23. Sedrick
Sedrick
M r. Gladstone assured me the gnomes were fully exterminated.
He’d let me know that typically, extermination wasn’t as final as it sounded.
However, my situation was different. Passion weed was an addiction, and once gnomes had been exposed to it, they’d do anything to get more, even if there wasn’t any more to be had.
They would drive themselves crazy trying to get it.
Eventually, they’d go mad and start attacking each other.
Leaving them alive was a prolonged, brutal death sentence.
Titan Gladstone hadn’t looked happy when he’d told me that the gnomes they recovered from my garden would need to be destroyed. From what I understood, it was the most humane option.
I wasn’t a gnome champion, but even I hated that they’d been sacrificed to Arie Belview’s greed. Life meant nothing to him. It was a harsh lesson, one that I’d known but needed a refresher course in.
“We’ll be ready to deliver our first load of palladium right on schedule,” Burt said, holding a tablet in his hand. Burt was by far the more tech-savvy between the two. I’d banned Oliver from carrying them around after he’d cracked the third screen by “accidentally” tossing it down a mine shaft.
“Good. Walk with me.”
Burt didn’t ask why; he just fell into step beside me as we made our way out of the mine and headed back to the office.
I slowed my pace so he could keep up.
“What’s up, boss?” Burt barely glanced in my direction before his eyes focused back on the screen he was tapping on.
I inhaled the fresh air. Going into the mine was difficult on my wolf.
Today was better than usual. I’d spent the whole night in wolf form, and he was far more content this morning than he’d been in a while.
I’d woken with one of Phil’s wings draped over me and his fingers wrapped in my fur.
The barely there weight of his wing was almost as soothing as his hand.
I’d been able to think more clearly this morning. The gnomes had been a wake-up call. I’d known Arie was dangerous, but I’d underestimated his deviousness.
Hands gripped behind my lower back, I asked, “Any trouble in the mine recently?”
Burt shook his head and kept his attention on the tablet.
“Nothing that I know of, Mr. Voss. The palladium is coming out like we expected, maybe even better. Ollie has been scouting the offshoot vein and says it’ll be harder to get to, maybe take longer to mine, but not impossible.
He’s still over the moon and excited about the challenge. ”
That was dwarves for you. They loved being underground.
Mining was in their blood. I’d lucked out when I’d found Burt and Oliver.
Dwarves were loyal to the ground they worked, and whole families worked the same mines.
Burt and Oliver’s family was no different.
Technically, I might own the land on paper, but the dwarves I employed owned it in a completely different way.
They owned it in the true sense of the word.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
Burt kept pace beside me, but his footsteps halted when I asked, “Have there been any threats? Anything at all that could be construed as menacing?” I wasn’t sure what I was fishing for, but I was determined not to let Arie get the drop on me again, and if he was coming after my financial support, it wouldn’t be long before he set his sights on the mine.
I stopped when Burt did. Attention fully on me, his eyes narrowed. “Mr. Voss, what kinds of threats are we talking about?”
I shrugged, unsure, and said as much. “I don’t know, Burt. That’s the problem.”
Burt cocked his head to the side before giving it a firm nod.
“I haven’t been expecting much yet. All bets are off after that first load of palladium gets delivered and documented.
Ollie and I’ve discussed it, and we’ve got plans to beef up security.
” Burt grinned, and it looked anything but light and playful.
“I don’t know if anyone’s foolish enough to come after a dwarf mine, but if they are, they’ll learn quick enough how stupid that is. ”
I appreciated the reassurance. “And what about our two human employees?”
Jamie and Huxley were good, loyal too. Oliver and Burt had been skeptical about them, but they’d proven their worth and were as much a part of their dwarven family as I was. They were protective of our most vulnerable family members.
Burt’s grin stretched and grew into something decidedly threatening. “Don’t you worry, Mr. Voss. We didn’t forget them. We’ve got it covered.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do I even want to know what that means?”
Burt chuckled, the sound low and raspy. “Nope. The less you know, the better.”
Whatever lightheartedness Burt’s words brought quickly faded when my nose picked up a strange scent. I should have detected it earlier but mine dust always played havoc with my sense of smell.
I took a step in front of Burt. A fairy was on my property, and it wasn’t Ray.
Standing in front of the office building, wearing a forest green suit and shoes so polished I could see my image shine in them, stood a fairy with hair so dark I couldn’t decide if it was green or black.
He held a black briefcase in one hand while the other was casually tucked into his pocket.
“Lawyers,” Burt spat. “He one of yours?”
“No. He’s not.”
Burt immediately stiffened. “You want me to get Ollie and some of the lads and ladies?”
I gave the offer a moment of thought before I shook my head. “No. Fairies are all about the law.”
“A far too recent development, boss.”
Burt wasn’t wrong. There had been a time when fairies were the most vicious of all the species.
They were dangerous. Given their penchant for holding up the law, it was easy to forget that they were apex predators.
Still, we were in the time of fairy law, and they rarely stepped out of line.
It was an odd game to them and a measure of pride.
And if fairies had one thing in abundance, it was pride.
“Understood, Burt, and I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll be fine.” Physically I’d be good. I wasn’t sure about emotionally.
Burt scoffed but walked away. If I knew him, he’d stay close and likely contact Oliver anyway.
Keeping my footfalls steady, I walked as casually as I could toward my office and where the fairy waited.
I’d need to thank Phil again for encouraging me to let my wolf loose last night.
If I hadn’t, I would have been far too on edge today, and meeting this interloper might have gone poorly.
Of course, time would tell if that would happen anyway.
“Mr. Sedrick Voss, I presume.” The fairy held out a hand in what was a typically human greeting. It was odd how most species had adopted the tradition of a handshake.
I nodded and answered, “That’s me,” while reaching for the fairy’s hand and giving it a good shake. “And you are?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it over. “I am Hamish McIntyre, Mr. Arie Belview’s attorney.”
My wolf growled, and the card Hamish handed to me crinkled within my grip.
Shouldering past Hamish McIntyre, I pushed toward my office.
“If you’ve got anything to say to me, you can go through my lawyer.
I’ll be happy to give you his name, but I’m sure you’ve already got it, so what in the Moon Goddess’s name are you doing here, pestering me? ”
Hamish smoothed down his hair. It was wound into an intricate braid, and when the sun hit it just right, I thought it was deeper green than black.
Phil probably would have liked the braid.
“It has come to my attention that you have a gnome problem at your home.” Hamish shook his head in a tsking kind of manner.
“As you know, gnomes can be dangerous, and Mr. Belview is concerned for the welfare of his grandchildren. We have petitioned the judge to have the children removed—immediately.”
My claws pierced my skin, and warm blood coated the wadded-up card in my hand.
My lips pulled into a tight line that attempted to mimic a smile.
“Well then, you’ll be happy to hear that the gnomes have been exterminated.
You can contact Titan Gladstone at Good Riddance Gnome Exterminators if you require proof. ”
The only inkling that Hamish was surprised by the news was a slight uptick of his arched brow.
“I see. That is certainly good to hear. I will update my client on this latest piece of information. I’m sure Mr. Belview will be relieved to hear that his grandchildren are no longer in peril, at least from the gnomes,” Hamish tacked on at the end.
I started to turn away, but I couldn’t hold my tongue. “You know what’s also interesting, what I’m sure Titan Gladstone will be happy to verify, is that someone spiked my garden with dried passion weed. Now, who do you think would do something like that?”
“I’m sure I have no idea, Mr. Voss. However, it is undignified to suggest the issue with the gnomes was of anyone else’s making but yours. Had you kept better care of your garden, I’m sure the gnomes wouldn’t have been an issue to begin with.”
My vision sharpened as my wolf surfaced. Snapping a brief, “Of course not,” I reached for every ounce of self-control I possessed. Attacking Arie’s lawyer would be stupid on more levels than I could count.
Reining in my temper, I clipped out, “Is that all?”
“I suppose, for now. Mr. Belview did want me to convey his concern for the pixie you’ve hired. I believe his name is Phil?” Hamish said Phil’s name with a layer of disgust.
I wasn’t about to correct him and give this asshole Phil’s full, pixie name.
“ Concern ?” My skin prickled. Despite my self-control, I was ready to shift and attempt to rip this fairy to shreds.
I didn’t know whether or not Arie had found out that Phil had been injured by those damn doped-up gnomes.
Something told me that wasn’t it. If he were aware of that, he’d be equally aware that Dillon had been hurt, too, and that would mean that Hamish would have been knocking on my door days ago.
“Yes. Mr. Belview found his encounter with your . . . pixie ,” Hamish gave a conspiratorial grin, as if Phil’s species was in question, “interesting.”
Cold flushed through me, chilling my skin and slowing my heart.
When I remained silent, Hamish continued, “I must say, I was intrigued when Mr. Belview regaled me with Phil’s dimensions.
” Eyebrows shooting toward his hairline, Hamish appeared properly scandalized.
“Is he truly nearly as tall as you, Mr. Voss?” Hamish tilted his head and smirked when my answer was a clamped jaw and grinding teeth.
“I’ve never heard of such a large pixie.
It makes one wonder, doesn’t it?” Hamish McIntyre turned and walked away, and I let him go.
My mind reeled, and my stomach turned. I hadn’t vomited since Will and I’d gotten into my father’s stash of whiskey when we’d been in our late teens. My record was in danger of being shattered.
Blood pounded so hard in my head that I didn’t hear Oliver and Burt approach. Oliver had to kick my shin before I even recognized he was there. Irritated concern colored Oliver’s face and flushed his cheeks. “You okay, Sedrick?”
Was I? I didn’t think so. What was Hamish’s angle? What had he implied, and how did it figure into Arie’s expert scheme? I didn’t want Arie Belview to think once about Phil, let alone twice.
I needed to blow off some steam. More than that, I needed to talk to Ray. My wolf just wanted to run home and make sure Phil was okay.
Bypassing Oliver and Burt, I headed for the office, prepared to leave work early again. At this rate, I’d need to sign the deed to the mine over to Oliver and Burt, making them owners in every sense of the word.
By the time I got to my desk, my head had cooled at least a little. I needed to stop being so reactive. If I couldn’t do that, I’d fall into Arie’s hands like a gift, and I absolutely refused to make anything easy for that self-righteous asshole.
I wasn’t calm enough to sit. I paced but didn’t automatically head for home. Phil was home with Dillon and Ruthie. They were fine. I repeated that over and over again in my head, willing myself to believe it.
I needed to think over my options. I’d told Phil I would do everything in my power to ensure he was safe, and I intended to be true to my word.