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The boy’s friends erupted into laughter, slapping him on the back when he returned, the reward for daring to approach Chief Randolph.
Her palm vibrated in her pocket as she finished her bagel. Come see me after the High Council meeting, Max had written.
Lila frowned. No time. What did you find?
Her palm vibrated again. He’d called instead of writing another message. “Lila, why didn’t you tell me you were in trouble?” he said without his usual greeting. “What were you doing and where were you doing it when this asshole caught you?”
“It’s none your concern. Just tell me what you found.”
“This asshole is threatening my friend. It damn well is my concern.”
“I’ll deal with it.”
“Will you? It doesn’t seem like you are from my end. You didn’t even call to check on my progress this morning.”
“I didn’t want to distract you,” she lied, knowing she’d been too busy to devote time or energy to her blackmailer. “I have a council meeting in ten minutes. I don’t have time to play twenty questions. Just tell me what you found.”
“Blow it off and come over. We’ll spend all night finding this asshole.”
“I don’t have time. Please, Max.”
There was a long pause. Lila sipped her hot chocolate and checked her palm, wondering if he’d hung up on her, but the line remained open.
“The message came from a boy named Xavier Masson.”
“A Masson boy?” Lila asked, barely able to hold her surprise. “Why don’t I know that name?”
“Because he died five years ago, just a few weeks before his sixteenth birthday. There was a car accident near his family’s compound in New Lisbon. Someone stole his ID and used it to contact you. I looked for other activity online. The thief has sent a few messages here and there in the last few years, all as cryptic as yours. Most receivers lived in New Bristol.”
“That’s impossible. My snoops flagged it as a fake account.”
“Yes, and Xavier is the one who comes up when you dig through the layers. Why do you think it took me so long to find him?”
“Send me the information, would you?”
“No. Come over after your meeting. We’ll figure this out together. I dug into the thief’s bank account number. It’s tied to a bank in Burgundy. The system isn’t that sophisticated. We’ll hack it. We’ll—”
“I haven’t the time, Max. I have other things on my plate.”
“Make time. This is more important.”
“I have to go.”
“If you don’t make time, Lila, what’s going to become of you? I’m worried. You should be worried as well.”
“I’ll look into it more deeply after my meeting.”
“If you don’t find him tonight, then pay.”
“I can’t. I’m the damn chief of security. How can I—”
“Damn your pride, woman. This isn’t a game. He’s threatening to expose you. You don’t have time to play the wounded heir. Where did you poke your nose?”
“Thanks, Max. I’ll take it from here,” she said before disconnecting.
Lila drained the rest of her chocolate and left the café.
A Masson boy might mean a Masson blackmailer.
