Page 59 of Raze
The librarian at the front desk startles when the four of us roll up through the front doors. I hide a laugh behind my hand as she looks us over. Kellan’s both tall and thick with muscle, his tanned and tattooed skin on display across both arms and up his neck while his hair is tied up. Dane’s dressed in jeans and a gray hoodie with his hood up to hide his face and his hands in his kangaroo pocket. Then Aiden looks the complete opposite of them in his three-piece suit and tie, his posture perfect as he scans the library with a critical gaze. Last, there’s me, dressed in black jeans and a turtleneck sweater. My hair is down and around my shoulders to give the appearance of being relaxed, even though I’m internally ready for battle.
There are metal detectors at the entrance, so we’re all unarmed aside from Aiden, who looks like some hardcore metal fan with the amount of metal “jewelry” he has on him under his suit. It’s not enough to arm all of us, but it’s something.
The expression on the security guard’s face when the man in the suit pulls all his metal jewelry off into the bin ispriceless.
We move to the back of the library reading corner, where Cibrina told Aiden they would be waiting until five o’clock tonight. My steps falter when I see who’s waiting there for us, and then I look up at Kellan to check his reaction. His eyes widen, and then they find mine.
“You know them?” Aiden asks when we both stop.
“They were at the warehouse with the congressman,” I tell him.The guy and girl who had fought with Kellan. “She’s fast, and the guy can teleport.” I report their gifts before they notice us, just in case this is a trap.
“I thought you killed everyone.” Aiden’s back to watching them with a calculating eye.
Kellan crosses his arms as we watch too, and they both jerk upright when they feel our gazes on them. “The guy wanted nothing to do with his assignment. He was just looking out for the girl. She…well, she seemed to have a fun time fighting me. But after she got hurt, the guy grabbed her and ran rather than fight me. I’d trust him more than her.”
“We don’t trust either of them,” Dane reminds him sharply. “If they work for GE, then they’re both a threat.”
“I agree. Let’s go.” Aiden leads the way and pulls out the chair at the head of the table and across from them. Dane takes a seat to his right and Kellan on the other side of Dane, as if this sort of seating arrangement was pre-planned. And maybe it is. I just haven’t been around them outside of Old Red enough to see how they work together without needing to say anything. I sit on Aiden’s other side.
I wish Jackson were here to watch our backs, then squash the thought. We can handle this ourselves. Worst case, I can get up to scout the library more if needed. Until then, I plan to hear what’s going on firsthand if I can.
“Your request said you’re looking to join the Guild,” Aiden begins, pulling a folded piece of paper from his blazer and then opening it.
The guy at the end has dark hair and blue eyes. He’s wearing whatever loaner clothes GE probably gave him to wear when not in the military uniform, which is jeans and a plain, long-sleeved shirt. We haven’t even started and his face is already tight and brooding.
It’s completely unlike the ball of energy at his back. She has long chestnut hair and brown eyes. She’s wearing a medium green turtleneck and a white skirt with tan leggings. She, on the other hand, is smiling and looks excited.
Based on their history, it’s a red flag for me.
I share a look with Kellan, who gives me the barest of nods. Good. We’re on the same page.
“We’re looking for asylum,” the guy replies evenly.
“And why would you think we would offer it, considering where you’re coming from?” Aiden asks.
The guy’s eyes look to Kellan and then back to Aiden. “Because he offered.” He jabs his thumb in Kell’s direction, and we all look at him.
“What?” He scratches his beard, and then his face opens back up when it hits him. “Oh, right. I did.” Kellan laughs like it’s all no big deal, and I snicker behind my hand at the smallest twitch of Aiden’s eye.
“He promised we had more options than whatever GE was giving us. And when we were ready to take our lives back, we could come to the Guild. So, here we are.”
Aiden shoots Kellan a look, who merely shrugs. “What? Better at the Guild than with GE.”
Aiden sighs. “Alright, let’s start with your names. Then tell usabout how you wound up with GE and why you’re leaving.”
The guy nods. “I’m Reid. This is Tinsley. We were both taken a few years ago under the promise of being able to use our gifts without fear or restriction. It wasn’t until after we joined that we learned it was on their terms rather than ours. And…” Reid’s eyes slide to look at Tinsley, and the affection in his gaze is palpable. He looks back at us. “Threats were made if we disagreed with them or tried to leave.”
Ah. I know all too well how they target loved ones and use them against you. They must have used Tinsley to keep him in line. And it probably escalated to where it was safer to run away and hope for asylum than to stay there.
“Gordon?” I ask, since he was the one who did it to me.
Reid shakes his head. “Some crazy chick called Vera.”
Dane’s fist slams onto the table. “Don’t call her that.”
Reid scowls. “She’s a psycho bitch who’s threatened both of us more times than I can count. So, I’ll call her as I see it.”
Aiden puts his hand on Dane’s arm, who growls and leans back in his chair with his arms crossed. Aiden shifts the conversation back to the two of them. “How can we trust that this isn’t some ruse to gain you access to the Guild?”
