Page 36 of Marked
“Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” I said. “Instead of thinking about who could possibly steal from us, maybe we should start listing who wasn’t at the bonfire.” I traced my fingers idly along the rim of my glass.
Sley’s gaze lingered on the corner table where Gavin, Graham and Maria loudly discussed something requiring a lot of hand gestures and laughter. “Is it just me, or do they seem chummier with each other?”
I peered over at the rowdy group, currently bashing their glasses together in a sloppy cheer, splashing beer over the tabletop.
“Graham and Gavin have always been close, ever since Graham moved to town to live with old man O’Reilly. I’m surprised Maria joined them. I thought she had better taste than that.”
Sley cleared her throat. “Did you forget I had Graham in my bed just last week?”
I took another sip of my drink. “I thought you had better taste, too.”
Sley sighed and tipped her glass in my direction. “No wonder Maria was throwing herself at Ace. There are limited options in this town.”
“The town is eighty percent male, and we get new hunters coming through each season. There are other options.” Not really. The new hunters rarely stayed.
“Is that so?” Sley raised her eyebrows. “Then why...”
“Let’s stick to the case. No distractions, remember?”
Sley giggled and nodded. “I don’t remember much about the bonfire, to be honest. I wasn’t exactly taking notes. I didn’t see Blake there, and I know because I was looking. We both found him after we left.”
“Wait…” My heart started to race as my mind snagged on a memory. “Doesn’t he have a thing for flashy scarves.”
“Who has a thing for flashy scarfs?” Maria fell into the bar with a giggle, her wild curls cascading down her shoulders.
“Blake,” Sley bit out.
“Oh yeah, he used to wear that red one, all the time.” Maria’s emerald eyes glittered with mischief as she continued, “But he hasn’t worn it recently. Got rid of it weeks ago.”
Sley’s eyes widened with realization. “That’s why it looked familiar! Damn, I knew I’d seen it before.”
Before we could ask Maria more questions, the door swung open, and Ace sauntered in. His dark brown hair caught the light as he approached, and his piercing gaze scanned the room, landing on me with a disapproving frown.
“Drinking before our hunt, little Mouse?” he asked, his tone a mix of annoyance and anger.
I shot him a defiant look, swirling the contents of my glass. “We’re working, Actaeon. A little liquid courage never hurt anyone.”
He leaned against the bar, arms folded. “You can’t afford to be sloppy.”
“Who said anything about getting sloppy? I can handle myself,” I said. “Besides, if drinking before a hunt was such a big deal, why are you here?”
Before he could reply, Maria squealed from behind me. “You came?”
She ran past and threw her arms around Ace’s neck. His narrowed gaze met mine over her shoulder.
“You know…I think I have had enough,” I said to Sley. “Time to go hunting.”
“I’ll stay here,” she said. “Maybe I’ll discover more information.”
I nodded and pushed away from the bar, leaving my drink behind for Sley to finish. Ace’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before he sighed and followed, slipping out of Maria’s arms.
Maria whined somewhere behind us. “You promised.”
“Not tonight,” Ace said over his shoulder. “I have a hunt to go on.”
As Ace and I stepped into the dimly lit streets, the sun had dipped below the treeline, casting the town in shadows.
“You don’t have to come,” I said. “I would hate for you to miss out on the festivities.”