Page 61 of Prior Claim
Before he failed.
The directors thought Rei had accepted the loaded gun in his mouth because of training and fear. The truth was worse.
Rei was the site of his greatest sin and the vessel of his most sacred commission.
There were sounds of feet against carpet. Sevastyan raised his head. Rei stood at the entrance of the hallway. “Finished, master?”
I wish you would use my name every time. If I deserved such an honor, that is what I would ask, to hear my name from your lips.
“Finished.” Sevastyan put his phone in his pocket.
Rei approached and knelt at Sevastyan’s feet. “Briefing now? Or should I prepare dinner?”
“Briefing. We still have muffins. Dinner can be after.”
There are faces you need to know. When you no longer need me, if you no longer have me, they will be there for you.
He gestured for Rei to rise and stepped past him, returning to the living room and opening his laptop. Rei followed. Sevastyan sank down on the couch and set the laptop on the coffee table. Rei joined him, sitting on the floor between Sevastyan’s feet, back against the couch, and one leg wrapped around Sevastyan’s calf. Sevastyan reached out and pulled the bag of muffins closer. He couldn’t eat, not now, but Rei should.
Sevastyan brought up a slideshow of faces and names. “Gang Junseo. No explanation needed.”
Rei nodded, taking a bite from the first muffin his hand found, eyes on the screen.
Sevastyan moved on. “Damian Sathers, the top lawyer for Reevesworth Industries, independent contractor with his own agency. He co-founded and co-owns it with another lawyer. Damian Sathers is rumored to be Richard Reevesworth’s protégée and possibly lover. His legal residence is the same as Richard Reevesworth and Reevesworth’s husband, Émeric Moreau. By all reports, Sather’s is likely Gang Junseo’s lover.” Rei nodded. That last part was certainly not news to him.
Sevastyan clicked to the next slide.
“Richard Reevesworth. Co-owner of Reevesworth Industries. Known to be a hands-on CEO. Flew personally to South Korea to retrieve Gang Junseo alongside Sathers. Has the net worth and economic entrenchment to momentarily destabilize a market if he wants to. Married to Émeric Moreau. Known to have other lovers and long-term partners.”
Sevastyan clicked to a new set of photos showing a dark Frenchman. “Émeric Moreau. He teaches part-time and runs a consulting agency for HR and other personnel-related issues, particularly international staffing. He’s been known to come in on difficult planning projects of all kinds. Speaks fluent English, French, Arabic, and possibly Japanese. Husband to Richard Reevesworth, possibly involved with Damian Sathers and one other, which is . . .” Sevastyan clicked forward. “The newest member in their household, Collin Ryker.” Sevastyan forced himself not to let his voice waver on the name of his half-brother. Rei squeezed his leg. “Twenty-four years old, enrolled in university but dropped out of classes last fall due to an incident. It’s an open secret that he’s both Richard Reevesworth and Émeric Moreau’s lover. He may also be involved with Damian Sathers. No confirmation.”
Rei looked over his shoulders, eyes wide, putting the pieces together. If Collin was with Damian, and Damian was with Jun, then . . .
Sevastyan pushed the thought out of his head. It made the world feel colder, like a door shut on his face in winter. He clicked forward. “Linda Reevesworth. Richard Reevesworth’s younger sister and co-inheritor of Reevesworth Industries. Was front person for a period of time while Richard Reevesworth finished his degrees. The last few years she’s taken a step back from the established business side to focus on community and city development and sustainability. By all accounts, the siblings work closely together and rotate through keeping their hands in all parts of Reevesworth Industries and projects. She’s also the primary guardian to Dana Reevesworth.”
Sevastyan changed the picture again, this time to a young girl. “Dana Reevesworth, the product of a long-term bid to unseat Richard and Linda from ownership of Reevesworth Industries by industry rivals and the Merchari after they realized Richard and Linda were not going to allow outside control of their companies after they inherited from their uncle. Dana’s mother was impregnated using frozen sperm years after her father had passed. The judges have ruled in favor of Linda and Richard. Linda is in the process of formal adoption. The birth mother died last fall.”
Rei made a soft, empathic sound.
Sevastyan moved on. “Alice Ryker. Collin Ryker’s sister. She appears to have joined Linda Reevesworth’s household as Dana’s caretaker. Details on the how and why are unknown. Alice is credited with gunning down a Merchari operative or associate in California last fall, around the time Dana entered Linda’s care.”
“Does Anton know?” Rei asked.
Sevastyan shook his head. “Uncertain. He doesn’t talk much about Alice.”
Rei nodded.
“The Merchari have had an interest in influencing Reevesworth Industries since before they became known as the Merchari. Richard and Linda were ruthless in rejecting such attempts when they took over. More recently, some Merchari aligned individuals in highway repair and construction have been particularly focused on stopping Reevesworth Industries from expanding rail and public transit infrastructure in this region.”
Sevastyan clicked to the final slide. Three photos of Ellisandre, all with different colors of hair and wildly different outfits filled the screen. “Ellisandre Sollunae. Nonbinary. They/them pronouns. Linda Reevesworth’s assistant and protector. Unknown number of languages. Russian, French, German, English, and Farsi at a minimum.” Sevastyan paused. There was more he could say. He couldn’t bring himself to say it. Not yet.
But there had to be a way. He had to throw himself over this cliff. Soon.
He pressed his lips to the top of Rei’s head. “I have to go out. Study the slides. Finish copying the databases and watch the feeds. If you miss something while you’re working, don’t worry. I’ll scan them later on fast forward.”
“Should I prepare dinner for you or eat by myself, master?”
“Eat when you’re hungry. And make sure you finish at least two of the muffins. I don’t know how fast this will go. There’s plenty of leftovers. One of us can heat something up when I get in.”
