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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LILY - MIA
"Is this everyone?"
The assembled crew isn't large, maybe seven guys. Most of them I know, like Kyran or Soren. Some of them I don't. They look tough. Determined.
I wonder if it’ll be enough? We could face an army when the Fae mob comes for us. In my work at Homeland, I've seen the aftermath when cartels go up against gangs, and when organized crime families fight. Hundreds of street level soldiers go up against each other.
We'll just have this small team.
"This is everyone I trust completely," Fabien says. "There are more who could be included at a later stage, but they don't need to know the truth. They'll go where I tell them to go and do what I tell them to do. Our true goals and motivations aren't something they need."
Right. I almost forgot Fabien has that kind of power. If he needs people to pick up guns and point them at the enemy, a lot of people will just do it without needing to be convinced. It's not like law enforcement, where everyone has to agree and there's miles of red tape and backbiting.
In the Raidh, backbiting can get you killed.
"How many total?"
Fabien thinks. It's reassuring, just him being there. The way he reads the room. The way they all trust him. As I watch him, I can’t help thinking that I trust him, too.
"All right," I tell them. "Here's what we need to do. As you all know, the Oleander clan has made serious inroads to our family territory. They've burned down two of our storefronts, and destroyed months worth of medicinal and magical products. Stuff that'll be hard to replace."
Everyone nods. They're with me. I feel the energy of the room. It reminds me of the days when I was at Homeland, trying to pitch ideas to the leadership team. The difference is now people listen to me. They know I'm smart and capable, and they believe in me.
It gives me some serious pangs of guilt thinking about it. To these people, I'm family. The wife of their leader. Everyone in this room would probably die to protect me. And none of them know I’m a traitor, trying to destroy them.
I know that's behind me now, but I still feel the guilt welling up in my belly as I watch them.
"We need to cut the head off the snake. That means drawing out their leader and eliminating him. The only thing these two storefronts have in common is that they both sell medicine that treats an addiction to Fae venom. What is it called, Fabien?"
"Jir. The sprites in our mountain demesnes collect it from nightbugs and ferment it. They use it for medicine themselves and sell some of it. For humans, it's more of a balm. It eases withdrawal symptoms of Fae venom nicely."
"And the Oleanders have pushed venom everywhere," Kyran says. "They sell it to kids, humans, monsters, they don't care."
Kyran connected the dots fast, too. Is it nice working with such smart people, or just nice being taken seriously? I don't know how Homeland Security would feel about me intervening in a gang war...and I kind of don't care.
The Oleanders have been shitty, and the Nightshade family deserves a break. Just because the medicines they sell aren't FDA approved or whatever, doesn't mean they should be treated like drug dealers.
And yet that's exactly what my boss is doing.
But everyone at Homeland isn't Rasmussen. He's a real prick, and he breaks plenty of laws himself with how he's run this operation. I'm sure there are amazing people there who deserve support.
For me, I've been through three bosses since I got out of training. One tried to sleep with me, and shot down my sexual harrassment report. The second ignored me and kept me away from anything that might advance my career. And the third put me on this mission and threatened to expose me if I didn't find the evidence he wanted.
It hasn't exactly been a good run.
Fae venom is a terrifying drug, and it ravages the streets of Chicago. Anything I can do to stop that is worth trying. So I guess this time, I'm breaking the rules myself.
"Exactly," I tell them. "The Oleanders make most of their money from Fae venom now. If it weren't for that market, they'd never be able to oppose the Nightshade clan. All we need is the right bait to lure their boss out and we'll have them."
"Maybe I could be the bait?" Fabien asks.
I'm impressed as hell he asked me, for one thing. Something else I'll have to get used to, now that I'm part of the Raidh. He knows I'm good at analyzing things and looking over data, and he trusts my conclusions.
I sigh a bit, wistfully.
Would it have been too much to ask to get this kind of respect on the other side of the law? Being a family of fiends and monsters, the Nightshade clan has always valued their women as much as their men. Creatures like Gabrielle have incredible powers. You can't just ignore them because they have a vagina.
