Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2
Leather & Lark
by Brynne Weaver
Contents
Chapter Thirteen: Network
Overview
Lark tends to a weakening Ethel, then meets Leander with Lachlan to formalize a Leviathan contract securing resources to protect the Montagues and trigger Lachlan’s retirement after one job. Ethel’s secretly drugged muffins knock Leander out, giving Lark and Lachlan free run of his secure office to begin investigating Bob Foster.
Summary
Lark struggles to write and to forgive Lachlan’s secrecy while keeping vigil with her ailing aunt Ethel. After a severe coughing spell, Lark comforts Ethel by singing, then is sent to deliver Ethel’s muffins to Leander. Lachlan, visibly strained, invites Lark to meet Leander about the family’s situation.
At Leander Mayes’s estate, he greets them with a gun and gamesmanship. Lark quickly moves to business: one contract now with immediate action to protect the Montagues in exchange for providing the Covaci contract later and securing Lachlan’s retirement after this first job. They negotiate terms to a 600k retainer, unlimited office access, four jobs per year, and a 100k bonus if the aggressor is identified and killed before Ethel dies.
As Leander relaxes, he unexpectedly collapses—Ethel’s muffins were drugged. Lachlan confirms he’s alive, exasperated that Lark hadn’t warned him. With Leander out for hours, they decide to proceed to the secure operations building on the property.
Inside the fortified office, Lachlan grants access to Leviathan’s data systems. After a fleeting, private search Lark abandons, they focus on suspects and start with Ethel’s rival, Bob Foster. Using bank records and databases, they begin hunting for financial links that could tie Foster to the murders and attacks against the Montagues.
Who Appears
- Lark KaneProtagonist; comforts Ethel, negotiates Leander’s contract, uses drugged muffins’ opportunity to start investigating Bob Foster.
- Lachlan KaneHusband and Leviathan contractor; protective, pushes retirement terms, manages access to Leander’s secure office to aid Lark’s search.
- Leander MayesLachlan’s volatile boss; brandishes a gun, negotiates terms, is drugged by Ethel’s muffins and passes out.
- Ethel MontagueAiling matriarch; suffers worsening cough, orchestrates leverage with muffins, nudges Lark toward decisive action.