Interlude

Edgar had many functions for his boss.

Cleanup was his favorite.

He knew that it was supposed to be his least favorite. Despite its name, it was a messy business. But he enjoyed it nonetheless.

He strode to the door of the hospital, The Covenant sign shining bright on the side of the back entrance. He’d disabled the video footage before he’d arrived. No one needed to see what came next. He wasted no time with subtleties. Edgar slammed a brick down onto the door handle and felt it rattle loose. He hauled the door open and stepped into the freshly sterile environment.

Personally, he wasn’t fond of hospitals. Too many bad memories. He’d had seizures as a child and still had them on occasion now. But when he was young, his parents hadn’t wanted to hear the word “epilepsy.” The townsfolk whispered that he had demons in him. His parents were particularly religious, and he’d gone through a few exorcisms before he’d taken matters into his own hands and gone to a doctor. His parents believed something was wrong with him until the day they died.

Maybe there was, but it had nothing to do with his epilepsy.

When he first met Graves, he’d run away from home. He was tired of the constant attention to his illness with little attention to him. He thought he was meant for more. So, he’d left his small town behind and hitchhiked into the big city.

He had been there not even two weeks before his apartment was ransacked, all of his money stolen, and he’d been held at gunpoint for even the shoes on his feet. Stupid small-town boy. Worse, he had started seizing as they ran off with his clothes. He hadn’t had a seizure in nearly a year by then. Bad timing.

Graves had been coming out of a theater when he saw Edgar seizing on the ground. One hand on him, and his life had changed. Graves had gotten him cleaned up and given him something he never knew he’d always been craving—purpose.

Edgar was an eager student. He learned everything Graves would teach him and beyond. He had no magic of his own, but he could do everything else that Graves required. Now, he was an invaluable asset. Something Graves had honed over the last thirty-five years. It didn’t bother Edgar that he got older while Graves stayed the same age. Edgar didn’t feel like he was older. He just looked it. And Graves didn’t look older, but he felt it.

He was someone worth dedicating his life to.

Including cleaning up his messes.

Edgar stepped into Dr. Mafi’s lab. He felt no remorse for what he was about to do. He wanted to feel bad for the good doctor, but she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He surveyed the equipment. Large white machines that did who knew what. It was beyond his own expertise, but they were expensive and important. He wasn’t here to ruin the place doing good just to fix an error. Graves didn’t make many.

He found Kierse’s file. He rifled through the notes and located every piece of information on Kierse McKenna. Saliva swab, urine sample, blood sample, physical information, temperature, blood pressure, and all the other tests that were done to her. He destroyed each of them individually, reducing the evidence to ash. He couldn’t leave a speck of her behind.

Then he went to the computers and hacked into the doctor’s email. He sighed when he saw what she had done.

Well, that complicated things.

He’d thought he could just destroy the lab. Now, he might have to destroy her, too. She was working for King Louis. From the look of their exchange, he’d had her in his pocket for many years and it hadn’t been entirely her fault. She owed him a substantial amount of money. She’d been paying it back with blood samples from her supernatural clients, looking for a specific blood match for the vampire king. Dr. Mafi wasn’t a bad person; she was just in a bad situation. What to do with that information was up to Graves.

He forwarded the emails to Graves. He’d await instructions, though he already suspected what Graves would say. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d killed someone on his orders. The doctor might be a problem with her witch abilities, but he’d figure it out, like he always did with time and patience.

Finished with the emails and server, Edgar removed the hard drives and drilled holes into each of them. It’d be more fun to smash each of the monitors successively, but all the information was on these babies. It didn’t appear that she had taken Kierse’s info off the server, but he’d go to her home just in case. He had a feeling she wasn’t there. She was scared Graves was onto her. Well, she was right about that.

His phone buzzed. “Report,” Graves demanded.

“It’s what you suspected. Want me to terminate her?”

“No,” he said at once. “She’s more valuable alive. Just find her. Bring her here if you can. I bet she’s already on the run.”

“I thought as much, sir.”

“You got everything else?”

“The only thing missing is the blood from tonight.”

Graves cursed. “I bet we know exactly where that will be.”

“Yes, sir.”

Edgar smiled as he ended the call and looked around at the hospital. He didn’t have time to play. He hoisted the bag on his shoulder. He had a hunt in front of him, and his quarry had a head start.