Page 75 of Mysteries, Menace, and Mates

“Up the stairs? How about through the front door?” They went into the bedroom, and Hashtag let out a gasp. “Oh my fucking God.”

The bed looked as if it belonged in Buckingham Palace. It was made of the same dark glossy wood Hashtag had seen in the long gallery, covered in ornate carvings, its four posts supporting the roof of the bed with its sculpted edges. Deep cream and floral curtains framed the headboard that went all the way to the ceiling. A padded footstool sat on the warm rug next to the bed, clearly to help its occupant gain access.

“You couldn’t sleep in a bed like that,” he remonstrated.

“Why not?” Eve’s eyes sparkled. “We could give it a try.”

“Okay, can we be serious for a minute?” Roadkill stared at the opulent room. “You said once that you’d have been happy to burn this place to the ground, because of its associations with your grandfather and his support of the Gerans.”

“Yeah, I did. I’ve changed my mind.” Eve sat on the couch at the foot of the bed. “There’s so much space. Most of it was taken up with servants in Grandfather’s day. I think they outnumbered the family three to one. Way too much space for the three of us.”

Hashtag blinked. “You want us tolivehere? I thought the county had it on a lease.”

“They do, and it’s about to expire. And as for living here….” Eve wrung her hands. “I don’t know, all right? I need time to process all this.”

Hashtag had waited long enough. “What is it you’re not telling us?”

EVE SWALLOWED.“I’ve had an interesting offer.” She’d been meaning to bring it up ever since Richard had taken her aside. She should have told them right away, and God knew blocking them had been pure torture, but she wasn’t sure how she felt.

This seemed like the perfect time.

“Told uswhatright away?” Roadkill demanded.

“I wouldneverask you to stop doing what you’re doing, okay? You’re both awesome, and—”

“Eve, if you don’t spit it out, we may have to kill you,” Hashtag teased.

She snorted. “You could try.” Then she let out a sigh. “How would you feel about… working for another leader? In another country?”

“You’re talking about here, aren’t you?” Roadkill locked gazes with her. “In Lancashire?”

She nodded. “Richard Deveraux spoke with me this morning. He asked if I would join his teams. Actually, he wants me toleada team.” Eve grinned. “Apparently my ability to remain cool under pressure during my visit to Theron impressed him. I told him having you two in my head was what gave me the edge. He said I could have whomever I wanted on my team. I’d like for it to be you—if you want. I mean, there’s no AC, but could you live here?”

“Can we think about it?” Roadkill quipped. She gasped, and he laughed, grabbing her and spinning her around in his arms until she was dizzy. “Silly woman. Wherever you are, that’s home.”

“Besides, aren’t Horvan and Aelryn joining forces permanently?” Hashtag reminded her. “And Richard is one of Aelryn’s leaders, right? So we’d still see the gang from time to time.”

“The gang?” She smiled. “They’re your family.”

Roadkill glanced from Eve to Hashtag, then back to Eve. “Then I guess we’re moving.”

Hashtag shrugged. “Okay by me.” He grinned. “Besides, you know how much I fuckinglovethat accent. I may even end up sounding like a Brit. Well, that or Dick Van Dyke.”

“Hey, I always thought his accent was spot on,” Roadkill remarked.

Eve wanted to dance, she felt so fuckinglight.

“Thank you. And at least we won’t have to worry about a roof over our heads.” She gestured to the bed. “We still have time to try it out.” Then she beamed. “Except what I really want to do is hightail it back to Leighton Hall and give Richard the good news.”

Hashtag smiled. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

“There’s one more thing.” She squared her shoulders. “Neither of you get to leave this room alive until you’ve given me some very important information.”

“Such as?” Roadkill gave her a quizzical glance.

Eve narrowed her gaze. “I want to know your real names.”

They laughed.

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