I sigh. “It’s not the time to discuss the Werewolf Regulation Bureau’s perpetual understaffing problem.” My gaze meets Sam’s. “Someone is copying our method to kill werewolves. They found a body last week.”
Sam’s hand stills midway to his mouth. “Say what now?”
“As I already told Elliot, the Bureau is working on it, and I’m spending all my time finding the killer. I’ll catch him,” Nicholas says.
“Oh my god, Ijustgot this man to learn to accept help. Don’t ask me to teach you too. Daddy’s tired.” Sam puts the plate down, all business now. “Tell me everything.”
Nicholas leans back and folds his arms across his chest. “It’s confidential information.”
I give him a side-eye. “Seriously?”
Nicholas sighs again, hopefully realizing that he’s acting like a petulant child. Looking like one too. “We know the victim had recently killed his colleague on a hiking trail. Police found her body last week—”
“—and ruled it as natural death. Yeah, we know the drill. So, you guys were looking into him too?” I ask.
“Yes, actually. That’s how they found him so quickly. Two Bureau agents were over to interrogate him, but it was already too late.”
Looks like the Bureau has definitely upped its game. “And they couldn’t find any trace of the killer?”
Nicholas picks up his plate. “Nope. The killer was longgone. We didn’t find anything.”
Sam smirks. “He learned from the best.”
I smirk back, and Nicholas chews on his salad. “Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about that.”
I pat his thigh. “Don’t worry, Harper. I didn’t mind providing the assist. You guys clearly needed it.”
Nicholas covers my hand with his and leaves it there,the dork. “So, who else knew about your little operation?”
“No one,” I say confidently, then turn to Sam for confirmation.
“Yeah, it was just us. More people, more problems.”
Nicholas pulls his hand back, and I take a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Are you sure? No temporary contractor? No supplier? No secret confessions to a priest?”
I snort. “Yeah, I don’t think even god has the heart to bless this mess.”
“Why? We were basically helping him dole out the punishments,” Sam argues.
I consider it. “With the gay thing, then the murder thing, religion is a bit too complicated for me. I’d stick to no confessions for now.” I nod.
“And none of us are complaining,” Nicholas says. “So, no leaks from your side. That leaves—”
“—your super cool sounding secret agency of sexy werewolf agents.” Sam nods contemplatively.
Nicholas nods appreciatively. “Exactly the words I was going to use.”
I snatch back my salad from Sam, leaving the spoon in his hand. “So, you have another killer in the Bureau. They need to rethink their compensation packages. The employees arenothappy.” I get up and walk over to the kitchen to get a fresh spoon and prepare a plate of leftovers for Sam.
“Super cool secret agency with frustrated werewolf agents?” I hear Sam say.
I give a sleeping Mickey a pat on the way back. He lifts his head in acknowledgment, then goes back to sweet slumber. I slump back on the couch and give Sam his dinner, which heaccepts with a big smile.
“Let’s hold off on the judgment until we have more information. Besides, there’s another section of people we haven’t considered yet.” Nicholas takes a big bite of his salad, then pauses dramatically. Maybe I should rethink my stance on religion. I need someone to complain about the dramatics of people in my life, even though it’s criminally attractive on Nicholas.
We stare at him while he chews soundly. I take it back. It’s just annoying. “You’ve never done anything but shovel food straight into your stomach. Who else knew about the murders?Tell us already.”
Nicholas’s face breaks into a smile. “So impatient.” He shuffles my hair. My gaze narrows in on the dimple on his right cheek. He hasn’t shaved today, so his beard is just the right length to prick my hands if I move them over his cheeks.
