Page 24 of Fool Me Twice

Cane snuffed his cigarette out in the tray, realizing it wasn’t calming him down in the slightest.

“I caught him trying to stash the drugs and he looked like he wasn’t even fully aware he was doing it. His eyes were all unfocused, and when I asked him why he did it and stuff he just kept repeating that he didn’t know, that he needed money, but it didn’t sound like the truth. And it’s not the first time I’ve heard that either. I caught someone trying to sell information to a competitor, but he swore up and down that he didn’t know why he did it. Just that he felt compelled and then trapped.”

Hart tilted his head, pursing his lips the way he did when he was contemplating something.

“Okay,” he said, voice a bit more agreeable. “That does sound suspicious. Could either of them have been under the influence?”

“I don’t let my staff get into that shit,” Cane said, voice hard.

“Doesn’t mean they follow all your rules,” Hart pointed out, and…okay, he had a point there, but Cane knew Raph at least.

“Look, if you asked me about Jones, then sure, maybe,” Cane said. “But I’ve known Raph for years. I got his twin Soph and him out of a really shitty situation and set them both up with a place to live and a place to work until they can stand on their own. They had a shit life but they’re both good, decent kids and great employees. I make sure they’re not getting into anything that could land them in trouble. I want them out of the underground as soon as possible. They wouldn’t fuck that up for themselves. Not like this.”

He sucked in a breath when he was done, tense and on edge as he waited for Hart to mull over his words.

The countdown on his phone pinged as their ten minutes ended.

Hart picked up his cup and swallowed the rest of his coffee, wiping his mouth off with another napkin and leaving both neatly off to the side for the waitress.

“Fine,” he said as he stood up and Cane’s heart clenched. “I’ll go with you and check your staff for curses.”

“You will?” Cane asked, surprised there wasn’t a catch.

Hart nodded, straightening his cuffs and tie. “Yes.”

“Thank you,” Cane said reluctantly. It wasn’t a phrase he said often. Only when it was necessary.

He set a bill on the table blindly to cover their drinks, not even checking to see how big of a tip he was leaving.

“One condition.” Hart raised a manicured finger.

“Always conditions with you.”

Hart bit his lip for a second before releasing it and looking up at Cane.

“If there is no curse,” he said. “You’ll stop tracking me.”

“Who said I was tracking you?” Cane asked calmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hart turned his back on him as he headed back to where they’d come from. “You forget I know you just as well as you know me,” he said, leaving Cane to jog after him, spine tingling from the rush of memories the words brought.

Chapter 6

Hart

Cane was in his car and Hart wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about it. He didn’t belong. Hart’s car was just like everything else in his life—carefully curated to fit into the image of who he was. It was black and the perfect size to fit his diagnostics kit and a change of clothes without him having to cram everything in and risk anything being wrinkled and ruined. It was kept pristine and clean and smelling like all of Hart’s favorite things. Lavender for relaxation and citrus for sharpness of mind. The perfect blend of scents.

Which Cane now added to with the distinct scent of cigarette smoke. Hart tried to pretend he didn’t like it mixing with everything else, but he knew better than to lie to himself.

Cane was silent save for the occasional direction he murmured Hart’s way as he drove toward their destination. Hart wanted to say he liked it like that, but again, arguing with himself felt pointless.

The silence between them was tense, and it made Hart’s stomach feel heavy. He could feel himself clenching his teeth and did his best to unlock his jaw and relax. Cane pointed to the next right turn and then a small space where he could park his car just in front of them. Hart stopped the car and they shuffled out, his bag firmly in hand despite having no idea what to expect or where they were going.

He just followed Cane, hoping it would all be done soon.

The building they approached was a little run-down, but not massively. There were shadier corners of Slatehollow by a mile, and it deepened the insight Cane had unwillingly provided Hart with when explaining the twins. Cane had only told him to prove his point—he wasn’t the type of guy to brag about his altruism.

Hart just…hadn’t been expecting it.

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