“I can live with that,” Allie said. “Thank you, Tessa.”
“Fifty thousand dollars per year?” Jayesh suggested. “Maybe seventy-five. We could easily afford that.”
“No, it should be much more than that,” Livia countered.
“Double it.” Allie tried to keep the pain out of her voice. Her head throbbed like a vice tightened around her skull. She had to get out of this room. “It needs to be at least a hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year served. We pay them the total for all their years in service, unless that total exceeds their original purchase price, in which case, we would offer that amount instead.”
“It’s still way too much, Allie,” Gregg insisted.
“You’re not thinking far enough in the future, Gregg. We’ve freed how many slaves so far?”
“Twelve,” Livia said, checking her reports. “Including Tessa and Dean.”
“And even that was a struggle. It’s going to take years of digging and searching until we’ve released them all. So, we pay restitution as they are freed, in small amounts here and there. In the meantime, we keep the bulk of the money earning interest. We invest, making that money work for us. We restructure salaries from mine all the way down to the janitors. No one will be low-balled, but we shouldn’t be paying some trainers a ridiculously high wage and not paying others at all. Then we streamline every position. We don’t need college advisors and accountants for the students in residence because they’re just ripping them off, and we’re paying them to do it.”
“I used to pay my college tuition to Soma directly, and my advisors took care of everything for me,” Tessa offered. “I just found out I was paying triple for my classes and books. My mother paid my tuition here when I was a child. But when I started paying it myself, they still charged her as they always had, double dipping us without our knowledge. Everything here was a scheme to fleece the students and their families of as much money as they possibly could. All that money went into Soma’s pockets.”
“I’m so sorry, Tessa,” Livia said. “I never knew that was happening, or I would have stopped it. It’s no secret that my father paid me a fortune to run this place, but I had blinders up. I refused to see so much.” Livia’s hands twisted in her lap. “I’d like to pay twenty percent of each person’s restitution myself. It’s the least I can do. That should help counter some of the cost.”
“I’ll split it with you,” Jayesh said. “We each pay ten percent. I did my fair share of looking the other way for more years than I care to admit.”
Allie could tell by the look on her sister’s face that there was no arguing with her on this. “I appreciate that. It will go a long way in helping these people pick up their lives again and move on. And, as we build the new Soma,” Allie continued, “we will find ways to earn an honest income. We’ll run out of blood money eventually, but by then, if we’re smart, we’ll be making what we need to keep our doors open in the years to come.”
“A hundred thousand per year,” Gregg countered, his notebook a scribble of sums and annual projections. “That’s as much as we can reasonably afford. With Jayesh and Livia contributing twenty thousand of their own money, it should be more than enough compensation for their time.”
“Agreed,” Allie said. “Is there any other business to discuss?” She needed to find a quiet, dark place so she could breathe. Her head was pounding from the effort of controlling her gift.
“Tuition for the summer camp,” Jayesh said. “We should be able to run with it this year, but we need to send letters to the families with pricing information as soon as possible.”
“It’s going to be free this year,” Allie said, sighing. She wasn’t getting out of here any time soon.
“Come on, Allie.” Gregg ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “That’s just not smart business.”
“We owe it to the families of the Fold. If we expect them to trust us with their youngest children, then we need to show them the changes we’re making. The summer camp is the best way we can do that. The kids will get to have a fun summer, while still keeping up with their training, and we invite the parents to come check it out. Let them stay a night or two to see what we’re all about. It’s a chance to suck up to our existing clientele, so they keep coming back when the Senate starts their smear campaign. But we’ll tell them what the tuition will be for next summer, making it clear that this is the only free service we are offering. They will all likely take advantage of it, giving us the golden opportunity to win them all over.”
“I can’t even argue with that.” Jayesh threw his pen down. “Didn’t you go to art school?”
“I minored in business with a special focus in business ethics.” Allie shrugged.
“Let’s set up a team of volunteers to help counter some of the costs,” Gregg suggested. “And let’s work on ironing out the big changes for Soma, so we can give the parents a presentation on what to expect over the next year, like lower tuition rates and more visitation days for the older students.”
“I’ll volunteer some time for that,” Livia said. “I think we should all pledge a certain amount of hours to help with the camp.”
“Both excellent ideas, let’s do it.” Allie added the items to her growing to-do list. Her chest tightened with worry over how she would ever accomplish it all. “I think we’re done for the day. Good work everyone.” She was the first one out of her seat and across the room.
“Allie-girl?” Alexander called from her office through the open double doors of the conference room.
“Hi Grandpa.” Allie smiled with relief. “Let me grab my bag and we’ll head out.” Allie tossed her notebooks and endless reports on her desk, snatched her messenger bag, and followed her grandfather out of the office before anyone could stop her.
Alísun and Alexander had developed a habit of tag teaming her. Whenever Allie found herself in a stressful situation with people vying for her attention, one of them would show up and sweep her off to the warehouse for a little break away from the madness.
She took his hand and practically ran for the elevators. “Thanks for the rescue,” she whispered.
“Ms. Carmichael?” A slender woman with slightly graying hair called to get her attention.
“Dammit.”
“Should we run?” Alexander murmured.
“I wish.” Allie sighed. “Hi there, Elizabeth. What can I do for you?”
“We really need to talk about the curriculum changes to the training program. I sent you a proposal a few days ago.”
“I received it, and it’s very high on my to-do list. I have some ideas I’d like to discuss with you. Can you call my office to schedule the next available appointment? I’ll text my assistant to let her know to expect your call,” Allie said as the elevator arrived.
“Thank you, Ms. Carmichael. I can’t tell you how happy we are to have you here.”
Elizabeth was among many of the staff eager to stay on board after the takeover. She managed the training programs before, and that made Allie hesitant to keep her in her role. But her proposal was strong. She had a lot of ideas and a lot of heart for her students.
“I’m so proud of you,” Alexander said as the elevator doors closed.
“Thank you.” Allie leaned her head on her grandfather’s shoulder. “I’m so exhausted.”
“I can imagine. You’ve taken on an enormous responsibility for someone so young.”
“I love what we’re doing here. I just hope it slows down soon. I can’t keep up this pace.” The work was rewarding, but the stress of waiting and wondering who would retaliate first, the Senate or Marcus, was eating her alive.
“It’s all about delegation. You’ll find the right pace once you have the right people on your team. People you trust to make good decisions. You’re so involved with everything that goes on here; you need to hire several assistants, so you can delegate more.”
“You’re my favorite assistant.” Allie walked with him toward the warehouse entrance
in the basement. “You and grandma are saving my life with your little ninja sneak attacks, forcing me to take a break.”
“We’re almost afraid you’d forget to eat and sleep if we didn’t make you.” He chuckled. “You’re so much like your father in that way.”
The warehouse was open again, so there were a few students coming and going, but they kept their distance as Allie and her grandfather walked along the trail around the lake and up to the waterfall. Allie moaned in relief as she released her tenuous hold on her visions, letting them out to wander in their haphazard way, no rhyme or reason to their movement.
They walked along in silence, her grandfather content to let her relax in the stillness of the sunny afternoon.
“Who is that following us, Grandpa?” Allie glanced behind them. “He seems familiar.”
“Who?” Alexander frowned. “The boys at the dock?”
“No, the guy with the beard, just over there.” She pointed by the cabins. “I know I’ve seen him around here before.”
“There’s no one behind us.” Alexander looked over his shoulder. “Describe what you’re seeing. Maybe your old grandpa can help you figure this one out.”
“It’s so frustrating seeing people who aren’t there. I don’t know how I’m ever going to distinguish real people from fake people. Maybe I should just run around and poke everyone with a stick.”
“You’re young. It’s supposed to be hard.” Alexander smiled. “It was different in my day. Most young people were not as talented as your generation, even though their access to the power was not as limited. It was a different time, and gifts manifested more slowly. I was the exception of my generation, too, you know. I can still remember how isolating that was. To be head and shoulders above the rest.”
“Sometimes I think I’m getting a grip on it again, and then I fumble and have to start back at square one.”
“You’ve hit a rough patch. You’ll get through it.”
“I must have seen a vision of this guy before.” Allie frowned at the bearded man, wondering how on earth she was ever supposed to understand what he represented for the future.
“This spectral man follows you often?” Alexander asked. “That could be a sign that you need to give him more attention than the others.”
“I don’t know; he has the kind of face that blends in with his surroundings. He’s very forgettable, but I get the feeling he’s always there and I just don’t notice.”
“Hmmm. Describe him for me.” Alexander frowned.
“I can draw him.” Allie headed for a grassy patch in the sunlight, pulling a sketchpad out of her bag.
Alexander hung over her shoulder as she quickly sketched the man lingering along the trail near the waterfall. As she filled in the details of his unremarkable face, she could feel Alexander’s tension mounting behind her.
“This man follows you, watching your every move?” he asked, taking a seat beside her in the grass.
“He’s just a vision, but yes.”
“This is Marcus Servius.”
Allie turned toward the man who was responsible for nearly every bad thing going on in their world. The man responsible for all the years her sister had suffered under his thumb.
Her face flushed with anger as she scrambled to her feet to get a closer look. He was bland and boring, the beard his most distinguishing characteristic. Brown eyes and hair. Brown tweed jacket, tan pants, and brown shoes. Average height and build. He would blend in with any crowd with his ordinary face and common features.
“How did I miss this?”
“Marcus is a chameleon, but that is part of his gift. He appears so ordinary that he can blend in wherever he goes, become whoever he needs to become. Without Livia’s mother, Porcia, beside him, few would place him as one of the most ancient Immortals still living in the mainstream world. The question is, why is he following you, even if it is just a ghost of him?”
“He’s watching me,” Allie said as she began to put bits and pieces of the puzzle together in her mind. It was all a giant jumble of information, but once she found a key piece, the others started coming together with ease. “Not this replica of him. But the real Marcus is out there, watching. He surely knows what we’ve done here by now, but he knows who I am, Grandpa.” Allie turned wide eyes on him.
“Keep going, Allie-girl. Talk it out. I can see the clairvoyance sparkling in your eyes,” Alexander whispered.
“Livia always said Marcus was so focused on the prophecy that speaks of me as a male that he never stopped to consider he might be looking for a girl instead.” Allie whirled around to face her grandfather, her chest warm with the use of her power. “He was convinced Aidan was the child of prophecy, but that was just grandma’s way of protecting me from him. Now, he knows it’s not Aidan he’s been looking for. He hasn’t retaliated against us because he doesn’t care about Soma anymore. It’s me he wants now. More than anything.”
Allie turned back to Marcus, taking a moment to examine each of the other figures that wandered aimlessly around him. But they weren’t aimless. Not all of them. Sixteen young Immortals stood around him in a wide circle. She wouldn’t have noticed if not for the open spaces here in the warehouse. As she turned slowly around, she recognized Aidan and Naomi standing in the distance. The other fourteen moved in pairs—the Syntrophos army of the Milan Initiative.
“Oh, my God, he is using Aidan to get to me.” She sank to the ground, too stunned to stay on her feet. Marcus stared right through her, illuminated with a green aura now. “He’s the one behind the Milan Initiative. The Chief Justice is building an army of the most powerful young Immortals they can find, but they’re doing it for Marcus. Not for the Senate or even themselves. It’s him they serve. And somehow, Marcus knows what Aidan means to me. He wants to pit us against each other. He’s a lunatic if he thinks that will ever work.” Fire smoldered in her core. Her hands itched with the urge to release her rage on the one man who deserved it more than anyone.
The aura around Marcus grew brighter. He turned to her, a thin smile spread across his unremarkable face. And then he was gone. One by one, the Syntrophos pairs disappeared, too.
“What just happened?” Allie lurched to her feet, whirling around, looking for the visions. “He vanished. They all vanished.”
“Who?” Alexander asked.
“Marcus and the Syntrophos. They’re just gone.”
“That’s your solution, Allie-girl.”
“What?” She frowned, throwing her hands up in frustration.
“You figured out what his vision meant,” Alexander said. “Your gift knows you don’t need him or the Syntrophos visions anymore, so they’re gone. You figure out all the rest, and you’ll be able to function.”
“I—you’re right.” Allie sat back on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Do you have any idea how many visions I’ve let pile up around me?”
“It’ll take a while, but you’ll thin the herd, so to speak. And then you won’t be under this much pressure. You’ll be able to function and keep on top of what you see.”
“I need to figure out what I’m going to do about Marcus first. How can I deal with him if I don’t know where he is or what he’s planning?”
“You let your old grandpa do some digging,” Alexander said. “I’ll find out what he’s up to.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Do we even have a plan?” Darius asked as they headed down to the lobby.
“I have no idea.” Allie slouched against the wall, wishing the elevator would get stuck so someone else would have to deal with the Senate forces surrounding the building. “I’m relying on Gregg and Liam to handle this kind of thing, but I still have to go out there and talk to them.”
“Livia and I will be right there with you.”
“Thank God for that.”
The Senate forces had arrived at dawn. Nearly a hundred black clad soldiers surrounded the building. They couldn’t get inside the barrier, but they were clearly no
t leaving until they spoke with her.
“How are the visions?” Darius asked.
“Quiet and in control for the moment,” she said. Eliminating the visions of Marcus and the Syntrophos had helped her gain the upper hand on her gift. But she needed time to deal with the others. Time she didn’t have.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t have a clue, Darius. I’m terrified! I don’t know how to negotiate with an army.
As the doors of the elevator slid open, the lobby erupted in chaos. Her own black-clad forces were gearing up to escort her through the barrier to talk to the Senate’s representative.
“Put these on,” Livia shoved a set of protective gear into her hands, instructing her to put them on over her clothes. Allie already had her own weapons tucked at her waist.
“What’s the plan?” she whispered. She didn’t want anyone to think she wasn’t fully in control of the situation.
“We’ve been expecting this,” Livia hovered at her side. “Our numbers nearly match theirs. We have the advantage because they cannot breach the barrier, and since we will not be leaving it, this will come to nothing. They’re just trying to intimidate us.”
“They’re going to expect us to negotiate.” Allie strapped on a protective vest and buckled a weapon’s belt around her waist, sheathing her sai blades in the holster. “But that’s not going to happen. Not today anyway.”
“They think they can frighten you into a surrender with a show of force.”
“Oh, I’m frightened all right. But let’s go show them how good we are at bluffing.” Allie slipped her hands into fingerless gloves and turned to face the waiting group. With a wave of her hand, the doors to Sterling Tower were thrown open, and the dream walkers took position.
Navid led the way through the barrier with Sasha, Quinn, and Santi spreading out behind them. Allie followed with Darius and Livia at her side and her grandparents right behind her. Her soldiers brought up the rear, working with the walkers to widen the tunnel and surround Allie in a protective cocoon. She was proud of them and all they had done to begin the transformation of Soma, but they weren’t nearly done yet.
Emerge- The Heir Page 18