“Silly boys,” she chortles. “You must know by now the Fraternitas answers to powers greater than themselves. Did you honestly think they were in charge?”
“Just answer the fucking question,” Sebastian barks.
Blair crosses her arms and sits back in her chair. “There isn’t enough time to discuss all the Novus Ordo Seclorum entails. Just know nothing planned wasn’t ordered, and the wrath they unleash can not be countered when an order isn’t fulfilled. Even with our combined forces, we’d be nothing more than a gnat.”
Thinking back to the day the Council met with them and the fear on our fathers’ faces, everything clicks into place. Samantha and the Senator forcing our hand has put us all in the crosshairs of an entity we have yet to scratch the surface of their reach.
“What you’re saying is, if we don’t find a way to stop whatever plan Samantha and Senator Baker have put into motion, we’re all fucked,” I clarify, scrubbing my hand along my stubbled jaw.
Blair nods, then grabs her cocktail from earlier and drinks before responding. “Precisely, they have to be??”
A gagging sound fills the room as Blair claws at her throat. Her skin grows red before quickly turning blue.
“What the fuck is happening?” I shout.
Blair’s body jerks, her face contorting in pain.
“Can we get someone to her?” Sebastian asks, pulling his phone from his pocket.
Karl grabs his wrist, halting him.
“O, what are you doing, man? Let me go. We need to call for help,” Sebastian demands.
A glint appears in Karl’s hazel depths. “No one can save her. She’s lucky I couldn’t get to her before now. She didn’t have any further information she could provide, and she’s part of the reason this shit happened,” he spits, lifting the hunting knife to his mouth and licking it. “My only regret is I couldn’t run her through with Quinn.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh. “You crazy fucker, what did you give her?”
“Strychnine,” Karl grins and stands, rubbing his hands together in excitement.
Teagan clears her throat, and our gazes shift to her. “There’s never a dull moment when I work with you fools. I’m out. Until next time.” She gives us a two-finger salute before disconnecting.
Peering at my phone, I notice it’s nearly two in the morning. The party should be winding down. Then I check the files of Blair Davenport’s confessions and save them to various drives.
Tonight seems to have been an all-around win for us if the pictures August sent to the group chat are any indication.
I stand, and as we pack up our things, I can’t help but wonder if maybe the tide is finally turning in our favor.
AUGUST
“So let me get this straight. You infiltrated the Davenports’ staff, convinced one of them to poison her, and then, while questioning her, you killed her?” I ask through my laughter.
Fucking Karl is worse than me when left to his own devices.
“She more than earned it. I’m only pissed I didn’t get to savor it,” Karl retorts, and I can’t argue with that.
They arrived back at the house about two hours ago. We let the party continue for another hour before kicking motherfuckers out. Now we’re sitting around the den in our basement. A live feed of Samantha is on the screen, so we don’t miss the moment the hag wakes up.
Rowan groans. “What if she didn’t answer all the questions in time?”
Karl shrugs. “It takes up to thirty minutes before strychnine causes any lasting damage, according to Liam’s very detailed notes.”
“And you used to think I was being overzealous. My meticulous notes helped you time a murder perfectly,” Liam gloats.
“You can meet Quinn since Blair didn’t get the honor,” Karl quips.
Peering around the room, I grin, enjoying the banter and lightheartedness. I can almost feel the shift. Where despair once resided, now determination thrums like the drums of war.
Sebastian claps his hands, garnering our attention. “Okay, we need to discuss what we learned before and determine what we’re doing with the leech.”
“We could use the smelling salts,” I offer. “Or,” I pause because I’m nothing if not dramatic. “We can just leave her to stew. The cameras are on, and we’ll know as soon as she wakes.”
Drumming his fingers on the arm of the recliner, Liam inquires, “Are we sure she’s not wearing some device?”
“Unless it’s embedded in her skin, there’s no way,” Rowan states.
“She wasn’t wearing a locket or any other jewelry?” Sebastian presses.
I shake my head. “Outside of her earrings, there was nothing else. Why?”
Karl leans forward and recounts Blair’s admittance to sending an unknowing Samantha to our houses with a listening device.
“Should we wait then?” I inquire, but that thought makes me want to go in there and turn the mattress over. The jolt she’d get from her face smacking the floor should wake her. However, her waking up covered in horse jizz has a greater benefit. Plus, it’s far more amusing.
“The room she’s in is soundproof, and I’m sure Liam has some signal blocker running,” Rowan notes.
Once Liam confirms a jammer is on, they divulge what they learned.
“She faked her rape?” I yell, and Sebastian nods.
I open my mouth to express my shock until I remember all Samantha’s done to this point. Faking her own kidnapping and rape is sadly not her worst offense.
The temptation to smother Samantha with a pillow now and fuck the consequences is strong, but losing Karl when I know we’re close to being free from the cunt’s claws is stronger.
“How high was that dose?” Sebastian inquires. “Shouldn’t the effects be wearing off by now?”
“I have no idea. August switched her drink with one of ours,” Rowan explains. “Let’s give her another hour to wake on her own.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.