Page 3 of Basilisk

Chapter 3

Saxton~

“We didn’t find anything,” Rylee announced. “And believe me, we looked.”

Rylee and Stone had been tasked with searching Laney Spinner’s apartment for some burner phones. There was no communication between Laney and August on her regular phone, so burner phones were the only other explanation. August had Laney doing his dirty work, but we were still trying to find proof of that. Right now, it’d be Laney’s word against August’s and August came with a last name that would ensure he’d be believed over Laney.

Proof.

Considering the members of The Order of the Cronus, I couldn’t fault Alexander for insisting on proof before going after August Remington. August’s last name meant something in the organization, and that counted for something. Us going against August would be a first within The Order and would likely shake up a lot of unpleasant shit. It wasn’t that members have never argued or been at odds with one another before, but this would be the first time an entire class has turned on one of its members.

The Order of the Cronus was an archaic secret society that has stood the test of time. Not just anyone could join, and most memberships were legacies. I’d been told that I was destined for the organization when I’d only been thirteen. My father had sat me down, explained what was to be expected of me, and had made it clear that I hadn’t had a choice in the matter. At the time, I hadn’t care overly much because twenty-two had seemed so far away, but as the years passed, the weight of those expectations had slowly started to make an impact, and I’d been more than ready the night of the initiation.

Like all clubs, being a member came with ironclad rules and expectations, and if you broke any of the rules, the existing members quickly ruined your life and the lives of everyone that you loved as an example to the others. Anyone who thought they could benefit from The Order without paying a price for it was stupid. There was always a price for everything, even if it was just a penny.

The rules were simple for the initiating class, though. We had to stay out of trouble until we graduated from college, our supporters bound to make sure that we had the guidance that we needed not to become a scandal or worse. The Order was a firm believer that every man needed a good woman in his life, so that he could achieve at the highest level, hence our supporters. However, there was never any question that Kincaid would be my supporter. Even at the tender age of thirteen, I’d know that I was going to pick her for my partner, though we couldn’t officially announce it until our freshman year of college. The day after I’d enrolled in Hales, I had named Kincaid as my supporter.

Our freshman year was also the same year that we’d been told who’d be in our initiating class. When I’d gotten the missive, then read through the list of names, even I had been impressed. No other class of this caliber had been assembled before, and I’d been proud to be lumped in with Stone Lexington, Ross Carmichael, and Fox Harrington. The only one that I’d been wary of had been August. By that time, his reputation had preceded him, and I often wondered why he’d been picked when it was clear he had…priors.

At any rate, I had chosen Kincaid our freshman year, Fox had picked Alexis Wyatt last year, Ross had chosen Jennifer Polk our sophomore year, and Stone had chosen Rylee the night before the initiation, which had been unheard of. However, that had only been the beginning. Not only had Stone caused waves by not giving the organization enough time to vet Rylee, but he’d also signed a Hera contract, fucking everyone up.

There was also the fact that all members were graduates of Hales University. Though it catered to anyone who was smart enough to attend, Hales had been the original university of The Order. At one point in time, only the wealthiest of the wealthiest attended HU. It was practically a secret society in itself, and though times have changed, the members of The Order were still HU graduates. They were also all still men.

When you looked at how far we’ve come as a society, you’d think that The Order would have adapted, but it hasn’t. Not completely, at any rate. The only female member within the organization’s entire history was Rylee Lexington because of that Hera contract. Being married to Stone, she was considered a member, though not active like the rest of us would be. Though she was the most protected out of everyone, we were having trouble making that a fact as long as August was running around loose. He had a thing for Rylee, and it wouldn’t be long before Stone killed him if we didn’t get proof of his meddling soon. His and Laney’s meddling.

“Okay, so what’s next?” Fox asked.

It was Friday afternoon, and we were all done with classes for the day. Agreeing to meet at my place since I lived alone, it was me, Stone, Rylee, Fox, Kincaid, and Ross. Though Ross’s wife knew all about the organization now, she wasn’t privy to official meetings or anything like that. She knew The Order existed, and that we were all members, but that’s it. Her involvement ended there. Technically, Kincaid wouldn’t be at a members’ meeting, but since this was unofficial, and she was Kincaid Black, we were making exceptions where she was concerned. Besides, I’d never keep her in the dark. She was here for a very specific reason, even if I was the only person who knew it.

“I say you guys just let me beat the crap out of Laney until she confesses everything,” Kincaid muttered, and I smirked.

“Babe-”

“What, Saxton?” Her brows rose. “You act like she doesn’t deserve it.”

I grinned and ignored Fox’s irritation. He hated it when I called her babe, but I’ve been calling her that since we were fifteen, and I wasn’t going to stop just because they had static between them. “I never said she didn’t deserve it,” I pointed out. “But if anyone should kick her ass, it should be Rylee.”

“True,” Rylee agreed, her blue eyes narrowing in thought. “I wonder if there’s a Hera handbook or something.” We all chuckled at that. “I mean, it would tell me if I can beat her up without any repercussions, right?”

“I think as a Hera, you can do pretty much anything you want, Rylee,” Ross drawled out.

“Even if you did manage to beat a confession out of her, it would still be her word against August’s,” I reminded them all. “Maybe we need to focus on him more than her. She’s just a puppet.”

“But she’s also more likely to make a mistake than he is,” Fox remarked.

“Maybe that’s part of the problem,” I replied. “Maybe we’re not giving her enough credit in the brains department. Underestimating her a bit.”

Kincaid jerked her head towards Rylee. “Did you get a guard yet?” Stone had talked about getting someone to keep an eye on Rylee when he couldn’t be around.

Rylee shook her head. “I talked him out of it.”

All four of our heads turned Stone’s way.

He let out a deep breath. “We sat through six interviews, and she didn’t trust any of them,” he explained before glaring down at her. “And while, no, I haven’t been talked out of it, whoever we pick, I want to make sure Rylee is comfortable with him.”

“In the meantime, there are six of us, including Sutton,” Fox said. “There’s no reason one of us can’t be with her at all times.”

Kincaid gnawed on her lower lip. “That’s true,” she mumbled in thought.

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