Page 28 of Thick as Thieves
Texon.
He must have followed me down the hall. His hands catch my shoulders, steadying me, and then he looks past me into the room. He goes absolutely still.
I’ve seen Texon irritated and seen him guarded, suspicious, almost-smiling.
I’ve never seen this.
His expression transforms into something cold and lethal. The gentle Xylan who sat beside me on the transport, whose gloved hand brushed mine, is gone. This is a male who would kill without hesitation.
He moves past me into the room, checking corners, looking into the small closet and bathroom, checking under the destroyed bed, everywhere someone could hide. His claws are extended. The scraping sound they make against the doorframe raises the hair on my arms.
“They’re gone,” he growls. “But they were here. Recently.”
“How do you know?”
“I can smell them.” His nostrils flare. “Three males. Xylan. They left maybe two hours ago.”
Two hours ago I was watching Leah explain crystal resonance frequencies.
“Ines? Trunk?” Lila’s voice comes from the hallway. Footsteps approach. “I thought I heard you come in, I was just in the back with the kids and?—”
She appears in the doorway. Baby Rux is on her hip, his chubby fingers tangled in her dark hair.
Her jaw drops open. “Oh gods.” She stares at the ransacked room. “Oh gods, I was... I was in the backyard the whole time. The children were playing, I was watching them, I didn’t hear anything, I didn’t?—”
Her gaze cuts to the hallway. Toward the back of the compound. Toward where the other children are still playing, oblivious.
I see the terror hit her.
Someone wasin the compound. While she was alone with four small children. While the brothers were all at the mine. Whoever did this could have done anything. Could have hurt anyone.
“The children,” she whispers. “I have to?—”
“Go,” Texon says. “Check on them. I’ll handle this.”
She’s gone in an instant, Rux bouncing on her hip, her footsteps rapid down the hallway.
Texon is already on his comm device, voice low and urgent. I catch fragments:compromised... breach... come home now.
I stand in the doorway of the destroyed room and try to slow my breathing.
Someone knew I was investigating the cold case, not just writing a puff piece about human brides. And they want me gone.
Within the hour,all the brothers are home.
I don’t know how they got here so fast. Someone must have pulled them from the mine early, arranged emergencytransport. They file in one by one, still in their work gear, mining equipment clanking against their massive thighs. Naomi, Roxy and Jana are with them.
Hook leaves immediately with Argyl to meet back up with Leah at their home. Heavy pulls Jana close the moment he walks through the door, his huge hand spanning her back, holding her against him like he’s afraid to let go. Claws wraps an arm around Lila, who’s still shaking despite having confirmed that all four children were fine, completely unaware that anything was wrong.
Chief surveys my room with cold calculation, his sharp eyes cataloging every detail. Cannibal’s hands curl into fists at his sides. Rook is in the hallway, frowning.
Scar crouches in the doorway, examining the lock, the frame, the floor. Looking for evidence.
“Common room,” Chief says finally. “Everyone. Now.”
We gatherin the common room, arranged in a loose circle. The couples sit next to each other and all the chairs are taken.
The baby is napping and the two toddlers play quietly on the floor, possibly understanding the mood of the adults.
