If it had just been the president and me, then I’d have been more forthcoming on why I wanted to leave, but Weaver didn’t know Jack or have the same attachment to her as the president and I did. It would look bad if it got back to headquarters that we were prioritizing an off-duty hunter’s attack over hunter related information.
President Fleming cleared his throat. “Oh, yes, well, I can see how that would put some fire under your ass.” His way of saying why the fuck didn’t you say so sooner. “Weaver told me you crossed a few names off that list already this week.”
“Yes, sir,” I answered, trying not to let my impatience show. “The woman in the alley, Marianne, was part of an anti-council group, but was not part of the group that attack Durand. Gavin was also part of the same group.”
“And how could you tell that this Gavin fellow was telling the truth?” Fleming questioned, not just taking my word for it. “Weaver tells me he is a vampire, as well. You of all people should know that they are prone to lie to cover their own asses. Did you use every tool at your disposal?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, sir, to be frank, my position as a professor would make it hard, if not impossible, to use my usual tools for extracting information without exposing the mission.Hunting down Gavin to speak to him about his association with Marianne was already going to look suspicious.”
There was a pause on the other line. “How exactly did you obtain this information then, Fawley?” President Fleming asked.
I shot a look at Weaver, not wanting to bring him into our business, but not seeing any other way. “Someone was there before me.”
“You didn’t tell me this,” Weaver whispered harshly next to me. “We can’t be effective partners, if you’re keeping things from me.”
Ignoring the other hunter, I focused on the president. “When I arrived at Gavin’s dorm room, the door had been busted open, and someone else was in the process of interrogating him for the same reasons as us.”
“Someone else?” the president drew out.
Weaver glowered at me, waving his hands and obviously trying to get my attention. I shot him a look that said shut up or else, which seemed to make him stop for now. He crossed his arms over his chest and sank into his seat, sulking like a child. Maybe he and Jack had some things in common, after all?
“Yes, sir, that’s what I said.”
There was another long pause. “And this someone else, they are on our side?” Fleming asked.
I barely held back a snort. “No, I wouldn’t say that, sir.”
“Then why didn’t you arrest them for attacking another student or at least report them? I know being a professor has forced you to be more sedentary, but I didn’t think it would make you soft, Fawley.”
I tried to think of the best way to explain what happened without giving too much information away to the hunter sitting beside me. “I have no problem doing my duty, sir. However, in this case, I believed the normal protocol for this individual wasnot in our best interests as they would have dire repercussions should our mutual acquaintance find out.”
President Fleming blew out a hard breath over the phone, glass clinked in the background. “I swear to God,” he muttered, “that girl is going to send me to an early grave.”
“Sir?” I probed, wanting to get this meeting over and done with.
“Fine,” the president sighed heavily. “I accept your reasoning, though I don’t like it. Do we think this same person is responsible for the other member, Marianne’s, sudden demise and the message on the wall?”
“Most certainly.”
“Fucking hell.” He paused, breathing heavily over the line. “Fuck it. Do what you have to do to find those fuckers that attacked Durand. Even if it means working withhim.”
Everyone knew when the president started cursing up a storm, you knew there was no room to argue and though I despised the thought of working with Kyren, I would do it, for Jack.
“Weaver!”
“Yes, sir!” Weaver jumped to attention in his chair.
“You will provide any backup Fawley requires in this aspect. This task is of equal importance to the main mission here. We need to nip this shit in the bud before it gets any further out of hand.”
“Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir,” Weaver quickly agreed with him. I swore if the president had been here now, Weaver would have pissed himself in fear. Maybe it was a good thing that he didn’t go out into the field. Weaver might have had a heart attack if he had to come up against a hostile supernatural all on his own.
“Fawley,” the president added on, sounding tired over the line, “keep me posted.”
“Will do, sir.” I hit the end call button before pocketing the phone and heading for the door.
“Hey, now, hold on a second.” Weaver jumped to his feet and followed after me. “We’re supposed to be partners here. I can’t help you with this mission if I don’t have all the data points. You leaving out critical mission data leaves me blind and unable to come up with an accurate plan of action going forward. I need you to—”
“No,” I stated, turning to face him head on. With several inches on him, I forced him to look up at me as I spoke my next words. “You are here to assist me, Weaver, not the other way around. There’s some information that you are not privy to and, as the higher-ranking officer, I will decide if it is prudent to share that information with you or not.”
