Page 151 of Love & Heart Braking

“Come on in,” she said, checking the hall.

“Lerome here?” I asked.

“No, not yet.”

We exchanged a worried look.

Devereaux set the crepe boxes on the coffee table. “Could I take a look at those invites you got today, Cerys?”

I dug around in my tote and passed them over, then stared at the crepe boxes. I didn’t want to share with Gug and Maligni. “You guys want some?”

“We just ate,” she said. “Lasagna. Again.”

Devereaux opened a box and sniffed the contents before sliding it my way. I wasted no time digging in.

The minutes ticked by, and Maligni joined us, but there wasn’t another knock at the door.

“Lerome is usually early, right?” The ball of dread in my chest grew heavier with each tick of the clock.

We finished our food.

I cleared my throat. “Lerome is probably getting ambushed on his way in.” Even though he flies here. “Let’s get started. We know there are small amounts of Shade in the food in Nepos. We have proof of the Opifis’ involvement, hopefully enough to hook the Ventrams in. We have the Cinereses and the Doquus in the chain. I got a message to Soleil to put her on finding evidence of the Hucses’ involvement.”

“The Opifis aren’t paying for electricity at their factories that produce Shade,” Maligni put in. “They got a 100 percent discount in those locations, but not at any of their other factories.”

Devereaux’s lips curved. “Good. And the lease between the Opifis and Ventrams?”

“Contract only. No payment. It’s a lease in writing only.”

That would surely strengthen the case we had against them all.

“I’m tracing a series of unusually high amounts of revenue that were entered as income from the Opifis’ other manufacturing sites,” Devereaux said. “I believe the family was cleaning drug money through legitimate businesses. We have the Rippses’ bank data from that time, so I’m going to follow the trail and see if they put the same transactions through another round of cleaning. That will draw them into the drug ring too.”

“That leaves the Plorexes, Boquits, Arbintos, and Utatios,” I said. “Did Lerome get a chance to set up his traps?”

No one spoke.

Devereaux broke the silence. “We have footage of the Plorexes making deliveries to the Opifis’ factories. That’s something, but not evidence of their involvement. If we could verify the contents of the vehicle in the moment that would be ideal.”

A knock sounded.

We all scrambled to answer the door.

Maligi won and peered through the peephole. “Messenger. Should we answer?”

“I will.” Devereaux slipped past Gug, and we pressed behind the door as he opened it. “Can I help you?”

“Message for the… Shittiest Rebellion Ever.”

Devereaux grunted. “That would be us. What were your orders about delivering this?”

“I had to wait until I didn’t hear from the guy for two days, then bring the message.”

Devereaux took the letter and inhaled the envelope after closing the door. “It’s safe. No magic. Lerome touched this a few days ago.”

“Quick,” I said, following him back to the couch. “Open it.”

Devereaux broke the seal and rolled the parchment flat. “Huh.”

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