Page 31 of Urzra

Waiting until his lackey was gone, Oliver put his hands over his face.“What’s happening to me?”he moaned quietly.His mind had been fuzzy for the past few weeks, if not months.It was hard to think clearly and impossible to keep track of details.Ivy had to remind him of his schedule constantly.His fears that he had a tumor growing in his brain were never far from his mind.Something was wrong, but he didn’t know what it was.

“This is Rahab’s fault,” he said sulkily, dropping his hands to his desk.“Everything was fine before he came along.Now I feel like I’m losing control of this city and my own mind.”

Sex no longer interested him.He only ate when his receptionist brought food to him.Every night when he went home to his new apartment on 5thAvenue, he sat alone, staring at the blank TV.Sometimes, he forgot to go to bed and sat on the couch in a stupefied state all night long.It had happened again last night, in fact.He looked down to see his suit was badly wrinkled.He smelled like he hadn’t showered in days.

Racked with despair, Governor Giamano didn’t know what to do.He knew he wouldn’t make it out in the wilds on his own.He was city born and bred and he was used to luxury rather than hardship.

“I’ll die if I step down from my position and leave Manhattan,” he said, eyes misting at the thought of becoming a nobody.“I’m supposed to become the president of this country.It’s my destiny!”

He let out a small sob, then reined in his emotions.Ivy Roche could enter at any time with a mug of coffee.He didn’t want her to see him crying like a child.

Standing up, he crossed to his private bathroom and winced at his slovenly reflection.“You’re a mess, Oliver Giamano,” he said in disgust.He took a comb out of a drawer in the vanity and tidied his hair.Then he sprayed himself with deodorant.Thinking back, he tried to pinpoint when his mind had gone haywire.

“It always happens whenever I have a meeting with Rahab or Xathan and I disagree with their plans,” he said with a frown.He’d long suspected the pair had the ability to alter his mind.It seemed his hunch was right.They were using some kind of hypnosis on him to get him to go along with their schemes.He’d never trusted Rahab or his crew.Maybe Creel Lawson was right and they should get rid of the Soldiers of Chaos sooner rather than later.

Oliver returned to his desk, deciding to just go along with whatever his allies said whenever he had a meeting with them.He needed to preserve his intelligence so he could plot to get rid of all of the bikers.It needed to happen in one fell swoop so he wouldn’t suffer too many casualties on his side.

Ivy Roche was adept at spying on her boss and his lackeys by now.She’d crept up to the door and had listened to his meeting with Creel Lawson.“He’s planning something bad,” she murmured beneath her breath when she heard the prepper’s comments about Xathan.

Hurrying back to her desk when she heard the meeting wrapping up, she picked up the walky-talky Xathan had given her.She clicked the speaker button like he’d taught her.“Yes?”his deep, smooth voice asked when he responded.They used their own channel to communicate on now.She knew to wait for him to acknowledge her, just in case he had unexpected visitors.

“It’s me, Xathan,” she whispered, forgetting no one else contacted him on this channel.“I just overheard Creel Lawson mention your name while he was in a meeting with Oliver.He said something about accidents happen and you might not be around for much longer.”

“I see,” Xathan said in a thoughtful tone.“Thank you for the warning, Ms.Roche.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, warmth flushing through her that he hadn’t dismissed her warning.She put the walky-talky down and hoped he would watch his back.So far, their arrangement was proving to be far more pleasurable than she’d ever hoped.She didn’t want to lose her protector and her position.If she was demoted, she would probably end up in one of the whorehouses, servicing the horny militants against her will.

Chapter Twenty-Two

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XATHAN PUT THE WALKY-talky that was tuned to the channel he used with Ivy Roche down and stared thoughtfully at the device.It didn’t surprise him at all to learn Creel Lawson was plotting against him.If anything, he’d been expecting it.The white supremist and his prepper friends had caused trouble ever since they’d joined the militants in Manhattan.Over a dozen people of color had been murdered so far.Phul had shot one of the preppers in the head as a rebuke and the murders had ceased.It was only a matter of time before they started up again.

“Apparently, Mr.Lawson plans to renew his war against non-whites with me as the next victim,” he said wryly.

He had a full schedule today and he intended to visit some of his minions.Ivy had become his secretary as well as Governor Giamano’s receptionist.She vetted visitors for both of them and booked their meetings.Skilled at her job, she was also talented in bed.He spent several nights a week at her apartment and she also visited him in his office frequently.They had a mutual attraction that was satisfying for them both.