Building From Ashes
Page 93

P.S. Don’t go out with Murphy.
She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, the idiotic—”
“Not talking about me, are you?” She glanced up at her boss, who was standing next to her in the café in the lobby of the building. A smile flirted around his mouth and she caught him trying to glance at the note in her hands. She quickly tucked it away.
“Not you. What’s the story tonight?”
“Declan and Jack are out at that club you tipped them off about. Tom’s in the office with Sara. Taking a quick break?”
“Just for a few. Did they see my note about the girl?”
“I believe so.”
“She was a bartender at Riot until January, then she disappeared. She’d given me quite a bit of information before I… went to Scotland, so I was checking up on her. Went by her apartment, her friends’ places. Some of them mentioned The Abby, so I thought it might be a new place.”
“It sounds like a place Jack mentioned last month.” He shrugged. “We’ll look into it. I’ll need you in a meeting later.”
“Business stuff?” She curled her lip as Murphy chuckled.
“Aren’t you glad you came to work for me? Yes, just a meeting with a chap from Lisbon. Trade deal.”
She sighed. Since she’d come back, she spent more time standing in the corner of Murphy’s office looking menacing than she did investigating the trickle of information they were getting about this drug from the continent. Jack had assured Murphy he was more than capable of heading the investigation. Declan continued to coordinate his army of human hands to control and monitor the shipping operations. Tom coordinated security for the Docklands building and other businesses. Angie still ruled the office with a smile, and Brigid had become Murphy’s constant shadow during most night hours.
Trade meeting? She was there.
Tour of the city with the cagey German? Brigid was happy to assist.
Interrogation of a vampire suspected of smuggling goods from the North without informing Murphy… well, that part was a bit fun.
“The meeting is at three a.m., so please be there around two thirty or so. Angie will brief you.”
Brigid offered him a polite smile. “Sure thing. See you then.”
Murphy strolled off after flashing a smile at her waitress, who almost poured the tea on Brigid’s lap instead of in her cup. She sighed and caught the small stream before it hit her pants as the waitress apologized profusely.
Ah, Murphy.
She was just finishing her tea and reading Carwyn’s letter for the third time when she sensed someone approaching. A deliciously sweet smell hit her nose and the chair across from her scraped back. A familiar figure slid into it.
Brigid blinked, gaping. “Emily?”
Her old friend smiled cautiously. “Hello, Brig.”
It had been almost two years since she’d seen her. The last night had been the one when she’d pounded on Emily’s door, demanding she give her the heroin that had caused Brigid to overdose. Brigid knew Emily had a supplier, even though she’d only ever used drugs to party. She hadn’t known that the supplier had been Emily’s vampire boyfriend, Axel.
Emily spoke quietly. “Nothing to say?”
“I’m… surprised to see you.” She was. As far as she knew, Emily had stopped working for Murphy shortly after and no one seemed to know where she had disappeared to. “You’re looking well, Em. How’ve you been?”
“Locked up,” she said with a small smile. “Well, in a treatment program, anyway. My parents finally caught up with me. I… well, I’m better now. Thanks to them.”
Brigid looked around the room in a panic. She had no idea how to react to her old friend.
Emily looked just as uncomfortable. “I know this is a bit awkward.”
She snorted. “A bit, yeah.”
“I…” Tears came to Emily’s eyes. “I never wanted to—”
“I never blamed you, you know?” Brigid may not have known how to feel about seeing the girl—woman—again, but she didn’t want Emily carrying any guilt for things that she was responsible for herself. “I wasn’t in a right state, Em. I probably would have bloodied you up if you hadn’t have given me anything that night. You should know that. I don’t blame you for my own stupidity.”
Emily nodded and Brigid could see the relief in her eyes. “I appreciate that. But I was still responsible. And I wanted to apologize. I’ve been trying to work up the nerve for months now, ever since I heard you were back in town. And it’s something I need to do for my own recovery. Making amends, you know?”
“Oh really?”
Emily gave a rueful grin and the playful girl that Brigid had bonded with at Parliament House peeked out. “You know how organized I am. Got to check all the boxes off or I’ll go insane.”
“Might not be the best joke when you’ve been locked up for a bit, eh?”
Emily let out a laugh, and Brigid joined her. Finally, Emily wiped the tears from her eyes. “Jeez, it’s good to see you again. And you look amazing. The immortal thing really works for you.”
For some reason, the approval of her old friend warmed her. “Does it?”
The human smiled. “You already had that intense, badass thing going for you. Now you just have the fangs to back it up.”
Brigid grinned and let her fangs run down. Emily couldn’t help but stare at them. “Pretty cool, right?”