AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We don’t need you,” Freddie says. “I’m done with cleaning up your messes. You’re a curse, Callen.”
It’s true. Trouble and death follow me. I was a curse to my daughter. I’m better off on my own. A lone wolf. That’s how it’s meant to be.
I storm out of the cottage and slam the door behind me, making the wall rattle. I’ll leave them to rot in their self-created misery, but that doesn’t mean I’m done with Rose…
Now that I’m not a Duke, I’ll have a lot of free time on my hands, and I’ve always enjoyed playing cat and mouse.
CHAPTER9
IVY
It’s only been three days since I returned to HQ, and I’m going stir-crazy.Thwack! I drive my fist into the punching bag. Even pretending to dislocate Spencer’s jaw isn’t helping, and thinking of ways to hurt him is usually my number one mood booster.
Alaric hasn’t allowed me to venture outside for fear the Dukes are hiding around corners. Although he hasn’t said it, I think the real reason for keeping me locked away is to make sure I won’t run back to them. Even if I wanted to see them again, which would be a terrible idea, I have no idea where to find them.
Like when I first joined the club, Alaric is trying to instil a routine in me again. I used to welcome the structure, but the restriction is suffocating now. It reminds me of how I felt as a teenager when our parents permanently locked our windows to stop Daisy and me from sneaking out to beach parties. Daisy broke her arm at one of the parties, so I could understand their reasoning, but still...
“Hey!” Stephanie pokes her head around the door of the training area and waves a Starbucks iced latte in my direction. “Want one?”
“I’d love one,” I groan gratefully. I take off my gloves and stroll over to accept my drink. “But I’d love to breathe fresh air more. How much longer are you going to keep me here? I already look like Casper the Ghost. I need some sun!”
“It’s better for you to be here right now,” she replies. “I’m sure Sebastian Montgomery gave you enough vitamin D to keep you going for a while.”
“But I want to do something!” I sound like a petulant child, but I don’t care. I like to be busy. “I can make myself useful. With the Tweedles gone and Jonathon down, you must need help.”
“We’ve got extra help,” Stephanie says. “Just keep following orders, and you’ll be back in the field in no time.”
“Yeah,” I grumble sarcastically, “if the Lotus doesn’t steal all my work.”
She changes the subject. “Have you been keeping up with news on the Collingsbrook Ball?”
“Duh,” I reply. “What else have I got to do?”
It’s also hard to miss when the story is all every TV channel and newspaper has been covering. Victim portraits are displayed alongside their names and lists of all their amazing work for charities. When they’re not showing glowing profiles, there are reams of interviews with snivelling mourners whose eyes sparkle with the greed of someone who will soon be inheriting a holiday home in the Bahamas.
“Our sources on the inside say it was a bomb,” she says. “Despite what the press is reporting.”
“Really? No shit,” I say, keeping my tone measured. “Is Penelope looking into it?”
The stories talk about how it was a freak accident caused by faulty wiring. The establishment wants to keep the truth hidden, especially because the royal family was in attendance—one Guy Fawkes day a year is enough.
“Between other jobs.” Stephanie shrugs. “Besides, we’ve got other jobs that don’t involve solving mysteries. Have you seen what they’re saying about your prince charming?”
The paparazzi have loved blasting photographs of Sebastian Montgomery, the disgraced royal who spent some time behind bars, everywhere. It provides light relief and redirection to distraction from the tragedy.
“Who cares?” I deflect. “Do you have any jobs for me?”
“Actually, yes.” She swirls her straw around her green juice. She’s on a diet right now where she only eats green foods. If she’s not careful, she’ll turn into an ogre. “Alaric wants you to get more information out of Bram.”
“Bram? Remind me why we’re keeping him alive again?” Freddie and Seb care about him, but all I can think of whenever I hear his name is how he used to work for Spencer and that he was there the night Daisy died. “Isn’t there someone else who can babysit?”
“We’re low on numbers, as you’ve already pointed out.”
“What about the Lotus?” I ask. “Or is she too good for that?”
“All our other agents are busy,” she shuts me down. So I’m getting the grunt work as punishment. Figures. “We want you to start today.”
One job hasn’t gone my way, and I’m back in training again. I need to get information out of Bram to regain Alaric’s trust.
