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He was not worried about the Shadows or the King. He was more worried that his advisor was questioning his ability to keep his word.
“Sometimes, things are beyond your control. Unless, of course, this one issue isn’t. And all you need is to put your mind to it. But you’ve been out of the loop. You haven’t been paying enough attention to our partners even before Ava’s passing. And now you’re always distracted.”
“What are you trying to say? Stop speaking in riddles.”
Grace straightened her back and regarded him with a direct stare. “I think we have a traitor.”
Hades stood and leaned forward. “Don’t you dare,” he growled.
Grace raised her hands in self-defense. “I know you regard everyone in this house as family. And so do I.”
“Then how can you say this?”
“Because there is no other explanation. How come only our partners are targeted?”
“Then why aren’t we?”
“I told you. We service very influential people. Or perhaps whoever the traitor is benefits from our survival.”
Hades regarded her steadily. It was difficult reading her features with as much makeup as she used. And he knew this was her precise aim when Grace applied her powder and rouge. Or at least one of her aims. But something in the confident air with which she spoke let Hades know that she wasn’t simply guessing.
“You suspect someone,” he said.
“I do. But you’re not going to like my suspicions.”
“I do not like any part of this conversation, so you might as well get on with it.”
Grace looked back at the door as if expecting someone to be listening in on them. She took a quill, dipped it into the inkwell, and scribbled something on a piece of paper. She nudged the paper toward Hades.
He took it and looked at the carefully written letters.
WILLIAM.
Hades ripped the paper to pieces, stood, and threw them into the fire. “You don’t know what you are talking about.”
Hades did not want to think of William as a traitor, but at the same, he had no illusions. He knew exactly what William was. A criminal and a liar, looking out only for himself.
“He is the only one who makes sense. He doesn’t belong here. He is stuck between two worlds, and he is loyal to neither.”
“He benefits from our partnership.”
“Yes, and that is why I suspect we are still standing.”
Hades paused, looking intently into the fire devouring the pieces of burnt paper.
“Or it is one of the patrons,” Grace added in an offhand manner.
Hades did not want to think about traitors. He had enough dealing with Ava’s killer. But if there was someone out to destroy his work as well, Hades would go on a rampage to ruin lives.
But he had promised, hadn’t he? No more killing.
Well, Ava was dead, so how much did that promise count now?
The door burst open and pulled him out of dark thoughts.
“Oh, pardon me!” A gentleman stumbled into the room.
How in the devil did he even get in here? Where were all the guards?
