“Which lab?” I know the Justice Alliance will frown heavily on stealing.
“The one in the Transfer.” His brows hike with amusement. “That is my territory. No stealing involved. Nevertheless, I had taken liberty to examine the crumbs he had left behind.”
“Did Wes stumble upon the serum?”
“No. He failed like I knew he would.”
“Don’t start this crap. Wes isn’t a failure.” This attitude of his that suggests Wes is somehow second rate, second best, has always pissed me off. Wes is a good guy. A brilliant man. A great son, and the fact Demetri refuses to honor any of it shows that even though Wes and I were wrought directly from his loins, we’re nothing more than dispensable objects for his use or disregard. Barron Oliver, the father who raised me, wouldn’t care if I were a janitor down at the elementary school or President of the United States. His affection for me would remain the same. As it should be. As it will be between my children and me.
Demetri nods. “Wes is certainly second rate in my eyes.”
I stare him down for a solid minute.
“Go on.” I’m not biting. “If the serums weren’t a go, then what?”
“Then what? Something far better.” He flexes a dry smile. “Something better, son. It turns out, instead of hiding the markers, this particular formula identifies the markers that are already there and highlights them. It makes no difference if they’ve previously been hidden. In others words, markers that would be reasonably difficult to discern light up like a Christmas tree.”
“A marker on acid.” I nod, trying to wrap my mind around this.
“Precisely.” His grin broadens as the implications proliferate in my mind. “We’re going to do something special with this, Gage.”
“How on earth are you going to get anyone to agree to be included in on this crap?”
His jaw clenches. “This crap, as you so glibly put it, will be a necessity. I’ll make certain every man, woman, and child on the planet will be begging for it. They will need it to survive, tolive. I think it’s time we start in on the second half of this plan, the golden thread that pulls it all together. With your expressed permission, of course.”
“Hell.” I close my eyes because that’s exactly what this will bring on the Nephilim,hell.
“So?” He leans back and folds his arms. “What do you think?”
I let the thought percolate in my mind for a moment. This nefarious, crooked, self-indulgent, wicked thought.
I look up at Demetri and hold his gaze. The big picture comes to me, fully formed.
Dear God, this man, this beast, he’s brilliant. He’s right. The Nephilim people will be mine in an afternoon. Their allegiance to me will never waver. There will be no recovering from this for Celestra. My eternal standing with Skyla will be secure, as will Wesley’s with Laken.
You are welcome, you little bastard. Don’t ever tell me it wasn’t a lucky day that you got a chance to ride my coattails.
A crooked smile hitches up my cheek at the irony. Yes, I am most certainly riding Wesley’s coattails on this one, and I couldn’t care less. I will get this done any way I know how. It’s all hands on deck, even the ones that abandoned me.
I offer Demetri a nod of approval. “When should we run with this?”
Demetri tips his head back. “Initially, I thought we’d spring it on the world just in time for Skyla’s wedding, seeing that her nuptials are upon us.” He leans forward and glowers at me. “Where is she, Gage? How could you take her life, plot with the spirit of her own sister to take possession of her body, and fail to tell me?” The muscles in his jaw flex with tension.
“And you want me to believe that you’re feeding me one hundred percent of the truth—no details whatsoever are being withheld? I may not be as bright as I once believed, but even I know the playing field isn’t exactly level here. I’m giving you what you want, and in exchange, I’m getting something that I want. They call that a business transaction, not a relationship, not one between a father and son. But then, you never really craved that, did you? That’s why you don’t bother catering to Wesley’s feelings.”
“His ego,” he quickly corrects. “No, I don’t care for egos. And I don’t care to be lied to.”
“Are you lying to me?” The question hangs between us like a sickle.
He shifts his head to the side, as if he were looking at me thoughtfully and not with the malice in his heart I’m sure he harbors.
“Why, Gage, if I knew better, I’d think you didn’t trust me. And after all we’ve been through? Such a pity.”
“It would be, wouldn’t it?” I take a deep breath. “We’ll talk about this again after the wedding.” I get up and stride for the door.
“You never did tell me where she is,” he calls out after me.
“It doesn’t matter where she is. Something tells me she won’t be there for long.” I head out, only to find a violent storm bearing down over the island.
