AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It shouldn’t. I don’t think it possesses power. It’s residual only.”
“Can you sense any presence within? Is Marcellus even here?”
I still want to search the place, but if he’s not here, there’s no need to take the cavalry. Whatever I’d find inside of those walls that would be of interest is likely nothing I want the counts to bear witness to.
“Someone is here, but I don’t think it’s your brother,” she declares. “His energy radiates black and green. This... isn’t him.”
“Follow me,” I instruct, heading across the lawn toward Law and his crew. I don’t look, but I feel the others close behind me.
“What’s the word?” Law whispers. “Shante.” He smiles widely when he sees her slide up next to me. “Happy as hell to see you here.”
She chuckles. “It’s a pleasure as always, Lawrence.”
“Aww, Shante you wound me. I thought we were past the formalities.”
She grins.
“Shante doesn’t believe that Marcellus is here.” I forge ahead, knowing Law could sit here all damn night and banter.
“So, what are we going to do?” Law asks, looking between Shante and me.
“I think that everyone should disband. There’s no need to take everyone in there if there’s no threat of danger.” I look to Shante for confirmation.
“If there’s danger, I don’t feel it. If it were cloaked, I would sense the magic, and I don’t.”
I turn to the waiting counts and their guards. “I’m sorry for wasting all of your time. It’s clear my brother was tipped off.” All of them look back and forth between each other seemingly trying to uncover the turncoat.
As much as I want to go down that road, it’s not the time. I came here for my brother, and although he’s not here, I don’t plan on leaving empty-handed. There has to be something inside his estate that tells of his plans, and I will find it.
“Go home and prepare. We’ll reconvene in a week at Bellamy Manor. We have an auction to bring down, and if we’re lucky, we’ll bring Marcellus down too.”
“Good luck, Julian,” Count Westoff offers, clasping a hand to my shoulder. “If you need anything before next week, you know how to contact me.” I nod.
The rest bow slightly before taking their leave. Their individual cars are hidden a half mile up the road, but they each have their own guards for safety. At this particular moment, I’m not overly concerned for any of them. It’s clear that we have a traitor in our midst, and until I uncover who it is, none of them have my trust.
“Shante, will you join us?” I ask, and she nods once.
We make our way across the grounds and around to the service quarters, which I know Marcellus has never bothered to lock or guard. That is just how we find it.
“The bastard is brave. I’ll give him that,” Law states.
The one thing Marcellus has always been is brave. It is a quality I’ve always admired in him, until this moment. Now it just seems foolish. It’s an overcompensation for how miserable he is. And that’s the part that bothers me most. It wasn’t always like this. We were once close. Then one day he shut both Law and me out.
But I refuse to give him any more passes. I’ve been doing that for far too long. He’s overstepped, and he’s turned toward evil. I can’t turn my back on that. No matter how much I care for him. He must be brought in and put on trial.
“Do we split up? Or stay together?” Law asks, as we continue to stand outside the manor.
“Let’s stay together. Just until we know we’re in the clear.” My eyes meet Shante’s, and she bobs her head in reassurance. It’s now or never.
We step just inside the door and Law stops dead in his tracks, back straightening.
“Law? Is everything okay?” My words are whispered so as not to draw the attention of whoever Shante feels is here.
“I... I feel strange,” he admits.
I look at Shante, who shrugs. “I have no idea. I do not feel anything.”
“Neither do I,” I say grimly, my concern mounting. What are we missing?
