“Same difference.”
Liam throws a wadded napkin at Darwin. “No, it’s not.”
I don’t recall seeing the name Skunk on our list, and I haven’t interviewed a Skunk I would remember. “Does your brother go by a different name?”
“Yeah. Stephen Parker or Fields. He might have applied under Fields, like I did.”
That name doesn’t ring a bell either. I need to look into it. I also need to know about Henry Chase. He’s the kid I met near Ruby Falls when I was investigating Jessica’s case. With Anders’s approval, I brought him here to train as a guard and to master his magic. Sodie talked about his brother’s involvement, his sister, and the Young Alpha Dimitri. So where does all of this leave Henry Chase? I think I already know the answer. “What is Henry Chase’s involvement with Jessica?”
Sodie chokes on his beer, nearly spitting it everywhere. That fucker wasn’t planning to tell me. What the hell else is he hiding?
“Sodie?”
He wipes his face with a napkin. “Henry is Dimitri.”
Fuck! I smuggled a Young Alpha out of his fucking territory. I hoped he was just one of the kids working with Bart. He has to go back. I don’t even know how I will undo what he already knows. He could take everything he saw here and tip off the Resistance. Fuck! How in the hell did I go wrong here? I’m usually very good at reading people. No, I’m usually better at conducting background checks and investigations. I let it slide this one time because he needed help. Fuck, I pound the table with my fist.
Sodie leans forward, anxiety written all over his face. “I know what you’re thinking. He is nothing like his father. I will vouch for him. I know with everything you just heard, you probably don’t think I’m the most trustworthy guard right now. But please don’t do this to him. He doesn’t know his dad works with the Resistance. I never told him.”
“What makes you think he doesn’t know? That’s his father, for fuck’s sake.”
Sodie winces. “Do you know everything that your father does? Or Anders?”
“No. But he also lied about who he is.”
“He lied because he wanted a way out. The day Jessica died nearly sent him over the edge. He blames himself.”
I look at Liam. “Did you know about this?”
He grimaces. “No clue.”
“What about Luke? Didn’t he recognize him? You all went on the same plane together.”
“He wore a hat and hadn’t shaved for several days,” Darwin adds between bites of wonton. He swallows and continues talking. “I didn’t recognize him, and we went to computer camp once together. He did not look like that. We were pretty close then. One time, we?—”
Liam laughs. “I just fucking can’t with you right now. Please stop fucking talking.”
“Sodie?” I growl.
“He avoids hanging with us when Luke is around. Since he’s been here, he learned some very cool tricks with his magic. He just really wants to stay, away from the constant reminder of our failure in the LS.”
“She’s alive,” I remind him.
“He doesn’t know that. Neither does my sister.”
I slap my hands over my face. This just gets fucking better and better. “Why? Do I even want to know?” Darwin opens his mouth to speak, but I point at him. “Don’t. Not a word. Just don’t.”
“I was just going to ask for the wasabi,” he whines.
“Is he always like this?” I ask.
“Pretty much. You have to give him some credit. He did hold it in until now,” Liam states.
They all laugh, while I pinch the bridge of my nose. This fucking conversation is giving me a headache. Another round ofbeers hits our table. I ask the waitress for something stronger, but my request is lost in translation. I end up with shit. “How do you plan to hide the fact that Jessica is alive?”
“First, he doesn’t know her real name. When he asked about the Princess, I told him that the royals adopted a girl with magic that they met at an orphanage. Second, Jessica didn’t demonstrate storm magic when she lived in Territory Two. That’s new.”
“What about when he sees and recognizes her?”
