Page 91 of Love & Heart Braking

“But what is it?” Fenton asked.

“Something harmful,” Devereaux grunted. “Or why contain the process in a biohazard area?”

Uneasiness swilled in my stomach. The Doquus didn’t just make a few products here and there—they were the food makers in Nepos. Supermarket shelves were filled with their stuff, and from the alliance, I’d learned that even products not made directly by the Doquus were still made in their factories, on floor space leased to other businesses.

“Anything could be in there,” I whispered, horror finding me anew.

Children ate that food. The elderly, the sick, and the innocent. I ate that damn food, though I’d always preferred fresh food over the stuff out of packets.

“It’s easy enough to gather a sample of products and send it for testing,” Bain announced.

I’d left Bain shocked speechless the last time I saw him, and as I looked at him, I liked to think something had changed in the unicorn.

He looked uncertain. Nonplussed. Even if he continued on this path to push Soleil away, then at least my words had made him stop for a moment to rethink what he was doing.

Soleil tossed her hair. “I’ll take that job. I know a guy.”

Bain stilled. As well he should because his instincts weren’t failing him. Soleil had certainly known the guy that way.

“He has a lab?” I asked her.

“Just a home lab, but I can always ask him if he needs any equipment.”

“You trust him?” Austin said.

Soleil snorted. “There’s only one person I trust.”

Bain flinched, understanding the person wasn’t him. Yeah, ouch. But he’d brought that one on himself.

“I’ll ensure he knows there’s something worth his while if he can keep his mouth shut.” Her sultry tone didn’t leave much room for misunderstanding her meaning.

Bain’s rainbow eyes blazed.

“Was there anything else?” Fenton asked me as Bain and Soleil glared daggers at each other.

I thought of the tome I’d stashed beside my metal arrow and bow. Quite the Venus collection I was amassing. “Nope, not that comes to mind.”

Some things weren’t for general knowledge. If I found anything that would help us, then maybe I’d reconsider. But reading over the faded pages in the ancient manual would take time, and it felt important to preserve the secrets of Venus’s line. That the twelve had already pillaged them had lit a steady burn in my chest that far outweighed the already-healed scald mark Smolder gave me last night.

“Next on the agenda then,” Fenton said. “The guy writing the column for the newspaper. We need him on our team. He’s done more in three weeks of publishing than anyone has ever managed while managing to live.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes. Of course Fenton thought the person writing the column was a guy.

“I believe the columns are written by a woman,” Gug murmured.

Fenton made a polite sound in response. “No one has anything on him. He’s a literal ghost.”

“Then perhaps you should leave the person alone.” Bain frowned. “Respect their wish to operate in secrecy.”

It took a second to remember Bain didn’t know Soleil was the culprit. The unicorn may be stubborn to the core, but that core was morally sound.

“I’ll look into it.” Lerome snapped open his portable computer.

Uh-oh.

The griffin had proved to be very good at his job. I didn’t dare look at Soleil, but she had to be sweating bucketloads over there.

Bain clenched his jaw but didn’t press the issue further.

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