The Epilogues: Part I: Badge of Honor (The Potentate of Atlanta Book 6), Hailey Edwards [year 2 reading books TXT] 📗

“I was also surprised to hear he was stepping down after such a short tenure,” she treaded more carefully. “His power is legendary within the Society. Any city would be fortunate to fall under his protection.”

“His fiancée is the Potentate of Savannah,” I reminded her. “He’s got this thing about three-hour commutes. Not a fan.”

“Ah.” Another flash of understanding flickered over her face. “I see it now.”

Raising my eyebrows, I waited for her to take the hint and explain herself.

“He chose you for your heart.” She studied me. “I should have seen it sooner.”

“Yes, well, I do keep it hidden in my chest.”

Her lips quirked. “You’re funny too.”

“Ha.” I whirled on Midas. “Told you so.”

Midas rolled his eyes, but his cheek was twitching.

“Hadley has to go to bed now,” he told Sue. “She has to train at dusk, barring any new developments.”

“I understand.” Her gaze swung back to me. “I will do anything to save my family.” Her eyes held shadows. “Anything.”

The warning hung there, and Midas heard it too. The steady growling kind of gave him away.

Sue would play nice with us, she would help where she could, but she would stick a knife in my back if it meant the difference between getting her family back or living with a lifetime of could’ve, would’ve, should’ve if we failed them.

“I have to go.” She turned toward the door. “Please let me know if you learn anything else.”

“I’ll have a member of my team loop you in on the updates.”

“Thanks,” she rasped, letting herself out into the hall.

The elevator came and went, leaving me alone with Midas, who I filled in on the call from Lockdown.

“Now we know what they want.” He raked a hand through his hair. “The question is why they want you to start the gauntlet if they don’t want you to finish it.”

“What happens in the gauntlet stays in the gauntlet?”

Accidental deaths happened in the gauntlet, along with a whole host of other injuries.

They might want me to go in so that I didn’t come back out again.

That ensured it was Sue or nothing. With chaos the alternative, she would be voted in.

“That’s not comforting.” He tipped his chin, eyes hard. “Still, you might be onto something.”

“I’m going to bed,” I announced, savoring the shock written large across his face. “Care to join me?”

“I don’t trust this.” He scanned the room, sniffing the air with narrowed eyes. “Where’s the trick?”

Really, he only had himself to blame for showing me how well I slept after we practiced mattress gymnastics. It wasn’t my fault he knew how to stick his landings.

“No trick.” I held up my hands. “I have a feeling tonight is going to be a doozy.”

Eyes narrowing on me, he searched for signs of subterfuge, but he found none. “Okay.”

We climbed up to the loft, which still saw more action than our bedroom, and flopped onto the futon.

And by that, I mean I threw him onto the futon then flopped onto him.

With no small amount of glee, I stripped him out of his jeans and tasted the skin over his hipbone. As my mouth drifted lower, I dedicated the early-morning hours to cataloguing my favorite of his groans and sighs before allowing him to return the favor.

I fell asleep sweaty, exhausted, and stupidly happy all over again that Midas was mine.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Yup.

I had definitely been spending too much time with gwyllgi.

Nine

Bishop met me at the door with a café mocha in one hand and a chocolate croissant in the other.

“Hello, best friend in the whole wide world.” I snatched them from him. “You’re too good to me.”

“Yes,” he grumped. “I am.”

“What’s with the mood?” I bit into my breakfast. “I thought you’d be flying high on success.”

The mystery of Sue had been solved and her family found. Now if we could say as much for Neely.

“The bubble sprung a leak.” He leaned against the doorway. “We plugged it, but it could have been bad.”

“Goddess,” I breathed. “Anything I can do?”

No snark in sight, he nodded to Midas, who exited the bedroom dressed for the night.

“Yeah.” He held up his phone and mashed play. “You can listen.”

“I have been notified of a threat against our future potentate,” a cultured voice poured into the room. “I must request to remain anonymous for the safety of my clan and our commerce.” He paused as if to give us time to erase the message or keep listening. “Clan Jefferies has availed themselves of my services unbeknownst to me.”

The temptation to roll my eyes twitched in my lids. “I bet.”

“You arrested Dean Richards and Wesley Proctor, both clan members of mine, as I’m sure you’re aware by now. As well as three others. The job they took was a standard no-contact contract, and it was accepted without any knowledge of the politics involved.”

“As in,” I interpreted, “they didn’t think twice about targeting humans but now regret their life choices.”

“That is a point in their favor.” Bishop shrugged. “They, at least, had the sense to realize they kicked a hornets’ nest. Whether it was intentional or not, we haven’t determined yet.”

With a lead-in like that, I had to ask, “As opposed to…?”

“There’s that call, from Van de Berg’s ambassador—I mean, some random and totally anonymous vampire whose voice I would never recognize after countless meetings with him and the others at the AA—and then there’s this one.”

Bishop mashed another button, and a smoky voice rasped over the line at a volume I strained to hear.

It struck me as familiar. The caller from the Lockdown board? Maybe. Maybe not. I couldn’t tell.

“Van de Berg’s people took Neely Torres and assaulted Cruz Torres.” Somehow, he managed to get even quieter. “They also trashed the POA’s obstacle course.”

There was no mention of Sue or her family, so that was interesting.

Curious what else he might say, I waited a second or two, but that was it. “Short and sweet.”

“That’s Clan Jefferies for you.”