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“To get back into play, you need to do research, find out exactly what’s going on, learn about your enemy,” Ash informed me bluntly. “You’re not going to do that the old-fashioned way, Elijah.”
Dubiously, I raised an eyebrow. “I’m doing all that with this?” I pointed at the computer.
“That and more,” Ash reassured me, turning the screen toward me. “Everything you need to know about Orson over the past two centuries is at your fingertips… Well, more or less. All you have to do is know where to look.”
He set the computer in front of me, and I stared at the “search” function on the screen.
“Punch in anything you want to know,” Ash urged me.
“What?”
Sighing, Ash pulled the screen back toward him and took the lead. His fingers flew easily over the keyboard, and suddenly, the image shifted, displaying a list to cover the entire surface. Straining forward, I peered at what he had found.
Dozens of printed headlines with Orson’s name popped in front of me, causing my brow to furrow.
“What is this?” I asked, baffled.
“Recon,” Ash replied smugly, sitting back. “Read up on your boy. Get acquainted with what he’s been up to and see where the business has gone over the past two centuries.”
I pressed on one of the links and jumped slightly when the screen shifted again, making Ash laugh.
“You’re not going to break it,” he informed me.
A shrill sound filled the air, again whirling me around, my fangs elongating for battle. Ash whooped with laughter as Royce jumped into a fighting stance.
“It’s just my phone, Elijah,” Ash laughed when he found his voice, retrieving the device from his breast pocket. “Excuse me a minute.”
He took his call as I relaxed, offering Royce an apologetic nod, and fixed my attention back on the computer to read about Orson and what he’d been up to since I’d been gone.
There was so much information, my eyes poring over the endless data dumped in my unknown sources.
“How reliable is this?” I asked skeptically when Ash returned from his call. “Where does this information come from?”
Ash stared at me. “Everywhere. Any and all information floating about is collected, and now it’s all your fingertips.”
“But who put it there? How can it be trusted?” I insisted. “Anyone from anywhere could be putting this here.”
Ash glanced at Royce, and they exchanged a look before my friend eyed me again.
“How did you manage to live all those years?” he asked pityingly, ignoring my inquiry. “I can’t even find this Seven Rock on a map.”
I brushed off his teasing, but relaxed. If Ash believed in this inter-connective method of communication, I trusted him.
But I still wasn’t sure how all of this was going to come to help me in the long run. Ash appeared to read my thoughts and reclaimed his seat at my side.
“You must know that any good battle starts with a battle plan,” he said calmly as I sat back and rubbed my eyes, already frustrated. “And for that, you’ll need to know every single strength and weakness about Orson before you go after him.”
I turned my head, dropping my hands from my face to look at him.
“You sure you won’t stay to help me?”
Ash shook his head. “This is your fight, old friend. But I have men en route as we speak. They’ll be here this afternoon. In the meantime, get studying, Elijah. You’ve already lost too much time.”
Chapter23
Abby
Mid-week meant fewer deliveries. Most of the corner dealers were stocked, and the businesses tended to, which meant fewer places to visit. Still, someone always overdid their supply and had an itch to scratch, a brothel with an overzealous spender, or just a party that lasted too long.
