Heart Search Cut First Scene, continued

All right, there's a reader's birthday on Facebook, so I posted the next bit in the cut scene I've been running from Heart Search on Celta Thursdays. So here it is, too:

Heart Search Cut First Scene continued,
Laev T'Hawthorn studied Primross. The detective had already exceeded Laev's expectations in recovering some of the family treasures. Laev’s pride had been too touchy to speak to another FirstFamily lord to track them. Discreet inquiries had led Laev to Primross.

It didn't matter that Primross disliked the noble class and barely treated Laev with civility. It didn't matter that Laev's pride took a beating as he revealed his secrets to the man. What mattered was getting the items back, and in that, Primross had been successful.

Another concern was the amount of time that had passed. Nivea had been dead for nearly two years. She’d been selling Hawthorn items for five years before that – objects that Laev’s FatherSire wouldn’t have considered valuable but Laev did.

Laev’s FatherSire – his father’s father – had hidden the problem from him. But that T’Hawthorn had passed on three months ago. The shock that Nivea had been a thief and his FatherSire had tolerated that, made no attempt to retrieve Family heirlooms had stunned Laev.

Laev said, "Send me a contract for a monthly retainer, for an initial period of three months."

Surprise flashed in Primross's eyes then he jerked a nod. "The courier with your bracelets is on the way. I'll have the contract in your cache box within the septhour." Primross named an amount that seemed lower than it should have been. Laev narrowed his eyes to study the impassive man. Was the investigator hiding something himself?

Before he could question the man, the scry screen went dark.