"I'm thinking cyanide," I say.
Declan immediately shakes his head. "No, stop with that spy thriller movie shit. That won't work."
"Why?" I ask.
"It smells so strongly of almonds. He'll notice it right away. Plus, it's not as reliable as people assume. Dosage is tricky."
Keira crosses her arms. "Okay, poison expert, then what?"
Declan thinks for a moment and I can almost see him running through possibilities in his head.
"Maybe aconitine."
Keira frowns. "Excuse me?"
Declan nods. "Wolfsbane. They used it in the 1800s or some shit to kill wolves. No scent, undetectable in most standard toxicology screens. Works fast. Cardiac arrest within minutes."
Perfect, I think. Because that's exactly what I'm going to use it for, killing a wolf.
"Okay," Keira says. "So we get this wolfsbane to Calli, and then what?" She looks at me. "You go with Niko to the island and do it?"
I turn in my chair to face them both, my fingers shaking slightly.
"Sort of. You'll be there, too. Both of you."
Keira blinks in surprise. "Are you going to put us on the guest list?"
"Well, not exactly."
Their eyes narrow simultaneously, a twin expression of suspicion that would be amusing under different circumstances.
"I got you guys jobs. Surprise." I wave my hands in the air like I'm congratulating them.
Declan stares at me like I've grown a second head. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Yeah, so at first I thought about guests, but Niko said Stavros does all that, hence how I figured that out. So then I thought security, but Stavros has his own men, of course. So the next best thing was..."
"The staff?" Keira asks, her voice rising slightly.
I nod.
"Oh my god, woman, you need to stop watching heist movies," Declan says, laughing. "Next week you're going to tell me how you want to rob a casino."
That actually makes me laugh, all of us in fact. A genuine sound that feels strange given the circumstances. Still, it feels nice to laugh, even for a second.
"No, there is a company in Kosta that's handling the event, and they put out an ad for help. The dates are the exact weekend of the event, so I took care of it."
Keira nods and claps her hands. "Fuck it. I'll serve champagne for a few hours to get the fucker who killed your dad."
Declan clears his throat. "I mean, I don't really blend in well. I'm six-foot-four and…" he pauses, "you know what, why don't I just use my charm on some of the ladies there, move around, get close to this Stavros guy and do it myself?"
I refuse without hesitation. "No. He has to die by my hand."
I need to be the one to look into Stavros's eyes when he realizes what's happening. I need to be the last thing he sees. For my father. For Niko. For the future I'm trying to protect.
Declan studies my face for a long moment, then gives me a small nod.
"Can you get me what I need?" I ask him.
