Seven
Xin
After I'd taken those pictures of Patrick with the domme, Gabriel had made some adjustments to the next step of the plan, making it even more airtight than it'd been before.
This part of the plan was also mostly up to me, and it meant a lot to me that Gabriel was trusting me with so much of it. Somehow, he knew he could trust me. Maybe it was our bond at work, or maybe Gabriel's instincts were just that good.
Either way, I'd waited until Gabriel told me Patrick would be heading out for lunch before enacting the plan. I didn't know if Patrick intended to have "lunch" with the same woman again, but I had a feeling he wouldn't be in the mood in a few minutes.
I used my own number because that would be important later, but also used a mix of magic and code to make sure I'd be able to change the chat later.
Then, I messaged Patrick Lewis. I'd decided to use my full demon name as my screen name, since it wasn't much good for anything else. There was a reason I insisted everyone call me Xin.
Xingrath: You're such a naughty, naughty boy. I'm sure your wife will appreciate these pictures.
I attached a link that would lead him to the pictures I'd taken. This way, he'd only be able to see it. While I could've deleted anything from his phone, it was easier just to not allow him to download the pictures in the first place.
Because I wanted to see his reaction when he read the message, I turned on his front camera. It was dark right now, probably in his pocket, but then he pulled it out and I started recording.
The color drained from his face as soon as he read the message, and the image shook as he clicked the link. He swore loud enough I was sure Gabriel would've heard. I could see sweat beading on his forehead, and his skin had turned pale and clammy, like he was sick.
I grinned, then watched as he wiped his face with the back of his hand and started typing.
Patrick: Who the fuck are you?
Xingrath: Does that matter? The question you should be asking is 'What can I do to stop you?'
Patrick scowled at my message, then rubbed his face. This wasn't even a small taste of how he would feel once Gabriel and I were done with him, but I was still enjoying watching him sweat.
Patrick: What the fuck do you want?
Xingrath: Language, Patty. How about $10,000 in cash and I won't tell your wife about your afternoon delights. Or the media.
He was getting angry now. I could see it on his face. But he also knew he was powerless. He should get used to that feeling.
Patrick: Fine. When and where?
Xingrath: In an hour. Put it in the dumpster at the corner of 12th and Jackson. It better be there, or by tonight, everyone will have seen the pictures.
Patrick: FINE.
Smirking, I ended the chat, and after another few seconds of watching Patrick swear, I ended the recording too. Then, I sent it to Gabriel as a pick-me-up. I was sure he'd enjoy watching it a lot more than I had.
I'd already surveyed the area I'd asked Patrick to leave the money in, and I could be there in a second once the hour was up.
Gabriel: He just rushed out. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. Thanks for the video. It was very enjoyable.
Xin: Glad to be of service :)
Closing the chat, I double-checked the CCTVs in the area were working properly. I needed them to record Patrick dropping the money and then myself picking it up.
Showing myself on the footage was part of the plan, and this was why Renée had been reluctant.
Gabriel had assured us that the detective who would work on the case was someone on our side, someone he'd made the plan with. But there was still a chance it could go to someone else, and while Aisha would've let Renée go, another detective might not be inclined to do the same.
So I'd decided to be the face of the operation, so to speak.
If the plan succeeded, nobody—except maybe Patrick if he was smart enough—would know about Gabriel's involvement, and Renée had the smallest job: stealing from Patrick's house.
Aisha would be working within the bounds of law, which left me.
I would be the one hacking into absolutely everything. I would be the one who showed up on CCTV, the one the cops tracked down, the one who would ultimately lead them toward Patrick.
Even if Renée hadn't refused, I would have asked for the responsibility myself. This was a big part of the job, and no one was more motivated than me to accomplish it.
My phone buzzed, telling me it'd been 55 minutes since my conversation with Patrick.
I'd been watching the feed from the corner of 12th and Jackson, and he hadn't shown his face yet. Cutting it close, wasn't he?
I'd kept an eye on his phone, and he hadn't unlocked it again. I checked its GPS data and saw he'd be there in three minutes.
Right on time, he appeared on the CCTV footage, glancing around and acting completely conspicuous as he placed a wrapped bundle in the trash with way too much care.
He lingered for a moment, and I sent him a message to move him along.
Xingrath: Good. Now leave.
I watched him look at his phone, then snap his head from side to side. When he didn't find me, he put his phone back in his pocket, lowered his head, and slunk out of there.
I kept an eye on his GPS, and once I was certain he'd driven off, I teleported to the alley I'd picked out earlier.
Brushing a hand over my face, I covered it with a flu mask—I wanted to play the part right—and walked to the dumpster.
Since I'd seen exactly where he'd thrown the bundle, it wasn't hard to find, but I made a show of checking that it was what I'd been looking for before walking back out of the frame.
I teleported home, and threw the cash into my desk before settling in my chair.
Then, I texted Gabriel.
Me: He paid up.
Gabriel: Of course he did. Coward.
Chuckling, I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I'd done good today.
Gabriel
Patrick was in a foul mood when he returned from paying Xin, and of course he took it out on me.
I had to accept it with a smile because I couldn't give him a reason to fire me, not until I'd made him pay.
Which means that when I got home, I was in a horrible mood.
I felt exhausted, angry, and so damned done with everything. A part of me just wanted to climb into bed and sleep for a week, but I couldn't. I had work to do.
Gray hurried up to me with a wagging tail as soon as I stepped inside the apartment, and I petted the top of his head and ruffled his ears as I made my way to the couch.
The moment I sat down, Gray climbed on top of me and pressed his head against my chest. Placing my laptop bag on the floor, I hugged him to me, breathing a sigh of pure exhaustion into his fur.
My phone buzzed, and I swore if it was Patrick, I was going to kill him. Fuck the plan.
When I pulled out my regular phone, I realized there were no notifications on it.
On my other phone, there was a message from Xin.
Xin: How are you doing? Patrick probably made your day hell after what I did to him. Sorry :(
I smiled. For some reason, I really liked their old-school emojis. They were cute.
The emojis or the person? A voice that sounded suspiciously like my older brother's spoke in my head, and I rolled my eyes at myself.
Gabriel: It was worth it. We should probably wait a few days before the next step so he doesn't get suspicious.
Xin: I was thinking the same. I erased my chat with him, but when the time comes, I can add a new text exchange in its place.
Gabriel: I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad to have you on the team.
Xin: I'm glad to be on the team as well ^__^
Smiling, I placed the phone on the coffee table, then realized I was feeling a lot better than I had when I sat down.
For the first time since I lost Kevin, I didn't feel alone in the world. I had Aisha, sure, but our relationship had always had Kevin's ghost looming over it, and while I trusted her, I'd never quite clicked with her the way I did with Xin.
With Xin, I felt comfortable in a way I only ever had with Kevin. It was like Xin understood me, like they could see through my defenses to the person I was inside.
I wanted this thing with Patrick to be done and over with, and not just because I wanted to see him behind bars.
Maybe once Patrick was in prison, I wouldn't feel guilty about focusing on my own life.
I knew Kevin wouldn't have wanted this for me. If he was alive, he would be kicking my ass for spending my life trying to get revenge for him.
Then again, if he was alive, I wouldn't be doing this in the first place.
Heaving myself off the couch, I made my way to the kitchen and stuck a frozen pizza into the microwave before heading to my bedroom to change.
Once I was dressed in an old t-shirt—it might've once belonged to Kevin. I'd had a tendency of pilfering his clothes when I liked them—and sweatpants, I paused, glancing at the bottom of my closet where two cases leaned against the wall. My violin and my guitar.
I hadn't played either since Kevin died, but I took them out sometimes to make sure they stayed in tip-top condition.
My parents had bought the violin for me, while Kev gave me the guitar on my seventeenth birthday.
It was a little beat-up, but I'd treasured it, and I hoped to play them again someday.
Maybe once Patrick was where he belonged…
Closing the wardrobe, I returned to the kitchen and took my dinner to the couch after filling Gray's bowl.
I played the first movie Netflix suggested as I started eating, though I didn't really pay attention to the movie or my food.
For the next few days, things would stay at a standstill, as far as the plan was concerned. Which meant I would have no reason to see Xin.
Despite my decision to not ask them out until after, I didn't like the idea of not seeing them for a while. But I couldn't think of a single excuse for seeing them before that, and I had to have a reason.
I paused the movie once my dinner was done and shut the flatscreen off before cleaning up.
Then, I took Gray downstairs so he could do his business—he peed in the shower, so we usually made only two trips downstairs, once before I went to work, and the second now—before heading to bed.
The moment I climbed under the duvet, Gray clambered onto the mattress and spread out beside me. With a sigh, I threw an arm over him and pressed my face into his warm fur, knowing I'd end up like that once I fell asleep anyway. Might as well enjoy the feeling now.
With how tired I was, it didn't take me long to fall asleep, but it wasn't restful.
"Did you send in your application?" Kevin asked, his brown eyes worried and drawn. He was so thin. He looked weak, and my brother had never been weak. I hated this place, and I hated that he was stuck here.
"Not yet."
Last year, I'd delayed going to college after he was arrested, and college still wasn't high on my priority list right now.
I hadn't told Kevin this, but I'd been saving up as much as I could to hire a competent lawyer for him, one who could file an appeal and point out the myriad holes in the case against him.
My brother was innocent, and I was going to prove it, no matter what it took.
"Gabe," he said in his Dad tone, and I ducked my head, hating that I'd disappointed him. If I could, I would do it all. Work, go to college, come here to visit him, get him the fuck out of here.
But there was only so much I could do, and I'd decided getting him out of here was the most important thing. College could wait. My life could wait. Kevin came first.
"I'll get you out of here, Kev. I will."
Dreams assaulted me all night, like they had since Kevin went to jail. Snippets of our conversations, watching them take him away, Patrick's smug face...
When I woke up the next morning, I felt even more tired than I had last night. Even still, I pushed Gray off me and sat up, rubbed the sleep off my face, and got to my feet to face another day.