“I was just on the phone with Rachel,” Vale said.
Just like Cyril had expected.“It’s not good news, is it?”
Vale shook his head.“Far from it.The Organization sent someone I worked with after me, which means she knows how I move and how I do things.Even worse than that, she has a team of people with abilities like yours.”
Cyril blinked.“She’s working with a necromancer?”
“Rachel doesn’t think so, but she hasn’t been able to find out what kind of ability they have.I’m sure she will.”
“Does she know where they are?”
“Just that they’re in the area.”
Cyril nodded.He was supposed to see his mom for lunch, but it felt safer to cancel.Hell, it would feel safer to send her away for a few weeks.He didn’t want her to know something was wrong, though, and he certainly didn’t want her to find out about Vale’s past.She didn’t know that Vale was a professional killer.
Cyril wanted to keep things that way.
He sighed.He’d been looking forward to this lunch, but he’d rather have his mother safe than something happening to her because he couldn’t wait to see her.
“I’m going to call my mom,” he said as he got to his feet and grabbed his phone.
“You could still go to lunch with her.I can come along and protect you from a distance.”
“I can’t risk it.Thank you, though.”
Vale nodded.He looked worried, which was an emotion they shared.Vale was used to dealing with things like these, though.Cyril wasn’t.
The conversation was short.He invented a surprise job he couldn’t delay, and she accepted the excuse like she always did.It wasn’t the first time Cyril couldn’t see her for lunch or dinner, and she always understood.He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so lucky to have a mother like her, but he promised himself that he’d keep her safe, one way or another.He’d do whatever he had to in order to make sure she wouldn’t get hurt.
And to ensure that, he needed to know who they were facing.That meant talking to Vale.Cyril wasn’t sure he was ready to tell him about his dream, but he could get answers about the Organization.There was no way Vale didn’t expect him to push for them when he’d delayed their conversation for several days now.
Cyril returned to the living room like a man on a mission.John was still in the bathroom, singing off-key, and Cyril hoped he’d stay there for a while longer.
“I just told my mother that I wouldn’t see her for lunch,” he told Vale.“I told her I had a job, and she accepted it.You’re going to tell me everything you know about the Organization.I want to know why you worked with them.”
Vale looked away.“I already told you.I worked with them because I didn’t have a choice.It was that or starve, and I made what I thought was the right decision at the time.”
“You said you never killed innocents.”
“It’s more complicated than that, Cyril.I never killed children, and when it comes to other people, I try to make sure that Rachel does a background check, but there are always mistakes made.”
“Are you telling me that you killed whoever they ordered you to kill?”
“No.I did what I could to avoid it, but they’re a powerful organization.It was a fine line to walk.”
“But you walked it.”
“Until I couldn’t stand it anymore, I did.I did things I’m not proud of, but I never killed just anyone they would put in front of me, I promise you that.”
“So you didn’t kill children?Or young people?”Cyril couldn’t help but wonder why someone had wanted to kill Melissa.She’d been so young.Why would someone hate her so badly that they’d want her dead?
“I didn’t,” Vale promised.
Cyril’s heart broke a little.He knew Vale was lying.He’d seen it with his own two eyes, sort of.Valehadkilled Melissa, and there was no way she hadn’t been innocent.She’d been too young.
But Vale had shot her.No matter how much Cyril wanted to believe his boyfriend, he couldn’t deny what he’d seen.
Cyril hated that Vale was lying, even though he understood why.Vale didn’t want to lose him, and he didn’t want to lose Vale.Unfortunately, it looked like that was what would happen.Cyril couldn’t live with someone who lied to him.He couldn’t live with someone who would hurt a person like Melissa.
