Page 17 of Raze
I cross my arms with a huff, ready to argue, but Jackson cuts in.
“Thorne created the Guild.”
Wait. What? “So, he doesn’t work for GE?”
Jackson smiles and shrugs.
Kellan leans over his forearms on the counter between the kitchen and dining room table. “He didn’t back then. Thorne was more of a competitor to GE, though he worked with them at times.”
“He’s working with them again, if he’s not actually under them,” Aiden remarks. “He knows where the Guild is and then lured Jackson away before GE attacked. That’s no coincidence.”
“Wait, go back. Did you kill him to get the Guild? And now he’s back for revenge?”
Aiden frowns at my assumption. “We didn’t kill him for theGuild. We killed him because Jack found out that Thorne was using the members to get him more power. The Guild itself was a sham. He made it look like he was helping them, but he was setting up jobs that only benefited him. Jack tracked us down and got our help in taking him out.”
“And are you sure you killed him?”
Kell taps his finger below his left eye. “Jackson drove a knife through his eye and into his brain. He was lights out.”
“How, if he’s so strong?”
“By working together and having a plan,” Aiden answers. “Which we’ll do again.”
“We’re not going to be able to surprise him again like last time,” Dane chimes in. “Weonlywon against him because he didn’t know Jack had turned on him and called us. He didn’t know about my gift being able to block his.”
Aiden nods. “Which is why we’ll be coming up with a new plan. But after we’ve moved to a new location.”
I’m still hung up on the Guild part. “Why take over the Guild after he died? You could have just told everyone the truth and left it alone.”
Kellan chuckles. “The Guild still existed without Thorne. Either someone needed to dismantle it or run it. And the first option meant a lot of displaced gifted people with nowhere to go. Aiden stepped up and turned it around. He changed it into what it was always supposed to be, or at least what it had been promised to be from the beginning. A safe haven for people like us.”
My eyes connect with Aiden’s. Why? Why would he do that now?He’d never cared about anyone outside of our group on the island. When talking about escape attempts or life after the island, it always focused on us. Even when they got off the island, it was a boat with them on it. I don’t remember seeing anyone else there.
The scraping of eggs onto plates is all that fills the silence while I struggle to accept what Kell just said.
It bothers me. A lot. And I can’t pin down why it’s striking such a melancholy chord in me.
Aiden continues his original statement of the next steps. “I’ll be going to the Guild to let them know of their extended stay and to help with the security plan. Jack.” He turns to him. “We’ll be moving to Plan C. Make sure it’s ready and secure before we get there.” Jackson nods.
“The rest of you, pack up only what you need and any weapons. Stop by Raegan’s apartment and she can grab her things. Then meet up at Old Red tonight. We’ll be staying there until further notice.”
Everyone nods, and I feel like a complete outsider in that moment. “Uh, Old Red?”
Kellan snickers and leans down to whisper in my ear, “I hope you like firefighters.”
Eating breakfast at a table with the four men I’d grown up with is…weird. No one talks after Aiden announces their next steps. I’m expecting questions or more details on the plan. Maybe even idlechitchat between them. But it’s quiet, aside from the scraping of cutlery on the plates and the sound of eating and drinking.
Jackson scarfs down his plate first and excuses himself for the task Aiden had assigned him. I’d honestly been surprised he was up today after what Cassandra had said. He looks tired, but he isn’t acting like it at all when he gets right back to work.
Aiden finishes after him, though he at least takes the time to chew his food. He’s the next to leave until it’s just me, Kellan, and Dane. Kellan’s been sending me smirks throughout the meal. I think he’s been finding entertainment in my uneasiness during this whole thing. I almost jab him with my fork in my lingering grumpiness, but I stand up instead and bring my dishes to the sink. Dane’s already there rinsing his and the others’, so he takes my plate without a word and adds it to the pile.
“Uh, thanks.”
He nods at me. I decide not to push my luck by trying to say anything else to him and stalk down the hall to Aiden’s room. I can tell this safe house was built by them specifically for them. They each have their own full bathrooms attached to their bedrooms, but there isn’t a common one with a shower. Which means I’ll have to use one of theirs.
Since Aiden offered his room to me for sleeping, I assume his shower is the one I’ll use. I had yesterday, and he didn’t say anything, so I’ll take that as implicit approval.
I close both the doors behind me and then start the shower. My boots and pants are off and I’m midway through my top when I hear the door click open. I drop my arms on instinct to cover myself. Mytop is bunched up over my breasts, but not really hiding much more than that.
