Page 193 of The Masks and the Dancer (Their Obsession 2)

Take care of each other.

Thirteen x

“What are Diamonds?” Christy asks, the moment she finishes reading.

“A very potent hallucinogenic drug,” Xeno explains, glancing at York.

York smirks. “Some even say mind-altering, and if you fuck whilst using them. Well…” He mimics a brain exploding and we all get the idea. I’m not surprised, I’ve experienced Thirteen’s drugs before, they have that kind of effect.

“Diamonds can be crushed and smoked in a joint or taken whole like a pill,” Xeno continues, knocking back the last of his bourbon. “They’re called diamonds because they look like them in their barest form.

Leon shifts in his seat. “Sounds like you’re talking from experience.”

“Our paths have crossed with the Deana-dhe before,” Xeno replies. “Diamonds are potent. Your friend is extraordinarily talented, and very,veryvaluable because of that.”

“Indeed,” Grim remarks, cutting her gaze to me. “What’s Thirteen’s real name, Jakub?”

“Cynthia O’Farrell,” I reply, confirming what she already knows to be true. In all honesty, I’m surprised she doesn’t know already, though I’m guessing by the way Christy shifts in her seat that she kept that information a secret on purpose.

“Wait, what the fuck? That’sConnall’sniece.”

“Who’s Connall?” I ask.

“He’s my fucking mate, and his family, the O’Briens, own all of the Irish pubs in London.”

“Shiiiiittt,” York exclaims. “I thought the Deana-dhe were tight with the O’Briens.”

“So did they,” Beast replies. “Fuck! They’ve been trying to get Cynthia back from Niall for years since Aoife was murdered. They’re gonna go ape-shit when I tell them that the Deana-dhe have her.”

“No!” Grim snaps.

“What?”

“I said no. This is between us.”

“Ah, jesus fuck,” he exclaims running his thick tattooed fingers through his hair. “They’re our friends.”

“And Christy is mysister,” she counters. “We’ll keep a close eye on the situation. If at any point we get wind of things going south. We’ll step in. Let this play out the way Thirteen,Cynthia, asked. I get the feeling that she’s a lot stronger than people have given her credit for.”

“She is,” I agree. “Thirteen…Cynthiacan hold her own. She’s always been able to. She grew up with the infamous Masks as friends after all.”

“You know she actually killed Carrick once,” Christy adds a smile in her voice. “Brought him back too, obviously.”

“She did what?” I ask, my lips quivering with a smile.

“It’s how she figured out how to make the poison. She just altered the ingredients a little. Apparently Carrick was being a dick to her at the time, so she poisoned him.”

“Well, well, well, I’m loving this woman more and more,” Beast says with a chuckle. “Looks like the Deana-dhe need to pull on their big boy pants with this one.”

“Looks like it,” I agree, bursting out with laughter alongside everyone else around the table.

Eventually our laughter dies down and Grim picks up her gun reholstering it. “Well, I guess you want to get home?” she says, and if I’m not mistaken, her eyes glaze over a little with tears which she blinks back furiously the second she sees me notice.

“Our flight leaves in a few hours, so we should be heading back to the airport.”

She nods, turning her attention to Christy. “I give you my blessing, but if they step out of line I will—”

“Kill them, we know.”

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