Oath Bound
Page 45
“What did you want from her?” Kori asked. But instead of answering, I stood and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans.
“That’s all I can afford to tell you, and I don’t want to insult you with a lie.” Again. Though, if they were smart, they’d search for my name online the moment I was gone, and from there it would be easy to guess what I’d wanted from Julia. But at least if they found the information themselves, I wouldn’t have to say the words. I wouldn’t have to remember it again for them, like I’d remembered it for Julia. “I need to go now. Please. That’s as nice as I’m gonna ask.”
Now that I knew Anne’s last name, I could contact her on my own. Later. Maybe she’d actually let me talk to her daughter again.
“Wait, Sera.” Kris stepped forward, and his eyes seemed to see nothing else. Nothing but me. “Please. I have a proposition for you.”
Anne’s brows rose.
“What proposition?” Kori asked, scowling, but her brother didn’t even glance at her.
“Work with us. Please. Work for us, if you need to see this as a real job. We’ll pay you. We need you.”
Olivia frowned. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“I don’t want your money,” I said before he could answer her. “I don’t want anything from you, except for an open door.” And another chat with Hadley, when I was ready. When I’d had time to prepare myself for what I might hear.
“Fine. Then let us work for you. As payment.” Kris stepped closer, and his gaze intensified. This meant something to him. “An exchange of services.”
I have to admit, I was curious. “Work for me...how?”
“However you need us. Whatever you wanted Julia to do for you. We’ll do it, and you won’t be indebted to the fucking mafia.”
“We don’t even know what she wants done,” Ian pointed out.
“We don’t have time to work for her!” Vanessa insisted. “We have to find Kenley. That’s top priority.”
“Agreed,” Kori said, and everyone else nodded.
“Of course.” Kris never even looked at them. “And Sera can help us with that. In return we’ll owe her.”
I shook my head slowly, thoroughly confused. “I can’t help you. For the last time, I don’t know anything about the Towers. I can’t find your sister.”
“No, but you can keep us hidden while we find her. All you’d have to do is hang out with us. Just...stay, and come with us when we go out.” He turned to the rest of them then, glancing from face to face. “Julia won’t stop looking for us just because she has Kenley. She wants most of us dead.” He aimed a pointed look at Kori and Ian, who—I remembered—had killed Julia’s brothers. My biological father and uncle. “Sera can virtually hide us in plain sight.”
They seemed to think about that for a moment.
“Then she could stay even after we find Kenni...” Kori glanced at me. “If you would stay, and hide Kenley while she finishes...her work.”
I had no idea what that meant. I had no idea what Kenley’s work was, but I could certainly hide her. However... “What makes you think you can do what I need done?”
Kris actually smiled. “You happen to be in the presence of a sort of Skilled syndicate microcosm. Kori is a former syndicate bodyguard/hit man.”
“Not by choice,” she muttered. “And it’s hit woman. Though I prefer ‘badass assassin.’”
“Whatever you call her, she’s the best,” Kris said, and his sister looked somewhat mollified. “Liv and Cam are currently syndicate Trackers, on the other side of the city. Ian is a former Marine—Special Forces. There’s no skull he can’t bust.”
“It was a little more delicate of a job than that.” Ian looked insulted. “Though there was plenty of busting skulls.”
“Also, he can practically make his own damn eclipse. Which dovetails nicely with the Skill Kori and I share. Once we get Kenley back, we’ll have a Binder, and I—” He shrugged, not quite self-depreciatingly. “I’m good at finding things.”
“And finding people...” I remembered what he’d told me earlier. A people-finder was exactly what I needed. Also, a people-executioner.
Kris was right. Together, they represented a nearly complete cross-section of the Skilled population. And if I agreed, they’d have a Jammer.
But if we were going to do this...
I took a deep breath, then glanced around the room. “If I’m going to seriously consider working with you guys, you should know what you’re getting into.”
Kori shrugged. “Whatever it is, we’ve probably done it before.”
I hoped she was wrong. But then again, practical experience would come in handy.
I took another deep breath, but that one wasn’t enough to calm me. To fill the hole in my chest that had been growing since that horrible night. “A few months ago, my family...died.” I avoided the M-word at the last second, with a glance at Hadley. If she hadn’t seen any specifics of their murder, I wasn’t going to mentally lead her to the scene of the crime. “Unpleasantly. All of them.” I could tell from the looks of empathy and comprehension that the adults had all heard the part I hadn’t said. Even Gran. “I wanted Julia to find the man responsible. And end him.”
I waited for the objections, or at least some shocked protests. But none came.
“That’s all I can afford to tell you, and I don’t want to insult you with a lie.” Again. Though, if they were smart, they’d search for my name online the moment I was gone, and from there it would be easy to guess what I’d wanted from Julia. But at least if they found the information themselves, I wouldn’t have to say the words. I wouldn’t have to remember it again for them, like I’d remembered it for Julia. “I need to go now. Please. That’s as nice as I’m gonna ask.”
Now that I knew Anne’s last name, I could contact her on my own. Later. Maybe she’d actually let me talk to her daughter again.
“Wait, Sera.” Kris stepped forward, and his eyes seemed to see nothing else. Nothing but me. “Please. I have a proposition for you.”
Anne’s brows rose.
“What proposition?” Kori asked, scowling, but her brother didn’t even glance at her.
“Work with us. Please. Work for us, if you need to see this as a real job. We’ll pay you. We need you.”
Olivia frowned. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“I don’t want your money,” I said before he could answer her. “I don’t want anything from you, except for an open door.” And another chat with Hadley, when I was ready. When I’d had time to prepare myself for what I might hear.
“Fine. Then let us work for you. As payment.” Kris stepped closer, and his gaze intensified. This meant something to him. “An exchange of services.”
I have to admit, I was curious. “Work for me...how?”
“However you need us. Whatever you wanted Julia to do for you. We’ll do it, and you won’t be indebted to the fucking mafia.”
“We don’t even know what she wants done,” Ian pointed out.
“We don’t have time to work for her!” Vanessa insisted. “We have to find Kenley. That’s top priority.”
“Agreed,” Kori said, and everyone else nodded.
“Of course.” Kris never even looked at them. “And Sera can help us with that. In return we’ll owe her.”
I shook my head slowly, thoroughly confused. “I can’t help you. For the last time, I don’t know anything about the Towers. I can’t find your sister.”
“No, but you can keep us hidden while we find her. All you’d have to do is hang out with us. Just...stay, and come with us when we go out.” He turned to the rest of them then, glancing from face to face. “Julia won’t stop looking for us just because she has Kenley. She wants most of us dead.” He aimed a pointed look at Kori and Ian, who—I remembered—had killed Julia’s brothers. My biological father and uncle. “Sera can virtually hide us in plain sight.”
They seemed to think about that for a moment.
“Then she could stay even after we find Kenni...” Kori glanced at me. “If you would stay, and hide Kenley while she finishes...her work.”
I had no idea what that meant. I had no idea what Kenley’s work was, but I could certainly hide her. However... “What makes you think you can do what I need done?”
Kris actually smiled. “You happen to be in the presence of a sort of Skilled syndicate microcosm. Kori is a former syndicate bodyguard/hit man.”
“Not by choice,” she muttered. “And it’s hit woman. Though I prefer ‘badass assassin.’”
“Whatever you call her, she’s the best,” Kris said, and his sister looked somewhat mollified. “Liv and Cam are currently syndicate Trackers, on the other side of the city. Ian is a former Marine—Special Forces. There’s no skull he can’t bust.”
“It was a little more delicate of a job than that.” Ian looked insulted. “Though there was plenty of busting skulls.”
“Also, he can practically make his own damn eclipse. Which dovetails nicely with the Skill Kori and I share. Once we get Kenley back, we’ll have a Binder, and I—” He shrugged, not quite self-depreciatingly. “I’m good at finding things.”
“And finding people...” I remembered what he’d told me earlier. A people-finder was exactly what I needed. Also, a people-executioner.
Kris was right. Together, they represented a nearly complete cross-section of the Skilled population. And if I agreed, they’d have a Jammer.
But if we were going to do this...
I took a deep breath, then glanced around the room. “If I’m going to seriously consider working with you guys, you should know what you’re getting into.”
Kori shrugged. “Whatever it is, we’ve probably done it before.”
I hoped she was wrong. But then again, practical experience would come in handy.
I took another deep breath, but that one wasn’t enough to calm me. To fill the hole in my chest that had been growing since that horrible night. “A few months ago, my family...died.” I avoided the M-word at the last second, with a glance at Hadley. If she hadn’t seen any specifics of their murder, I wasn’t going to mentally lead her to the scene of the crime. “Unpleasantly. All of them.” I could tell from the looks of empathy and comprehension that the adults had all heard the part I hadn’t said. Even Gran. “I wanted Julia to find the man responsible. And end him.”
I waited for the objections, or at least some shocked protests. But none came.
