Page 112 of Inextricably Tied

Tamneth’s teeth grit so harshly they clack together. “That’s not going to work.”

“It’ll have to.” Shadows brush Flint’s knee as he leans back in his chair. His broken tusk still throbs, but the rest of him is numb. He doesn’t give Tamneth a reaction. Flint enjoys the calm before Tamneth finally takes a seat.

“So.” Tamneth tries to contain his temper. “What the fuck happened?”

Flint massages his eyelids. How many times have they told this story? “Reid struck a deal with the Broadleafs. The pack forcibly bonded the girls and then let Reid kill them to make the pack stronger. It’s a lengthy process; that’s why Evie’s still alive.”

“Then where is this ‘pack’? There was nothing but ash when we got there.”

“Dead, I assume. We were trapped in the cellar. One of the pack members set the cabin on fire so none of us could escape.”

“Then how did you escape?”

Flint and Harbinger shrug. Tamneth fumes.

“Evie is telling a very different story. She says…” His mouth twists, unable to comprehend it. “That the night terror killed the pack and pulled you out of the burning house. Why would it do that? Why would it save you?”

Flint’s lip twitches. “Maybe he’s sweet on us.”

Harbinger snorts beneath her helmet.

“This is a matter of national security,” Tamneth snarls. “Who knows what you’ve unleashed on the world? If that night terror is capable of slaughtering —”

“It was a little traumatic.” Flint presses his palms into the table. “Excuse us if we don’t have a perfect recollection. All you need to know is the Broadleafs were in bed with Reid. He started this on his own, but working with the Broadleafs meant things could happen faster. Everything incriminating stayed with them.”

“Then where are the girls’ remains? That’s what you were supposed to find. That’s what we hired you to do.”

Flint gives a ruthless laugh. “Are you upset we uncovered an operation your team didn’t catch a whiff of? The girls were cremated with phoenix fire. They’re gone. Have some fucking care when you talk about them.”

Blood rises in Tamneth’s face. “Quite a mess you left. Now there are no witnesses —”

“Besides Evie.”

“— no evidence, and an entire new fucking crime scene that spans miles of the Break. How the hell are we supposed to explain that? We have nothing!”

Harbinger slams her gloves down, spilling water across the table. “Should we have let them beat us to death so you never would have found anything? So Evie never would have seen her family again? So more girls could’ve been killed? I swear to fuck, you blame everyone but yourself. You messed up. You fucked up the investigation. Now you’re embarrassed you have to answer for why you couldn’t figure any of this out.”

The guards by the door keep their eyes on Tamneth. His jaw tics with the cruel expression he’s always regarded Flint with, waiting for the chance to put him in his place. To make him pay for what he did after Sidi’s death.

“Because of what you did…” Tamneth’s pinpointed with rage. “Reid is going to walk free.”

Harbinger makes a strangled sound. “Are you fucking joking?”

“There are no suspects. No evidence. No remains. What the hell is the OID supposed to do with that? Reid looks like a choir boy after your screwup.”

“But Evie can identify him!”

“For kidnapping,” Tamneth snaps. “He’ll probably get time served. Evie never saw him harm anyone else.”

Flint gapes. “So he’s gonna fucking walk?”

“His lawyer’s already negotiating a deal with him in the room next door. Thanks to you.”

“This is not our fault.”

Even as Flint knows the words are true, guilt rips through him. Everything the girls went through, every moment of suffering, every second of torture because of this man — it was all for nothing.

Harbinger grips the edge of the table. “That’s not — there has to be a way.”