Page 61 of House of Ruin
Without another word, Blaze turned and left.
24
“You’re fucking useless,” Val snapped at Blaze.
Alecto stopped at the kitchen entrance, clearly walking into the middle of an argument.
“It’s not my fault Galia interrupted me,” Blaze said. He sat at the kitchen counter, stuffing his plate with Romeo’s pancakes. Andro, who sat next to him, eyed him with disgust. “I couldn’t just sneak around their House. It would have been suspicious.”
Val pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Listen, we have a coin in the library and the lounge, two places where the majority of the conversations will happen,” Andro said. “It’s not like Blaze could have found the lair where they keep their Book and planted a coin there.”
Val glanced Andro’s way but didn’t say anything.
“Have you heard anything yet?” Alecto asked, walking towards the coffee maker.
“I have spent the whole night listening to the conversations, but nothing yet,” Jolene said. She yawned. “There is some juicy drama happening within their House, though.”
Andro’s eyes sparked with curiosity. “Do tell, Frone. And don’t spare any details, please.”
“Well, you know, apparently Killer has a thing for Hendrix…” Jolene whispered, leaning closer to Andro. “But Killer has been unofficially seeing this other girl from the Rats. Her name is Marisa or Mathilda, can’t remember which one now—”
“Enough,” Val interrupted. “I don’t give a single fuck about who’s fucking who, unless you tell me that Galia is fucking Norse and they’re behind the murders.”
Andro chuckled. “That would be very Bonnie and Clyde of them.”
“They didn’t murder people,” Alecto said, leaning a hip against the kitchen counter. “They robbed banks.”
Andro shrugged. “Close enough.”
Shaking her head, Alecto smiled.
More students streamed through the kitchen door for breakfast. Val jerked her chin towards the door. “Get your asses to the basement.” Blaze was about to protest with a mouth full of pancakes, but Val silenced him by lifting a palm. “Now. Take your fucking pancakes with you.”
Alecto didn’t think he would, but without blinking an eye, Blaze hopped to his feet and carried his plate with him down to the basement.
“That’s some appetite,” Alecto said, settling on the leather couch next to him.
Blaze glanced her way.
A dark smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. “It benefits you too, baby.” His voice dropped a few octaves. Alecto’s whole body flushed. “The more energy I’ve got…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Alecto crossed her legs and arms, turning away to see what Val was doing.
That motherfucker.
In the middle of the room, Val had set up a small round table. A vintage gramophone was placed on it.
For a few minutes, Val tinkered with the handle on one side and the buttons on another until the turntable started turning and sounds streamed out of the copper horn.
There were noises far away and chatter that Alecto couldn’t decipher. Val looked at Blaze.
“If you could have planted a coin in the fucking dining room, I could hear them better right now.”
“Coulda, woulda, shoulda,” Blaze murmured, ignoring her burning gaze. “We work with what we have, Val.”
They sat in silence, straining their ears and trying to hear something,anythingthat would be useful.
