“Did I tell yo—” His eyes landed on mine, and I instantly saw the concern and relief pooling in his eyes. He immediately encircled me, pulling me into a huge bear hug that was a little on the too tight side.
“You’re choking me.”
“That’s what you get for worrying me.” He squeezed even tighter before he released me, and I made a couple of exaggerated inhales to make him feel bad.
It didn’t work since he laughed and called me to come into his office. The lights in here were always dim, making it feel more like a speakeasy than an office. It made sense, as he had a hidden cellar of booze in the bookshelf behind his chair and one of those fancy full bar globes in his work cellar. Long story short, my dad liked his booze.
I dragged my feet over to his desk and plopped myself into the chair across from him. He moved around his desk to sit down. “So, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on and why you were missing?” He shook his head as he folded his arms and sat back in his chair. “You know that you almost broke Cosmo, right? He became a little unhinged while you were gone.”
I wrinkled my nose at that, immediately feeling bad about getting kidnapped, but what could I have possibly done? It wasn’t like Lex would give me a cell phone to call Cosmo to come pick me up. “I know, Dad, and I feel terrible, but getting away after being kidnapped, after all my men were killed in an ambush, was more of my priority than calling in to my brother to make sure he was feeling okay.”
My dad’s eyes narrowed as his jaw twitched. Oh, no, Daddy was mad, but I didn’t have time for this. I raised my hand before he bellowed out his frustration at me being kidnapped. “Look, it’s a long story, and I will tell you, but I need you to promise you will be quiet until I say I’m done. You got it?”
He sneered at me, not wanting to agree, but his curiosity won, and he gave me a curt nod. I told him about what the two communities told us, the basin of the mountain that we went to, the hooded figures, and then fessed up to Lex taking me.
He almost broke the agreement at that part, opening his mouth as his face was so red it looked like he would pop a blood vessel, but I growled at him in warning. He was wise enough to take a few deep breaths before motioning me to continue.
I then told him about some conversations Lex and I had, minus all the sex, leaving the Syndicate, and mate talk. I just didn’t think he could handle that right now, and it wasn’t imperative that he knew that information.
I told him what Lex thought of him and the other bosses, about his uncle, and what their original plan was for coming here. My dad stayed silent, staring off into the distance for a whole minute before going to his liquor globe and pouring himself four fingers of some whiskey.
“Look, Dad, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me.” He looked at me, waiting for my question. “I need to know if what Lex thinks about you is true. Did you really plan to kill him?”
My dad’s eyes widened as he took several steps toward me, and his glass clinked onto the desk before he kneeled before me. His eyes shone with regret and sadness, something that was rare to see as he shook his head. “No, Sunshine. Never. He was my best friend’s son. I might be a killer, a violent and crazy man, but I wouldn’t do something like that. I would never betray one of my friends, dead or alive.” He grabbed my hands, looking down at them as he squeezed. “They were all I had at one point in my life, the only people I could count on.” He kissed my hand before he let go, got up, and walked over to his desk with his head down.
I knew it. I knew my dad would never do something like that. He would never even joke about doing something like that. He took his words too seriously, especially back then. He taught me that your word and your criminal code were the only things you could rely on, the things that kept you from falling apart when you did despicable and vile acts. It’s what made the Syndicate so strong, that these hardened and vicious men all believed in something, in each other. That bond was not destroyed with death, only enhanced.
I nodded to him as I rose out of the chair. “That’s what I thought.” I moved around his desk, grabbed his head between my hands and kissed his forehead, letting him know I believed him. I pulled slightly away before I followed with, “And this is why I’m still determined to bring Lex into the fold.”
My dad leaned back, eyes wide as surprise splashed across his face. “But, Rayla—” I stopped him right there, shaking my head as I continued.
“Dad, he needs us. I know we are getting off to a rocky start, hell, he has been actively working on trying to take us down until now, but I still see that spark in him. He’s smart, cunning, and thinks outside of the box. He could be useful in more ways than one, but more than that, he’s Syndicate.” The last part, I whispered. “I have to try, Dad. If not for me, then for Rathe and Unna Devil. Their son deserves to stand alongside the rest of us heirs. We need to make this right.”
His shoulders slumped, signaling he was giving up on trying to convince me otherwise, but I also saw a twinkle of pride as he looked up at me. “All right, daughter, you win. I’m guessing you have a plan already in motion for this meeting?”
My lips spread into a wide grin. “Kinda. I still need to work out the kinks.” I thought for a second about stabbing him with the syringe of knockout juice and smiled. “But I think I bought myself some time.” My dad chuckled as he nodded.
“Do you have anything else to tell me?” I shook my head, knowing this was the most pressing problem, and he didn’t need to know the weird feelings I was having for my brother, my stalker, and the three other heirs. That might blow up his mind tonight, and I only wanted to give him problems he could fix.
“Well, good, because I have some things to update you on.” He took a deep breath and pushed a few papers across the desk. “So, it looks like the chemical compound that Falcon snagged at that drug distribution spot is a mixture of some nasty hallucinogens infused with magic that can turn the user into a mindless drone.” Well,that’snot good.
“On top of that, Easton stumbled upon another spell that we’re guessing triggers when you have a certain symbol drawn on you. The only reason we know that is because when we tried it out on a subject, a magical shimmer kept racing over its body, trying to read the tattoos on the body. After a few magical passes, it gave up, or deactivated that spell.”
I tapped my chin as I thought about it. If it was trying to activate something, what could you possibly want from supes under the influence? Is someone trying to steal supe powers? Life force? Bodies? “Have you guys come up with some ideas on what that second magical trigger is for?”
He shook his head. “No. Easton keeps trying, we have been throwing around ideas, but nothing is sticking. We are thinking of going out to look at that location you guys busted up, see if there are any clues as to where a lab may be hidden.”
I couldn’t help but think of Lex and his uncle, about the reason they came back here. “Do you think Lex’s uncle is a part of it?”
Shrugging, he took a deep tired breath. “Vincent could be the one behind this, the timing is right, but it could also be its own separate issue. I mean, he would need a massive compound with a laboratory to make something like this for mass distribution, and I would’ve been notified if someone bought property that big.”
A yawn worked its way out of my mouth, and my dad smiled. “Look, none of this is going to change anytime soon, so how about you get some rest, and we will talk about it later.”
“What about you? Don’t you think you need some sleep?” I wished my dad would get some sleep, but I knew he wouldn’t. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since Mom died. I caught him in the middle of a nightmare once, and from then on, sleep was more of a power nap for him. His only saving grace was he was a vampire and had to consume more blood faster to keep his body in tip-top shape. I’m just lazy and enjoy the way sleep regenerates me.
He shuffled papers around on his desk, not looking me in the eyes as he mumbled, “I still have some work to do, things to plan and figure out.” He finally looked up at me with a sad smile. “I will get some shut eye when I’m done.” Lies. We both knew he was lying, but I nodded and moved toward the door.
I got about halfway to the door before I turned. “I love you, Dad.” I didn’t say if often, mushy stuff not being my forte, but I felt like, right now, he needed to hear it.
