Page 16 of Hellfire

“How is your sister doing?” I asked.

“Some days are hard. She’s slowly adjusting.” He scooped coffee grains into a moka pot, added water, and set it on the stove. “It took me a good six months to accustom myself to the outside world. But I had experience conducting missions for Camus. She’s never seen the outside world.”

“What kind of missions?” I took one of the seats at the counter, interested to know his history.

“Assassinations, bribery, threats. You name it.” A dark cloud banked behind his gaze. “My naga came in handy for extracting information.”

I felt like an asshole for never getting to know the guy or his story and not giving him a chance. Nobody wanted to be used as a weapon against their will. I trained at the Academy for ten years, aware that my skills leaned to the Tollen class of the Guild. Plenty of time to accept my future as a soldier.

“I’m sorry you went through that.” I rubbed my nape. “And I’m sorry for being an asshole to you.”

Luna’s kindness to me despite my hostile welcome to the Academy taught me the importance of looking beyond a person’s affiliation to understand their true worth and character.

“Getting sentimental, Stoney?” Gable tossed a teabag in his mug.

I opened my arms wide. “You want that kiss and hug?”

His rich laugh echoed throughout his loft. He put that topic to bed by placing six chocolate chip cookies on a plate and slid it across to me. The market cookies were soft with a buttery center and crispy outside, just the way I liked them.

“Good thing it’s daytime. I’m fresh out of rocks.” He winked.

“Smartass.” I reached over the counter to hit him again, and he laughed and bounced back.

He wasn’t so bad once you got past the cocky layer of his armor. A guy trying to make his way in the world when all he knew was violence and darkness. One of the boys. No different from the way Cole, Blaze, and I used to tease each other growing up.

Luna was right about him—he had a past. We all did, and it was a matter of how he dealt with it. In his case, he fought evil with everything he had, and for that, I admired him for not becoming a nutcase, pulling himself out of a dark place, and setting up his own business.

“You sure know how to butter me up,” I teased, in an even better mood.

Gable’s lopsided grin came out to play, and he dragged the plate away, and I tugged it back. I’d get to business after one of these delicious prizes, finishing two with my coffee. I deserved a little downtime when things had been non-stop for the last five months.

He poured himself a tea and prepared me a coffee, sliding it across to me. “You didn’t suspect poison. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.” Chocolate chip cookie crunched as he bit into it.

“You’re all right.” I messed up his perfect rock star hair.

“You’re not bad yourself, Stoney.” He dipped his cookie in his tea, and we smiled.

All signs of playfulness diminished as he got to business, crossing his arms over his chest. “What can I do for you?”

Right. Business. So much for downtime. I had to get back to my investigation, and he had to get back to his shop and earn a living.

“The Academy’s infiltrator mentioned she had an accomplice.” I broke the second cookie in half, studying the gooey center. “I can’t find anything to justify his expulsion besides missing inventory. Black candles, scales of a chameleon, spider’s leg, newt eye, and mug wart.”

His brows kicked up. “Invisibility spells are heavy-duty magick.”

“Fae dust was used to put the gargoyles to sleep. Only Gildrons have access to high-level ingredients.” Sharing Guild secrets could get me fired, but we were past the point of being enemies and well into being allies. Giving him vague scraps wouldn’t solve my problem.

Gable finished his cookie and took another. “I can’t help you with your inventory problem, but I might know someone who can help with the camera footage.”

“The cameras went dead.” I lifted the cup, blew on the hot drink, and dared a sip. I liked it piping hot.

“My guy might be able to bring it back to life.” He slid out his phone, reaching out to one of his contacts.

“Calling in that favor?” the man on the other end asked, his voice rich and dark.

“Absolutely. I’ve got a good one for you to solve. Tell you when you get here.” I liked that Gable kept the details vague.

“I can’t resist a good mystery.” The guy on the other end hung up.

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