“What’s your excuse?” he asked.
“I have reports that won’t finish themselves.” Brett settled himself behind the desk and pulled a piece of paper towards him.
“Need any help?”
“No, I’m all good, thanks.” They dropped into silence for a few seconds before Brett said, “Do you need any help with anything?”
“Nah, I’m all good,” he echoed. “Just analysing data.”
Silence was king again while they both worked, although Felix was pretending for the most part. He was too aware of the manon the other side of the room, and because of that, his heart pounded harder than usual, his hands shook a little, and he swallowed convulsively.
When he finally managed to fix his attention on the data—which he’d opened again just for something to look at—he still couldn’t figure out what was bugging him about it, so he closed it down a short while later. Without explaining his destination, he left Sec HQ and strode down the hallway. It didn’t take him long to get to the kitchen, where he helped himself to a cup of coffee. He could’ve easily used the area closer to Sec HQ, but he wanted the space and the walk.
“Why do you come in here?”
Felix grinned over his shoulder at Dominic’s voice. “You want a drink?”
“Is Andrew the king?”
Ask a stupid question and get a stupid answer. He made Dominic a coffee and handed it over, and then turned and leaned back against the side. When Dominic raised his eyebrows, Felix sighed.
“If I said I was stretching my legs, would you believe me?” Dominic just stared at him. “Fine. Sometimes I just need to walk it off.”
“Walk what off?”
“Everything. And if it means a walk to the other side of the castle instead of the closer kitchen, then so be it.”
“And what are you having to walk off at almost seven in the morning?”
The truth would not pass his lips. He shook his head. “Something is bugging me, but I can’t figure out what it is.”
“About what?”
“About everything. What happened to you and Randall, Owen and Evan, and Nick and Kai. There’s something we’re missing.Some connection that will help us figure out what the heck is going on.”
Dominic slurped his coffee. “We know they’re connected. We just can’t prove it.”
“Exactly. But I think there’s something we’re not seeing.”
“There are probably lots of things, but the fuckers are too good at hiding.”
Felix shook his head again. “I really hate this.” He checked his watch. “We’d better get back.” As they wandered back, he asked, “How are the fish?”
Dominic chuckled. “They’re still alive, so that’s something.”
When Dominic had started his relationship with Randall, the king’s personal assistant, he’d found out that the man loved aquariums, and so, for Randall’s birthday, Dominic had called on Owen and Evan to help install a tropical aquarium in their house. Randall loved it, and they had so many tropical fish, Felix was sure there wouldn’t be enough room for them, but they always adhered to the amount they were allowed according to the regulations, or whatever it was Dominic had tried to explain to him once.
They arrived at Sec HQ and entered to see most of the guards in attendance. Splitting up and settling into their usual seats, Felix scanned the room. Maddox wasn’t there yet. He was one of the few who hated the daily meetings that Brett had made mandatory, and although he attended all of them, he was often late. Most of the time, they didn’t entertain the idea of hiring anyone who didn’t agree with having these meetings, but Maddox’s reputation preceded him, and when Brett had brought it up with the rest of them, asking their opinions, it was almost unanimous in favour of him. So, despite his tardiness, which annoyed Felix something rotten, they allowed it. He could see it pissed Brett off, though, because when Maddox entered twominutes to the hour, Brett’s mouth formed a straight line as he glared in his direction.
“Right, glad we’re all here,” Brett said pointedly. “Let’s run through the appointments today and get an overview of the week and your responsibilities, and we’ll get on with our day.”
Felix watched Maddox cross his arms over his chest and scowl, but he said nothing.
They spent half an hour checking that everyone had everything they needed for their tasks, and then Brett ended the meeting.
“Maddox, can I have a word, please?” Brett said.
Felix stayed in his chair but turned to face his screens, far enough away to not seem like he was listening but close enough to listen if they spoke at normal volume. To begin with, they didn’t, and Felix couldn’t hear, but then Maddox said, “That’s fucking ridiculous.”