Chapter Nine
“Summoned a dark entity?” she demanded when they stepped through the portal.
They were now standing in a small studio apartment in the middle of downtown Boston.
Darian held up his hands. “The fae she condemned deserved what they got.” He went into more detail as to what happened in the Eirson home.
Kiera’s felt her insides turn ice cold. “How could anyone do such things?”
Hunter rubbed her back. “It is because they had turned away from the light so much, that Meryn’s solution was the only one that worked.”
Darian smiled sadly. “We’re moving past that now.”
“She’s so little,” Connor murmured.
They walked down the single flight of stairs and into the late summer weather.
This time Darian’s smile was bright when he turned back to look at her. “There is depth to Meryn we’re still discovering.” He looked around. “Whenever you’re ready to leave, call me. We can meet here. I have some shopping to do.”
After he walked away, Hunter turned to her. “You ready?”
She shook her head. “Not really. It still doesn’t seem real.”
Augustus stepped up next to Hunter. “We’ll be with you every step of the way.”
She took a deep breath, and they walked three blocks down toward the corporate district.
They stopped in front of a large glass and chrome skyscraper.
Hunter held the door as they walked inside and up to the reception desk, their shoes created a rhythmic staccato on the polished granite floor.
Seeing them approach, the receptionist straightened. “Can I help you?”
Kiera smiled. “I’m afraid I don’t have an appointment. But, when I called in regarding my accounts, I let them know that I would be flying in to discuss things in person. My name is Kiera Sorrel.”
The receptionist nodded and typed a few things.
Her eyes widened. “Ms. Sorrel, right this way. I’ll let Ms. Leclair know you’re here.
” She stood and walked them to an elevator.
When everyone was inside, the door slid close.
She pressed a button and Kiera noticed that it wasn’t a numbered floor.
When the elevator stopped, she used a badge to open the door.
“This way.” She walked them inside to a gorgeous lounge area with tall glass windows making up two of the three walls.
“Can I get you anything to drink? Tea, coffee, champagne?”
They all shook their heads.
“Very well.” She walked back the way they came. “If you need anything press this button.” She pointed to an illuminated green button by the elevator. She nodded her head, then went into the elevator and the door shut.
Kiera turned to Augustus. “Am I overthinking things or is this…?”
Augustus leaned back, smiling. “Your parents knew what they were doing. I’ve been in courthouses with less security.”
Connor snorted. “That’s not saying much. You’ve been in some shitty courthouses.”
It didn’t take long for the elevator to open and a tall blonde woman walked out. She wore a crisply pressed navy blue suit with a white silk undershirt. Her hair was twisted into what looked like an effortless chignon. The woman approached them with a smile, but her eyes were weary. “Ms. Sorrel?”
Kiera stood. “That’s me.”
“I hate to sound rude, but do you have your ID on you?”
Kiera fumbled for her purse and pulled out her wallet. She passed over her driver’s license.
The woman looked relieved. “You look like your mother, but I had to be sure. Please sit down.” She pointed back to the sofa.
“My name is Lena Leclair.” She placed four portfolios on the low table between them.
“Your parents hired me to look after their accounts.” She opened the first leather portfolio and slid it over.
After pointing out the layout of the forms, including account numbers, she continued.
“This was your parents’ personal account, what they called their everyday account. ”
Connor picked it up and began going over each page.
Lena turned to Kiera. “Is this someone you trust?”
Kiera smiled. “He is my husband’s cousin.”
The woman smiled. “Good. Now, that account has roughly fifteen-point-seven million. The last recorded transaction was the day they died.” She smiled sadly. “Coffee at the airport when they landed.”
Kiera swallowed hard and Hunter squeezed her hand.
Lena gave her a nod. “You have my condolences. I knew your parents, their deaths were quite a loss.”
“Thank you.”
As Connor kept reading Kiera turned to the woman. “I heard you blocked my uncle’s attempts to access the accounts.”
Lena nodded. “We tried to reach you so many times. When he called, we tried to have him put you on the phone and he could not.”
“Was he asking for funds for the children?” Kiera asked.
Lena shook her head. “That is what I thought at first, but he never mentioned Keran or Nicol. He wanted all four accounts transferred to his own bank.”
“Did he know how much was there?”
Lena nodded. “I do not know how he knew, but he knew the amounts for yours, Keran and Nicol’s accounts.”
Connor held up a page. “But not this one?”
Lena shook her head. “Besides not being on any of the paperwork and not being able to give us account numbers, that was also a red flag.”
Kiera thought it over. “I don’t think it was a secret. I remember hearing them say, ‘One-hundred or Bust’. I had no idea it meant one-hundred million.”
Lena laughed. “It was the amount I came up with when they asked what they should strive for, for long term savings for their children.”
Kiera clenched her hands into fists. “They had so much money. We didn’t need one-hundred million. I’d rather have them.”
Lena shifted forward. “Your parents had one fear and unfortunately for them it came true.” She sighed.
“Both of them came from small families. From my understanding, your mother and father outlived their parents, and your father only had his older brother. They wanted to secure accounts for you, so that if anything happened to them, you would be taken care of.”
“And thanks to you, we’ll actually get those accounts.”
“It is simply my job.” She smiled. “I do admit I took a certain delight in blocking his efforts.” When Connor reviewed the last page, she slid over two more portfolios. “These two are identical. One for Keran and one for Nicol.”
Connor started going through the paperwork looking at both sets at the same time.
Lena turned back to her. “Do you have custody?”
“Not yet. Will that affect their accounts?”
“No. Your parents only listed you as Trustee. They are accounts, but set up in Trust. Only you, and through you, can your siblings access their accounts or wait until they come of age.”
“So, like eighteen?” Kiera asked, knowing that was the age humans became adults.
Lena shook her head and winked. “No, five-hundred, like you.”
Kiera, Hunter, and Connor all looked at her.
She grinned mischievously. “Did you not know that was why your parents banked here? We handle paranormal accounts in human banks.”
Augustus gave a low whistle. “Paranormal banking exists, but good banks are hard to find. Can I get your business card? I’d like to move our business over.”
Kiera chuckled. “Can I get one too? My friend saw what you did in protecting my accounts and I know she’d be interested too.” She looked up at Hunter. “I can hear Meryn now, ‘I want the cool chick looking after nugget’s money’.”
Lena paled. “Meryn? Meryn McKenzie?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“It would be the pinnacle of my career to help our Savior.”
“Savior?” Kiera looked from Hunter to Augustus. Connor was still going over the paperwork.
Hunter rubbed her lower back. “Remember when we told you about the virus in Noctem Falls?”
“Vaguely. But I had a lot thrown at me yesterday.”
Hunter pointed to Lena. “Ms. Leclair sees Meryn as one of the ones who helped save her entire city. That is why she wants to help.”
Kiera nodded slowly. “So, would it be a new contract or an extension of the current one?”
Lena straightened. “We can continue with what your parents established for your siblings and we can work out a growth plan for your account.”
“Growth plan?”
“Let me explain. Paranormals use human banks to accrue interest. A growth plan for your account would establish how long you would want to lock in a set amount of money, for growth.”
“What about Keran and Nicol’s accounts?” she asked.
“They can easily sit idle and collect interest as they grow up,” Lena explained.
Hunter passed her a small card and his ID. “Can you add fifty-five million to each of their accounts?”
“Hunter! No! That’s too much!” Kiera protested.
Hunter just smiled as Lena took the card and went to a side terminal.
“No!” she yelled, trying to get up.
Hunter pulled her back down. “Sweetheart, remember what she said about interest? This won’t put a dent in my accounts. Besides, if I didn’t do it, Ma and Dad would.”
Connor looked up from the papers. “Or Augustus.”
The elder Armstrong nodded. “Let us fulfill your parents' wishes for their children.”
Lena brought the card and ID over and passed it back to Hunter before sitting back down and taking Kiera’s hand. “Your family is a young one. But the older and more established a family line gets, the more money there is to go around.”
Kiera wiped the corners of her eyes with her free hand. “Witches aren’t like that.”
Lena exhaled. “No offense Kiera, but witches are only slightly longer lived than humans. They barely have enough time in their own lives to save for themselves, much less their descendants.” She gave her hand a pat then let go.
“What about the Ironwoods and Ashleighs?” she asked.
Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. “They are the proof that the stronger a witch is, the longer they live. But, Lena is right, eighty percent of witches barely live to see a thousand.”
“Your parents wanted to break that mold. I told them one-hundred million allowed for maximum growth in a shorter lifespan,” Lena said.
“So, most witches don’t have that type of wealth?” Kiera asked.
Lena shook her head. “Your parents were my only witch clients.”
Kiera collapsed back against the sofa. “Could that be why my uncle wanted their accounts?”