Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
Harley walks Illi and Odie back down to their car with me after the school dinner from hell, more at ease now with the two of them to my relief.
Odie fusses over me in French, then switches to English when she realizes Harley can’t understand her, and when he shrugs off her apologies with a genuine smile, she fusses over him as well.
“I hope I wasn’t imposing by coming tonight, le Loup, but I’ve been so worried about you. When mon monstre told me about the dinner, I insisted on coming, too. He told me how happy you are, and all about your family here, and I just had to see it for myself.”
I chuckle as I shake my head. “You’re never imposing, Odie, I’ve missed you, too.
When I cut contact with you guys, I was…
hoping to avoid a war with the Jackal. I didn’t want to drag you both into anything and I thought a clean break would hurt less.
I was wrong, clearly, and I’m glad you came.
I’m really glad you could meet everyone as well.
Did Avery give you her phone number? She really did mean it when she said she’s looking forward to seeing you guys over the winter break.
We should try to have dinner somewhere nice…
if things aren’t too dangerous by then.”
When she gives me a delighted smile, it’s easy to smile back at her, her hand squeezing mine like she still can’t believe I’m letting her hold it.
There’s nothing fake about her, not her words or her actions or even the striking color of her hair.
The Odette Illium standing with us today was forged in the hottest fires of hell but not only did she survive it, she’s never let it define her.
Even after suffering unspeakable abuse, she knew herself and her real worth.
Where others look at her husband and see a gangster, a thug from the slums of the Bay, she saw a good man who would love her and cherish her exactly how she wanted.
A man who would hunt down every person responsible for her pain and cut the hearts out of their chests at her request.
Literally.
I’ve seen the collection of glass jars myself, the hearts still looking as fresh now as they were when he first pickled them.
I don’t know who taught him how to preserve them like that, or where he gets the chemicals, but I do know that it’s an act of devotion that backs up what I’ve always known; Illi is a good man, in a city with very few of them, and no matter what the rumors say, I’ll side with him.
When we reach their car, Illi helps his wife into it with a lingering kiss before he straightens up and jerks his head at me, leading me over to the trunk without a word.
He hands me the giant box of information he’s been compiling with an unusually grim look on his face, before he nods at us both and leaves.
Harley looks at me, puzzled, then he eyes the box like it’s full of rattlesnakes.
It might as well be. Illi has already promised me it’s got enough intel to keep Avery and I busy for a solid month and once we get back to our room, I see for myself that he’s right.
File after file, all of them bursting with shady shit the Jackal is pulling on the other members of the Twelve, including putting a mole in the Boar’s MC clubhouse.
I know for a fact the giant biker will personally wage war with the Jackal if he finds out.
He’s fucking touchy about his clubs.
I wait until the next morning when I have the room to myself, with everyone off at their weekend extracurriculars, before I pull everything out and start compiling priority piles to work through.
There’s a small box sitting on top that I check before dropping on my lap for later.
When I find the file about me, my gut curls violently as I flick through it quickly.
It’s not pretty, and there’s way too much shit in there that I don’t need recorded on paper, but it does give me a full list of teachers on the Jackal’s payroll.
Ash is going to have to quit the track team until we can oust Mr. Embley from the coach’s position and Mr. Trevelen is on borrowed time.
The moment I’ve read it, I tuck it under my thigh to remind myself to stash it in my safe before the others get back because I know better than to destroy it, but that doesn’t mean I want this shit laying around for someone to trip over.
God, I don’t even want to think about it, so I don’t.
I lose myself in the hunt through the other files instead.
When Avery gets back from her dance class, I’m still wading through the files and she has a quick shower before joining me. I push a huge stack toward her and she dives into it without hesitation.
When she glances at me for the third time, I quirk an eyebrow at her but she’s still slow to speak. “Is there a reason you’re… sitting on one of the files?”
Shit.
I forgot about it, too lost in sifting through the details for the tiny slivers of truth that could save our lives, and now I’ve lost my opportunity.
“It’s about me. I’ve read it and I have notes about the important stuff but there’s no need for you to read it.”
Her head tilts but she’s still being careful. “No need, or do you not want me to?”
I could vomit, and I swallow twice before I answer her. “Both. It’s… bad. It’s really fucking bad.”
Avery stares at me, and while she’s clearly handling me with kid gloves, I’m so freaking glad there’s no pity on her face. I know she’s feeling it, but she must know how badly I don’t want to see it. All I can see in her eyes is the bloodthirsty Beaumont rage.
“If you don’t want me to read it, I won’t, Lips, but I do want to start planning out the Jackal’s death for what’s in that file. The look on your face right now—I don’t need to see it to know I want that man’s head.”
Letting out a breath, I nod and sip my coffee.
When I finish it and still have nothing, Avery grabs us both refills, scowling at her own sheet of notes she’s been taking like it’s an unsolvable puzzle.
If there was any day I needed the caffeine to kick in and give me superpowers, this would be it.
Avery doesn’t push me or ask any questions, so we sit in silence while we try to think of a way through this mess, but no matter what angle I take, it all boils down to one thing.
“The problem is Luca,” I say, frowning down at my now empty coffee cup.
“The hot guy that always kisses you in front of Harley? I thought you said he was nice.”
I blow out a breath. “Yeah, he’s nice, but he’s also loyal. I think he’s so nice to me because he thinks I’m someday going to submit to the Jackal and become his boss too. He’s always around, and I haven’t seen anyone get past him.”
Avery taps her chin delicately. “You don’t think you could get past him?”
“If they haven’t switched up his security, I could be in and out in under a minute and none of them would know the Jackal was dead until morning.”
Avery nods. “But they would have changed everything since the meeting.”
I hum under my breath and think it through. Should I go to him or draw him out? “I can’t just send Illi in; I would never risk him like that, and stealth will be our biggest asset. Plus, the other members can’t find out what we’re planning.”
I need to take the guys to the gun range and see if any of them have some skills I’m unaware of.
I know Harley‘s had some training by the O’Cronins, and Diarmuid is the best sharpshooter I’ve ever seen.
If Harley inherited those same family traits, then maybe I can set him up on a roof to take the Jackal out that way.
“I need to meet with the Crow and discuss how we’re going to handle the Jackal. He seems to be waiting for him to spiral and from what the Coyote said, that’s already happening.”
We both jump a mile in the air at the sound of keys in the door, Avery rolling her eyes as it swings open and all three guys walk in together.
They’re all at least a little bit sweaty and delicious looking, and I’m distracted by it enough that when Avery stomps over to me and starts shoving files in the box while chewing them all out for misusing the emergency keys again, I almost miss the pointed look she gives me.
Right.
The file.
She helps me to shove it in the box along with all of the rest without any of the guys taking notice of it, and it’s only when I stand up and the small box slips off of my lap and onto the floor that I even remember it’s there.
God, the file has me all over the place today.
Ducking down to grab the box, I try not to look too awkward but they’re all watching me a little too closely, something about me changing the mood in the room. “I asked Illi to pick up something for me from the Bay. I got you guys something.”
Avery’s eyes snap to the box, scowling at the jeweler’s name stamped on top. “Jewelry?”
Harley huffs at her. “That’s the same name from the pouches her favors come in.”
Avery’s eyes turn predatory and I smirk at her, opening the box and handing over one of the small pouches. Then I give one to each of the guys and motion at them to open them up already.
Avery squeals when the pristine white diamond rolls out, caged in a delicate platinum sphere and hanging from a chain. Each of the guys have them as well, though the spheres look less pretty.
“A favor? Whose color is this?” Blaise asks with a frown, and I smile at him.
“Mine. I don’t give out favors, but if any of you need to I want you to have the diamonds ready. If something happens and I’m not there, you can use that as currency.”
Avery clears her throat and puts the necklace on, clutching at the diamond like it’s the most precious thing she’s ever held. “And how exactly did you pay for these? There’s at least three million dollars worth of diamonds here.”
I smirk at her. “I didn’t pay for them. The Vulture did. The favors he owed died with him and I had eleven diamonds from him. More than enough to cover these.”