“What do you want?” he said sullenly, trying not to smile. She’d always had that power over him.
Rui’s expression darkened. “I just got off the phone with Ada, who, by the way, seems to know you. Song Yiran is in trouble.”
55
Ash
“Thanks, everyone,” Ash said. “We’ll regroup once the scouts call in. Remember, keep your eyes open and your mouths shut.”
The briefing session had gone better than expected, and there was silent determination in the eyes of the Captains and Lieutenants leaving the room. A team had already traced evidence to a new hideout once used by the Hybrids. It’d been abandoned, but the site was being processed for information in the hopes of finding more clues to their current whereabouts. There were still no reports or sightings of Yiran, and Ash couldn’t help but feel relieved.
He lingered in the corridor, trying to decide between coffee and sleep.
Lieutenant Shuang dallied too, on the rather obvious pretext of untying and retying his shoulder-length hair into a ponytail. They had been classmates in freshman year, and while Ash didn’t confide in Shuang the way he did with Surin, they were close enough and he’d always viewed Shuang as a friend. A reliable one.
“You hanging in there?” Shuang asked.
It was the first time anyone had asked about Ash’s well-being since the morning’s events. After meeting with the Council, he’d spent the rest of the day drowning himself in work. Now that work was over, he couldn’t run away from the personal. Funeral preparations had to be taken care of. The eventual public display of mourning was a performance the Council would plan at some point when they decided to release the news, but Ash could do things his way before that. Auntie Kimmie and his grandfather’s loyal staff of many years were like family, and he intended to inform them when he got home. The wake would be a small private affair, he decided. Just for family.
His stomach clenched. There was one immediate family member who wouldn’t be there.
“Not okay, huh?”
Ash jolted. “Sorry. What can I do for you?”
Shuang shook his head. “I should be the one asking that question. You know it’s almost midnight, right? Your eyes are bloodshot, and you look like you’ve been run over by a truck. Come on, I’ll buy you supper.”
The hour was late, and the walk to the twenty-four-hour restaurant was chilly. Ash had a growing suspicion that Shuang was up to something. For some reason, he wanted Ash outside the Guild building—and alone. The conversation over the meal was ordinary, and they didn’t talk about Exorcist work. Ash felt his guard going down. Stress and the lack of sleep was making him paranoid; his friend was probably just trying to cheer him up.
“You can have this. I’m way too full,” Shuang said when their taxis arrived. He dumped the plastic bag of leftovers into Ash’s arms and pulled him into a half hug.
Something pricked Ash’s palm.
“I follow you, Captain, not anyone else,” Shuang said in his ear. He released Ash, clapping him on the back with a smile. “Try to get some rest.” He got into his cab, leaving a flabbergasted Ash by the sidewalk.
Ash’s cab driver yelled, “Are you getting in or what?”
Once seated, Ash unfurled his fingers. There was a tiny piece of paper with a chicken-scratch code in his palm. A code that he andSurinhad come up with once as a gag between them. But she’d been kidnapped by the Hybrids. He looked again. It wasn’t her handwriting. Quickly, he unscrambled the message in his head.
Others are searching for him too. Takeout box.
Him? Was the note referring to Yiran?
It made sense that the Council would task others to search for his brother as well. Which meant they didn’t trust him. Ash crushed the note in his hand. His brother was in deeper trouble than he’d thought. The Songs had led the Exorcist Guild and Council for decades, and there’d been an assumption that Ash would take over at some point. He had thelineage, and he was gaining the experience. But he was still young; he didn’t know if he was ready yet. Or if he even wanted the job. And now, with his grandfather gone, he—and Yiran—were no longer protected from the hyenas. The Council and other higher-ups were likely making plans in secret. Were they lying about Yiran and what happened at the teahouse?
He pulled out the takeout box. Instead of shrimp fried rice, there was a phone. Only one number was saved.
Ash acted normal, engaging in small talk with the cab driver until he reached Song Mansion. He dialed the number immediately.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” drawled a familiar voice when the call connected. “I’m sorry about your grandfather.”
“Kodie?” Ash said incredulously. Was she the one who wrote the message? Surin must have told her about the code. “Why didn’t you call if you needed to talk? Or tell me to go to your lab?”
“I would under normal circumstances, but I think it’s safe to say this isn’t normal. I can’t leave my equipment, and Shuang figured someone had to get you to eat anyway. You need to take care of yourself.”
“Is this some convoluted plan to nag at me? Because I’m not in the mood,” Ash said irritably, tossing his coat onto a chair in the living room.
“Geez, I’ve better things to do. I heard a problematic rumor from a little birdie earlier and went down a few rabbit holes. There’s a folder stored in the phone you’re holding with raw footage from the security cameras in and around the teahouse.”
