Page 103 of Ramshackle
My old mentor turns away from them and moves on to the next table.
It’s the same story. Most take his card after he mentions the reward, but a few wait for him to leave before ditching it to the floor.
I pick one of those to bring to my hand.
It’s all black, with only a phone number andReward for any informationlisted in metallic gold.
The flashiness of the cards is supposed to help convince people that he has the cash needed for a large reward. A simple yet effective trick.
Thorne works his way through the large room in a circle. Once he’s back to the start, he casts a final sweep over the room and then leaves.
My phone vibrates in my pocket as I wait to give him a head start.
“We’ve got a lead on her father,” Aiden says when I answer. “It’s on another island, so we’ll be bringing Guild members again to help us get in and out like last time. How are you making out on your end?”
I tuck the gaiter beneath my chin. “He was at the Pits.”
“What did he do?”
“Asked around about me. And the Guild.”
He pauses, considering. “Do we need to shut it down?”
“No.” I flip the card in my hand. “I have a plan.”
“We’re going to the island tomorrow night. Will you be back for that?”
“I’ll be back tonight. The plan can wait.” It needs time to sit anyway.
“We can talk about the plan tomorrow, then. See you soon.”
The call ends, and I slip the phone back into my pocket. I tug the gaiter back in place and sneak to the floor before exiting the bar the way I came. The bouncer at the back door startles when I leave, and I can’t help myself.
“Good night, Gregor.” Then I jump into the air, climbing higher until I reach the rooftops, and then follow the rotting scent that will lead me back to Thorne.
He returns to his penthouse without any additional stops. I watch him for another hour, prowling around his living area and talking to himself for too long to be considered sane before I decide to call it a night. If he leaves his apartment again tonight, my motion sensor will alert me. For now, I’ve no interest in watching a man who’s clearly losing his mind.
It’s a good hour between the penthouse and the long length of tunnel to the bunker from the nearest Guild-owned business, but it’s still early in the night. When I enter the bunker past the security room, I pivot to the elevators instead of my usual route.
There’s someone I’ve been needing to speak with, and now’s as good a time as any.
Especially as we’re about to potentially add another person to the mix.
I’m not thrilled with the idea of Raegan’s father. She hasn’t mentioned him, and I haven’t seen any sign that she’s looking to find him. Her hunt for her mother’s information had merely been a method of proving to Aiden that she was innocent of his accusations after finding her birth certificate. Not out of some need to find or learn about her parents.
And I have no interest in sharing her attention with one more person. I’ve compromised plenty with my brothers and Raegan. And I’ve only done so because it’s them. If anyone else triedto win her affection, another Guild member perhaps, they’d disappear before getting the chance.
It doesn’t matter that a family member’s attention is different than the kind my brothers and I have with her. I want all of it.
This latest lead is merely Aiden overcompensating for his mistakes. I’m only going to go along with it in the small chance that Raegan’s now become invested in it. I won’t take away her hope, even if it’s new and unplanned.
The elevator jolts to a stop. I step out, strolling through the corridor until I reach the locked double doors at the end. Pulling out my phone, I tap through the app for all the Bunker locks until I see the one for the new quarantine area for island rescues.
There’s an audibleclickwhen it unlocks, giving me fifteen seconds to open the doors and walk inside before they automatically lock again. Claudia looks up from a table at the entrance, her laptop and a notepad in front of her.
“Oh, Jack. I didn’t know you were coming. Can I help you?” she asks politely.
Claudia joined the Guild after Aiden took it over. They’d met some time before, and he brought her in when we’d needed someone with medical training to assist with brainwashed or traumatized gifted.
