch is, we pay all damages.”
That was the purpose of insurance, his and ours, and we both knew it. The OPA was liable for any damage caused by its agents. His butt was covered either way. What she had agreed to pay was a hefty bribe, a premium I would reimburse. Not that I blamed the guy for being greedy when his business had a wrecking ball aimed at it.
“He was very concerned for his employees,” she said with a snort. “So very concerned he felt the volunteers for our event ought to receive hazard pay. With an administration fee tacked on, of course.”
“Goddess what a headache.” I rubbed my forehead in sympathy. “Thanks for making the arrangements.”
“Catch me up to speed.” Lethe cleaned up her mess, tossed it in the trash, then got a drink. “You ditched your sisterly duties and then what?”
“Lethe,” Grier warned her in a low voice. “I volunteered to handle it.”
“That’s because you’re a sucker.” She cut her gaze toward me. “Well?” She waited. “Impress me.”
“Hadley doesn’t owe you an explanation.” Midas stepped up to Lethe. “You need to watch your tone.”
“Baby brother, she hasn’t heard my tone yet.” She honed her glower on him. “Neither have you.”
“As hard as it is for you to believe,” he said, sounding tired, “this
