Evermarked, p.9
EverMarked, page 9
Chapter 13
Jayla
“She’ll live,” I said by way of greeting when I entered the apartment to find Caspian waiting for me. I ignored the worried look in his eyes.
Em had gone out early to check on Vic before she picked up our invites to the celebration we’d be crashing tonight. I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into my bed and sleep the day away, but I knew as soon as I laid my head down I would see her broken body, limp in Theo’s arms.
“And you?” Caspian asked.
“I’m fine,” I answered with a sharp tone warning him to leave it alone.
“Okay, then. I’ve got news. One of your sources has information, but they refuse to speak to anyone but you.” Caspian conceded to changing the subject. “I tried to explain that you were busy, but it seems this bit of information is urgent.”
“Who?”
“Won’t say that either. Just asked you to meet them at noon outside of the Main Street Coffee House,” Caspian said.
He’d been on the hunt last night for any whisper of information that might help us, and he looked as exhausted as I was, though he hid it better. We had some suspicions and a few leads we’d be checking into tonight, but the citizens of the slums were always watching and listening. I’d sent Caspian to speak with a few sources we knew would talk—for the right price.
I nodded. “Let me shower then I’ll head out.”
“Jayla?” Caspian called after me as I reached my bedroom door. “You couldn’t have prevented what happened.”
“I know,” I said. “But that doesn’t make seeing it any easier.”
The steaming cup of coffee did a good job of waking me up. The smell alone had my body focused and more alert. I blinked tired eyes against the brightness from the sun reflecting off the buildings of Main Street. We were a few blocks from downtown.
Here the streets were lined with restaurants and coffee shops, crowded with people trying to find an open seat in the packed patios to eat their lunch.
It was clear why our source had chosen here to meet. The riff-raff of Cytos had a keen sense of how to hide and stay unnoticed. It could be anyone. People passing by hardly gave me a glance, but it could be any one of them.
So I leaned against the railing outside the Main Street Coffee House and waited.
A few minutes passed.
“Best coffee in the city,” a rough voice said behind me.
I didn’t turn around as I nodded. “Only place I’d spend my hard-earned chips.”
A gruff chuckle snorted in agreement.
“You have what I asked for?” the man asked. He kept close enough for me to hear him, but not so close that anyone passing by would think we were together. I could smell the dirt and streets all over him, and from what wafted my way, I could guess it’d been a few days since he’d bathed.
“Right pocket,” I said into my cup, as I took another sip of coffee.
I hardly felt the stealthy hands reaching in and taking the bag of narcotics from my pocket. The subtle crinkle of a bag opening, and the man beside me took a long breath in, before he sighed.
“I’m much obliged, Miss,” he said.
“What do you have for me?” I turned around and leaned on the railing, sipping my coffee. My eyes scanned each person who passed us while subtly assessing the man beside me.
The man shifted as he put the bag into his pocket, glancing over his shoulder. He wore far too many clothes for the heat, and multiple layers of scarves and cloaks to cover any features other than his eyes, which were dusty blue and sharp. From the sound of his voice, he was likely in his forties or fifties. By his tattered clothes, he’d been living on the streets for a long time.
The clouds shifted over the sunlight, and my eyes took a second to adjust to the dimness.
“Do you know why I prefer you over your dog?” he asked.
I had to bite back the snarl flaring in me at the mention of Caspian being my dog. “Why?”
“You know which parts of the story to pay attention to. You’re much more observant that way,” he said. I could hear the smile spreading across his face through his voice. “He’s good, don’t get me wrong, but details are more your specialty.”
“Flattering me isn’t going to get you any more of those pills.”
Another chuckle. “I’ve always preferred the pills over traditional needles and cuffs. Less worrying about what’s inside.”
“And a lot more difficult for me to acquire,” I added.
“True. Which should indicate what my information is worth.”
“Currently, it’s seeming to be a waste of my time.” I shifted impatiently. The sun returned and the heat increased. “I don’t have all day.”
The man shrugged, as if he did have all day. That probably was true.
“Seeing as you know so much about me and my team, how about you give me your name, so I know who to give credit to when it’s due,” I said. A name would also give Em a chance to search for more information on our source, in case we were double-crossed.
“I don’t have a name,” the man said. “But you can call me Fred, if it so pleases you.”
“Fred?”
“A common name, an old name. Could have been my father’s name, had I known him,” Fred said, and I tucked that small bit of information away for later. Nameless and no father, was our informant from the DEZ perhaps?
“Have you heard the story of our history, of the war between humans and Carbons? What happened before the Peace-Making?” Fred continued.
I bit my cheek to stifle the temper rising inside of me. This was a waste of time. “We all have.”
Our history was filled with war, but also with stories of triumph, victories we would be celebrating tonight. Well, the city would. I wouldn’t.
These stories were taught to us as children. Stories of Carbons, who were forced against their will to fight the humans, and of a war that nearly destroyed our world and everyone in it. Stories of the Watchers who banded together with humans and warriors alike to take down an enemy who was nearly unbeatable.
It was a history I was well-versed in; one I was somewhat a part of as a Watcher.
“It’s a curious thing, stories,” Fred mused. “How easily one small detail can be changed, morphed, or left out entirely, and no one notices. Sometimes, even those who lived through it begin to wonder if their memories are real, or if they are remembering the story wrong.”
“What would the Carbons have to hide from us?” I asked, seeing the details this man sprinkled for me to pick out.
Our past was well known to everyone, even today, but only the Carbons actually lived it. Many were a part of the war when it had happened.
“Maybe not something left out, but something they were made to forget.”
I paused, considering his words. “Who would want the Carbons to forget the past?”
“The question may not be who…but what.” Fred tilted his head in contemplation. “Have you ever had a bad dream? Ever woken up and felt like it was real, like it actually happened?”
I nodded.
“Well, imagine that happening to thousands of people who are now destined to live a long time while history repeated itself. It would be chaos, mayhem. Those that knew what happened would either go mad from fear or make rash decisions to save themselves. It is in our nature, after all. Self-preservation.”
“Are you implying the Carbons plan to attack humans as they did before?”
Fred shook his head. “There are things from our past we no longer know about—that they no longer know about—because someone took that nightmare and made it disappear.”
I sucked in a breath. “Someone intentionally erased the Carbons’ memories?” I asked cautiously.
Fred gave a non-committal shrug. “There’s no human left alive with the knowledge of what happened back then to argue otherwise, but if you look closely, there seems to be something amiss. Some things don’t add up if you tick off all the boxes.”
“And would you happen to know what’s been left out?” I asked.
“I do not pretend to be anything more than what I am: a good listener. But there are some who have begun questioning things lately; some who would have good cause to wonder what’s really going on out there.”
I paused, thinking of all the players in this web of information and who would have the most to gain by keeping secrets.
“Thank you,” I said and pushed off from the railing. “Should you hear anything more, come straight to me and no one else. I’ll double what anyone else could offer.”
“As you wish,” Fred said, and he turned a toothless grin my way. “I would advise you to take caution in the alliances you make. Everyone has secrets. Everyone lies. For all you know, I could be the lost Prince of Kuros.” He gave me a wink before sliding back into the crowd and disappearing before my eyes.
I took my time walking back. If Fred was to be trusted with his information, which was a question in and of itself, what he was implying went beyond the Genetics Lab blowing up. What he had implied, that someone purposefully erased the memories of Carbons, affected every single being alive.
Even with my ambition and drive, I wasn’t sure what to do with this information, but I knew it couldn’t be trusted with anyone, not yet. Whatever was going on reached beyond my own training as a Watcher, and those involved could be just about anyone, including my own alliances. Everyone has secrets. Everyone lies.
I shoved the worry aside and picked up my pace the rest of the way home. I didn’t need this extra distraction, not tonight. Tonight I needed to be sharp, focused. Tonight I would put on my sweetest smile, and I would be the distraction we needed because I could not chase the shadows in the dark without knowing what was there.
Chapter 14
Jayla
The last thing I wanted to do was celebrate, but I would put on my fake smile. I would get the job done, even if I loathed every minute of it.
The tightly fitted, deep purple dress hugged me in all the right places. More than a few eyes told me that.
I was to be a distraction. All of us had a part to play tonight, and somewhere in the crowd my team was hard at work. Emery had already latched onto her target, the Governor’s son Logan Wallace, someone we’d been watching for a while.
My target would be less fun to play with, which was why I hit the bar as soon as I arrived. A little liquid courage might help.
I tapped the rim of my glass twice, and the Bot refilled my glass immediately. His large, metallic body shifted quickly out of view and moved on to the next customer before I’d tilted my head back and downed the drink in one swig. Just as I’d done with the first one.
Glancing around the overly decorated and gaudy ballroom, I looked for my mark. He wouldn’t be hard to find, especially seeing as this was his house, his party.
At the center of the room stood Governor Wallace, surrounded by four of his personal guards and his son Logan, who had Emery on his arm. She was as stunning as ever in a tight, black dress shimmering in the ballroom lights and setting her white-blonde hair and gold eyes sparkling. She leaned into him and whispered something in his ear, which he chuckled at.
With one last roll of my shoulders, I headed toward the crowd. As I pushed my way through, I felt every eye I passed assessing me, just as I assessed them. I swallowed back the icy glare I usually wore, hating every sleazy gaze falling on the deep V of my dress.
Be a distraction and buy them time. That was my job tonight.
So I strode into the middle and walked right up to Governor Wallace. “You have a beautiful home, Governor.”
His mouth paused mid-sentence as he glanced to where I stood a few inches away. His eyes scanned me like everyone else had when I stepped up to the most powerful man in Cytos. Even a married man couldn’t take his eyes off of me, not in this dress.
“Thank you, Miss…”
“Daisy Dacey, with the Cytos NewsLink, sir,” I said sweetly.
“Ah, yes. Your people said they would be sending someone.” Governor Wallace nodded. I couldn’t help but glance at Em, who had a wicked grin on her face. How she’d managed to get my name on the invite list as a news reporter, I didn’t ask. Well not my name, Daisy’s.
“Could we go somewhere more…quiet? I don’t think my recorder will work very well in this crowd. I will only take a moment of your time.” I dropped my gaze like a shy schoolgirl.
“Yes. Yes, of course.” Wallace placed a hand on his son’s back. “I’ll be right back, son.” Although Logan nodded, I don’t think he was paying any attention to his dad. Wallace’s guards moved to join us, but a subtle nod from the Governor had them staying behind.
I followed behind Wallace as he weaved through the still growing crowd, shaking hands as he passed. Along the back wall, someone caught my eye. Caspian leaned casually against a pillar; his eyes met mine for only a second before they focused back on the beautiful blonde in front of him.
Leanna Wallace, Logan’s sister, was Caspian’s mark. By the lack of space between the two, and no hint that she noticed as we slid past, Caspian was doing his job well. Though Logan was our main focus tonight, we all had to keep anyone who could interfere in Em’s task at bay, and Leanna was a bit overprotective of her little brother.
Governor Wallace stepped into the empty foyer and took a seat on one of the oversized, crimson chairs. I took up the one across from him and placed my recorder on the table between us. His gaze followed my movements the entire time.
“You don’t mind if I record this, do you, sir?” I looked up at him under long lashes.
His eyes weren’t on my lashes.
“Not at all, my dear.”
I gave him another sweet smile and bit the bottom of my lip as I sat back down.
“How long have you been with the Cytos NewsLink?” Wallace asked.
“I thought I was the one asking the questions?” I teased. “Only a few months. I just started there after an internship that luckily landed me this position. To be honest, sir, you’re my first interviewee.”
Wallace’s eyes flashed at my shy, embarrassed façade with a thrill. “It seems like you’re a natural so far.” His eyes flickered to my lips, my neck, my chest.
I giggled, trying to hide my disgust. “Thank you, sir.”
Wallace leaned back into his chair, pure male dominance on display. “Shall we begin?”
“Y-yes, of course,” I stammered. “Um…tonight is about celebrating a hundred and fifty years of peace. How do you plan to not only celebrate this huge accomplishment, but keep the peace for years to come?”
“With the lovely citizens of Cytos, along with our dual Governship, it won’t be hard, my dear. We do our job by providing a safe place for all people, but it is the citizens who make it all possible.” Wallace gave me a little wink.
“Very true, sir.” Lie. Not all citizens were interested in keeping the peace; most turned a blind eye and stupidly believed whatever they were told. “We’re told you will be making a speech later and have a big announcement. Any insider exclusives on what the news might be?”
Wallace smiled at the playful tone in my voice, as he placed a hand on his armrest and his fingers tapped. “I guess I could give you a little exclusive.”
I leaned in, trying to look as eager as the doe-eyed girl I was meant to be tonight.
“We will be opening a new Recreation and Entertainment Center where the Genetics Lab once was,” Wallace said. My mouth dropped open. “It will be the hub of innovation, like no other city has seen before. People will travel far and wide just for a glimpse of the building. The tourism and exclusivity of this place will bring prosperous times to our city.”
“But what about the Genetics Lab?” I asked.
Wallace shrugged. “Governor Grayson has assured me she no longer needs the location for her facility. They have already moved operations to a larger location outside of Cytos to the North where they can service all of Armestes.”
My mouth opened for another question, but a voice cut me off.
“Father, we’re going out dancing.” Logan walked up to where we sat, Em snug under his arm.
“Why can’t you dance here?” Wallace asked.
“It’s all old people music, not the stuff we like.” Logan glanced to Emery, her ruby lips parted into a smile. “I’ll be home after midnight. Don’t wait up.”
Before Wallace had a chance to object, they were gone. His eyes followed them out the door until it shut behind them.
“Children…” Wallace sighed. “Sorry, where were we?”
“You were talking about the facility Governor Grayson had moved to. Do you know its location? What they are doing there?” My tone was no longer friendly but heavy with interrogation. Whatever they were planning with this new facility might be connected to the explosion.
Wallace flinched at my tone, and I quickly schooled my face with a sweet smile.
“I am not sure what her plan is…why do you ask such things?”
My temper settled as I realized this wasn’t a part of the mission, and I couldn’t risk raising any suspicions tonight.
I put on another fake smile and nodded. “I’m just curious by nature. Apologies, sir. This new facility you will announce sounds quite extraordinary.”
Wallace settled again, nodding. “Yes, it is. It will bring prosperity and peace to our city. The possibilities are endless.”
“Indeed.” I nodded, not really listening as he continued to drone on about the state of the art equipment and five-star services. My mind was still back on why Governor Grayson would move a city facility outside of Cytos.
“Do you have any other questions?” Wallace glanced back to the full ballroom, and I blinked out of my stare.
“No, I think that’s enough to entertain our readers.” I stood and again took my time collecting my recorder from the table between us. “Thank you so much, sir.”
Wallace stood and stretched out a hand. “The pleasure was all mine.” I did my best not to pull away as he placed a wet kiss on the top of my hand.
