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“Oracle’s light, the press already knows?”
“It hasn’t spread far,” Lemaire said. “I don’t care if it does, though. The oracles and their daughters are a resource. They must be protected.”
“They aren’t resources. They’re children. This is why you can’t get any further in the case, isn’t it? This is why you want to hire me. You think they’ll talk to me.”
“It’s not like they ever said all that much to me, but now they won’t even speak to the militia. Two more girls have disappeared near New Bristol in the last week. You’re our last hope.”
“The oracles have been handling their own affairs for thousands of years. Of course they don’t wish to talk to you. It’s demeaning, and now you’ve taken one of their children on top of that?”
“You’re really not going to look into it?”
Lila rubbed at her eyes. She’d always done whatever her father asked, whatever he needed, but she had too much on her plate at the moment.
His pleading stare worked at her, though. It wasn’t like she had to figure it out in the next few days. Rebecca was safe in foster care, and the oracles and state militias were handling the girls’ disappearances. She could rescue Oskar first.
Her father snatched the bottle of Sangre from the middle of the table. “Chief Shaw, could you please step outside for a moment while I speak with my daughter?”
“Certainly.” The chief wiped his mouth with his napkin, bowed, and slipped on his sentry cap.
Lemaire poured more Sangre into her glass as the apartment door closed. “Help me with this, and I’ll give you something you want.”
“What could you possibly buy that my dividends can’t purchase, Father?”
“Your contract. Permanently.”
Lila sipped her wine. Her mother had signed her contract years ago, promising only an indefinite commission in the Randolph militia, a commission she could legally rescind at any time. The only reason why she hadn’t was because Lila had been granted a boon in front of the entire Randolph family. Lila had taken advantage of that boon and, more importantly, the thousands of heirs who had heard her mother’s answer.
Chairwoman Randolph had granted the contract to preserve her honor and her word. She could not destroy the contract unless she wanted to lose her family’s esteem, unless she wanted the world to question the word of a Randolph. Her mother wouldn’t break their contract, not without a damn good reason.
Lila might be the only person in history to ever get one over on Beatrice Randolph.
“How can you get Mother to agree to that?”
“By offering her something she wants more. The hospital contract is still up for grabs. Your mother might not want me to give her the deal, but she’ll certainly ask for my help to earn it. No more holding the prime heir spot over your head. No more forcing you to attend High Council meetings because she thinks Jewel isn’t savvy enough to manage them. She’ll have to accept Jewel’s shortcomings or pick a new prime. That’s how important the oracles are, Lila.”
“Oskar, too? Mother won’t go for it, just like she didn’t go for it yesterday. She’ll earn that contract on her own merits or not at all.”
“Your mother has always dreamed of earning a spot on Unity’s High Council.”
“She doesn’t want a seat that badly. Not badly enough to drop the idea of me as prime. Not badly enough to cheat, either.”
“Cheating and using her resources aren’t the same thing. I’m a resource, Lila.” He put a few more slices of bacon on his plate. “You don’t know your mother half as well as you think. She might be middle-aged, but she’s always retained the dreams of a child. I’ll worry about the deal. You just worry about the oracles.”
“Do you really need the information this much?”
“Yes. It’s important, Lila.”
She thumbed her sapphire ring under her glove. “Okay, I’ll look into it.”
Chapter 7
It was nearly ten o’clock before Lila jogged down the steps of Falcon Home, her father and Chief Shaw trailing behind in hushed whispers, chests open and wide, hands folded behind their backs in the elegant pose of Bullstow.
Shaw excused himself once they reached the front door, begging his blackcoat from the footman, then headed off toward his security office.
“I should do the same,” Lila muttered on the stone steps outside. Shaw disappeared around the side of the building. His boots clacked on the sidewalk.
“Not yet. It’s Father Week.” Lemaire grinned and nudged her with his elbow. “Come on, let’s go to the park like we used to.”
