Xave: you around?
I’ve only made it down the front steps when my phone pings with a text.
Jace: yup
Jace: why?
Xave: Jordan just gave me a job
Jace: what kind of job?
Xave: a deep dive on one of the keepers
Jace: thank fuck
Jace: do you have any idea how bored I’ve been?
Xave: something tells me I don’t want to know the answer to that
Jace: not if you want plausible deniability
Jace: get your ass over here before I get bored again and everyone regrets it
Xave: on my way
I don’t bother knocking when I reach Jace and Jax’s dorm room and push the heavy wooden door open to find Jace sitting in his usual spot at his desk. Completely unbothered by my entrance, he spins around in his chair as I close the door behind me.
“Hey,” he greets.
“Hey,” I head over to Jax’s desk to grab his chair.
“You got a job?” Jace asks as I wheel the chair over.
“Yup.” I flop down on it and lean back, stretching my legs out in front of me as I do.
“Who are we looking into?”
“Damon Cosgrove.”
His brow knits. “The emo guy in the Keepers?” he asks after a few beats.
I nod.
He shoots me a confused look. “What did he do to get on Jordan’s radar?”
“He found out Eden walked Damon home a few weeks ago and went into Romeo House with him.”
Jace laughs, his eyes sparkling with dark humor. “And he’s still breathing?”
“For now,” I tell him. “Jordan wants me to gather intel to see if he’s going to be a problem.”
“Where do you want to start?” Jace asks, tapping a few keys on his keyboard. “His school records?”
“Yeah.”
I really want to look at the school security cams to see what the fuck happened to him, but it’s best if I let Jace lead things. Doing deep dives on people and gathering intel that’s nearly impossible to find is one of his many talents, and it’ll be sus as hell if I don’t go along with his method like I usually do.
My cousin is observant as fuck, and one of the most calculating and perceptive people I know, the same as his twin brother. I learned early that trying to manipulate them is futile, and the path of least resistance is almost always the way to go when I’m hiding shit from them.
