Page 86 of Ravage
“No thanks,” I reply bluntly. I can’t keep up the act when all the red flags and alarms are going off.
“Oh? And where are you going after this? I must say, we have a lot to catch up about. But which one of us will have more questions?” His grin twists to something ugly. “I’ll start, since you seem confused. I know your real name is Raegan, and that you belong to Gifted Enterprise.”
I freeze.
“I’m sure you’re wondering how I found that out. Well, you could say that bringing you in has been my assignment for a few weeks now. I had no idea how I was going to find a single girl in this city, and yet who would have guessed that you would show up in my sights at the mayor’s party?”
The volume of the music goes up and I realize there’s someone else in the room with us. I look around, then move to the side of his desk where a child is chained by the neck to his desk. And she’s singing.
I raise my arm to grab at her chain, but it feels heavy and warm and barely moves. “What the—” My lids droop for a second and then I snap them back open. Joe’s grinning at me from his chair, his chin propped on his fingers as he watches me like a shark waiting for me to tire of swimming.
“I got a bit of insurance from GE when they learned who had broken into my home and questioned me. I had to tell them some things, of course, but nothing that GE can’t get around. This little girl is trained to put anyone to sleep who’s a threat to me. Not that we won’t fix that, my dear, but I think it’s better we have this conversation when your gift is a bit more…settled. And yes, I know about that too. Quite a terrifying one, but useful if it’s in the right hands.”
My lids close again, and I stumble into one of the chairs.
He stands, towering over me where I’m leaning on the chair to stay upright. “It’s nothing personal, dear. You see, I need to bring you in as my first test to Gifted Enterprise in order to earn my spot on the board. Apparently, there’s someone there who really wants you back. But now that I know about you, I promise, I can look out for you.”
He moves around the desk toward me, and I stumble back, grabbing onto each piece of furniture I can to keep me upright. “Thankfully, GE has the resources available to fix my home security footage that had been tampered with. They know exactly who interrupted me last time, and they’ve assembled a team to exterminate them now, so there will be no more interruptions for us.”
My eyes fly open and adrenaline surges through me, trying to shove the drowsiness from my limbs. He checks the watch on his wrist and hums. “Should be about done now, so we’ll have plenty of time to chat once I’ve moved us to a new location.”
No!
I reach into my gift and yank it out, not caring where it sits so long as it overpowers the sluggishness and disintegrates anything I touch. I run for the large window and slap my hands against it. It turns to dust at my fingertips in seconds and then I’m launching myself through it and sprinting as fast as I can to a running car so I can force the person to drive it back into the city. I can only hope they’re at that big tower that Jack had pointed out to me and not somewhere else.
Please. Don’t let me be too late.
Chapter twenty-two
Aiden
The last member of my team finishes his piece in time to round out the hour mark of our meeting. It’s my policy that every meeting must be done within an hour to not waste anyone’s time. Mine, in particular.
While I rebuilt this organization after taking it over and am its biggest supporter, it doesn’t mean I actually enjoy doing the business and politics side of things.
I’ll make the decisions and fund what is needed. Otherwise, I’ve hired a team to run the rest of it for me.
I might have tried to do more if my brothers would have gotten more involved. But each one of them made it clear they had no interest in running a business or the Guild with me.
“If I may,” Parker, one of the team members voted in to help me run the Guild, cuts in as the others are preparing to leave.
“What is it?”
“A few of our newest members have been offered work and a place to stay at the Hype nightclub, owned by Elias Thorton.” My eye twitches at the implication that I didn’t know who owned that nightclub.
“Your point, Parker?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if I should be talking them into staying with us. They’d be greater assets here—”
“Let them do what they want,” I cut in before he can finish and piss me off. “The Guild isn’t here to collect and use people like us. Our primary goal is their protection. Providing them with work options is next so they have a purpose and means for living if they choose it.”
Elias’s nightclub was here before the Guild was a speck in my mind. But it’s not sustainable for the growing number of gifted people flocking to this city. There are only so many jobs to do in one little nightclub. How does Elias plan to help the others who come once he has no work for them? The Guild was created with growth and scalability in mind. It will last far longer than Hype.
Parker nods and murmurs an apology. The rest are shuffling about, speaking among themselves.
I stand and button my jacket, then pass the others by to leave the room first.
My walk to the elevators takes me through the great hall, where ten-seater tables are lined up one after another with room for up to five hundred people.
