Bodies #2
Ignoring his dig at my brother, I walk past Aubrey to scan the windows, check the aisles, and take a peek in the corners.
Once satisfied, I rejoin them. “Midori needs to be neutralized. I want her full schedule and any correspondence in the last week that references Zhenga, the Games, or the Bouviers. Also, cross-reference personal accounts with after-hours meetups.” I feel my hands trying to curl into fists again, but I keep them loose at my sides.
“None of that is my forte, I fear. Want to clue us in, Raj?” The dragon gives me a pointed look as he leans back in his immense chair, scratching his chin. “You could have requested that from your twin without barging in to interrupt my misery.”
I roll my eyes at his dramatics and arch a brow. “You’re certain no one is anywhere in this place? Not on the bottom floors or any level?”
Aubrey crosses his arms over his broad chest. “Are you suggesting I do not have full control of my domain?”
For fuck’s sake.
“Aubrey, this is very sensitive, and while we are in the loop, I have been sworn to confidence amongst our family by our mate. I don’t suppose you take promises made to her lightly?”
That changes his stance, and he sighs as the tension leaves him. “Fine. I am certain my library is empty but for two exiled kings and a whack-a-doo wearing our bunny’s clothes. Is that better?”
“Yes,” I reply simply. “We need to work on compromising Midori so we can get her under our control like Henrietta. She is being controlled by others at the moment, and while it was annoying, now it is dangerous. Cori revealed that she and Zhenga have been dating since last semester, and it was caught on camera this summer. I don’t know what and they’ve had Farley working on getting things taken down, but their families know. ”
Fitz gives me a hard look, then nods his understanding. “That’s what Z’s been hiding and why Cococabana was more scarce. I guess she told Baby Girl last night because we were pressuring our leonine friend for info?”
I nod. “I’m less worried about the Bouviers for now. We know what kind of pull and power the Leonidas pride has in many areas. Zhenga is in more danger than ever because they don’t see her as a pure heir breeder they can eventually reclaim.”
Aubrey groans and looks at the ceiling as if pleading with a deity.
“This old world shit is so fucking tiresome after two thousand years. None of it has ever worked, nor has it made any line stronger. The only thing that did was stealing everything from the magicals and sealing them in another realm. Why must even the newer generations keep spewing that bullshit?”
“Fuck if I know,” Fitz says as he hops on a big wooden table. “Felix and I are fucking perfect specimens of tigers, born of a tigress in the line, and our father still kept going with his other mistresses. You realize most of our cousins are… well, you know.”
The snort that leaves the dragon sounds like it actually hurts. “You’re saying they’re probably half-siblings as well? No surprise there—felines and canines are the worst about inbreeding, Fitz. No one expects anything different, especially not mythicals.”
I blink as a scowl comes over my face. “Shut it, you giant handbag. Dragons aren’t much better about how they choose mates in clashes.
This is not about cross-species shit, anyway.
It’s about Z. I want leverage. If they’re squeezing her, I want to squeeze back.
I need something so solid that if the Council gets involved, we can use it to back them off. ”
Aubrey gives me a dirty look, his eyes narrowed at my insult. “If you go after Midori, you’d better have a backup plan. That woman has more power than the headmasters of Apex or Cappie did. Maybe because this is Europe, maybe because of something else, but it’s true.”
Shrugging, I reply, “She’s overdue for a lesson in consequences.”
There’s a silence while I look out the little window into the garden and actually see Renard methodically watering a bed of late-season herbs this time. My brother holds up his hand, and I raise a brow, waiting for him to speak.
“I need to grab my laptop, bro. Don’t freak out.”
In under two minutes, Fitz has come back, clacked away at the keys, and is looking at us with a smirk.
He turns his screen, highlighting a folder.
“Midori has a standing breakfast appointment with a local council rep. The same guy who used to run Games scheduling at Apex—remember him? I think he was a Faust. It’s been moved three times in the last week, each time at a different location, always at the last minute.
” He drags a second window over the first and shows us emails.
“She’s also been trading encrypted messages with a Paris IP address, but I don’t have the name yet. ”
Aubrey unfolds his arms, interest piqued. “That’s something you can get a physical address for, though, right? Farley can send his big goons to visit.”
“Probably,” Fitz says. He glances at me, all the fire back in his eyes. “If you want to add them to my list, it won’t be much trouble. I have algorithms and automated things handling a lot of the mild to worrisome inconveniences that I’m using to throw people off.”
I take all this in, keeping my reactions measured.
The anger is still there, but now it’s a clean burn ready to be pointed where it matters.
“Good. Do that and we’ll set a time to do a bit of sneaking around this weekend, Fitz.
I want to go old school again and see what we can find—but not on Sterling.
That’s being handled by the crew, so we’re not attached to it.
We don’t know what he is, and that means we have to keep our distance. ”
Fitz grins, but he’s already typing again, this time with the ferocity of someone who lives for this kind of problem.
Aubrey looks at me, and for once there’s something like respect in his eyes. “You’re getting very good at running things, Felix. I would never have pegged this progress when you first arrived. Perhaps you will be a decent royal… someday.”
I flip him off, rolling my eyes. “Get fucked, Draconis.”
Laughing, he shrugs as he looks at his computer. “I did this morning. Perhaps you should try it rather than running in circles, hmm?”
Always with the last word, that one.