Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“You need both hands to play,” I say.
Robbie points to me. “Bingo. The boys and their girlfriends, Ines, who was Lucius’s,” he pauses to look through a few pieces of paper. “Wilhelmina, who was Antoine’s girlfriend,” he says, showing us a photo of the two women together. Wilhelmina, although attractive, withers beside Ines. “Both Wilhelmina and Ines were from good families within The Society, so our boys were doing well.”
“Can we speed this along?” Zeke asks.
“The boys’ graduation trip, a month-long yachting extravaganza of European ports, parties, gambling, drinking, drugs, you name it, well, it did not end well. Wilhelmina broke off relations with Antoine about three weeks in and flew home when Lucius and she discovered Antoine and Ines in bed together. According to ugly rumors within The Society, the affair had been going on for some time. Have I mentioned Lucius has a temper?
“The three returned one week later and Lucius’s father soon passed away. Lucius stepped into the role of Councilor at the tender age of twenty-two. You boys know The Tribunal wields all the power within The Society. For a time, it seemed as though he’d forgiven his best friend and his fiancée, but what is it they say? Revenge is a dish best served cold. Three years later, Ines and Lucius were married in a proper Society wedding. Her atonement came in the form of fire.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, engrossed in this story.
He picks up the laptop and scrolls until he gets to the photo he wants and when I see it, I gasp, jerking back in shock and covering my mouth.
He branded the back of her neck. I stare. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“He branded her,” Zeke says.
I turn to him. He sounds calm. Like this isn’t a shock to him. Neither he nor his brother seem surprised.
“Apparently it was quite the show. Public, not only for the men to attend but for all members of The Society which I believe is unusual, isn’t that right?” Robbie asks.
Zeke nods. “Her punishment for humiliating him.”
“What happened to Girard?”
“He was at the wedding. He’d have been at the marking ceremony.”
“This is a thing? A marking ceremony?” I ask.
Zeke turns to me. “I’ll explain it to you later.”
“That night, rather than a wedding night, a special counsel was called in. The Tribunal met. Girard was arrested,” Robbie says. “He was accused of stealing from IVI. Irrefutable evidence was brought forward, and Antoine Girard was found guilty. That same night, within a few hours of having been arrested, Antoine’s punishment was carried out. He took what did not belong to him. Whether any money was ever stolen or not, we’ll likely never know. Here, too, an exception was made, and a single woman stood witness to the sentence being carried out.”
“Ines.”
“I will spare you the video footage. All such matters are recorded.”
“They did that to him?” I ask, having assumed it was an accident or a birth defect.
“He lost his hand for stealing,” Zeke says, eyes on Robbie.
10
EZEKIEL
“I can’t hear any more,” Blue says. “I’m going to bed. I can’t listen. This is sick.” She stands and turns to me. “You’re a part of this? You choose this?”
“Go get some rest.”
She exhales, glances at Robbie and Jericho, like she’s trying to figure out how this is normal. It’s not. Without another word, she leaves the room.
I don’t miss my brother’s eyes on me after she’s gone.
“So, what the hell is Girard doing as a guest of Councilor Augustus?” Jericho asks.
“Not quite sure. Perhaps they’ve let bygones be bygones?” Robbie says.
“I doubt that,” Jericho says.
“I agree with my brother. What matters now is that Girard is in town. I assume he knows both Hoxton brothers are dead. And he knows Blue is here,” I say.
“With you,” Jericho adds.
“Not necessarily. Hoxton recognized her. Girard didn’t see her last night and Augustus has never seen her. If Hoxton was working for Girard, he wouldn’t have mentioned Blue to the Councilor.”
“I’m not sure I’d take that chance. Having her around places you in danger, Brother.”
I ignore Jericho’s comment. “Were you able to get any files off that flash drive?” I ask Robbie instead.
“Some. They’re similar to what we’ve seen on the laptop itself. Councilor’s files, video footage of punishments, and what looks like compromising information on various Society members.”
“So, blackmail material,” I say.
“Girard will blackmail Augustus,” Jericho says.
“And others, most likely. I’m working on a correlation between those files that aren’t stolen from the Councilors’ official records,” Robbie says.
“Maybe Girard plans on punishing not only the Councilor but those who helped him in his effort to convict him?” I ask.
“Makes sense, actually. Girard was biding his time, waiting until he could strike.”
“Twenty-five years is a long time,” I say.
“As Robbie said earlier, revenge is a dish best served cold,” Jericho says.