Snakes In The Grass

21

I was unsure why Abe told us to meet him here, at a diner along the coast in a sleepy town, but I wasn't about to say no. I was still on edge about everything that happened with the package Galina sent, and as much as I believed Dimitri's words, I still felt... insecure.

I sipped my coffee and smiled to myself as Dimitri let Briar play with his fingers, pulling one up to his mouth and sucking on it. She was starting to teeth more and always wanted a finger in her mouth.

"I thought Abe would be here by now," I mused, drumming my fingers on the table.

"It's not Abe who is meeting with you," another voice said and I looked up, finding Croft standing beside our table. I nodded and offered the seat beside me. He sat down and smiled at Briar before turning his attention to us.

"I apologize for not being truthful to you, but we needed you to be unaware of our meeting," Croft explained. Our waitress stopped by our table to take our orders. Croft ordered a coffee and the first thing off the menu while I ordered egg benedict. Dimitri picked the hungry man's breakfast and a second plate so we could feed bits to Briar.

"What is this meeting for?" Dimitri asked, pulling Briar out of the highchair when she started to fuss. I set my coffee down and took her, letting her lay against my chest. She was cranky this morning.

"You've been rediscovered," Croft stated, "And while we initially thought being out of the eyes of society, it would keep you safe. But now it seems that having back behind the walls of Court would be beneficial for your safety. At least at Court, we can monitor who is coming in and out, and we already know who inside Court is a part of this."

"And how are we going to come back from the dead?" I asked, "We went through so much trouble to hide and now we're supposed to just come back. What about our house or our jobs?"

"We had a contingency plan just in case this happened," Croft said and I shook my head.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for everything you've done for us, but I'm really starting to feel like a pawn in a game. I've been hunted, and received taunting letters, when are we going to be allowed to feel safe?"

Dimitri reached across the table and rubbed his hand over my arm.

"Roza," he said quietly but Croft nodded.

"I know that this has been stressful, Rose. But we will get to the bottom of this. Not just for you, but for everyone involved," he said, "And I think it would do your mother more good for you to be alive again."

My brows furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"She took herself off field duty," he said plainly and I looked at Dimitri with a quiet sigh.

"It was that bad?" I whispered, "She took herself off duty."

Croft nodded and looked down when Briar played with the buttons on his jacket, smiling at her and letting her play with his jacket.

"She did. She said that she didn't feel like she was the best Guardian for her charge anymore. I think she wanted to stay close to Court to stay close to the Princess and see your father more."

I frowned and kissed the top of Briar's head. "This is messed up."

Our waitress set our food down on the table, but I didn't think I was going to be able to stomach it. But I tried either way, the three of us lapsing into silence as we ate. Dimitri and I both offered Briar food from our plates, but she seemed more interested in Croft's waffles, which he happily shared a quarter of.

"I never knew you had a soft spot for kids, Croft," I chirped.

"I have a kid," he said and Dimitri and I both looked at him.