The Black Coats

by Colleen Oakes

  Drew snarled, “And you reserve the right to decide their punishment? You, Thea Soloman, judge and juror, student of criminal justice in that she beats on people sometimes?”

  Thea looked down. “You don’t . . .”

  Drew continued, the night seeming to curl ominously around him. “There have always been whispers of the Black Coats in Texas, but most people chalk it up to urban legends, rumors, or just wishful thinking. They’ve been called many things: the Black Belles, the Cloaks, the Lovely Reapers, but it’s always just abstract enough to make it unbelievable.” He stopped pacing and shoved a hand into his pocket. “My dad and I have always been really close, what with my mom leaving and all, and I’ve watched him hunt this group for most of my adolescent years. Sadly, all the most powerful organizations in Texas are filled with Black Coats alumni, including the police force. He couldn’t gain ground. Every time he found a lead, it would fall apart days, or even hours, later. My dad lost his job on the Dallas police force because of the Black Coats, because he wouldn’t let it go. We are living here on the last of his severance.”

  Thea stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. Drew was pacing around her now, running his hands nervously through his hair. “After he left his job, Dad had a flash of brilliance: he had to go to the place where the Black Coats were rumored to have gone a little rogue, a little overzealous. Austin.”

  Thea took a step backward. She didn’t like where this was going.

  “But just like in Dallas, my dad had no luck here. He finally gave up and began doing some private-eye work on the side. Our lives settled down. I thought—for once—maybe we were going to be okay. We like it here. My dad was getting better, leaving his obsession behind and looking to the future for once.”

  Thea’s voice was soft when she spoke. “But . . .”

  Drew stopped walking and took a long look at her. “But then came you. I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t date anyone this year. I didn’t want a girlfriend; I didn’t even want a relationship, but then I saw you climb out of that fountain looking like an absolute goddess, and I fell. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, this extraordinary girl with sad eyes but a fire that burned the air where she stood.” He gave a dry laugh. “I didn’t see you coming, that’s for sure.”

  Thea stepped toward him, the world pressing in on her. “And then?”

  Drew looked up at her, and Thea was surprised to see tears in his eyes. “And then I put together that you were a member of the Black Coats. Unfortunately, I didn’t put it together quick enough to avoid falling in love with you.”

  Her heart stopped beating, and she found that she couldn’t meet his eyes. “And when was that? When you put it together?”

  “I knew for sure that day you left on me on the lawn, but I already had my suspicions. When you said your organization was only for women, it was like it all came together at once. After that, the evidence fell like rain. I don’t know how I even missed it at first: the Black Coats recruit girls who have experienced some sort of tragedy, girls who have a reason to hate men. Damaged girls.”

  His words moved straight through her, leaving her hollow. Damaged girls.

  Drew continued, “I tried following you, but you are impossible to track now that Mirabelle has started driving you, she also being a Black Coats recruit. Once I knew what you were doing, I started trying to ferret out the details that have escaped my dad for years. It was easier said than done; I was falling for you even as I heard the constant lies coming from your mouth. I wanted to expose you, to separate myself from this, to give my dad what he has hunted for almost my entire life. But I couldn’t. So I told my dad the truth. We agreed that I would only try to glean just one essential piece of information from you—the location of the house—but nothing else. My father, believe it or not, cares deeply about my heart.”

  Thea couldn’t breathe. “Your dad knows. About me, and the Black Coats. He knew when I was at your house.”

  Drew wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Yes, but even then he realized that I couldn’t separate myself from you, couldn’t compartmentalize where our relationship was leading me.” Thea looked up at him as the clouds parted, moonlight not sparing her his strong features. “You pulled me into the moral gray with nothing more than a smile.” He reached for her, and she stepped backward, turning away from him ever so slightly. “Can you understand? Thea, you are both the key to the truth and a lock that has closed around me.”

  When he looked at her, Thea could see that Drew spoke in acute misery. “I have no idea where we go from here, but I know two things: I’m in love with a member of the Black Coats, and I won’t deny my father his life’s work. I won’t.” Drew was close now. He reached out for her, and Thea let his fingers caress her cheek. Her lip trembled. She reached for him. “Let me save you from them,” he whispered.

  Thea let her hand drop in midair. “I don’t need saving from the Black Coats. You don’t know anything about them. Drew, they saved me. You wouldn’t even recognize me if you saw me four months ago. You love confident, strong me, but you didn’t know sad little Thea who couldn’t even hold it together.”

  Drew gave a small shake of his head. “I would have fallen in love with you in any state.”

  “Then don’t ask me to compromise mine!” Thea took a step away from him. “I’ve seen firsthand what the Black Coats do, and I believe it’s necessary. We have changed lives, saved lives. You don’t understand the evil that these men do. They hurt women, Drew. They use women; they manipulate women. These men deserve justice.”

  “Justice,” snapped Drew, “is not what you are giving. Whatever their crime, men don’t deserve to be executed and have their bodies hidden away forever, where not even their mothers can mourn them.”

  “Bodies? Executed?” Thea threw her hands up into the air. “Drew, the Black Coats don’t kill people! I’ve never killed anyone. I would never!”

  Drew stared hard at her, and Thea felt all the air around them crackle with electricity.

  “You’re right, Thea. The Black Coats don’t kill people. But the Monarchs do.”

  Thea blinked. “What did you say?”

  The back door slammed open, making both of them jump. Thea’s dad called out over the yard. “Thea, is everything okay?”

  She put her hands on the sides of her head. Her parents had heard them arguing. Fantastic. “I’m fine, Dad. We’re just talking.”

  “Uh-huh. Hi, Drew.”

  “Hello, Mr. Soloman.”

  Her dad’s voice was stern. “Drew, it’s pretty late. I think it’s time for Thea to go to bed and for you to head home. I’m sure your father is worried about where you are.”

  Drew bowed his head and stuffed his hands back in his pockets, slowly drifting back from Thea, the cracks between them widening. “You’re right, sir. I’ll head out. Good night, Thea.” After a long pause her dad went back inside.

  Thea watched in silence as Drew turned and walked away from her. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words didn’t come. He exited their yard through the side gate, his form blending effortlessly into the darkness. When the gate slammed behind him, Thea plucked up the folder, letting the paper slide into her hands. It was as if everything around her was shifting and spinning. With a deep breath, in the light spilling from the house, she read the words to herself.

  TEAM MONARCH, CODE MIDNIGHT

  TARGET NAME: Adam Porter

  DATE OF BALANCING: May 13, 3:30 a.m.

  OFFENSE: Former police officer Adam Porter’s investigation of the Black Coats has become a problem. He is getting too close. Make sure he is eliminated with a probable explanation and no possible leads. We will meet at the Breviary when you are finished.

  Signed,

  Julie Westing

  The words twisted through her, but all Thea could focus on was the giant watermark of a black monarch butterfly, stretched over the entire page, beautiful and menacing. It was the same symbol that she had seen on the weathervane at Mademo
iselle Corday. She had seen it on the door to the house, on books and in pictures, and on the pin that Robin Peterson was wearing when Thea had last seen her alive. The symbol of the Monarchs was everywhere, and as the ground spun underneath Thea, she wondered if she had known the truth the whole time.

  Twenty-Four

  Thea skipped school the next day and spent the morning with her parents going through the motions, knowing that spending time with them was crucial right now. They were both suspicious, and she needed to pour water on that situation before it crackled into a wildfire. They ate breakfast at the Magnolia Café and then caught an afternoon movie that Thea barely paid attention to. As the plot played out on the screen, all she could see was Drew’s face from the night before, his words echoing in her mind: The Black Coats don’t kill people. But the Monarchs do. She desperately wanted it to be a lie, and yet as soon as she had heard the name—the Monarchs—so many answers had fallen into place.

  That’s what Nixon had been doing at Drew’s house.

  Thea shuddered at the thought. If Nixon hadn’t run into her, Drew’s father would be dead. And if Drew would have woken up during the assault, would he also be dead? Thea closed her eyes just thinking about it. I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t.

  The lights came up, and the three of them headed home. Mirabelle was picking her up for the Balancing at six. After hanging with her parents for another hour or so, Thea politely excused herself to her room to take a nap, something she actually intended to do. Instead, she found herself staring at the black monarch stretched across Adam Porter’s Balancing sheet. After a few seconds, she picked up her phone and texted Drew. He didn’t know that his dad was a target, but he did know that they had a file on him. Whatever happened between them in the future, she wasn’t about to let the Porters be in danger. She bit her lip, wondering what to write, settling on the most basic command.

  Drew. I think you and your dad should leave town.

  He texted back immediately.

  My dad is already out of town. He flew to Dallas this morning to meet with his old boss. He’ll be back for graduation.

  Thea let out a breath of relief. Adam Porter was safe for now, which meant Drew was as well. Her fingers traced over the keypad. There was so much she wanted to tell him, and yet the common ground for them was rapidly shrinking. Where could they go from here?

  Finally, she shook her head. “Buck up, Thea Soloman.” She took a deep breath as she typed exactly what she felt.

  We have a lot to talk about. I’m not sure where to start.

  The message popped back up immediately.

  I don’t know what to do, either; but I know when I looked at you last night, all I could think about was how much I still want you.

  Thea leaned back against her pillows with relief, her apparently unreliable heart pulsing joyfully at his words. She started to type but then deleted it; satisfied to leave it there for now. Mirabelle’s horn honked outside her window, and Thea gritted her teeth. Kicking some ass tonight would feel great. Thea hoped that this Balancing would help restore a little of her faith in what she was doing, but more than that, she couldn’t let on to the Black Coats that anything had changed. She looked at herself in the mirror as she straightened the collar of her black coat, her eyes reflecting the ugly storm that was raging inside of her. I’ll get this done, and then I’ll figure out what to do with Drew. Thea jogged into the living room and yelled through an open window. “I’m leaving! Mirabelle is here!”

  “Okay, honey!” Her parents were in the backyard, pretending that they weren’t finishing off a bottle of pinot grigio as her dad gardened and her mom read quietly on the porch swing.

  Casey leaned out the window as Thea approached. “Hey, girl!”

  Thea had sunk into the leather seats before she noticed someone missing.

  “Where’s Bea?” she asked.

  “Aw, poor Bea. She has the flu,” answered Louise.

  Thea sat up. “Wait—can we do that? I thought it had to be all five of us or not at all. Nixon was adamant about that.”

  Casey adjusted the rearview mirror, her voice hard. “Yeah, well, Nixon’s not in charge anymore. Besides, this is a chance for us to prove to Kennedy that we are a team worth keeping. Let’s rub it in her smug freaking face when she sees how easily we can tackle a Code Evening.”

  Louise nervously blew out her freckled cheeks. “Okay, but without Bea, it just doesn’t seem right. It feels off.” She looked at Thea. “That’s what I was telling them on the way over.”

  Three sets of eyes turned and rested on Thea. Her thoughts felt fragmented, torn between the matter at hand and Drew, the Black Coats, and the Monarchs.

  “Let’s just do it,” she finally snapped. “I’m with Casey. Let’s show Kennedy what we can do.”

  At her command, Casey pulled away from Thea’s house and made her way out of her tranquil neighborhood. Thea reached forward and grabbed the Balancing sheet.

  TEAM BANNER, CODE EVENING

  TARGET NAME: Chris McCray

  DATE OF BALANCING: May 15, 7:00 p.m.

  OFFENSE: Chris McCray is an accountant who has been accused of trafficking young women for the sex trade. Please make sure this person is too scared to complete their work.

  Signed,

  The Black Coats

  Mirabelle held up the file. “We have his work address. He usually works until at least seven. Let’s hope he didn’t decide to go home early.” She grinned. Thea tried to silence Drew’s words playing in her mind: Justice is not what you are giving.

  The wealthy suburbs of Austin receded as the car wound its way just outside of town. Mirabelle’s car passed a handful of new hotels on the right, and the road curved left, leading them away from civilization. The road stopped in a circular parking lot, an isolated office building in front of them. It was a new build, and at its base sat a handful of stores, all vacant except for one: McCray Accounting, Inc. Thea’s chest was tight with unease as she stepped out of the car. Mirabelle leaned forward and looked through the windshield, slowly unbuckling her seat belt. The parking lot was empty save for a single sedan and a bunch of construction equipment.

  Casey got out of the car. “Well, this is definitely creepy.”

  There was no sound other than plastic sheeting snapping in the wind, and small bits of gravel blowing in circles near their feet.

  Thea straightened her coat as a trickle of sweat ran down her forehead. “Let’s get this done as quickly as possible. Louise, you lead.”

  They moved forward as one black mass, Louise taking quick steps to the door, followed by Mirabelle and Thea. Casey took the rear, the keys clutched in her hand. Thea made her way over to the windows and looked inside. The office was empty. The door was unlocked, and they stepped inside, where a pleasant chime announced their arrival. The storefront was barren. Instead of a firm, there was only a single desk at the back of the room, holding a potted plant and a sleek laptop. The room smelled of new carpet.

  Someone was moving in the back room; they watched as a shadow passed over the floor. It grew in size as their target moved toward the door. Thea spun and locked the door behind them before motioning to the group. “There might be a rear exit. We need to move!”

  Louise gave Thea a quick nod and plunged forward down the hallway with Mirabelle behind her. Thea heard a gasp, and then she was moving behind them, to where her teammates stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.

  In front of them, a tiny woman stared back, her eyes wide in fear behind frameless glasses. She was wearing a crisp white shirt under a black sweater draped over her thin shoulders and a pencil skirt, reminding Thea of a kindly librarian.

  Louise turned to her leader, her pert face twisted in confusion.

  A witness, thought Thea. This wasn’t good. Thea stepped forward, projecting a cool confidence that she did not actually feel at the moment. “We’re looking for Chris McCray. Is he here?”

  The woman stepped backward. “I’m Chris McCray. How can I he
lp you?” She raised a shaking hand to her chest.

  Nixon’s words flashed in Thea’s mind. Occasionally, we will have a woman target. There are, unfortunately, women who hurt women out there and they are owed justice just like any man. It’s rare, but it has happened.

  “Are you here to hurt me?” The lady stepped backward, her lip quivering.

  Thea hesitated for a moment. They couldn’t hurt this woman, right? She saw Drew’s disappointed face in front of her. Thea Soloman, judge and jury. She took a step back. “I’m sorry, I think we must have the wrong . . .”

  But by then it was too late; her hesitation had cost them everything. She heard the front door chime, that cheery, ringing sound, even though she had locked the door behind them. Something’s not right, she thought, before the chilling realization struck. The abandoned building. The car in the parking lot. The empty office. This is a trap.

  “Go!” she screamed to her team, but it was too late. She heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. A gloved black hand grabbed her waist, pinning her arms against her. Thea kicked off the wall, but there was another man, grabbing her legs and twisting them so that her body was wrenched sideways. A cloth was pushed forcefully over her mouth and nose. When she could breathe again, she smelled the chemicals seeping into her lungs, the pungent burn of chloroform. Thea turned her head, her body flailing to no avail.

  Casey was already slumped on the floor with a man crouched over her. Her hand was clenching as she reached for the car keys, inches away from her fingers. As Thea watched, a black boot came down on her hand, breaking Casey’s fingers. Casey’s screams filled the room, the sound tearing apart everything left inside of Thea. Behind her she could hear the sounds of Mirabelle struggling; her normally strong voice was whimpering, pleading.

  Thea could see in front of her that Louise was still fighting strong—Team Banner’s little teacup of fire. One man was down, and two more were struggling with her. Louise twisted and rammed her elbow into one man’s nose; blood splattered the new carpet beneath her as another man lifted her off her feet. How many are there? Everything in front of Thea blurred and spun. Hold on, hold on, she shouted to herself.