Page 78 of Remnants
“Royce.” Harvey looks to Reid. “I hear you know the old man pretty well. You think it’s a trap, too?”
Reid taps his fingers against the table. “Yeah. You’ve become a liability for him with the Guild. He could easily assign you to someone else but Royce is an odd choice.”
Dane frowns. “Because he already trusts him so much?”
“Clearly Charles isn’t above spying on anyone, particularly his allies. So, no, it’s not because of that. Since Royce’s gift is tied to souls, I wonder if that means he can see them,” Reid speculates.
Harvey groans, his head knocking against the table between his arms.
“Meaning…he might be able to see Harvey even if he’s invisible?” I guess, my headache growing stronger the more I learn about my father.
Reid nods. “It’s just a thought, but knowing him, he’ll believe you’ve been compromised and are no longer trustworthy enough to live. If there are still others who can be invisible spies for him, your value alive isn’t as strong as it is with your death.”
“Cold-hearted bastard,” I mutter, having another spoonful but still trying to drag out my meal.
“The coordinates lead to a coffee shop downtown,” Aiden tells us after plugging it into his phone.
Reid gives a curt nod. “Where a portal will be waiting to take him anywhere in the world.”
“And the date is two weeks from now. 10:30 in the morning,”Aiden finishes.
“But he’s not going, right?” I look up from my soup to Aiden. “If we know it’s a trap, then he should just stay here with us.”
“What happens if you don’t go?” Kellan directs to Harvey, who shifts his head to the side.
“Then he’llknowI’ve betrayed him, and he’ll hunt me down to kill me himself.”
Dane cocks his head. “What’s the difference between that and willingly walking into a trap?”
“At least with that, there’s a chance he might believe I’ve stayed loyal to him, and he won’t have me killed. A teeny-tiny one.” Harvey holds his thumb and forefinger apart the barest amount as if to emphasize how small of a probability that is. He chuckles humorlessly. “So, I can take that chance and probably die by Royce, or I can go on the run until Dad finds and kills me.”
The room’s quiet.
“Don’t all rush to tell me you’ll miss me at once,” Harvey says mockingly. He lifts his head to lean on his fist, looking at Reid. “I guess we can’t all be daddy’s favorite now, can we?” He grins at Reid’s scowl before his gaze catches on Aiden’s unamused frown. “What? Can’t a dying man say what’s on his mind?”
“You’re not dying yet,” Aiden chastises him.
Harvey grabs the bars between us and him. “What’s the plan, Master? You always have one. I’ll do anything, just please. Don’t let this be the end for me. I still have to make it up to everyone at the Guild. To my friends.”
“I didn’t realize you had any friends,” Dane mutters, and I shoothim a look.
“Don’t be mean, Dane. He thinks he’s going to die.”
“Thank you, dear sister.” Harvey holds his hands together, smiling at me. “I knew you were the best of us.”
“Don’t talk about her like you know her,” Dane snaps.
Aiden sighs, pocketing his phone. “If the dramatics are finished, I’ll tell you the plan.”
Harvey leans over the table, his pale blue eyes focused solely on Aiden, and he nods eagerly.
“We’re going to give Charles a reason to keep you alive and around the Guild. It’s the best way for us to still keep an eye on you and avoid either of the death scenarios you mentioned.”
“How?”
Jackson hums and then speaks up for the first time since we’d entered the room, immediately picking up on Aiden’s plan. “Immortality.”
Aiden nods. “You’re going to message Charles that you have good intel to share. Ask if he’ll be there at your next assignment so you can speak with him about it privately.”
