“Don’t apologize.If we’re partners, we’ll pick on things in each other’s lives.It’s natural.”
“Yeah?”
Archer nodded.
Atticus sat down.“Okay then.”
They continued to eat for a few minutes.Again, Atticus spoke up first.
“What about you?In a relationship?”
Archer thought about Spencer and the argument they’d had last night.“Can’t say that I am.”
“Well, when you are, I’ll listen if you pop your cork and spew all your shit all over the table.”
Archer barked a laugh, nearly snorting water out of his nose.“That’s a deal.”
It took a few minutes in complete silence for them to finish eating.
“You want coffee?Or there’s some Ghost energy drinks,” Atticus asked, gathering up the empty containers.
“I wouldn’t say no to a Ghost.”
When Atticus slipped out, Archer walked around the table and perched on the edge, staring at the timeline they’d developed.It wasn’t all-inclusive (not yet), but it had enough information that it seemed wise to consider that Holt was on to something.There were definitely signs of a conspiracy.
Atticus returned a minute later with two cans.He passed one over as he stood beside Archer, also staring at the screen.
Gesturing forward with his drink, Atticus said, “Luca mentioned Censorious or somethin’ like that.”
“Yup.”Archer stood, tapped the back button on the screen, and located the folder Atticus referred to.He opened it and clicked on the first file.
“Censorious,” Atticus read, “is a group of vigilantes, consisting of civilians and law enforcement who see themselves as upholders of justice.First operational in … holy shit.1957.Really?”
“They split several times over the years, but they always seem to come back together.”
“How many members?”
“Close to two thousand at last count,” Archer answered.
“All working for the greater good.”
Archer snorted.“The problem with groups like that is it’s perceived justice.They often pervert the law in order to get the result they want.”
“Not to mention, it morphs, right?”Atticus asked.“They can lose sight of what they intended to stand for because the power they wield becomes an addiction.”
“They can, yes.”
“I watch TV,” Atticus said with a chuckle.“So my view is based on fiction.”
“Fiction or otherwise, it’s all the same.They have an end goal, and they bastardize their original beliefs to obtain their objective.”
“Do we have a list of members?”
Archer flipped back to the folder, scanned the list of documents.“I don’t see one yet.”
Atticus set down his can and grabbed the notepad with their running list.“I’ll make a note to get that.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
