Chapter 2
“WHAT DO YOU think?” I asked, turning to Herne after she left.
He slipped from behind the desk, stopping by my side. As he slid his arm around my waist and pulled me to him, I caught my breath. His very touch set me on fire. This had been the first time in a while that I had been able to sustain a relationship without something deadly happening to one of my boyfriends.
“What I think,” he said softly, “is that you should give me a kiss.”
He kissed my nose, then tilted my chin up with one finger as he bent down, pressing his lips against mine. They were warm against my own, yet his kiss was demanding as he pressed himself close. It was one of those kisses that said, “You belong to me.”
I moaned. I wanted to rip my clothes off right here in his office, but I had more self-restraint than that. Although more than once I had thought seriously about doing just that. But Herne and I did our best to keep it professional at work, limiting ourselves to stolen kisses. It wasn’t that everybody didn’t know we were knocking boots. We just didn’t want them to be too uncomfortable, given how loud we could both be.
“That’s better,” he said. “I missed you last night. And the night before. And the night before that.”
Angel and I had been attending a week-long series of evening seminars. Given the time we spent there, plus our workload, it had been several days since Herne and I had had a chance to get in a good fuck-fest. And right now, standing so close to him, that was all I could think about.
I pressed my hand against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. Even the gods had hearts. “You were the one who suggested Angel and I take a course on police investigation for the layman.”
“It made sense at the time,” he whispered, taking my hand and kissing each finger in turn.
Even though I had been a freelance investigator, I haven’t dealt much with the police. And Angel had steered clear of them as much as she could. The course was giving us insight into how investigations were run, although the teacher conveniently sidestepped the fact that the Fae heavily influenced the police. Just like the vampires stacked the deck at Wall Street, the Fae manipulated the puppet strings of the police. There wasn’t much anybody could do about either situation, so most people ignored it and went on as usual.
“I’ve missed you too. It’s been almost a week,” I said, thinking that I actually had missed him. While I enjoyed my time with Herne, probably more than I wanted to admit, I still needed my privacy and time spent with my friends. Although, to be honest, I didn’t have many friends beyond Angel. She and I had been BFFs since childhood, but otherwise I had been a loner until I came to work for the Wild Hunt.
“Trust me, I’m feeling the lack.” The way he said it made me stare at him for a moment. He sounded hungry. Very, very hungry. I could see it in his eyes.
“Dude, remember, I’m not immortal, even though I am Fae. I bruise.” But I winked, and he laughed.
“I promise, I’ll take it easy on you. So, are you busy tonight?”
Reluctantly, I nodded. “It’s the last night of the seminar and I don’t want to miss it. You were right, I think this is going to be a big help to us. Angel and I are learning a lot. And given how busy we’ve been the past few days, I’m already dead tired. So, changing the subject, when do we leave for Whidbey Island?”
“Day after tomorrow, I figure. And changing the subject right back, what about a rain check? Tomorrow night?” He wiggled his eyebrows, making me laugh.
I conceded, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Sounds good. Do you want to call a staff meeting this afternoon?”
“I think we’d better. We have some research to do before we leave. Go ahead and alert the others. We’ll meet in half an hour. That will give people time to order in lunch. Meanwhile, as delightful as you are, I have a few calls I have to return.” He kissed me again, then let go of me. “Remember—half an hour.” As he waved me out, turning back to his desk, I shut the door behind me.
Angel was waiting at her desk.
“You were right. Meeting in half an hour.” I sniffed the air, the smell of fish and chips hanging heavy, and my salivary glands went into overdrive. “That smells so good. Please tell me you bought enough for me?”
“I bought enough for both of us.” She held up a sack that read anton’s fish shack on it. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell the others about the meeting? I’ll meet you outside on the stoop. We might as well catch a little sunshine while we can.”
I nodded, heading back to the other offices.
DOWNTOWN SEATTLE WAS a jumble of stately old brick and modern chrome and glass. The streets showed signs of neglect, with too many potholes and crumbling patches of asphalt, but all in all, the city was beautiful. At night, when the neon was blaring, and during the long rains, Seattle could feel gritty and cold. But right now with the sun shining, and the streeps—the people who lived in the back alleys, and the homeless shelters—blasting out their music as they danced on the sidewalks, it was a welcoming place.
The Wild Hunt Agency was on First Avenue, in a five-story brick walkup. We had the entire fourth floor to ourselves. At least the building superintendent had finally fixed the elevator. The fifth floor was empty, but a low-income urgent care clinic had taken over the bottom floor, a daycare and preschool had control of the second, and the third floor belonged to a combination yoga and dance studio. I was grateful they weren’t on the floor above us, because every time we passed by when dance class was in session, the noise was overwhelming.
I joined Angel on the stoop. She had claimed a place on one of the wide stone railings. It was seventy-two degrees, with barely a cloud in the sky, and I sucked in a lungful of the air, coughing as a cloud of exhaust hit me from a passing car.
Across the street, a series of fetish brothels with darkened windows waited for evening to entice their customers. On one side of our building, the smells of sandwiches and pizza wafted out from Nigel’s Deli. On the other side, old men shuffled near the entrance of the Spank-o-Rama, another fetish shop.
The kinky boutiques were everywhere, but they brought in good tax revenue for the city and were well-regulated, keeping out the world of pimps who desperately tried to eke out a living by trading flesh for dollars. Legalized prostitution was pushing them out of business, even as it kept the hookers and sex workers safe, and forced them to have regular checkups.
Angel handed me a white cardboard carton. “Here. Never say I don’t love you.”
I opened it, finding two servings of fish and chips. “Bless you.” My stomach protested that it had waited far too long, thank you, and would I feed it now.
“I wish I could eat like you do,” she said. “Then again, I’d be broke.” Angel was human, which meant her appetite wasn’t as big as mine. The Fae ate a lot.
The sun glowed against her skin, which was a beautiful golden brown. Angel could have been a model, she was so striking. At five foot ten, she had a dancer’s body. Her tightly crimped curls were caught back in a neat ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of black leggings with a blue tunic that acted like a mini dress.
I rested my container on the railing between us and hopped up on the wide stone slab.
In contrast to Angel, I was five-seven, and one hundred and fifty pounds of boobs, muscle, and contrariness. My hair was wavy, though not as curly as hers, and it reached the middle of my back. I usually kept it back in a braid, but today it was hanging loose, falling over my shoulders. I was wearing a pair of torn jeans, my knees poking out, and a snuggly fitted tank top that was vivid blue, which contrasted against my pale skin. We had been so busy that I hadn’t had a chance to do laundry for over a week and was wearing my clean but ragbag-destined clothes.
I bit into the fish, letting out a contented sigh as the flavors of salt and fat and cod trickled down my throat. “We get to go to Whidbey Island,” I said after swallowing.
“Want to make a bet I have to stay here to man the desk? I could sure use a couple days away.” She picked at her french fries, holding one up. “Limp. Figures.” With a sigh, she added, “I suppose I shouldn’t complain. I got to see DJ last month, even though we were so busy that I wasn’t sure Herne would let me have the time off.”
DJ was Angel’s brother, or rather, her half-brother. Ten years old, he was Wulfine—half wolf shifter. Angel had taken care of him after their mother died and did her best to make a good life for him, but working for the Wild Hunt could put DJ’s life in danger, and so Herne convinced Angel to let a shifter family take care of him. It’d been a difficult adjustment for them both, but being able to visit him regularly made a world of difference.
“I doubt he’ll make you stay behind. We all need a rest. Even though this isn’t going to be a vacation, just getting out of the city sounds so freaking good.”
“I like that idea,” she said. “So, ready for our last night of the seminar?”
“More than ready. It’s interesting, but honestly, I’m exhausted. I even turned down a date with Herne after class because I’m so tired.”
At that moment, a car pulled up across from the building. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it until the door opened and a man stepped out. It was Ray Fontaine, my ex-boyfriend who had gone from friend to stalker with a startling rapidity.
“Oh fucking hell. Just what I need.” I stood up, staring at him without a smile. What the hell did he want this time? Besides for me to take him back, that is.
“Should we just go inside?” Angel touched my elbow, watching Ray with a wary look as he crossed the street toward us.
I shook my head. “It wouldn’t do any good. He’d just follow us up to the office.”
I had dated Ray briefly, ending our relationship months ago. We hadn’t even slept together. I called it quits when I realized that I was going to put him in danger. Since he was human, he didn’t stand much of a chance against my lifestyle. Most of my other boyfriends had ended up seriously injured or dead and after thinking about it, I had decided to shut down that side of my life.
Until I came to work for the Wild Hunt, I had been a freelance investigator, and I had encountered more than my share of nasty creatures. Unfortunately, humans bruised easier than members of the SubCult. Ray had a nasty scar on his body to prove it. So I broke it off before one of my adversaries ended up taking him out for good.
Everything had been fine until he called me to look over a break-in at his bakery, and it was then that his obsessive nature had presented itself. Ever since then, he had phoned me, texted me all the time, although I never responded, sent me bouquet after bouquet of flowers, and parked outside my condo building more than once, waiting for me to get home. I had repeatedly told him to stop, and had refused every gift that he sent me, but he refused to listen.
I folded my arms, saying nothing as he approached. Angel stood beside me, looking as stoic as I felt.
“I called you ten times last week. Why won’t you answer? Why won’t you call me back?”
I shook my head. “I told you to leave me alone. I’ll tell you once again: Ray, I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want your gifts, and I don’t want you around. What’s so hard to understand?”
His expression shifted from determined to petulant. “You owe me. You owe me an explanation, and an apology.”
I was quickly losing my patience. “I owe you nothing. How dense are you? We’ve been over for a long time. Go away. Leave me alone.”
“No, we’re not over! You still love me. I know it, because I still love you. Ember, you can’t just walk away from me. I won’t let you go. We’re meant to be together.”
For a man who made the best doughnuts in the city, he was distressingly divorced from reality. But if there was one thing I had learned during the past year, it was that you didn’t have to be dysfunctional in every part of your life to be a nut job.
“I’m done. Keep bothering me and I’ll call the police.” It was an empty threat—oh, I’d call them, but they wouldn’t do anything. But it sounded good. I turned to head up the stairs but before I could take another step, Ray grabbed me from behind. He managed to get hold of my wrist and tried to drag me down to the sidewalk.
“Please, just talk to me. I know you’ll change your mind if you just talk to me.”
Startled, I almost tripped over the steps. Immediately, I began to pull away. Ray was strong, but I was stronger. I shook him off, but as I started to back up on the stairs, my boot heel caught on a crack and I fell backward, landing hard against the concrete stoop.
“Leave her alone,” Angel said, hurrying down to my side.
“Stay out of this, it’s none of your business.” Ray shot her a nasty look.
I took the opportunity to push myself to my feet, and before he could grab me again, I shoved him away. We were three steps from the sidewalk and he went tumbling down to the concrete, landing on his ass. He jumped up, his eyes flashing dangerously.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Ember.”
I turned to Angel. “Get on in, he’s off his rocker.”
I reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh. If Ray wanted to play rough, I’d play rough. I kept my eye on him as I began to back up the stairs, one cautious step at a time. Ray would reach me before I made the top, but I didn’t want to turn around to run. Never give your opponent the edge, and presenting my back would give him an edge.
“You fucking women. You treat us like dirt, you lead us on, you make promises and then you break them, and we’re supposed to turn around and run away with our tails tucked between our legs. Not anymore.”
I held up my dagger. “I will use this if you push it. I told you to go away and leave me alone. I told you we’re done. I told you I’m never going to start up with you again. What more do I have to say to get you to believe me? Do I have to fucking beat the crap out of you?”
Apparently, that was a challenge. He snorted, then began to bound up the stairs toward me. But two steps in, he froze, staring beyond me, an uncertain light in his eyes.
From behind me, a voice boomed out. “Think twice before making another move.”
Oh shit. Herne. I froze. If Ray knew what was good for him, he’d turn around and run right now.
“Ember, what’s going on?” Herne appeared by my side, never taking his eyes off of Ray.
“Once again, I was trying to convince Ray to leave me alone.” I hadn’t told Herne much about what Ray had been pulling, more for Ray’s sake than anything else. I had been hoping that he would quietly withdraw. Calling the cops wouldn’t do any good—it never did in situations like this, unless you either had money or your stalker managed to hurt you first. But Herne…he could do some serious damage to Ray, and I knew he would if I said the word.
“How long has this been going on?” Once again, Herne kept his focus on Ray.
“For several months,” Angel spoke up. “I know Ember was hoping he’d stop, but it’s time to stop covering for him.”
Herne stepped in front of me and started down the steps toward Ray. “When a woman tells you to leave her alone, you leave her alone. What’s so difficult to understand about that?”
I wasn’t sure just how much Ray knew about Herne, but I doubted that he knew Herne was the son of a god.
“Don’t interfere, man. Ember just needs to realize how much I mean to her.” But there was a flicker of hesitation in his voice, one that made me question just how much Ray actually believed what he had been saying to me.
At that moment, Angel tugged on my elbow, motioning for me to join her a few steps higher. “He’s not crazy,” she whispered. “He knows full well what is going on. He’s just trying to fuck with your head.”
“You mean he’s just been harassing me because he’s a jerk?”
It was bad enough thinking Ray had asked for a divorce from reality, but if he really was just harassing me to make my life miserable, then as far as I was concerned, Herne could twist him in knots. Angel was an empath, and she had the ability to sense when people were lying. If she said that he was fully cognizant of the situation, I believed her.
“Oh, yeah. This is the first time I’ve been close enough to him to feel out the situation. I can tell you right now, he knows exactly how to push your buttons. He doesn’t think you love him. I don’t even think he loves you. He’s just being an asshole.”
I hadn’t caught what else Herne had said to Ray while I had been talking to Angel, but at that moment Ray puffed up and pointed to the sidewalk.
“Seriously? I’d think twice over challenging me.” Herne flexed his fingers.
I groaned. The thought of two men fighting over me wasn’t a scenario I had ever longed for. I wasn’t into drama, but I resisted the impulse to race down and intervene. Ray had set the stage for this, he needed to take the fall.
“Prove it, pretty boy. Put up or shut up,” Ray said.
By that point, the two men were on the sidewalk. Ray was blustering, and I wondered why I had ever found him attractive. But the Ray I had first met had conveniently hid his contempt for women, his controlling nature, and his lack of impulse control.
At that moment, Ray gave Herne a little shove on one shoulder. I leaned against the wide railing, glancing at Angel, who rolled her eyes and shook her head. As we watched, Herne picked up Ray and, in one smooth move, threw him halfway across the street. He crossed his arms, waiting, as Ray flopped around, then managed to pick himself up.
The look on Ray’s face made me break out in nervous giggles. He looked stunned. He obviously hadn’t expected that response. For a moment, he fidgeted, still standing in the middle of the street, until a car headed directly toward him. Ray darted back to his own car, shooting laser-sharp glances toward Herne. Then, he slammed himself into the driver’s seat and screeched out of his parking spot.
Herne let out a loud sigh. “Are you all right?” He jogged back up the steps to my side.
I nodded. “Thank you. I don’t know why he’s intent on trying to make me miserable, but something set him off a few months ago.”
“You need to be careful. He’s not crazy, he’s just pissed out of his mind. Crazy, we can deal with. But that sort of deep-seated anger can be deadly.” Herne wrapped his arm around my waist as we headed for the elevator, followed by Angel.
I wasn’t sure how, but I needed to defuse the situation, and defuse it quickly.
AS WE GATHERED around the table in the break room, Angel prepared a fresh pot of coffee. She had settled into her job quickly, and seemed content. In fact, both of us had become far more comfortable over the past few months, and it didn’t hurt that we were making more money than we ever had before. Oh, we weren’t rich, but we could actually make ends meet and still have some left over at the end of the month. Shopping was no longer confined to the thrift shops and garage sales.
Without missing a beat, Herne slid into his chair and turned to Talia, our resident researcher. A harpy who had lost most of her powers, Talia was an older woman with long silver hair, kept out of her face by small braids on either side, caught back by a butterfly barrette. She was neatly dressed, wearing a pair of tan culottes, and a black linen tank top. A narrow gold belt encircled her wasp waist, and as usual, she looked perfectly pulled together.
“I want you to look up Ray Fontaine. He owns the bakery over on the Eastside—A Touch of Honey, I believe it is. Find out everything you can on him.” Herne glanced at me. “He’s been harassing Ember, and it’s going to stop. I want you to dig up every skeleton in his closet.”
For a moment, I felt guilty, then shook it off. That’s what friends were for. They helped you bury the bodies and hide the shovel.
“Second, and more important at this point, we’re starting a new case day after tomorrow. It’s on Whidbey Island, and it’s private.”
Yutani frowned, glancing over at him. “Are we driving there every single day? That’s a long haul.”
“Yes, it is, which is why we’re going to stay there for a few days.” Herne flipped open his file. “We should plan on being there at least three or four days. It may take longer, depending on whether we find enough evidence to warrant taking the case any further.”
He ran down what Rhiannon had told us, hitting the high points.
“Tomorrow, I want Talia and Yutani to find out whatever you can about Jona—Rhiannon’s cousin. Also find out whatever you can about his murder. I’ll make a couple phone calls and dig up any dirt I can through official channels. Since Cernunnos and Morgana aren’t behind this, we may find it harder going. But a few people owe me favors, so I’ll see what I can find out.”
“The hippocampi, what are they like?” Viktor asked, crossing to the refrigerator to poke around inside. Viktor was half-ogre, startlingly tall and brawny, with a smooth bald head that he kept well oiled. He was also brilliant, and one hell of an investigator. Viktor had his sensitive side, though, and all around, I liked him.
“They’re water horses, at least while they’re in the water. On land they can take either horse or human shape. They’re relatives of the Fae, but they don’t consider themselves part of the Fae community. They tend to hold themselves above and beyond. They are a proud people, but not snobbish. At least, that’s my takeaway from the interactions I’ve had with them,” Herne said.
“Why do you think the cops wouldn’t look into the murder?” Yutani asked.
“I don’t know. That’s one thing we need to find out. I don’t think Rhiannon was holding anything back about her cousin, and it sounds like he was happy. But if this had been a run-of-the-mill homicide, you’d think the cops would have done their best to find the murderer.” Herne leaned back in his chair, tapping the table with a pencil. “Something has been bothering me about this case since we talked to Rhiannon, but I don’t know what. I just feel like there’s more here than meets the eye, so if anything triggers an alarm, be sure to mention it.”
“When she filled out the intake form, I can tell you that Rhiannon was really upset. I think she really loved her cousin.” Having Angel as the receptionist meant that we were able to use her empathic sense as a first impression. Herne had been one smart cookie to hire her.
Herne nodded. “Okay. We’ll meet tomorrow at noon to compare notes. Yutani and Talia, use the rest of the day for research. Viktor, go through the armory and decide what we might need. It’s hard to say until we know what we’re up against, but we’ll want to take an assortment of weaponry.”
“What should I do?” I asked.
“If you could update the paperwork on all of the cases we’ve closed in the past couple weeks, that would be great. I doubt if you can finish all of the notes, but do what you can. Angel, find a hotel for us on Whidbey Island near the hippocampi encampment. A moderately priced one. Make reservations.” Herne consulted his tablet. “We’ll check in on Thursday. Also, find out when the ferry sails, and plan our itinerary in order for us to make check-in time. Give us some leeway, considering traffic.”
“How many reservations should I make? Who’s going?”
He grinned. “Everybody. We’ll close up shop for a couple days. I know how hard all of you have been working lately. While this is no vacation, it wouldn’t hurt for any of us to get away. As far as rooms, I’m assuming you and Ember, Yutani and Viktor, and then Talia and I will each have a room. So, four.”
He gave me a quick look, and I smiled. I wasn’t offended that he expected me to share a room with Angel. As he said, this wasn’t a vacation, and we were on the job.
“Any preferences on whether there should be a restaurant in the hotel?”
“Find one with restaurant and room service. We don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, especially since this will come out of the hippocampi’s pockets, but we’re not going to skimp either.” He frowned, then glanced at his phone when it chimed. “Excuse me. I have to take a phone call.” He stood, and without further comment, left the room.
“How often do you guys get cases outside of Seattle?” I asked.
Viktor swallowed the rest of the sandwich that he had made. “Not all that often. Oh, sometimes we end up over on the Eastside, or a little farther. But usually not far enough away that we have to rent a hotel. I won’t be sorry to be out of the city, though. I feel like I haven’t had a day off in weeks.”
“That’s because we haven’t,” Yutani said. “I wonder how they feel about coyotes up on Whidbey Island. I haven’t had a chance to go running for a while.”
Yutani wasn’t talking about jogging. He was a coyote shifter without a pack. He had been ousted from the small town he used to live in because Great Coyote dogged his heels, so to speak. And anybody that Coyote chose to take under his paw, well, by the end of things, they usually didn’t have many friends left. Yutani often found himself at the mercy of Coyote’s sense of humor. Or at best, at the butt end of the joke. Sometimes, it was better to be somebody’s enemy than their friend.
“Why don’t you look up their ordinances while we’re doing our research?” Talia said. She glanced over the dossier. “There’s something fishy about this murder. The cops usually don’t ignore homicides unless there’s a reason.”
“Maybe it’s really as simple as a vampire kill. Sometimes, when there isn’t an easy answer, people don’t want to face the fact that they’re not going to get the closure they want.” Viktor shrugged. “I don’t care whether or not she talked to the vampires on the island. Most vamps aren’t going to own up if they think one of their own killed somebody. Especially not with the treaty in place. The United Coalition has been both a blessing and a curse in that sense.”
“So you’d rather see humans making all the laws without the rest of our input?” Talia shook her head. “No thank you.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth. I didn’t say that.” Viktor twisted his lips into a frown. “I think all the major races have to be represented in the United Coalition. However, that doesn’t change the fact that politics can be problematic, especially with creatures like vampires. The Vampire Nation has a vested interest in protecting its reputation, given the past, and given the fact that they have managed to finagle their way into most of the economic markets in the world.”
“It’s not like the Fae Courts don’t do the same thing, though.” I decided to jump into the argument. “They influence the authorities—especially law enforcement—heavily. Hell, they practically run the police stations in most major cities. I think the only group in the United Coalition that hasn’t tried to pull strings is the Shifter Alliance.”
Yutani snorted. “Think that if you like, but I wouldn’t place bets on you being right.”
I stared at him. “What are you talking about? I have never heard a single complaint that the Shifter Alliance has tried to influence politics, other than laws relating to their lives.”
The United Coalition was composed of four groups that ran the country. Most nations followed a similar formation. In the United States, the UC was composed of the Shifter Alliance, the Vampire Nation, the Fae Courts, and the Human League. A set number of legislators from each group joined to form the governing councils of both the nation, and the varying states. By law, there had to be a proportionate number of lawmakers in each government body as there were members of that particular population. It didn’t ensure that justice was fair, but it was a long cry from the gerrymandering that had gone on in the past.
Yutani leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His hair spilled over his shoulders in a silken cloud. “Just because the Fae come on like sledgehammers, and the vampires sneak in with their money, doesn’t mean that the shifters don’t look for ways to influence society and the laws. Take a long look at the school boards and PTAs. Education is a good venue from which to change society.”
I frowned, biting the inside of my lip. I had never really thought about the matter, nor did I take any notice about who was in the PTA or on school boards, given I didn’t have children and I wasn’t really that interested. But if Yutani was right, it might actually be something to pay attention to. Especially since the shifters didn’t care much for the Fae, and they sure as hell didn’t like vampires.
“Save the political discussions for later, children,” Talia said with a dry laugh. “While you were busy arguing, I took a quick look at the shifter ordinances up on Whidbey Island. There is a large park where you can go running safely, Yutani. But pay attention to the hours. The big cat shifters and canine shifters are kept separate. And prey-shifter types have their own times as well. You can be fined heavily if you break the rules.”
Most shifters were able to interact without a problem in their human form, but there had been several cases where their animal instincts took over when they were in-shift. The unfortunate death wasn’t unheard of. Rather than murder, those homicides were usually tried as manslaughter.
At that moment, Herne returned. He glanced at me, a worried look on his face, then turned to Angel. “Change of immediate plans, at least for the moment. I got a call from Cooper. DJ is having a lot of trouble right now. Apparently, it’s the anniversary of your mother’s death?”
Angel bit her lip and stared at the table, nodding. “Tomorrow. It’s still so fresh, especially for DJ…”
She was trying to be strong. When Mama J. had died, it devastated both Angel and her brother. Mama J. had been the light of their lives. She had been a bright light in my life as well.
“I’ve made arrangements for Cooper to bring DJ up here to see you. Tomorrow, you and Ember can spend the afternoon with him. Come in during the morning, but you can leave at noon to spend the afternoon with him. We still need to leave Thursday morning, but this will give you some time to help him through this.”
“Thanks, Herne,” Angel said, ducking her head as a tear trailed down her cheek.
He let out a soft sigh. “It’s never easy. But we’re here, and we’ll do our best to help you and your brother, whatever the case.” With a look around the table, he added, “Everybody know what they need to do?”
Everyone nodded.
“Then let’s get busy. We’ve got a lot to do in a short amount of time.” And with that, we were excused.