I didn’t look him in the eyes, knowing it would give him more of a reason to find an outlet for his anger. “It seems like the heirs are now getting along after their fight.” I decided I would tell him what I saw, knowing he could see it himself if he looked at the internet. He scoffed, throwing his head back like it was useless information, but I continued.
“The heirs all went with the Desmond representative to do collections.” This next part, I paid particular attention to my uncle. “They went to a bookie’s pawn shop, tortured one of the men there, and learned where the man they were looking for was.” My uncle’s eyes narrowed.
“Continue.” Oh, so he was curious as to what I gleaned. Let’s make sure he thinks I didn’t get too much to connect him to the whole mess.
“They got the address for some warehouse. In order to follow your directions, I stayed at a distance, not following them into the building, but I heard the disturbance they made.” I turned to face him. His face went slack, trying to not show any emotions about it, but his eyes lit up in a furious rage.
“And?” I turned away again, seeing what I needed to as I continued vaguely.
“It seemed like they took care of whoever was inside and then went out the alleyway to chase the only person that escaped.” I shrugged, pretending I didn’t know he had anything to do with it. “Since they caught the person, I made sure to see how they worked as a team, cataloging that for later before I left and came here.”
My uncle vibrated with fury as he turned away, not saying a word. He took a few breaths. Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he turned around and grinned at me, his eyes taking on a slightly crazed look. “That is all interesting information. I’m sure you didn’t like seeing them all working together.”
My thoughts froze as my chest tightened, trying to understand what he was getting at. He let out a small chuckle as he patted my shoulder and looked up at me with a sad smile. “They are all working together great... without you. Without the Devils. It’s like they’re saying with their actions how they never needed us to begin with, and that must be hard for you, knowing that your father had always intended you to be a part of that little group.”
I tilted my head down, not wanting him to see how much he hit home with his words. This was what he did well. Always aiming for the heart and knowing just when to push it one way or the other. If I wasn’t completely devoted to Rayla Desmond, I would have already been on a warpath against the Syndicate, taking all my rage and loneliness and painting their streets red with blood.
“Don’t worry, Lex. We Devils will have our time soon. Plus, I have an idea for a little bit of payback.” His smug voice grated on my ears. I nodded as I backed up, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible. With my uncle, if you stayed around him for too long, you got diminishing returns.
Before I could get to the door, he called out, “I know it’s hard for you, Lex, but I will need you to keep an even better eye on them. If you could get into their houses, know how the Desmond compound works, that would be best for my plans.”
I took advantage of that sliver of an opening and asked, “And what are those plans? That way I can look for the best way to gather the information you need.”
He frowned at me. “Lex, I have told you many times. I will tell you when we are ready to make our move against them. When I know that we will have the upperhand and the advantage. I will make sure we win at all costs.” His frown tipped up into a cruel smile. “Remember, all good things come to those who wait.”
“You’re right, Uncle, I will not fail you.” I got out of there as fast as I could, always feeling like I was in quicksand when I was around him, not wanting to get swallowed whole.
I closed the door, walking out of the house as I grinned to myself. He wants me to get closer to the Desmonds and to stay away from here longer... Well, that worked perfectly for my plans.
I would just go to my house, get a little sleep, and then sink into the shadows around my rose. I was going to keep my eyes on the prize tonight.
Chapter 5
Thiswasoneofthe only mornings I would be up early and ready to take on the day. Right before I went to bed, I had picked out my hunting outfit. A set of black, form-fitting, high-waisted trousers, a stretchy, low v-neck, long sleeve T-shirt with a black corset on top that appeared more like armor than a part of the outfit. If I was going to go searching for someone, I would look like a badass doing it.
I sped downstairs, wanting to get a quick bite from the kitchen before getting to the war room. I knew I would be early, but I was hoping to bounce around some ideas with my dad and Cosmo to cover as much ground as possible. I was serious and determined, and I wanted the men to understand that from the get-go.
I went into the side entrance for the kitchen, Lisa, our house manager, hummed as she cooked up a feast at the stove. I snatched one of the banana blood muffins she had in a basket on the island, sinking my teeth in them as she said, “Are you going to be rude today?”
My throat went dry as I tried to gulp my bite down, and my cheeks pinkened since I knew she was a stickler for manners. “I’m sorry, Lisa, I just wanted to hurry for—” The door to the dining room swung open and several male laughs drifted in as Cosmo walked through with a pinched mouth.
He saw me and stopped as the door closed. His gaze blazed a trail from the top of my head down to my steel-toe boots as if he was undressing me and assessing the outfit at the same time. Butterflies filled my stomach, and my tongue tied into knots.
“Ray—” The door swung open again, and my dad came through.
“Lisa, you are a goddess of the kitchen, but is there any way that you can make that special vanilla foam you put on coffee, but in a cup all itself? I want to gloat to the others.” He turned, his eyes smiling as his arms went wide. “Sunshine! Why don’t you come in and have breakfast with me and the boys.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pushed me toward the door to the dining room I didn’t want to go in. I glanced back at Cosmo, mouthing to him for help. He smiled and shrugged, obviously not planning to help me out.
My dad shoved the door open, and the whole room fell quiet as all eyes landed on me. “Look who came down! I told you boys she would be up early to start her search. Pay up.” My dad moved around me, shoving his open palm out to the other bosses.
All three groaned in complaint as they took out their wallets and shoved cash his way, but I was more interested in the three men at the other end of the table—Ax, Avery, and Falcon sitting there with full plates in front of them.
I would’ve been mad, as it seemed like I was the last one here with a stupid muffin in my hand, feeling like the odd man out, but I could tell they were dragged here.
Ax yawned for the second time since I’d been here. Avery was blinking hard as he was trying to stab his food with a fork, unsuccessfully. Falcon seemed most alert, but when his dad called his name and he had to say it again for him to pay attention, I knew he was just as beat. While that was frustrating in the working sense, as they were supposed to help me with the hunt today, I also found it hilarious, and it helped me relax.
Our dining table had always been a long ten-seater, making me feel uncomfortable since my dad, Cosmo, and I rarely ate together. I preferred to eat at the counter while gabbing and watching Lisa as she did her thing. Cosmo always adjusted to where I was eating, even though I think he preferred the dining table. This time, the table was full. I took the chair between Avery and his dad, while Cosmo went the long way around and took the seat next to Ax. With Falcon sitting on the other side of Ax, my eyes drifted to the empty seat at the end of the table, and my heart tugged. That would be Lex’s seat. Then we would have a full house. Rayla and her men. It had a nice ring to it.
Lisa glided in with a cart, putting out several family-style dishes, something for everyone. Blood-infused items for us vampires, slabs of bleeding red raw meat stacked up high for the wolves, various shades of greens and grains that are more nutritious for the fae, and normal human food for the mages. We all could eat the same food, it was more about Lisa trying to impress them with their species-preferred foods.
