Chapter 32
Deejay
After lunch, I rock with Eren, calming him for nap time while Alex plays on the floor. My phone dings with a text message notification.
Chanda: Do you have a friend finder on Robbie’s phone turned on? Can you tell me where his phone is right now?
As if I would ever turn that off for any of my family. We don’t live a safe life and that’s one small thing that can help if things go awry—which if he’s asking about it, something has gone sideways.
Fuck.
I pull up the map that shows Robbie’s phone pinging at his school, where he’s supposed to be.
Me: At the school. In the gym, maybe? Looks like the gym building.
Chanda: OMW. If the phone moves, text me.
What the hell? Something is off. I wait as long as I can for an explanation, then call him.
“This is Chanda,”
he answers grimly.
“What the hell is going on?”
I demand, ready to go to war if something happened to Robbie.
“I got a call from Robbie’s phone, but it wasn’t Robbie. I’m going to take care of it, and when I am done, I will let you know. Don’t worry. I got this. As it happens, I was looking for a fight today.”
That’s...actually reassuring. “Fuck. I wouldn’t want to go up against Chanda Ntu Waamelika Muajamu.”
“Coming from the Maledict, I take that as a compliment.”
It is a compliment, but not a flattery. This guy can destroy a life faster than I can, I wouldn’t want to find myself on the receiving end of his power. Some Diviners, people with power like Chanda, are capable of manipulating the strings of Fate, not just reading them. Crossing a man like him can get a person dead or worse; there are a great many things worse than death, and Chanda can potentially make any of them happen.
“Take care of my kid, Chanda.”
“I will,”
he promises.
I hang up, contemplating what needs to happen and if I should even do anything. Chanda can handle this. I know he can, but is there anything I can do?
The responsibility of caring for the babies and Cary crippled my potential actions. If I didn’t have them, I would be in the car already, but I can’t take them into danger. As difficult as it is to leave it to someone else, I have to let Chanda deal with whatever is happening. I take a deep breath, check on Eren, and put him in his crib before taking up Alex, then I sit to rock him as well. Cary sleeps in my room right now, well into his post-lunch nap. He won his choice of brownies for dessert and learned the boundaries of the yard again.
After Alex falls asleep, my phone rings again, but this time it’s Matt. “Hello, there. Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“Tio the Chaos Eater showed up to substitute Robbie’s class because the Diviner isn’t in school today. So I was going to skip with Robbie, but he’s not at the car and he’s not in class, and Tio is apparently doing his job as a substitute teacher like he should, so where the fuck is Robbie?”
Matt sounds pissed.
“In the gym, according to his phone. Chanda is on his way to get him. Go look for him, I don’t know how far away Chanda is.”
That sounds much more like a demand than a request, but Matt doesn’t seem to care because I can hear his breath start coming in huffs as he starts running.
“Mr. Blank. You’re out of class. Do you have a hall pass?”
“Fuck,”
I curse the person stopping Matt from reaching the gym.
“What the fuck do you want?”
he growls.
“Hey now, I’m just doing due diligence since one of my students-of-the-day is skipping.”
Now I recognize the voice: Tio. “Double fuck.”
“Who’s on the phone? Is that the Maledict?”
He sounds utterly delighted. “Hello, Deejay. Everything going alright? Your kids don’t seem to like me much.”
“Tio. What the hell are you doing harassing Matt again? And why do you keep popping up? Did I do something to you? Is that the reason you’re targeting my family?”
“I have no quarrel with you. And technically I’m doing my job, since I am substituting the Diviner’s class today,”
he points out. “So, what’s happening? Is there a fire or something? Should I pull the fire alarm? That would be fun.”
Actually, I absolutely hate to admit this, but if anyone can find Robbie, it’s the person who eats chaos for breakfast…and lunch. And dinner. “Fuck me. This day started out so good, too,”
I grumble. “Tio, are you there to hurt Matt? Just give us a straight answer, yes or no. Matt pay attention to his aura.”
Tio tsks me. “I have no interest in hurting you or your family. Maybe notice a thing or two? I didn’t hit your vehicle during the car chase, and trust me, I could have gotten you out of my way if I weren’t concerned about your health.”
“True. At least, his aura isn’t lying,”
Matt rumbles.
I sigh, both relieved and annoyed by the Chaos Eater. “Will you tell me what you were doing trying to stop the courier from delivering my package?”
“You appear to know exactly what I was doing. My employer has a vested interest in your little demesne failing.”
“And who is your employer?”
Maybe I can finally figure out who is working against me.
“Erroll of Morgaine,”
Tio answers with a laugh.
The youngest prince of the Elven Kingdom, Morgaine? He’s not exactly who I would have expected. I have no quarrel with Morgaine. I’ve met his brother, King Helix, and his mother Queen Lorelei at a political function or two and have always gotten along with both of them. My demesne poses no threat to their power considering they rule an entire dimension separate from Earth and only have a presence on Earth because magic is less volatile here than in their home realm.
And I can think about this later. “Tio, if you really aren’t going to hurt my family, your student-for-the-day is in trouble in the gym. Go with Matt there and you’ll probably get a pretty hearty meal out of it.”
“Oh my. You do know just how to seduce me, don’t you?”
“The old adage is true especially for non-humans,”
I deadpan.
“The way to a man’s heart is through his…appetites,”
Tio singsongs. “Let’s go, Reaper. I can’t wait to see what you do to high school bullies.”
“Wait, you already know what’s happened?”
Matt demands angrily.
“I might have seen a student punch Robbie’s lights out when I followed you out of class…”
“Motherfucker!”
Matt and I both cuss at him.