Page 168 of Love & Heart Braking

I’d include myself in that number too.

The doors opened, and I rushed inside. I picked up an entire box filled with the Doquus’ packets, then spotted a desk close by.

Lerome joined me. “Delivery rosters.”

I peered at the letterhead. “That’s the Plorexes’ company, right?”

“Yep. I’d know. I was staring at it the entire way here when they caught me following their truck.”

“They’re aware that we know about the drug then?”

“No, I convinced Smolder that we’d been figuring out what was inside. We had suspicions they were using the Plorexes to transport innocent people being kept prisoner for blackmail purposes.”

Clever.

I loaded every bit of paper there into an organization tray, then placed the tray on top of my box of Shade samples.

“Not to douse your dreams,” Lerome said. “But how do you plan to get off the estate with these?”

I didn’t. “I just need to get into the garden. Come on. Out the back.”

I ran, box and tray in my arms. Lerome repeated his wire routine on the pin pad to the staff door.

“Hey!”

Mr. Churnt was back. Which didn’t bother me too much in all honesty, though I would’ve preferred he didn’t see me stealing this stuff.

Lerome didn’t seem too fazed either. “Off you go, Cerys.”

Healing elemental versus griffin. The winner was a no-brainer. I hurried through the staff door, racing to the exit I’d once taken with Mr. Churnt. There weren’t any boxes ready for transportation in the back room this time.

I slipped out of the back door.

“Mantel,” I hissed outside.

Crap. That wouldn’t work. Okay. I had to get rid of this stuff. I walked around the lab and shoved the box of Shade samples under a large shrub, then walked on, dropping the papers and files at intervals. Mantel’s other reason for living was this garden. She’d mentioned her plants telling her things yesterday. Maybe she had an affinity with them beyond my understanding. If the plants couldn’t tell her about what they concealed, then hopefully she’d notice some disarray.

Backtracking, I stretched for a low branch and snapped a few of the supple ends. Sorry, tree. Mantel would definitely notice that. I continued snapping my way back to the lab, trying not to make my message to the brownie too obvious. When I reached the back door again, I crouched, mind racing. I could take this opportunity to search for the electricity source of the Lanaray’s freezing chamber.

And I’d be caught.

Then they’d wonder what else I’d done.

Dammit, going back inside went against the grain.

“Please tell Mantel to search around the lab for evidence and get it to Devereaux,” I told the garden. “It’s really important.”

Feeling a little daft for talking to plants, I strode into the lab and took in the syringe in the healer’s grip—stab style—and the grinning griffin.

“Going okay, Lerome?” I called.

“Sure am. How about you, love?”

Naww. “Couldn’t be better. Mr. Churnt, put that syringe down before you hurt yourself.”

“I’ve already called guards,” he snarled. “They’ll find whatever you took.”

“You better hope not.” I crossed my arms. “This only happened because you left us alone.”

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