Rough Justice (Cainsville 5.5)

"Good to know."

"How's Rose handling Gabriel not going anymore?"

"I haven't spoken to her yet, so I'd rather you didn't mention it."

"Oh, I won't. And..." He lowered his voice. "Don't be angry with our Rose. If she had any idea those visits bothered Gabriel, she'd have stopped calling him. But you know how he is."

"I know exactly how he is."

I thanked Patrick for his help--all of it--and then left.

Apparently, I needed to pay a visit to Rose.

Twenty

Gabriel

Gabriel stepped off the elevator just as one of the Huntsmen was getting on.

"Gw--Gabriel." The Huntsman pumped Gabriel's hand. "Good to meet you. I don't think we've been officially introduced. I'm Aeron, though around here it's Aaron." He turned to lead Gabriel into a suite of upscale offices. "Were you looking for Ioan?"

"I was, thank you."

Gabriel hadn't been here before--this was a part of Olivia's life that he left to Ricky. Unlike the fae--who usually lived off ill-gotten gains--the Cwn Annwn ran a business. Gwylio Consulting, a security firm.

Aeron wore a suit nearly as expensive as Gabriel's own, as did the other men they passed, all Huntsmen, looking no different than any successful businessman one might find in the Loop. The only women were support staff--humans, all of them, with no idea that they worked for anyone who wasn't.

Aeron waved to Ioan's assistant, walked to an office door and rapped. Then he poked his head in with, "Gabriel Walsh to see you, John."

Ioan said something, and Aeron pushed open the door. Gabriel walked through, and as the door closed behind him, the already hushed sounds of the office disappeared. Excellent soundproofing allowing the Cwn Annwn to speak freely within their offices.

"Gabriel," Ioan said, walking from behind his desk, hand extended.

It took Gabriel a split second to offer his hand. No ill-will intended--he simply wasn't accustomed to such a greeting from the Cwn Annwn leader. It was a byproduct of the environment. That was how the Huntsmen had adapted and assimilated to human life. When in a business setting, one acts and reacts in a business-like way.

They shook hands, and Ioan gestured to a chair and then offered a hot or cold beverage, which Gabriel refused.

"I'm here on Olivia's behalf," he said as he sat.

"I presumed as much." Ioan smiled. "I doubted you were seeking a security contract. When you say you're here on her behalf, may I hope that only means you're helping her investigate? I'm sure you aren't happy with what happened the other night..."

"I would not come here to complain," Gabriel said, his tone cooling. "Olivia hardly needs me to fight her battles."

Ioan frowned. "Do you see this as a battle, Gabriel? The Cwn Annwn as something Liv has to fight?"

"I hope not."

"We aren't. I know this first Hunt was a rough one, and I could say I'd rather she had an easy one her first time, but I'd be lying. Difficult is good. It lays all the cards on the table. Lets her see exactly what she's getting into and gives her the chance to deal with that."

"So you're admitting you knew this Hunt had complications?"

A moment of silence, as if the Cwn Annwn leader may have let on more than he intended.

"That I do not appreciate," Gabriel said. "You have positioned yourself as the more honest alternative to the fae. The more forthright. The less manipulative."

"I didn't lie to her or manipulate--"

"You allowed her to begin a Hunt you knew she might not be able to finish...and then suffer the embarrassment of derailing it."