Chapter 7
LANEY
I t hadn’t been a dream. I found her face in the background of a class photo when the Great Tenor Animal Sanctuary charity visited the school in the archived photo gallery on the next town’s newspaper website.
Fuck her for making me doubt. She was no different than the rest.
Sometimes, I hated the ways of the brain. The way I clung and clutched to that minor detail—barely a minute of interaction—for years believing that someone could comfort me and be there for me.
The moment I stepped into the training room today, I felt her stare. Giving her the cold shoulder has been difficult the last few days. This morning, I caught her coming out the bathroom in just a towel. It took a lot of effort to look away from her bare legs, but really, I was stuck on her chest. A long pinkish scar ran below her collarbone. I’ve been returning her gaze to get a glimpse of it again. What did she go through to get that? A question I needed to get an answer to.
I ignored her knock at my door last night.
“It’s always the hot ones that piss you off the most,” Grant said beside me.
I returned a blank nod until he lifted his chin in Kenna’s direction. “What did she do?”
“Lied.”
“Damn, I knew there was something off with her.” He shook his head. “Anyway, will you be helping our session today? Waite assigned intensive bootcamp to the new foot soldiers and a refresher course for existing members.”
“I’ll be in the security office. Father wants me to run thorough background checks on all the people on the estate again after Dylan’s betrayal.”
It was a tough pill to swallow. Cracks were showing in our ranks, and it was the last thing we needed as we prepared for a conflict fast approaching. “You knew him?”
I broke eye contact, the wound still fresh. “Briefly. You?”
“Trained him,” He said, pain rife in his voice, “He’d been here for months, I should’ve known.” His eyes drifted to Kenna, and I followed his gaze. “But you never do know when someone will disappoint you.”
“Yeah.” I looked at Kenna before I cleared my throat. “Did he…did he act suspicious? The days before.”
“Not really. I mean, he disappeared on occasion but that’s not uncommon. I just thought he went to get pissed on cheap beer in the forest with some of the lads, not that he was planning a murder on an innocent girl.”
The shadow I saw the night Granddaddy died. “Oh,” I responded. The guardsmen preferred the firepit to the woods. “…uhh, what were his skills?”
“He was an excellent marksman, and we didn’t teach him that, he came in with those skills. Never really took to blades. Guess it makes sense now.”
“What do you mean? Tilly was murdered with a knife.”
He turned to me. “You didn’t hear? It was a bullet that took her life.”
“What? No! The cameras have sound recording. That’s too risky, the noise–”
“They found a silencer under his pillow in the barracks.” He said, giving me an apologetic, yet cold smile. These. These are the details I needed to hear, but Father told me nothing. My cheeks heated in shame as I realised that I’m still that sheltered little girl. Alone. Unaware. Innocent but with blood on her hands. It filled me with anger. “Kenna was right.”
“Kenna?”
“She found him and turned him in.”
Why didn’t she tell me?
Grant placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I won’t let it happen again.”
“No, it won’t,” I looked up at him, straightening my back. “I’ll be in my office until after dark. Have a good day, Grant.”
I left in a hurry without a glance behind me. Still, I could feel the weight of eyes trace my way to the door.
☆
When I met my father at breakfast the next morning, I was burning with questions. A long table divided us in the quiet of our family dining room. Considering that there were just us two left, the feeling of dead space was overwhelming. Grandad often stayed up North, but his absence was felt in moments like these as if something were missing. God, I wished his voice filled this room.
We stayed silent for a long moment. Father’s newspaper was folded at his side to show the London nightlife section. Money was never far out of his mind. When I clicked my teacup loudly against the saucer, I yearned for his eyes to turn to mine. He hadn’t looked at up at me this entire time.
He hummed. “Our dear friends from the Novelli dynasty have agreed to attend the funeral for Edward. Though, Aldo seemed quite preoccupied over the phone, something about Flavia’s illness or—”
I tried to restrain my eye roll. My hope that he would be transparent about the circumstances of Tilly’s death or the investigation into his father’s death depleted the longer he said nothing. He was already looking forward before addressing the past. Might as well face it head on.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Tilly died the same way as Granddaddy?” I tried to sound confident, but between the words, my heart broke a little more with each syllable.
“Sunshine,” he began, his eyes softening in a caricature-kind of way. “We don’t need business talk at the breakfast table. I’m now the head of this family. Hell, I'm the head of the syndicate. Things are going to work a little differently than they did before.”
“I understand that, but–”
“Listen. Information is a luxury I cannot give as freely anymore. Tilly’s death revealed that they know our location. That they are among us. I can’t risk speaking it aloud in the house. Do you understand?” Do you not trust me?
“You made me kill him without knowing the full extent of his crimes, Father. The brutality of it…I could’ve…” I was at a loss as to what I really wanted. All I knew was that his omission felt like isolation. It hurt. “And the fact that he was one of us–”
“DON’T associate him with us. There is no us. Right now, I trust that blood is thicker, but you can’t trust anyone, you hear me? Anyone. ”
“I just want to feel–”
“This isn’t about feeling, Laney. War is coming. Until I know what they are waiting for, I want you prepared, but not at risk.”
“I can handle it.”
“I don’t want you to.”
My shoulders sagged at that. I was strong. I was capable.
“You know it's them, right?” I said in a quiet voice. We both knew who them was, I dared not speak the name in case of inciting violence, but that hope was quickly crushed.
He slapped his hand on the table, causing the glasses to clink. I flinched at the sound. “It is not them! They are gone, Laney, how often do I need to say it?”
I narrowed my eyes as I shook my head. I couldn’t understand why we shouldn’t be preparing for any possible avenue of attack. It was obvious whoever it was knew of the existence of the estate, even the geographies of Great Tenor, I just couldn’t discern a motive. Grandfather mourned them, our families were bonded until the accident. Father was a teenager when the Karstein home burned, he could probably remember details about them to figure out why they might return with such vengeance.
Before I could formulate words, he held his hand up with a serious look on his face. “I won’t say it again,” he warned and sighed. “Have you completed the enhanced vetting process for current and incoming cadets?”
It took a moment for his words to register, I was still stuck on the sting of his dismissal. I’ve been trained since birth, my head is never fully facing one direction. Ever. What else have I prepared for if not imminent war? There was something he won’t admit.
“Sunshine.” He prompted.
“Yes, Sir. I’ve got the verified list of guardsmen and cadets, I'm going through them one by one. Sorted by years of service.”
“Good girl.” I grimaced and grabbed one of the pastries on the table as I headed out the room. I was done. “Oh, and Laney? The devil comes from within.”
I took more considerable strides on my way to my office. God, fuck him.
The devil comes from within was his barely veiled critique for my past mental health issues, as if to say, you are the problem, you created it, don’t let it implode you. It was the cornerstone philosophy of the counselling I received at eighteen, endorsed by Father, of fucking course. Bullshit.
My eyes couldn’t roll further back into my head.
“The devil comes from within.” I spat under my breath as I rounded a corner before jumping back when a person blocked the way.
“I thought I was the devil?” She joked.
I narrowed my eyes and kept walking. “Not the devil, just a liar.”
She followed. “You weren’t in training today.”
“Wow, she knows how to speak facts.”
“Funny.” She sighed, softly. “I was told that you were the head of cyber security services. I think it would be beneficial for my training to understand the security protocols in place to enhance my enforcement role.”
I wasn’t sure what she was asking.
“I would like to shadow you.” She finally said.
“Everyone must complete basic training.”
Kenna took a step toward me, leaning down to whisper, “But I want to be close to you.”
“No!” A booming voice announced behind us. “Return to training.”
For a moment, I thought he was talking to me, but his eyes were locked on Kenna. She didn’t say anything, but she appeared to scan his body, as if sizing him up for a fight. Her shoulders are pushed back, and perfectly still, unafraid. While I know her strength, Father’s speed was underestimated for a middle-aged man.
“Now!”
Kenna gave me a pleading look before taking off to the west wing.
I watched her leave and shut my eyes.
“What did I tell you about not trusting anyone? And immediately I find you fraternising with the cadets. Again, might I add. Stay away from her.”
I don’t even want her. “I didn’t seek her out, Father. I listened to what you said.”
“Remember what you are protecting.”
“I do!” I replied. “But it’s not rational for me to ignore the cadets that I teach.”
He extended his hand. I was confused for a second until I reached for it and felt the soft metal of jewellery. My attempt at concealing a gasp failed as soon as I unwrapped our hands to reveal a locket on a chain. It held a singular image inside.
The sight made me choke on air.
“Remember what’s at stake.”
I shook my head. Tears collected on my chin, a drop landed in my hand– on the locket.
Inside was a picture of a newborn baby.
Georgia.