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

cagey, her family’s lives are on the line, but that means Hadley can’t believe a word out of her mouth. Neither can we.”

An idea began forming that would require Linus’s input before Midas dared suggest it to Hadley.

One that might buy her more time to save Neely and her promotion.

Lost in thought, Midas didn’t notice Ford had ushered him out into the lobby until the silence hit.

“I’m grabbing an early lunch.” Ford tossed his keys. “Wanna join me?”

“Bring me back something?” Midas rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I have to get back in there.”

“I just dragged you out of there…”

“I appreciate the breather.” He gave his friend a smile. “But I’m not leaving until Jenny gives up Neely’s location.”

Whatever the vampires’ game, he refused to allow Hadley—or their victims—to lose.

“Midas?” A young enforcer trotted up to him. “Your mate requested we pull the security video.”

Polite as his frayed nerves allowed, he asked, “Why?”

“Sue Billiard was here earlier. She came into the lobby, took a call, then left.”

Hank must have told Hadley when she left for HQ. “Did you find anything?”

“We isolated an audio clip,” he confirmed. “She was in contact with Ian Jefferies, but she was cautious. She greeted him by name and then took the call outside.”

Cautious would have been not returning to the Faraday. Cautious would have been not using his name.

Sue Billiard was many things, but Midas began to suspect cautious wasn’t one of them.

“I’ll let Hadley know.” He would take any excuse to talk to her, check on her state of mind. “Thank you for your help.”

The enforcer snapped his shoulders back and marched back to his post, providing Midas with a much-needed smile.

Before he got his hands dirty with Jenny, he leaned against a wall and dialed Hadley. “Hi.”

“Has anyone ever told you your voice is sexy?”

“No.”

Most people thought it was raw, coarse, ruined.

“Well, it is.” Her tone left him no doubt she believed it. “Especially when you call me with good news.”

A smile tugged on his lips. “How could you tell I had good news?”

“You sound less murderous than earlier. I choose to view that as a good omen.”

“Security isolated a soundbite for you.” He didn’t make her wait. “Sue was talking to Ian Jefferies.”

They had video evidence in hand, and they could pin it down with her phone records later.

“So, let me see if we’re on the same page. Ian Jefferies wants to replace me with someone he can manipulate to ensure vampires keep the shifters from having their social status elevated. He chose to use Lockdown’s services via a proxy, thereby hiring Van de Berg’s clan members and incriminating Van de Berg himself. Jefferies knew Van de Berg’s clan wouldn’t blink at kidnapping a human and roughing up another one.”

“Jefferies was hoping to sink Van de Berg,” Midas agreed, “but now they’re both on the hook.”

Hadley would never allow Van de Berg to continue operating within the city as openly as he had been. Not to mention, that clan was directly responsible for Neely’s abduction and the assault on Cruz. There would be a reckoning for that.

“And then we have Morton, who’s newer to the city and wants to clear the board for his clan to take over more operations. He figures it can’t hurt to get on my good side, plus he knows both clans will be disbanded, and their masters punished for their crimes. That leaves him the top dog. Top fang? Whatever.” She drew in a long breath, as if bracing for her next question. “Any word on Neely?”

“I’m sorry.” His fingers curled into his palms. “Jenny is holding out on us.”

They had confirmation Ian Jefferies ordered the Billiard family taken then turned them over to the coven for containment, but she was holding firm on Neely. Either she was terrified of the consequences now that she was aware of them, or she was hoping to cut a better deal.

Given she was a black witch, he was betting on the latter.

“This was my last night for a miracle,” she murmured. “The gauntlet is tomorrow.”

“We will find a way to fix this,” he promised. “We’ll find Neely, and you will be voted in.”

“I love you.”

The swell of affection for his mate strained his heart against his ribs. “I love you too.”

“Whatever tomorrow holds, I’ve done all I can do. We all have. Whatever happens, happens.”

After the call ended, Midas returned to the holding cell, met Jenny’s smug grin, and he smiled.

Eleven

The alarm caught my attention. It didn’t wake me. I was already staring at the ceiling when it chimed the hour. I killed the reminder tonight was the night. The night I had trained for, sweated for, bled for. There were no words for how I felt. I wasn’t sure I felt anything. Other than sick and tired of not being enough.

I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress and sat there, listening to the shower.

Midas had woken up fifteen minutes ago and padded into the bathroom while I pretended to sleep.

The weight in my chest made it hard to rise, but I got to my feet and purged the hurt to clear my head.

The world tilted on its axis, the foundation of my new life crumbling under my feet, but I could do this.

Sacrifice was the nature of my duty, and tonight I would prove to Linus he had trained me well.

Palms on the walls, I braced myself and breathed. Just breathed. Until Midas pressed a kiss to my nape.

“I have information for you.”

The uptick in my pulse had more to do with his nearness than any hope I had left.

“You were out late.” I glanced at him over my shoulder. “What was more important than cuddling me?”

By the time he crawled in bed, I was too tangled in my own thoughts and worries to interrogate him.

I had turned on my side, waited for him to fall asleep, then stared at the wall until my eyes grew itchy.

“Linus got in early