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“Oh, this must be the lovely Finley I’ve heard about.” She reached out a hand for me, and I grasped it, not realizing she would pull me into her. I went easily, her hugs reminding me of a grandmother I hadn’t seen in ages, and her name made sense. She must be the grandmother to all the people here.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s Karen, but most people call me Grams. Especially after that horrible meme-making my name synonymous with a dumpster fire,” she huffed, letting me go.
“Dumpster fire?” Milo whispered, making me laugh.
“Well, I like Grams. I’d be happy to call you that.”
“I knew you were the real deal the moment you walked in. I have a knack for that. Now, introduce me to the other two lovely fellas you have here.” She lifted an eyebrow, and I had a feeling she knew they were more than just casual acquaintances.
“This is Asa, my boyfriend, and Milo.”
They both stepped forward, receiving their own smothering hug. I noticed how Milo melted into her embrace, and I knew I’d need to give him more attention. With what I’d gathered of his family, being part of the Council couldn’t have meant they were touchy-feely.
“Welcome to the Canteen. Let me show you to a table.” She smiled at us, leading us over to a somewhat private area. It had a wraparound booth that opened to the side of the stage. There wasn’t anyone up there yet, just some soft music playing over the speakers. Once we were all seated with me between Asa and Cohen, I looked at him, wondering what we do next.
“So?”
“Someone will be out to ask us what we want in a minute. They usually have two meat options and a vegetarian one each meal.”
“Great, I’m starved,” Asa said, patting his stomach.
Cohen’s phone beeped as someone approached us, and he pulled it out, scrunching up his face. He put it away as the waiter neared, taking over for us.
“Good evening, tonight we have a chicken curry or steak stroganoff. Unless anyone would like to hear the gluten or vegetarian options?” he looked around at us, but we shook our heads. “Excellent. Would you care to start, Miss?”
“Oh, um, sure. I’ll have the chicken.”
The others went around the table, ordering their food, and we fell into an easy silence as we waited. I didn’t know about the guys, but I was busy processing all the new information from the moment we’d stepped out of the SUV. There was a lot to filter through, and my brain was verging on overstimulation.
“Who texted?” Asa asked a few minutes later, reminding me that Cohen had pulled out his phone.
“My handler, he wants to meet.”
“Why is that bad?” I asked, noticing the frown on his face.
“In all the years I’ve been part of the order, I’ve never met him face to face. Or, well, I might have. You see, everyone here has a code name. Online, we go by those, in person, our real names. We never share our identities to help keep them separate and secret. It also helps build camaraderie. We can form connections with people without feeling competitive with them.”
“I don’t understand why it’s bad then.” I reached over, taking his hand.
“Because it goes against everything. So, does that mean I’m no longer going to be part of the Order? Or am I heading into something more dangerous and the information won’t matter if I know it because it dies with me?”
The realization of what he said struck me, and I began to look around at everyone, wondering just who they were online. The food arrived, and we all ate in silence, too consumed by what this meant for us to engage in conversation.
Twenty-One
COHEN
We all trailed backto the room, the earlier excitement of returning to a place that had felt like my only home for years drained with each step. They wouldn’t kick me out now, after all this time?
Granted, I hadn’t been the best Order agent, but I’d always done my job. Just when it had come to Finley, I’d looked for ways to circumvent the mission. I’d even been shirking them for the past six months, much to my handler’s annoyance. When he’d finally told me to approach her, it felt like my life was coming full circle, and I could have the life I’d always wanted.
But what if that was all a lie?
I’d blindly trusted the Order because of who they had been to me, but what if that was childish ignorance coming into play?
“Hey, what if we play some games and not think about death and stalkers for one night?” Fin asked as we stepped into our suite.
