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Finn pouted and put his hand over his heart "Oh, detective, how you-"

"Wound you" Bria finished his sentence and snorted "If I ever did hurt you, Lane, you’d know it"

Finn raised an eyebrow and turned to look at me "I see that your sister has the saave him a toothy smile that matched Bria’s "Must run in the family"

Farther down the counter, Sophia let out a soft, raspy laugh The Goth dwarf enjoyed Finn’s discomfort just as much as I did

Despite Bria’s icy attitude, Finn didn’t give up He focused all of his attention on her, as if he were a general and she was just another battle to be won nothe conity Bria coolly rebuffed all of his advances, but she wasn’t coaze whenever she looked at hi chased just asafter her

"So, what’ll it be?" I asked

Xavier ordered a double cheeseburger with all the fixings, along with fries and baked beans Bria opted for the Pork Pit’swith some potato salad and a piece of strawberry pie-the final slice that Finn hadn’t ed to scarf down yet

Sophia and I worked on the food, and the five of us talked back and forth across the counter The dwarf and I slid the stea food over to Xavier and Bria, and the two of the their faces, while Finn talked enough for everyone Food, friends, and s could get for et about how I’d botched ht

Almost

Bria and Xavier polished off their food, but instead of saying their good-byes, the two of theered in the Pork Pit It wasn’t like either one of theood the food was Solances at first iant nodded his shaved head at her, telling her to get on with it Still, she hesitated So I decided toas how the relationship between us hadn’t exactly been s on your mind, Bria?" I asked

Bria looked up, startled by rin spread across her pretty face "Is it that obvious?"

"Probably not to anyone else butmy explanation "Actually, there is another reason that Xavier and I came by the Pit today, other than the food"

Bria drew in a breath and stared atforthe violent, bloody kind of help that I specialized in-was a new experience But I wasn’t about to deny her Anything that Bria asked of ive her-and then so detective, had turned toreally big must be up

I raised an eyebrow "Really? You need ?"

Bria winced "It’s not-it’s not like that Not like that at all, Gin I don’t want anybody dead"

I stared at her another ed his, whatever it was

"So what’s up?" I asked "Why do two such esteemed members of the Ashland po-po need ?"

Xavier snorted, with good reason Besides the giant and Bria, honest cops were rarer than blizzards in the summertime in Ashland Most members of the police force preferred to take wads of C-notes to look the other way, rather than actually try to solve the erous, and far more profitable for everyone involved that way For most folks, the only justice in Ashland hat they made for themselves-hatever sharp, pointed weapon happened to be nearby

Bria took a sip of her blackberry leer on the counter before reaching down and twisting around the two rings that she wore there Turn, turn, turn Twisting the silverstone bands around and around was Bria’s tell, so hard about a probleht pooled in the snowflake and ivy symbols embedded in the metal and flashed the runes back at me

"It’s not that we need your help," she finally said "It’s just that we can’t quite figure things out"

"What do you mean?"

Bria looked at me "I’m sure you’ve noticed that there’s been a bit more crime lately in Ashland than usual"