Page 133 of Gravehouse

“Hmmm.” Punk gives me a slow nod. “Sounds about right. Butwhy the fuck did she run in the first place!”

I pause with the glass at my mouth. Punk’s face loses color.

“Because she made me.”

Silence. That’s what the fuck I thought.

Luce blows out a breath, dropping onto the back of the sofa. “Okay. Think. Is it possible that he caught her?”

“Surely not,” Punk says, shaking her head, while Jord’s eyes swing between his friends, desperate to piece it all together. “If he did,” she continues. “We would know by now, right? Emeric is far too fucking theatrical to not make a scene by now.”

“It’s been thirty-five minutes,” I say, hissing through the burn. “Don’t count him out too soon.”

Luce’s gaze narrows on me. “Now, you’re awfully fucking calm, Asher. May I ask why?”

“You may.” I shrug, emptying the glass down my throat. “But I won’t tell you.”

“Oh, this is a thing he does when he’s trying to stay logical,” Atlas adds, sarcasm riding under it. “I’m sure he’s going to explode sooner or later.”

I won’t. He knows that.

“He won’t,” Leon murmurs, unbuttoning his jacket and lowering himself onto the sofa, eyes on me. “Even as kids he never did.”

Punk taps furiously at her keyboard.

“Okay that’s it!” Jord shouts, shoving off the wall. “What the fuck is going on and why do you all know each other?”

I open my mouth to answer, and someone knocks again.

“Fuck!” Punk screams, slamming her laptop. “I can’t get in anywhere near where he is!”

I head for the front door and let our newest guest in while Punk blabbers about being a failure.

I wave a hand toward her. “I bring you someone who does know how to get in over there.” Everyone turns to the woman beside me. “Meet Amélie Monét.”

Amélie smiles, but I know I’m gonna get an earful later.

“Ivy’s mother,” I add.

“Great,” Luce snaps, turning her back to Amelie. “Just what we need. A fucking deadbeat.”

“That’s it!” Jord yells. “Where the fuck is my friend and why the fuck are you all liars!”

I glare at Leon. “Explain the shit to him before he starts giving me a headache.”

Leon doesn’t move. He studies Jord for a beat, giving the poor bastard one final breath before dropping his entire life into a blender.

“Emeric is Ivy’s father,” Leon says, resting his forearms on his knees. “He trained her as a child, buried commands in her head, and spent years sending us jobs so he could keep her close.”

Jord’s mouth opens.

Punk lifts one finger from her laptop. “And Asher runs the Delacroix house.”

Jord turns toward me, his face going blank. “Runs it how?”

I roll the empty glass between my palms. “Le Parrain.”

“Supreme leader,” Luce adds, aiming the words at Jord while her stare stays fixed on Amélie. “Since nobody in this room seems fond of plain fucking English.”