BreadCrumb Trail (The Yellow Hoods, #2): Steampunk meets Fairy Tale by Adam Dreece Read Free Book Online Page B

parents’ sides, in droves, in order to join in.
    Within minutes, almost a hundred kids were laughing and throwing snowballs under the glow of the city’s lanterns. The heavy snow that fell was perfect for compacting snowballs.
    “Reminds me of when I was a kid,” said one man to a beige-hooded figure beside him.
    “I was never a kid like that. Might have been nice.” The figure then walked away.
    “What’s her problem?” said the man to a guy beside him, who shrugged in response.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Bakon & Eg's Breakfast
     
    Gabriel Archambault was Minette’s captain of the guard. He’d already been proud of his daughter, Egelina-Marie, for following in his footsteps. He’d been in complete disbelief when he’d learned that not only was she an expert sharpshooter, but that she had also saved the life of Nikolas Klaus, a close family friend, on her first day on the job.
    At the breakfast table, Gabriel tried to speak, but simply ended up glaring at Bakon. The men felt awkward. Conversation had done little more than start and stop. Everyone waited for Gabriel to say something, but instead he took another mouthful of sausage.
    Egelina-Marie’s mother, Victoria, had decided it was time for her daughter’s boyfriend of a few months to meet them. It was an innocent idea, but she’d forgotten the local significance of Solstice breakfast. Where she grew up, Solstice night was the only thing that mattered. Here, the Solstice breakfast was about very close family. If boyfriends or girlfriends were invited, which was rare, it was a sign the family was expecting them—very shortly—to be joining the family. Egelina-Marie knew what her mother had simply intended in arranging the breakfast, yet she still wasn’t completely comfortable.
    “I’d like to say again—the sausages are amazing,” said Bakon, trying to find something to say. “I particularly like the fried potatoes.” The breakfast truly was excellent, and he savored every bite. He hadn’t had homemade sausage, cooked beans, and pancakes in a long time. It reminded him of when Isabella Klaus used to cook for the family on special occasions. 
    Victoria smiled. She appreciated his comment this third time as much as she had the first. At this point, if they made it through breakfast with only minor injuries, she would declare it a success.
    Bakon squirmed. He’d secretly been working for the captain for two years, as a covert hand of justice and for information gathering. Gabriel had always been more than happy to have the Cochon brothers rough up a stranger to get information, or drive an undesirable out of town. Gabriel had a soft spot for the brothers since the day Nikolas had taken them in—a day Gabriel remembered well.
    “Bakon, what are your brothers doing this morning?” asked Victoria, trying to get things going again.
    Bakon sighed in relief. He could answer that question without causing problems. “They’re having Solstice breakfast with Jennifer and William Baker. It’s the first time since Tee was born.”
    “I guess you wished you were there, then?” said Gabriel, sharply.
    Egelina-Marie and Victoria shot angry looks at him.
    “What?” he said, raising his hands in his defense. “He said it’s been a long time. It probably brings back memories of good times. He probably would like to be there.” Gabriel growled under his breath.
    He had been happy for his daughter when he’d heard she had a boyfriend. He’d hoped it was someone up and coming, maybe even someone in the Magistrate’s office. When he’d learned it was Bakon, he had misgivings. Whenever Egelina-Marie mentioned Bakon by name, he’d tried to pretend she was talking about someone else who happened to have the same unusual name. His wife had now made it impossible for him to continue fooling himself.
    Bakon eyed a plate of food he wanted. “Eg, would you mind passing the—um—” He stopped, realizing how stupid he was about to sound.
    “Eggs?” she said,