by I. T. Lucas
23
Kian
Turner walked into Kian’s office and closed the door behind him. “I have the information on Lokan that you requested.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “He’s being followed.”
“By whom?”
“A high-end private detective agency.”
“Who hired them?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to send Guardians to question the tail or go into their offices. Their encryption protocol is impenetrable. My hackers couldn’t get in, and I doubt even Roni can crack that beast.”
“How tightly are they monitoring Lokan? Is it twenty-four-seven?”
“Doesn’t seem that way. They are either being cautious, and that’s why they don’t tail him everywhere, or they are just accumulating information. The good news is that they follow him to his meetings, and no one stays behind to watch his apartment, so it doesn’t look like they are interested in Carol. My bet is that Lokan has stepped on some important toes, and someone is curious about his activities and who he meets with.”
“Someone human.”
Turner shrugged. “That’s what I think, but I could be wrong. If I were Lokan, I would send Carol away until we find out who is investigating him. Losham or Navuh might have hired the agency to find out whether Lokan is wheeling and dealing behind their backs, and the discovery of Carol could be an unexpected bonus.”
“You’re right. I’ll call Lokan and let him know what we have discovered.”
A shadow of a smile twisted up the corner of Turner’s lips. “Knowing Carol, she will give him hell if he tries to send her away.’
“She will, and she will also try to persuade him to jump ship.”
“But you don’t want him to do that.”
“I need him to stay connected to the island, and I’m being selfish.”
Turner’s expression remained neutral. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the individual and all that. But it’s not your decision, it’s Lokan’s. You are not forcing him to stay in the Brotherhood. He has his own agenda that he’s pursuing.”
“Yeah, he still thinks that he can free the Doomers from his father’s compulsion. I wonder when he will sober up and realize that it’s a pipe dream.” Kian leaned back in his chair. “Speaking of compulsion, how are your cult infiltration plans progressing?”
“I have all the information I need, and I’m working on two alternative options.”
“Have you decided whether you are going to use Eleanor?”
Turner nodded. “She’s a wild card, and I don’t have to use her, but I’m tempted to.”
Kian arched a brow. “I’m surprised. You are usually so careful. Why would you want to risk it with an unproven operative?”
“Because if Eleanor proves trustworthy and capable, we will have another asset in our arsenal. This mission is not high-risk or critical, and it’s a perfect opportunity to test her.”
“It seems like you have already decided.”
“I still have to finalize the two alternative plans that I’m working on, and then I’ll compare them to see which one has better odds of success. I’m not going to choose a course of action only because I want to test Eleanor. Depending on the plan I choose, I also might need two additional Guardians for backup.”
Kian nodded. “No problem. When will you know?”
“Probably by tonight, or tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“If you decide to include her, I want safeguards, and I want to be there when you let her know, so I can issue a proper warning.”
“Naturally.” Turner pushed to his feet and collected his briefcase. “I’ll let you know.”
After the guy left, Kian composed a text to his cousin. Call me when you can, and make sure you are alone. Turner says that you have a tail. He sent it to Lokan’s clan-issue phone.
The call came in several minutes later. “Who’s tailing me?”
“A high-end human detective firm. Turner couldn’t find out who hired them, so I’ll send Guardians to investigate. But in the meantime, you should send Carol away.”
“I wanted to do it a week ago, but she refused. She says that we either stay here or leave together.”
Shifting the phone to his other ear, Kian swiveled his chair, so he was facing the village square. “Have you considered jumping the fence?”
“I think about it constantly. But if I run, I can kiss my dreams about the island goodbye, and I’m not ready to do that. Besides, what am I going to do in your village?”
“Frankly, I don’t know. But that’s a secondary consideration to your and Carol’s safety. Perhaps you can work with your brother. Did you know that he’s moving in with most of his men earlier than was planned?”
“I heard the good news. I’m going to become an uncle.”
“If you can convince Carol to try Merlin’s treatments, you might also become a father.”
“We are not ready for that. I need more time to decide what to do, but I want Carol to be safe. Can you talk to her?”
Kian chuckled. “I’m the worst person you could choose for that. The best I can do is ask Syssi to call Carol, but we don’t have time to pussyfoot around her. Just put her on a plane to Canada or somewhere else that is not California. I don’t want her going directly to the village. When she gets to her first stop, I’ll have a runabout route ready for her.”
“Canada it is. I’ll book Carol a flight to Montreal, so make the arrangements from there. I just need to find a way to convince her to go.”
“Good luck.”
24
Richard
“You look bothered.” Wendy handed Richard his cappuccino. “Trouble in paradise? Is Stella getting tired of you?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” He frowned. “Why? Did Vlad say something?”
Wendy leaned her elbows on the counter and braced her chin on her hands. “Relax. I didn’t hear anything bad. Vlad said that the two of you are going to try the virtual vacation machines. How’s that going?”
Richard let out a relieved breath. Planning for the virtual adventure stressed Stella out, so he was glad to hear that she hadn’t given up and was still talking about it as if it was happening.
“Stella didn’t submit her questionnaire yet, but I’m not pressuring her. It’s not urgent, so whenever she’s ready, it’s fine with me.”
“So, if everything is peachy with you and her, why do you look like you’re constipated?” She made a face. “Oh, damn. I forgot that you are still human. You might really be constipated.”
“I’m not. I’m worried. Kalugal is moving into the village sooner than planned, and I might be out of a job. Rufsur is back, and I’m meeting with him for breakfast to talk about preparing the houses for his men. What if Kalugal makes him the supervisor?”
“Not going to happen. Rufsur is his second-in-command, and he needs him to do other stuff.”
“Like what?”
“How should I know? Kalugal bought a fancy office building in the city, and Rufsur is probably going to work with him there. He will still need someone to supervise the building project and coordinate the thousands of details that go into it. Heck, you are going to be so busy that he will need to hire you a helper. I heard that Robert is really good at acquisitions. That’s what he does for Kian.”
“Robert the ex-Doomer?”
“That’s the one. Just don’t call him that to his face. He hates to be reminded of his past, and so does Dalhu.”
Richard shrugged. “Kalugal is an ex-Doomer too, and so is Rufsur and all the other guys that are coming to live here soon. Robert and Dalhu will have a lot of new friends.”
“I don’t think that they will want to hang out with them.” She leaned forward. “And they won’t be the only ones. Working in the café, I hear a lot of talk, and most of the guys are not happy about the unification.”
“I bet the ladies are excited.”
“Some are, and some aren’t. There is still a lot of mistrust going on.”
“Why? With Annani compelling everyone’s cooperation, they can do no harm.”
“It’s not about that. Many think that the ex-Doomers are beneath them even if they are reformed. They are uneducated, and their morals are questionable. Basically, they are not considered good people.”
“Is Kian aware of that?”
“Are you kidding me?” Wendy rolled her eyes. “He hates Doomers. Everyone knows that.”
“He doesn’t hate Kalugal or his men. I’ve seen him interacting with Rufsur, and the two of them were quite chummy.”
“Speak of the devil.” Wendy motioned with her head toward the walkway. “Your breakfast guest is here.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
As he turned, Richard assumed his salesman persona, putting on a friendly and confident smile and waving his guest over. “Good morning. I’m ordering breakfast. What can I get for you?”
“A cappuccino and a pastry will do.”
“Which one?” Wendy pointed at the display.
“They are all good. Pick one for me.”
“I can do that.” She looked at Richard. “Would you like one too?”
“Sure. I’ll have whatever he’s having.”
“I’ll bring your order to the table.”
“Thanks.”
Since it was still early morning, the café wasn’t busy, and there were plenty of tables to choose from. Richard walked over to the one in the center and pulled out a chair for Rufsur. “How was Scotland?”
“Beautiful, but I’m happy to be back home.”
Richard arched a brow. “You haven’t lived here long enough to think of the village as home.”
“True, but home is not a place. It’s where my mate is.”
“Edna was with you in Scotland.”
Rufsur waved a hand. “You know what I mean. Over there, we had a small room to ourselves and had to dine with all of Sari’s people. It was fun, but I like quiet evenings with just my mate in the privacy of our home.”
“I get that. I’m living with Vlad and Wendy, and they are great, but I would rather live with Stella.”
“I hear you.” Rufsur rapped his fingers on the table. “Let’s get down to business. Kalugal is arriving Sunday with Jacki and thirty-six of his men.”
“Are the men flying commercial?”
“No. The first twelve will arrive with Kalugal and Jacki, and Charlie will do two more rounds to bring the rest. That’s thirty-eight people total, which means that we need to prepare nineteen houses.”
“What about the rest?”
“They are staying behind to finish packing Kalugal’s artifacts and preparing them for shipment. That’s another thing we need to plan for. Is there space in the underground facility for the crates? We need to store them in a safe place until Kalugal’s new home is ready.”
Richard wondered what Rufsur had meant by safe. Was he talking about safe from the elements, or safe from sabotage?
“I will check with Onegus. Perhaps we could use one of the storage rooms. We can put a padlock on the door.”
Rufsur chuckled. “I’m afraid that one storage room will not be enough. We need an entire underground level.”
“That could be a problem, and it’s above my pay grade. You should bring it up with Kian.”
“I will. Let’s get back to readying the houses. Who will do the cleaning?”
“I can borrow Kian and Amanda’s Odus, and if that’s not enough, I can enlist Wendy and Vlad’s help.”
“What about grocery shopping? I want the pantries and refrigerators stocked with supplies for at least two weeks. Our modified cars won’t be ready for another month.”
“I can order the groceries online and have them delivered to one of the clan warehouses. The Odus can collect the delivery, bring it here, and distribute it between the houses.”
“Excellent. Those Odus are really useful. I wish we had more of them.”
“So do I and everyone else in the village.” Richard frowned. “If your cars are only arriving in a month, what are you going to do in the meantime?”
“It’s the bus for us. Okidu will drive us to and from the office building.”
He arched a brow. “Your boss agreed to that mode of transportation?”
“Good point. I’ll ask Kian if we can borrow Amanda’s butler with the limousine.”
It seemed like Rufsur had no problem approaching Kian when he needed to, and he also seemed like a competent guy who got things done. What did Kalugal need Richard for?
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“Now that Kalugal is moving into the village, will he still need my help supervising the building project? He could assign one of your men to do it.”
Rufsur smiled. “No worries, Richard. Kalugal hired you because you are the right guy for the job, and he’s happy with your performance.” He leaned forward. “If you impress him and ask nicely, he might even consider inducing you. With him being a three-quarter god, his venom is the most potent. He might succeed where others have failed.”
“I’m not sure what I can do to impress him.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“I’m also not sure that Stella and I have bonded, and it seems like I can’t transition without that. How did you know that you’d bonded with Edna?”
“Simple. It was tough to be away from her, and I didn’t crave any other females. But you are still human, so that doesn’t apply to you. It does, however, apply to Stella. You need to find out how she feels about you.”
“How can I do that? It’s not like I can go away and see if she misses me.”
“True, but if she shows no interest in any of the eligible bachelors that are going to flood the village soon, then it might indicate that she has already bonded with you.”
Damn. He had forgotten about that.
Why would she stick with him when she could choose an immortal instead?
“What’s wrong? You suddenly look pale.”
Wendy’s arrival saved Richard from having to answer.
“Sorry it took so long, but we had a sudden flood of customers.” She put Rufsur’s cappuccino and a plate with two pastries on the table. “Enjoy.”
As the guy picked the Danish, Richard reached for the muffin, but then put it back down.
His appetite was gone.
25
Sari
“I’m sorry.” The nurse smiled apologetically at Sari. “The visiting hours are between eleven and one in the afternoon, and then again between six and seven-thirty in the evening. Doctor Levinson can go in, but the two of you will need to come back later.”
Luckily, it wasn’t the nurse from the day before, so Sari didn’t feel guilty about thralling her. “Certainly, you can…”
Lisa tugged on her sleeve. “That’s okay. We can come later during visiting hours.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Mom needs her rest, and Dad…well, he’s unconscious, so he wouldn’t even know that I’m there.”
“Do you want to wait for me in the cafeteria?” David asked. “You didn’t have breakfast yet.”
They had eaten energy bars, washing them down with the complimentary coffee in the hotel’s lobby, but that didn’t qualify as breakfast.
“Yeah, I want to eat.” Lisa tugged on Sari’s sleeve again. “Let’s go.”
“We will see you later.” Sari kissed David’s cheek.
Out in the hallway, she leaned closer to Lisa. “I could have gotten you in.”
“I know, but you said that it was against the rules. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”
Sari chuckled. “I’m the boss, so who is going to call me out on that?”
Lisa arched a brow. “Somehow, you don’t seem like the type who’d expect less of herself than she does of her people.”
“You’re right. Normally it means that I need to adhere to the rules even more strictly than the
others.” She pressed the elevator button.
As they entered the elevator, Lisa glanced at the security camera mounted above the door, then leaned and whispered in Sari’s ear, “What about shrouding? Is that against the rules?”
“No.”
“Good. I want to talk to you about my mom, and I don’t want to have to whisper.”
“Aha.” Sari cast her an amused sidelong glance as they exited on the cafeteria level. “So that’s the real reason you didn’t want to go in with David. It wasn’t because you were worried about my integrity.”
“Guilty.” Lisa pulled out a chair for her. “Can you do that thing now?”
“Don’t you want to get food first?”
“It was just an excuse. I’m not really hungry.”
“Neither am I.” Sari waved a hand, encasing them in a bubble of silence. “Go ahead.”
“Can we tell my mother about the immortal stuff?”
Sari shook her head. “It’s better that she doesn’t know.”
“Why?”
“First of all, because of safety concerns. But also because it might depress her to know that she could have turned immortal but is now too old to transition.”
“Is she really? Maybe you can make an exception for her?”
“It’s not about us refusing to turn older Dormants. At her age, there is no way she would survive the transition into immortality. David barely made it, and he is only thirty-eight and in top-notch physical condition.”
“Bummer.” Lisa slumped in her chair. “What about me?”
“You will have to wait until you are old enough to fall in love.”
“What does love have to do with it? Don’t I just need to get bitten by an immortal male?”
Sari took in a long breath. “That could have been enough when you were twelve or thirteen, but since you are past puberty, more is needed.”
“Like what? Falling in love? No offense, but that sounds like bullshit to me.”