Page 87 of The Devil's Waltz

I lean forward, opting for the coffee first. “Thanks, Blake.” After taking a sip, I reach for the food. “You didn’t get anything for yourself?”

He snorts. “I ate mine on the walk back. I was starving, mate. Wasn’t going to wait for your sleepy arse.”

I chuckle as I unwrap the food. “Fair enough.” My stomach grumbles at the aroma-filled steam that escapes.

As I devour my breakfast, Blake reads off the list of names—our potential allies. Most of them I recognize, and the ones I don’t know, Blake does, so they can be trusted.

“A couple of them live elsewhere but are here on business and have agreed to meet with us.”

Swallowing the last of my bagel, I wash it down with a mouthful of coffee. “Have we coordinated a meeting place?”

Blake leans back, crossing one leg over the other. “Several. First, we’re going to pay a visit to my mate, Will, and his partner, Steven, in Brooklyn. They’re well known among the demons around here and will be an asset for us to get messages out quickly.”

I nod, taking another drink of my coffee. “Let’s get moving then. Every minute we’re working against Lucia is—”

“A gamble with death,” Blake cuts in with a grim smile. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

We get up, and I pocket my phone on the way to the door.

“You talk to your girl yet this morning?” Blake asks in the elevator.

Your girl.

I push past the newly familiar tension in my chest and shake my head. “I figured it was best to give her space after we ambushed her.”

“Do you regret it? Coming here?”

I glance at the panel of buttons as we descend to the lobby. “No.”

His eyes narrow slightly, as if he doesn’t believe me. “Your pulse is all over the place, mate. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Too fucking much,” I offer as the elevator dings and the door opens.

We’re silent as we walk to the car, and it isn’t until we’ve been driving for a while that Blake speaks again.

“Are you still thinking about leaving Seattle after Lucia is gone?”

I open my mouth, but the words die on my lips. “I don’t know,” I finally admit. “I haven’t let myself consider what her going back means for me.”

“You’ve spent your life under her thumb,” he says in a serious tone, keeping his eyes on the road. “It makes sense to be uncertain what you’ll do once you finally have the freedom you’ve dreamed of for years.”

It’s an overwhelming idea, what I’ll do once I’m free of Lucia. Of only one thing, I’m sure. “I’ll go wherever Camille is.”

Blake blows out a breath. “What if she doesn’t want to see you after all this is over?”

I stare forward, squinting at the tension building behind my eyes. “If she decides she never wants to see me again, I’ll leave.” The words taste like poison on my tongue.

“Really?” He hums. “You’ve got it bad, huh?”

I scrub a hand down my face, scratching the bit of stubble growing along my jaw. “Can we talk about something else?” I grumble.

“Don’t need to.” He turns onto a residential street and pulls over, shifting the car into park. “We’re here.”

We get out of the car and walk up the driveway. I arch a brow at the sleek mustang. “Remind me again how do you know these guys?”

“I met Will at a rave in Portland about a decade ago. We’ve partied together a lot over the years.”

That tracks.

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