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With that, he touched a hand to my back and guided me out the room. He didn’t say anything until we were back in his truck and heading out of the compound.
“I’ll drop by later this afternoon to get a composite of the two Empusae. The likelihood of them hiding in plain sight might be remote, but I don’t think we can risk it.”
I nodded and rubbed my arms. While the morning air held a bite, the chill was more an inner one, its source the wash of Jeni’s horror and terror still echoing through my brain.
Which is not dissimilar to what happens when you go too deep with a psychometry reading, Belle commented.
And means it’s something I don’t need to be doing too often.
With that, I agree. Ask Aiden if he’d like a coffee and an egg and bacon sandwich to be waiting for him when he gets here.
I passed the message on, and got a brief but bright smile in reply. That would be a yes, thanks, Belle.
Once we were out of the compound, Aiden hit the accelerator. It didn’t take us long to get back to Castle Rock. Belle was waiting, as promised. Once I’d handed him the coffee and sandwich, I leaned across and kissed him. He brushed the hair out of my eyes and then gently ran his fingers down my cheek. “Are you going to be all right?”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t look convinced, but didn’t comment. I climbed out and, once he’d left, followed Belle back into the café.
She came out of the kitchen with two mugs of coffee. “The council isn’t going to keep this one quiet.”
“No. And are you sure you’ve put enough alcohol in those coffees?”
She raised her eyebrows. “You can’t possibly smell it from there—I wasn’t that heavy-handed.”
I accepted the mug and took a sip. The whiskey was evident but it certainly wasn’t overpowering. “Maybe my great love for the malted stuff has made me hyperaware of its presence.”
“Maybe.” Belle’s expression suggested she doubted it. “Anyway, I got a call from Monty about ten minutes ago. The tracer is staying in town for the next couple of days.”
“Is she intending to question us some more?”
“She didn’t say, and he wasn’t certain. He did suggest we keep our spelling to a minimum though.”
“As long as the Empusae don’t decide to attack, I’m good with that.”
“Even if they do attack, it might be better if you leave the magic stuff to Ashworth and Monty.”
“A very sensible suggestion.”
“And one you may or may not follow.” Her voice was wry.
I grinned. “You know me too well.”
“I’m your familiar. It’s part of the job description to know your thoughts before you have them—not that many of them are worth knowing.”
“Deliberately so—such eccentricity stops you from getting bored.”
“I’ll certainly admit boredom has never really been a problem over the years.” She drank some coffee and sighed in appreciation. “Monty’s heard from his source in Canberra. Apparently, he’s got some snippets about the tracer and the Empusae we need to hear—although when it comes to the latter, I suspect it won’t be much more than what we’ve already found.”
“Meaning he’s using it as an excuse to get a decent meal and to do some Belle watching.”
“I suspect so.” She shrugged. “As long as he keeps his amorous thoughts to himself, we’ll be fine.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do I sense a slight softening in attitude?”
“You do not.”
“Believing it.”
