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She squeezed it back. “Of course. Just keep me updated on how it goes and let me know if he steps out of line.”
“I will,” I chuckled, patting her hand one last time before standing and heading for the door.
The moment I stepped out of Eden’s office, Nolan was walking down the hall. “You ready?” he asked, a gentle smile on his lips.
I took a deep breath, matching his smile with sincerity. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty
The lower sector of Eroste wasn’t an area most people wanted the Onyx Guard to be. Although it looked well put together with its white brick buildings and bright shop windows, everyone knew the truth about what happened in the alleyways or in back rooms; drug trade, sex trade, any kind of deplorable trade you could think of, all hidden behind opulence.
Nolan followed me silently, not speaking once as I led him through the area on our lectracycles. Finally, I pulled up in front of a black-painted brick building standing out like a beacon in the bright streets. It was the place everyone avoided unless they were invited or desperate or both.
TheBlack Howl Tavern.
This was going to be a fun evening and, even though he had no idea what we were walking into, there was a gleam of anticipation in Nolan’s eyes as we locked our bikes up. He could tell something entertaining was about to happen, and he seemed just as excited as I was.
“Ready?” I asked, straightening the leather breastplate of my full Onyx Guard armor.
“I suppose,” he laughed, following me over the threshold.
The inside was as dark as the outside, decorated in a pitch-black-and-gold color palette. The black marble floor was swirled with bits of gilding, matching the painted metal tables and chairs. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the electric light dimmed so low, humans would barely be able to see a few feet in front of them. Of course, most of the patrons in here were Varg Anwyns and Shrivikas, so that didn’t seem to matter much; I guessed Mylo was saving on his electricity bill.
I led Nolan to the black marble-top bar, plopping myself into one of the golden stools as if it was completely normal for an Onyx Guard to be a patron of this deplorable place. My eyes scanned the room, recognizing a few people I had either arrested, saved from overdose, or both. My heart lurched a bit at that; Kazola had a free detox program for anyone who wanted to get clean off of wolfsbane or blackthorn. I always tried my best to get people into the local program, but it seemed a few had found themselves sucked back in.
Others I recognized as some of Mylo’s pack, their movements subtle but predatory, striding around the room like guards of the kingdom—Mylo’s kingdom. It would only be a matter of time before one or two of them made their way to whatever back room Mylo hid himself in. Lucky for me and my heightened abilities, it would be easy to track their movements to him if I concentrated hard enough.
“Two pints of ale, please,” I ordered for Nolan and me, my stomach clenching at even the idea of having alcohol in front of me—but it would look odd if I sat here without anything. So I kept my face neutral as the bartender begrudgingly slid two crystal pint glasses in front of us, giving nothing more than a grunt before disappearing down the bar to serve another patron.
“So, now that we’re here, are you going to explain how being in this depressing place is going to help?”Nolan asked, his gaze lingering around the room, tracking people’s movements.
“How much research did you do about Seathra’s crimes before you came here?”I asked.
His glance slid to me before returning to the front of the room. “A little.”
“Hear anything about a family known as the Bralechi?”
“Oh, yeah, I remember reading about them. They’re a Varg family that runs drug trade, right?”
“That, and a few new ventures over the past few years.”My lips tightened, my fingers tapping against the cold pint glass I hadn’t taken a sip from.“Their reach goes past Seathra when it comes to where they peddle their drugs, but they started in this territory and continue to run the operation from here.”
“If it wasn’t my job to hunt these people down, I’d be impressed.”Nolan took another silent sip.“Why are we here?”
“If anyone has come in and disrupted trade on the streets, the Bralechis will know about it.”I scanned the room. “What do you think of the bar?”
His eyebrows rose. “Seems a bit solemn based on where it’s located in town. You’d think there’d be music or something to help the crowd.”
“Yeah, you’d think.” I turned back toward the bar, making sure the bartender was still intently watching us. “Of course, Mylo has always enjoyed his atmosphere quiet.”
The air in the room shifted from wearily uncomfortable to viciously tense. Conversations halted, people went from stealing subtle glances to outright staring at me. My skin prickled at all of the attention I wished I didn’t have to put on myself…but it was a necessary evil if I wanted to smoke out Mylo.
“Oh, is that the owner of this establishment?” Nolan asked, playing along well. “Would love to meet him someday and give him a little constructive criticism about how he chooses to run a tavern.”
“Maybe he’ll be kind enough to show himself,” I said loud enough for plenty of people to hear. “I’m sure he’d love to see me again.”
“Oh? He knows you well, Kasha?” Nolan smirked at me. Damn, he was good at this.
“We’ve crossed paths once or twice.” My fingers clenched around my mug. I knew the final step to get him to run, but it felt like a betrayal. “Of course, Eden knows him better than I do.”
