Page 50

Crew

T he shadows of Viserion are darker now. Silent, watchful ghosts in every corridor. Charlotte isn’t in the house, and I know from tracking her footprints that she’s headed for the gardens. The cherry blossom trees have long lost their blooms, and I follow the path between them, their branches creaking in the wind.

I follow the path right to the fountain in the middle of the estate. A dragon sprays a trickle of water from its mouth, its great stone scales worn into a smooth mirror that that reflects the moonlight.

I barely hear Charlotte’s footsteps before she has me shoved back against the table beside the fountain.

“It’s me,” I ground out, and though I could pry myself out of the arm-lock if I tried, I let her release me on her own.

“I didn’t expect you to follow me,” she murmurs, pushing her hair behind her ears despite the phone still in her palm.

I motion toward it. “What’s your plan?”

She shakes her head. “I- I don’t have a plan.”

“You’re lying,” I point out.

She doesn’t bother denying it. She shrugs. “I don’t know what angle to play here. They have Aleks. They have Olivia- and I don’t see a way to get either of them back without a fight.”

“Charlotte.” My voice is deadly. “Cut the shit and talk to me.” I glance at the phone. “What are you thinking?”

She huffs, pacing the gravel. “Rema’s name is bound to show up somewhere in Westos. If we used any of the numbers they used to contact Harvey, we could run a trace. Possibly figure out how Sutherland is associated.”

“Find any overlap between Rema, Sutherland, Harvey, and Skar… and that could lead us right to them,” I continue, and when she nods, I know we’re onto something. “Chase and Harvey work together. Chase would have known about the deal with Skar and Omenin.”

She swallows. “Could have been watching them.”

“He was interested in Olivia too. Could have been the one leaving flowers and notes.”

“It just doesn’t sit right with me.” Her hair falls into her eyes. “I- There’s something else here that we’re missing.”

“What do you mean?”

“What if this isn’t about Harvey? Or Skar or Aleks…” she whispers, and regret flashes in her eyes. “What if…?” She trails off, and I can tell she doesn’t want to voice the thought.

What if this is about what happened last year? Her mother, getting close to the Benenatis…

She shakes her head again. “Harvey’s got a gala at the Rebren Hotel tomorrow night. I think that’s our safest bet.”

She turns on her heel, but I stop her: “What if you’re right?” I dare ask. “How do we know we’re not walking right into a trap?”

Her gaze hardens on the ground, and she shakes her head slowly. “We don’t.”

But we don’t have a choice.