Page 31 of Curses & Keys (Curses & Gods #1)
“To be honest, not well,” I admit, running my hand through my hair. “They might send out a kill order for both of us when this thing is done.” I explain what happened in the meeting. “The council is on the verge of falling apart.”
She nibbles her lush bottom lip as she thinks. Her tongue swipes across it, and my body automatically tightens at the unintentionally sensual movement. Silence builds between us, and I glance up to find her amused glance.
“If we have to go on the run, I know some great hiding places,” she jokingly assures me, taking my hand in hers. She pauses, her gaze searching mine before she continues. “Thanks, though… for trying to deflect the council’s attention. I hope it works.”
There seems to be a slight note of worry in her voice, but I can’t tell why. If only she would trust me with more information.
“I’m not leaving you to face this alone. I promise.”
She shrugs. “The council doesn’t know everything. Ask Gatlin. He found that out the hard way today.” Her voice is full of amusement and a tinge of mock worry. “I might have broken him.”
Gatlin huffs loudly, but surprisingly, a small half-smile appears on his face.
I chuckle. “Is that a smile? He does seem out of sorts. Mentioned something about a Harlequin? Although he didn’t go into detail.”
She shrugs. “It’s an underground network that supplies supes with various items. For payment, of course.”
Her explanation, while simple, has huge implications. As council security, I immediately want to know why we weren’t aware of them, but I push those thoughts aside to focus on today’s problems.
“London isn’t safe for you. We need to move our visit to the bank up to tonight. Figure out where we’re going next. Maybe Harlequin could get us the weapons and other tactical items we need?”
“That’s their specialty,” she says with a nod, looking around. “We need to put together a list first.”
Mathias slides into a chair at the table, pen and paper in hand. “Ready.”
Startled, she glances over at him. “Okay then. We need new encrypted phones, a way to get there without being seen, access to the vault, the key, password, and of course, weapons. Anything else?”
“Dark clothes,” Hawthorne adds, motioning to his light blue button-up shirt and grey pants. “Cash. To pay for access.”
Mathias picks up the burner from the table and makes a quick call to order the phones.
Gatlin walks over and sits down at the table. “I’ll make a list of the weapons. I want to include a few extra items like rope, knives, a garrote…” His voice trails off as he begins to write.
I glance through my contacts to find a number, then take the burner from Mathias to make my own call.
“Cian. Jamison. I need a favor. Can I get your father’s number?
” C. Hoare & Co is one of the oldest banks in London, and it’s been in Cian’s family for twelve generations.
While he doesn’t have anything to do with its operations, his father is an active partner and director with full access to the vault.
He’s silent for half a second, then reels off the digits in a tense voice. “He’s not in trouble with the council, is he?”
“No,” I assure him. “I need to make a private transaction. That’s all.”
He heaves a relieved sigh. “Thanks. Thought I was going to have to make a choice. Anything else?”
It’s obvious from the tone of his voice that the council would likely lose in that decision. It’s one of the reasons I trust Cian. Family first. “No, but thank you. Your trust means a lot.” He could have asked the question before he gave me the number, but he didn’t. I hang up.
Phaedra motions to the hotel phone. “Hawthorne, call Sheraton and order clothes. All he needs is a description and sizes.” She waves a hand at Gatlin. “As you can see, he’s got good taste.”
I flick a glance at Gatlin in time to see his face flush. I didn’t even notice, but he’s wearing a pair of dark jeans, a long-sleeve fitted shirt, and custom black leather boots from a well-known luxury designer. All of which is considerably nicer than his usual attire.
He snarls when he sees all of us staring at him. “Stop. It’s jeans and a t-shirt.”
Hawthorne clears his throat and picks up the hotel phone. “I’m sold.”
While he’s on the phone ordering clothes for us, I lean in close to Phaedra. “As soon as we have access to our funds, I’ll reimburse you.”
She shrugs. “Don’t worry about it.”
“It isn’t a request,” I inform her, slightly irritated at her answer.
She lifts an amused eyebrow. “If it makes you feel better, go right ahead.”
Locking my jaw, I stare at her. “I pay for whatever my team needs, and that includes you.” The council doesn’t always give us the funds to do our jobs, but as a de Vere, I use my sizeable fortune to make sure we have everything we need. Something my father and I argue about often.
She places a hand on my arm. “Money doesn’t mean much to me. I have more gold than I can spend in my lifetime, which is saying a lot. Do what you need to do.”
I exhale, my irritation evaporating with her words. “Sorry. Touchy subject.” Looking away from her, I pick up the burner and call Cian’s father to ask him to meet us at the bank tonight at midnight.