Chapter Seventeen #3
“Oh yeah?” I muttered, staring at the file on Souxie Lafayette. Sitting down, I took my glasses off causing an instant reaction of squinting as I cleaned the lens. “This is going to come down to people possibly dying at record numbers… The pack is partnering with the First Family.”
“I think they’ll be expecting that,” Cedric said as he propped his feet on the small coffee table before him.
Stretching his arm out on the cushion, he chucked his chin towards me.
“You ready to say goodbye to the broad?” Scratching at my jaw, I slipped my glasses back on and ignored my brother who only laughed.
“I told you… You weren’t cut out for getting close to anyone because you get attached to easily.
You’ve been laying up with this bitch–––”
“And got more out of talking to her than I would lurking around the Grounds like a fucking creep. If you’re still upset, she chose me over you, that’s not my problem. The job was to get close, observe their group–––”
“The job was to get into the damn school. Carmichael mentioned Souxie being close with Maggie Grey. He didn’t say to lay up with her every fucking night. This is why they barely like to put us on jobs now because your appetite for sex is ridiculous.”
Scrunching my nose, I ignored him as I continued to shift through the paperwork.
“I love her,” I suddenly admitted, getting irritated at the fact that I even had to say it to him and not her.
“You love the pursuit of her. You love the idea of her, and you love that everybody wants her. You’re not the only one to sleep with her. She’s open for business.”
“Much like you and I.”
“So what are you going to tell her? Oh… ‘Souxie…I’ve been hired to follow you and your friends around’–––”
“We weren’t hired to follow her and her friends around.
They just happen to be involved! I will tell her the truth so she can be in the know on what’s happening.
I trust her,” I said. Knowing Souxie, she was probably starting to suspect me anyway.
Especially if she went and told the annoying cat what I found out about him.
Standing up, I walked over towards my corkboard.
I had every name listed of the First Family when we were first tasked with the job of investigating Drew Collins University from the financial troubles it was secretly having to the faulty admission practice which ultimately led us to Wilhelmina Holmes.
Now, it’s turned into something almost out of our control now that we’ve stumbled into a much bigger case.
“Dr. Holmes knew he didn’t have long to be the face of the school anymore the moment Maggie arrived.
Once his sister took over,” Cedric started as he picked up a folder from the table.
“We clocked in. All we had to do was get accepted for the following semester. Carmichael told ME to talk to the one named Souxie and only talk to her. Had you not stepped in, you wouldn’t be feeling like shit that you lied to this girl all this time. ”
“And now…” I went on, staring at my twin.
“Now we have the Coven Council closing in. Their ultimate goal…” Cedric nodded towards my desk as I slowly picked up the folder labeled Coven Council.
When I began to look through the papers, I paused to read a report on one of their meetings.
“They want another funeral massacre, part two. The Southern Five have control above ground but not enough mythics live here in the states…Now that this fucking moon Goddess, whatever the hell she is, broke what should have been magic old as time, there is no limit to what can be done. They want to merge the Underground above and expand their reach. They are going to do it when everyone is concentrated in one spot.”
“The games,” I said.
Reading the documented notes carefully, I saw where it was mentioned just how many people planned on attending, who was sitting where, and how the seating mattered as it relates to witches.
“This isn’t about control of the Underground.
This isn’t a political coup,” Cedric went on.
“They want to bring everything to ground level and expand their territories. Which is WHY they’re trying to find that girl.
Which is why Xavier Martin missing isn’t even a factor.
They want the First Family gone and out of the way, so they don’t interfere.
You more than anybody know what happens when these folks see people like us, our true selves.
We’re going to be dealing with the government here with people wanting to keep us as lab rats and pets. ”
“There are families that haven’t left the Underground in years,” I said.
“Exactly. This is home for a lot of people…”
I looked at the seats with some being marked with an X while others were circled.
“Guess who was one of the mythics that came up with the idea of the games? The elements?” Cedric asked as he opened his folder. “Amelia Lovelace of the Southern Five. She’s on the committee and the dean for Belmont University. The main source of moving from one element, one game to another is…”
“Doors,” I answered. Cedric nodded.
“Bingo.”
“This campaign against predators, and the First Family is just a distraction so they can do as they please in peace.”
Pushing my glasses up, I pulled out my phone.
“Keep ignoring me brother…You know there isn’t much we can do but to deal with the aftermath and prepare for a body pile up, along with the sheer panic of a human seeing a fae for the first time.”
“So then all we can do is warn everyone,” I muttered as I began to text.
“What? Who are you texting?”
Sending the text to my baby. Souxie will be fine and will adjust. She’ll be upset but not enough to leave me. I wouldn’t allow it. I scrolled through my list of contacts before finding the number and making the call until she answered.
“This is Himora Clarke speaking.”