All Is Bright - K. Sterling Page 0,32

to comfort Toly. Reginald looked over Blink’s footmen and purred quietly when he found the perfect mark. He was short but built like a brick shit house and Reginald stretched his jaw as he headed for the bar. It wasn’t going to feel right for a few days but Reginald had work to do and he couldn’t do that if he was stuck in the dark and sitting on his hands. Figuratively.

“A gin and tonic, please,” he asked the short footman manning the bar who’d be cleaning Reginald’s clock in approximately two minutes. Reginald’s gaze drifted to Alon. He was posted at Blink’s shoulder and nodded in confirmation at something Mr. Lavender suggested. Paul and West were deep in conversation with Wilder and Hawk and the mood in the room became even more brittle when Grim lumbered in. He was in a suit again and Reginald nodded in approval at him as he was handed his drink. Reginald glanced at Grim and smirked as he sipped. Love has tamed the savage beast but let’s hope Grim’s still a little feral... “I was wondering if I could run something by you, Mr. Grim,” Reginald said. Paul, Lavender and Blink were concerned but Reginald waved them off and held up his glass. “Just thought I’d buy him a drink and talk a little shop,” he said but they didn’t look reassured as they went back to their tense discussion.

Perfect.

“I’ll have one of those,” Grim said and eyed Reginald warily with his real eye. Reginald decided the best way forward was to level with Grim and make an ally, if that was possible. “What do you want?” Grim asked as they watched the footman prepare his drink. Reginald smiled broadly and tipped his head to the right so Grim would follow him to the window.

“I intend to do exactly what I’ve been told I shouldn’t and I need to create a bit of mischief,” he murmured quietly from behind his glass. Grim’s eye swept upward.

“Good. Blink’s parties are boring as fuck and I feel like breaking something expensive.”

“I thought so,” Reginald said with a wink then cocked his head. “You know, this suits you.” He was pleasantly surprised by how well Grim cleaned up and how good a little confidence looked on him.

“What...?” Grim said hesitantly.

“All of this,” Reginald replied as he waved his drink at him. “The hair, the suit, the lack of foam around the mouth...”

“Yeah? Fuck off,” Grim replied. “What do you need me to do?”

“I want Napoleon’s earpiece so I need him to hit me. And I need a smartphone,” Reginald said then cleared his throat loudly as the short footman arrived with Grim’s gin and tonic.

“Sir,” he said as he held up the tray. Grim chuckled as he snatched the glass.

“You going to let him say that about your father?” Grim asked and the shorter man’s head jerked back but he locked it down.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir,” he said stiffly. Grim shrugged as he sipped then hummed in delight as he saluted the younger man with his drink.

“Very nice. He said he fucked your dad in Columbia,” he whispered and Reginald admired Grim’s precision. He studied all of Blink’s footmen’s profiles and knew their weaknesses.

“What?” The unfortunate younger man growled under his breath as he stepped up to Reginald.

“Mmmm...” Reginald nodded as he swallowed and pointed at him. “Definitely fucked your dad in Bogota,” he said then squeezed his eye shut and braced himself as the footman pulled back his fist then launched it at Reginald’s face.

“Help!” Reginald cried as he staggered back and clutched his jaw.

“You son of a...!” Paul growled as he tackled the footman and they crashed into the wall. The earpiece flew from the footman’s ear as Paul grabbed him by his lapels and shook him. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Seriously. Is he new?” Reginald asked as he wandered over to the potted palm by the curtain. “Is that my tooth?” He mumbled and bent so he could swipe the earpiece off the floor. He examined it and shook his head before he pretended to throw it over his shoulder, at the cracked French door. “Just a pebble.”

“That’ll be enough, Sloan,” Blink said calmly. Reginald sighed in agreement.

“Let him go, Paul. I have no idea what set him off but we’ve all had bad days. And now that I think of it, there isn’t much of a resemblance at all,” he added softly with a grin at the other