Page 94 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
“How’s your shoulder?” I finally asked, desperate to break the silence.
“Honestly, it’s fine.”
The awkward silence resumed, stretching thin between us. I searched for something else to say, anything to dispel the strange tension, but my mind remained stubbornly blank.
Rory shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his thoughts leaking into my mind, clear as a bell:
…oh my god, why is this so awkward, I’m dying…
I took a deep breath and made the executive decision to do the most British thing possible in a crisis—make tea.
I opened cupboards until I found mugs, and filled the kettle, grateful for the mundane task to occupy my hands while my mind raced. The cottage kitchen was barely large enough for one person, let alone two, but Rory lingered, leaning against the counter beside me.
I needed to say something—anything—to dispel the awkwardness, but the right words wouldn’t come to me.
The kettle clicked off. I busied myself with teabags, buying time as I arranged my thoughts. I reached for the sugar, spooning out a generous amount for Felix’s mug.
Suddenly, Rory’s hand shot out, wrapping around my wrist and stopping me mid-motion. “That’s the salt, you numpty,” he said, his fingers warm against my skin.
I blinked down at the white granules. “So it is.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “But… numpty? Really?”
A tiny chuckle escaped me, and then Rory snorted, and somehow that broke the dam. We both dissolved into laughter—the kind of uncontrollable, slightly hysterical laughter that only comes after unbearable tension.
“You clearly didn’t get enough sleep last night,” Rory managed between gasps.
“And whose fault is that?” I countered.
Rory leaned in close, his face inches from mine. “Yours, if I remember rightly, Detective,” he said, voice low and teasing. My pulse quickened as his gaze dropped briefly to my lips. “I’m glad to see Priya and Felix,” he murmured, “but I really wish they’d arrived just a few hours later.”
“Me too,” I whispered back, surprising myself with my honesty.
“What the fuck are you two conspiring about?” Priya shouted from the living room. “Get back in here!”
After locating the actual sugar, we carried the four mugs into the living room. As I handed Priya her tea, she gave me an annoyingsmirk.
“Who knew a couple’s retreat in Scotland would be the thing to make you two bury the hatchet?”
Rory scoffed. “Are you joking? We hate each other more than ever. Maxwell won’t stop lying about me snoring.”
Priya’s eyes widened. “You’re sleeping in the same bed?!”
“There’s only one bed, Priya! Onlyonebed!”
“Umm, guys?” Felix’s uncertain voice cut through. “Dev’s phone location? You know, the thing you were so excited about two minutes ago?”
Rory’s head snapped around. “Right! Yes! Sorry, Felix.” He practically bounded back to Felix’s armchair. I followed, grateful for the timely interruption.
“So,” Felix began, fingers still tapping away. “This time I managed to triangulate the signal much more precisely using a modified cell tower spoofing technique.” He glanced up briefly, catching our blank expressions. “Um, basically I tricked the phone into connecting to my virtual network instead of the actual towers.”
Priya leaned over his shoulder. “And?”
“And…” Felix turned his laptop around, displaying a topographical map with a small red dot pulsing in what appeared to be wilderness. “I’ve got it narrowed down to within fifty meters!”
“That’s… in the middle of nowhere,” I observed, squinting at the screen.
Felix nodded. “It’s about seven miles northeast of here, deep in the Glenmoriston forest. There’s no road access—at least none that shows up on any maps.”
Rory leaned over. “That’s not pack land. And you’re correct. No roads around there. I know the area, though.”
