Chapter Fifteen
After being assaulted by Neeva and her goons, Kinzer and Hayde injected their foes with Kinzer’s sedative, hoping it’d buy them some time before all the Council’s guards came down on them. Then he and Hayde packed their resources and abandoned the loft.
Kinzer called Treycore and arranged a new meeting place. He wanted to get as far away as he could from Neeva, so they agreed to meet at a hotel in San Antonio. After a day’s drive, Kinzer and Hayde arrived.
Kinzer called Treycore.
“Where you guys at?” he asked.
“The River Walk.”
He directed him to a restaurant, and as he approached it, he saw Kid and Treycore eating steak and fries beside the water.
Kid.
There he was, the boy he’d gotten caught up in all this, the boy who never should have been captured by the wicked Vera.
Kinzer couldn’t believe it. Treycore had really done it.
Kid and Treycore sat adjacent to each other, facing the waterfront. Kid smiled broadly and giggled, Kinzer assumed at something Treycore had said. Treycore was also smiling as he watched Kid eating. Kinzer could see a light in their eyes, the sort of look that he was used to seeing on new lovers. It gave him hope. Not just because Kid and Treycore had found happiness, but because Treycore’s success with what seemed such an insurmountable task gave him hope that maybe they could overcome all that was against them now.
As Kid devoured a fry, he glanced up and saw Kinzer. He bounced up from his chair, and when he reached his old acquaintance, Kinzer threw his arms around him.
“I never should have dragged you into this,” Kinzer said, expressing what seemed to him to be a very belated apology.
“You never dragged me,” Kid said. “I wanted to come. You saved me, remember?”
Before they’d met, Kid had been trapped in that awful underground sex trafficking operation. But Kid hadn’t owed him anything because of it. Still, he was relieved to hear someone not blaming him for something that seemed to be all his fault.
Treycore came up from behind Kid.
Kinzer was sure he’d never seen him so happy, even when he had all he desired in Heaven.
“Let’s get out of here and talk shop,” Treycore said.
It saddened Kinzer. He didn’t want to pull Kid and Treycore away from their brief moment of joy since their surely traumatic adventures with Vera, but there was no time to savor in success, as there was so much at stake.
Treycore had reserved a nearby hotel.
He led them into a suite.
A large, crystal chandelier hung from a high, dome-shaped ceiling.
Dual doors opened to a bedroom with a king size bed.
As they stepped into the main room, Kinzer peered out the window on the opposite wall which had a view over the river.
Kinzer wondered where Treycore had acquired the money to stay in this sort of space. Surely, his stripping cash hadn’t been that lucrative, especially considering Kinzer was steadily pulling from Dedrus’s unfortunately miniscule accumulated wealth.
Kinzer told Treycore and Kid about his and Maggie’s efforts to hunt down the Christ. He explained that they had run into Hayde, one of the Leader’s Allies, at Kryler’s and that Maggie had been taken when they’d followed a bad lead shortly after. However, not wanting to deal with Treycore’s wrath if he were to discover Hayde’s previous allegiance, he avoided mentioning Hayde’s part in her capture. After some back and forth about their adventures, the conversation returned to the most important issue at hand.
“Any news on Veylo?” Treycore asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Kinzer said. “From what we’ve seen, it’s safe to assume he’s building the Morarkes on Earth. He’s been using several contacts to help him transport the materials, but I can’t figure out where he’s doing it. Thought we had a lead when we found out the company he was using as a front for his little operation, but looks like we’re gonna have to check out a few places.”
Treycore had an irritated expression on his face, one that appeared more irritated than usual, especially considering how ecstatic he’d been earlier. “You heard anything about Willow Haze?”
That sounded familiar. Kinzer thought for a moment before he recalled the name.
