“She has a passion for history that rivals mine. I could talk to her for hours,” he says with a puzzled expression on his face, as if he can’t figure out why that makes her so attractive.I want to chuckle but don’t. Despite being one of the most eligible bachelors in London, he finds most women boring, but apparently, not Phaedra.
“We need to concentrate on finding this group,” Mathias interjects, with an impatient glare at us both.
When did Mathias take on my role? I sigh. He’s right. “You’re right. This group is meeting somewhere. Communicating with each other. Training together. I want to know where. Tap into all your resources and see what you can find. I’ll quietly start investigating the council’s activities. See if there have been any significant changes in their lives.”
Since my father is the most likely candidate, I’ll begin with him.
Gatlin jerks his chin and picks up his phone to start calling his contacts.
For the next few hours, I use a backdoor to access my father’s calendar, then I double-check his attendance at those events. Most of the time, his demand for publicity proves his whereabouts, but there are a series of private meetings that I can’t confirm. As his son, I know most of the afternoon meetings are code for a rendezvous with one of his lady friends. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
I throw down the pen I’m using and stretch. “I’ve got nothing so far.”
Mathias shakes his head. “The council’s finances are steady. With the exception of the auction, there have been no large deposits or withdrawals. Not even in their personal accounts.”
I glance at Gatlin.
Gatlin slowly nods as he puts down his phone. “There’s been a huge uptick in activity at a training camp in Greece. One of our counterparts said he reported it a few months ago, but when I requested the report, he couldn’t find it. I checked with the records department. They have no record of it either.”
I raise an eyebrow. “We should get a team over there to at least check it out. No contact. Surveillance only.”
Gatlin agrees and places the call.
Hawthorne has been diving into Dr. Kline. “Kline’s in trouble. Owes a serious amount of money to a bad group of supes. Word on the street is he reneged on payment,” Hawthorne says, then looks up from his notes. “Have you heard from Basilisk?”
“No, and that’s odd. Usually, they’re on top of things, and this is something they should have found relatively quickly,” I reply with a frown. Picking up the phone, I call the team lead.
“Cian,” he answers.
“Jamison here. Do you have an update on Kline?”
He’s silent for a second, then a loud curse fills the line. “I knew you didn’t make the call. Should have listened to my gut.” I hear rustling in the background. “Sorry. Had to get out of earshot. We were pulled from the investigation two days ago. Told we weren’t providing security for a demon with a gambling addiction.”
“Who pulled you?” I ask, furious that an order was given without my knowledge.
“Order came in via encrypted text. Official channel. No name attached,” he replies in a gruff voice. “I thought it odd. You never use that channel. I did text you, but when I didn’t hear back, I assumed you were out of touch, so I followed the order.”
“I see,” I say nonchalantly, although the implications of what he’s saying is causing magic to spark from my fingertips. “You did the right thing. I was on a mission. The council must have decided on a different course. Would you mind sending me your report?”
“Will do,” he replies quickly. “Call if you need anything.” The tone of his voice tells me he knows something’s up and is willing to help if there’s trouble.
“Thanks, Cian. Appreciate it,” I say, hanging up. The second I hear the dial tone, I pulse magic through the phone, instantly frying it. Then I motion to the others to give me their phones and do the same to each of them. “Mathias, can you get us new ones, please? Something a little more secure.”
He immediately turns around and orders us new encrypted phones from his contact. Someone he knows isn’t affiliated with the council. “He’ll courier them over in an hour.”
After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, I tell them what Cian said. “I never got his text, which means someone is monitoring us and interfering in our communications. Damn it!” I flick my fingers at the nearest chair, sending it flying across the room.
Mathias suddenly blurs out of the room, shouting for us to follow. Phaedra’s in trouble.
15
PHAEDRA
Dreams hold me hostage. The past blurring into the present. I see my sister on that terrible day, see the vase shattering, and hear her scream as I grip her hands, trying to hold her to this world, but I fail, and she slips away. Letz appears, handing me a key, whispering words I don’t understand before he falls dead to the floor. Screaming for them both, I sit up…and realize it’s just a nightmare. Sweat coats my skin. Trembling, I sweep the hair out of my eyes and look around for the second time. I’m alone. Always alone. I need water.
When I step into the main living area, someone grabs me from behind. I stomp down hard on a black leather boot. Bone cracks, and a guttural scream escapes, but it’s immediately silenced. Hands slacken, and a heavy body pushes into me from behind. I jerk away and swivel around to face my attacker.
Blood is flowing from the man’s neck. He’s trying to stop it, but can’t, and falls to the floor, dying. Stunned, I look from him to the man next to him, holding a wicked knife. He killed histeammate before the scream could escape into the night. Brutal. I take a step back. He moves forward. My eyes dart from his face to the knife. It’s similar to the one that killed Letz, but this one isn’t glowing.
