man then thanked Alon when he appeared with a new drink and something cold for Reginald’s jaw.
“Dinner is ready,” Alon announced and went to lead their party into the dining room.
“Here,” Grim said under his breath as he discreetly slipped a phone into Reginald’s pocket. “You’re good at stopping a punch with your face.”
“I do have a bit of experience.”
“Glad you’re not totally useless. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”
“Let’s go, Casper,” Dr. Hawkesworth said and offered his arm. “I don’t like you two whispering in the corner like this. Don’t conspire,” he ordered, then practically dragged Grim from the study.
“I agree,” Paul said as he joined Reginald. “You’re up to something and it makes my stomach hurt, the thought of you and Grim joining forces.”
“Jesus Christ, I need another drink. I’ll be right there,” Lavender muttered as he went to the bar. Reginald cringed over his shoulder then shrugged. He could get Lavender to forgive him for just about anything.
Chapter 21
“Is he...drunk?” Cyril wondered as he reclined in his seat at the head of the table. Lavender rarely drank and preferred a raw, liquid diet but he drank two very stout martinis before dinner. He was on his second glass of wine and making the most absurd puppy eyes at his husband.
“This is lovely,” Ivanof said as he pointed his spoon at his onion soup. Cyril requested a homier, more comforting menu because Ivanof enjoyed very little of the comforts of home or the holidays as a child, before he became an orphan. “This is the best part. It’s a little like a grilled cheese,” Ivanof said and Sage Bradley nodded in agreement.
“It is!” He wasn’t drinking as much as Lavender, which seemed wise. The footmen came to remove the soup bowls and they were replaced by pumpkin ravioli with a Gorgonzola cream sauce and sage.
“No, thank you,” Lavender said when a footman attempted to set a plate in front of him. “I will have a glass of that, please,” he said as the next footman arrived with the gewürztraminer. Cyril raised a brow at him.
“Are you sure that’s smart?” He asked. Lavender winked at Cyril as he stuck his nose in his glass and took a deep sniff.
“Gorgeous bouquet,” he noted then sat back and draped his arm over the back of Bradley’s chair as he drank. “I thought you had more faith in Alon and all of this,” Lavender said with a wave of his glass and chuckled as he sipped. “You and I both know I’m better on my worst day than your best man.”
“You were but I wonder if age and the suburbs have slowed you down,” Cyril countered. Lavender made a bored sound as he set down his glass.
“Yes, Cyril.” His hand rolled through the air encouragingly. “Tell everyone how dull I’ve become and how drab my life is because I live in the suburbs,” he said as if they were the fifth circle of the inferno. He stopped and squinted for a moment then gave his head a shake. “Whatever. Enjoy the thought if it amuses you,” he drawled then yawned. Lavender turned to his husband to whisper in his ear so Cyril gave Alon the slightest nod. Alon reached into his coat for his pistol and Lavender swiped a knife off the table and his arm whipped around. A second later, the knife lodged into the wall next to Alon’s ear and he froze but Lavender never took his eyes off his husband’s lips and hummed drowsily as he kissed his cheek.
“Your men are good but I’ll take my chances.”
“Perhaps you could take it upstairs,” Cyril suggested and Lavender made another bored sigh as he reclined.
“And leave you on your own with them?” He teased as he waved around the room. Cyril enjoyed Alon’s irritation and bit back a smirk as his butler pulled the knife from the wall. Alon’s nostrils flared as his thumb traced the gash in the wallpaper but Cyril knew he’d have it repaired before he retired for the evening. Alon took every imperfection personally when it came to Blackhurst. From the tiniest scuff to the vaguest hint of a security breach, it was a personal affront if anything was out of order on Alon’s watch.
“How’s that jaw, Lord Marston?” Cyril asked and Marston snorted.
“I’ve been hit harder during foreplay,” he said then licked his lips lewdly at his husband. Agent Sloan grinned back at him over his wine and the poor