Page 112 of Passion and Payback

He smirked. “Banding together. That works.”

“What works?”

He ignored me for a moment before looking at Hunter. “You have good instincts. You’re right. Callum does complicate things. Though, so does...the civilian.”

“Brooke,” Hunter said in a soft voice. “Her name was Brooke, not a civilian. She was my friend, and I got her killed.”

“Well,” he said after a moment. “Brooke being here complicates sweeping this under the rug.”

“Absolutely not,” Hunter said with renewed vigor. “She has friends, a boyfriend,kids. I will not have her simply disappear or made to look like she did something stupid somewhere else. She was a damn good woman and deserves better than being tossed away or ignored. She deserves to be mourned.”

“Your sentimentality is noted, but it doesn’t detract from the difficulty of the situation,” Stitch said, taking a sip from his drink. “If perhaps Callum had died in different circumstances, let alone in a different location, taking care of the mess wouldbe far simpler. As it is, trying to explain why he’s in your house without drawing attention to what you did before would be... resource-consuming.”

I frowned. “That makes it sound like it’s outside your control.”

“In a manner of speaking...so yes and no.”

Stitch grimaced. “Essentially, Icanhelp you out of this mess. I can find a way to ensure this place is scrubbed clean of the slightest evidence, that the bodies are dealt with in a way that will not incriminate you or draw suspicion?—”

“Making sure Brooke gets the proper treatment she deserves,” Hunter added, and I almost wanted to laugh at his sheer stubbornness.

“Ensuring Brooke is given the dignity in death befitting of a friend,” Stitch added smoothly. “As well as making sure there aren’t any potential holes that haven’t already been patched up along the way.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “That sounds perfect. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I can only do a few of those things, but the entire list? I’ll need to call in additional support beyond my means...which is where the string Hunter already ferreted out comes into play.”

Hunter sighed. “How bad a string?”

“That depends on how generous they’re feeling.”

“Who’s they?”

“Whichever organization currently holds the other end of his leash,” I said dryly. “Because it’s not the government.”

“Not a difficult conclusion to reach,” Stitch said as he got to his feet.

“Oh sure, Hunter gets compliments on his deductive reasoning, and I get a ‘that’s nice, dear’ for my trouble,” I grumbled.

Stitch cocked his head. “He’s a civilian with next to no training or experience. You, however, have plenty. Making leaps of logic within a field you know isn’t particularly impressive.”

“Maintain a relationship with old friends, they said,” I muttered. “It’s healthy for you, they said.”

“Wow, he’s pouting for someone other than me,” Hunter said with a snort. “Impressive.”

“I’ll need to make a call...if that’s what you want,” Stitch said, glancing between Hunter and me, though I noticed his eyes lingered for longer on Hunter as if he were calling the shots. Then again, he had been the one more or less calling the shots since I got back, even down to our sex life, so that made sense.

Hunter glanced toward me as he spoke. “Are we allowed to know the price of the help before we agree, or is having you call them an automatic agreement?”

“It won’t be automatic, but there might still be strings attached to how much you can be told.”

“Sheesh, just who do you work for.”

“The Collective.”

“Of course,” I said with a sigh. “Make your call.”

“I’ll be back in a moment,” Stitch said, leaving the room so quietly I couldn’t trace his footsteps.

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