Tevin's phone rang next to him, and when he saw who it was, his heart fell. It was the call he had been waiting for and the one he had been dreading as well. It was from Cole, telling him what he was supposed to do with Molly next.
He silenced the phone and started to get out of the bed, and it started all over again. Cole was impatient, and that only came from one thing. Something was not going the way that Cole wanted it to go, and now he was going to have Tevin fix it. Years before, Cole had saved his life, and he had owed him loyalty that maybe he did not deserve. Now that loyalty was being tested, but this time, Tevin didn’t know how it would all turn out. He had a feeling that the end was going to be different.
Tevin turned the phone off so that it would stop making noise, and he got out of the bed. There was no prolonging it any further. Tevin was going to have to call him back. He had no idea what he was going to say, but he did know that he did not want Molly to hear. She would not understand, and to be truthful, he did not even know what he was going to do yet. He had a decision to make, that much was clear to him.
When he got outside, far enough away that no one would hear him, he called Cole back and hoped that he would not be too mad.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for an hour!”
Tevin groaned inwardly, getting the answer to his internal question. Cole was pissed, but it was not just about him. Something had happened. He had worked with him long enough to know that Cole was the type to take out his frustration on anyone else around. He would not be calling him if he wasn’t in need of the enforcer.
“I just woke up, man. You don’t have to yell so loud.”
Cole was quiet on the other end of the phone. It was probably because he was not used to being talked to like that, not even from Tevin.
“I expect you to answer. That’s why you have a phone.”
“Sorry, Cole. What’s up?”
He tried to sound tired, like he was not wired and on edge, waiting on what was going to be next. None of that was going to help his situation. The only thing that was going to help was for him to appear calm in the middle of the storm until he could not be calm anymore.
“What’s up is the Houston office was attacked and burned last night. That’s what is up!”
Tevin was shocked into silence himself. He was not expecting that.
“What?”
“You heard me right. They were attacked; everyone is dead and gone.”
“Wait, I must be hearing you wrong.”
“No, you’re not hearing me wrong at all. We have been attacked, Tevin, and I need you back here ASAP. We are going to kill all of those bastards!”
Tevin’s mind was whirling and he didn’t know what to say. His thoughts immediately went to his charge. What was he supposed to do with her? Then, it was the wonder of who would be stupid enough to attack the Syndicate. They had been around for a long time. They weren’t just going to go down that easily.
“What do you want me to do with Molly?”
“Who?”
“The girl that you have me watching?”
“Oh, yeah. Get rid of her. She is the reason for all of this. I swear that they will not let this go. I would have allowed it if they would have paid the fee, but they did not. They killed Dominic, and now they have killed so many more. We have to stop these guys, all of them.”
“Who are they?”
Cole’s voice was high and nervous. Tevin could not think of one time that he had heard his boss sound that way. Something had him spooked.
“I don’t know exactly. It all comes back to that damn bitch that runs that shop we sold those girls too. She was marrying them off for money, but then she got uppity and all of it went to shit. I don’t even know how we got here, but I wish I could bring William back to life just so I could kill him again.”
“You sound worried.”
He was worried. Tevin knew that he was, but even then, with everything looming in the distance, Cole would not admit that he was scared out of his mind. Tevin was surprised, but he was not going to let his boss know. Cole was always so much in control. He ran the organization like clockwork, but obviously he had not seen this coming.
Tevin thought of what he had told him to do with Molly. He had told him to get rid of her and come back. Getting rid of her could only mean one thing. Tevin could have asked for more details, but he did not. He had a lot on his mind.
“I’m not worried, Tevin, not if you get your ass down here. I am not going to be able to be ten places at once. You’re needed back here, so pop a bullet in that bitch’s skull and get back here now.”
Tevin swallowed hard. The instructions could not get any clearer. There was no contention for wiggle room. He had to kill her, and that was that.
They talked for a few more minutes, but Tevin was not even really listening. He was agreeing to things he was not going to do. There was no way he was going to kill Molly, but Cole was not even worried about her. She was just an afterthought, and the realization of it all made him wonder how he could be part of something so cold. How had he let himself get so cold?
He was numb when the phone went dead. Cole was off to destroy more lives and dreams. He had done well with Tevin and his.
“Hey. I was wondering where you’d gone.”
“Nowhere, Molly. I was just taking a call.”
Her smile faltered like she knew it was bad news. It was, of course, and he tried to think of something else. If she could see into the future, did that mean that she could read minds as well? He really hoped not.
“Well, come back to bed. It’s hard to sleep when you’re not there.”
Tevin wanted nothing more but to do that. Why did it all have to be so complicated? What Tevin needed was answers.
“Something has changed, Molly, and I need to know how sure you are about your visions of the future. Are we really supposed to be together?”
She smiled and then pulled him in for a kiss. “I don’t know if words will help, but maybe another kiss will.”
He was not prepared for her. He was still seething inside from the conversation that he had had with Cole. He was not supposed to be holding her in his arms, kissing her. He was supposed to be shooting her in the head. In what world, was any of this possible?
When he pulled back, he knew what was there the whole time. Tevin wanted to believe Molly. He wanted her to be his. It was just that simple, and he was willing to give up pretty much everything to make it happen.
“We have to leave here, Molly. We must leave now and not tell anyone where we are going. I will tell only my brother that he is to say that we have never been here. I know that I cannot run forever, but just until I figure something out. We need to get you somewhere safe, and quickly.”
“Wait, what?”
Molly had a lazy smile on her face, but it was now gone. She was back to serious, trying to figure out what was going on. What had she missed?
“My boss called. Told me to shoot you in the head and get back to headquarters. We’re under attack from Jamie, I think he said.”
Molly was suddenly stricken and did not know how to respond. “Jamie?”
She croaked out the word, and he looked at her intently.
“Yeah, you know her?”
Molly agreed that she did. Her worry for her was immediate.
“Yeah, I do. Jamie was the one who runs the matchmaking service that the Syndicate was selling to.”
“That does not sound like someone you need to be around.”
“She must be coming to save me. She did the same for Jessica and kept her safe, but you found me. We cannot let anything happen to her and her people. You can’t help your boss, Tevin. Surely not.”
Tevin didn’t know what to think. His life was so routine, borderline mundane. Everything for the last few years had been decided for him. Now though, Tevin had this decision playing on his mind. He already knew what he was going to do, but the rest of his mind was trying to keep up. It was something
that was going to go against everything that he had ever known to be true and right.
“Those people that you talk about are the ones that helped me and saved my life. I can’t just walk out on Cole like he didn’t help me.”
“How long ago was this? You don’t owe him forever.”
“The Syndicate is the whole reason I am still alive and...”
How could he even explain it?
“I don't really know why you feel like you have loyalty towards them, but I'm sure you have a good reason. But if you go then, you're going to do something bad. You should help us take them down instead. As much as you know about how it all works, you could really make a difference. If there is a plan in place, why not help the other side?”
“Why would I take down my employer?”
She smiled and put her hand on his cheek. “So that you can go free. Whatever they did, you paid them back. Time for our lives together to start. Doesn’t it just feel like it’s time?”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I just know.”
“But we haven't even been together. Not really.”
“Would that change your mind?”
The yes was immediately on his lips, but he never said it. That would make it come out completely wrong. He didn't want her to think that he was merely saying that to get her in bed.
“I don't want anything to happen to you, Molly. I do know that for sure. My employer wants you dead, no longer is he willing to even sell you off.”
“So now you're going to kill me? You're going to put a bullet in my head, just like he wants you to?”
Any other time, he would have done exactly that. Tevin was used to following orders, and he was also used to not questioning them. Life was a lot simpler when he didn't have to worry about the consequences. He wasn't going to be lucky that time around, though.
“You know I'm not going to, Molly. But we do need to get out of here. I don't want them coming to find you later and doing something to my family. My brother is not a part of this. So, we need to find you somewhere to go, and I have to go back. Cole is calling me, and he's not going to just let it go.”
She held on to him for a moment and told him that she didn't want him to go.
“Why can't we just leave? Run away together and never worry about them again?”
“Because people I work for never stop. They would always keep chasing us, and we would have to keep running. That's no life for either one of us.”
“Then why don’t we get rid of the Syndicate so they can’t? Dead people can’t chase us, Tevin.”
Chapter Fifteen
After they got the artifact, most of the crew had to lick their wounds. Jamie and Jessica decided to go back to the witches by themselves. It felt like the more people that were there, the more advantage Chelsea took. With just the two of them, they were hoping that they could finally get her to agree to keep her end of the bargain. They were going to need her if they were going to find Molly. The shifters were strong, and they had pride, but most of them knew that there was no way they could beat a dragon.
Jamie was a little bit more worried than Jessica was. Jessica had been attacked by the Syndicate, and they had taken her memory, but it was Jamie that felt so responsible for everything that they did. Every person that they killed, which was a lot, especially after going into their compound. All of that was her fault. She had to make sure that everything went well. Jamie was willing to do about anything to make sure that Chelsea kept her word.
When they got to the Waverly house, they both paused and look at each other. They didn't dare speak anymore because of the power of the witches. They could hear someone on their doorstep, and Jamie wasn't that stupid. They silently made the decision that it was time to go forward. Nobody had to say anything, because that's what they were waiting for.
The door opened in front of them before they could even touch it. A shiver went up Jamie’s spine, and she heard Chelsea calling them forth. She was calling out to her sister, telling her that she missed her. Jamie didn’t believe it for one minute. She didn't really believe anything that came out of Chelsea’s mouth, but that was the devil that she had to work with at the moment.
When they were invited in, Chelsea offered them a seat, a bit too nicely. She was smiling from ear to ear, which was unlike the old witch. Even when she had taken on her youthful appearance, her disposition had not changed very much.
“You don't know how good it is to see you! And you have my artifact! I really didn't know if you guys would be able to do it, but here you are!”
Chelsea couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face, and her hand came out. Jamie just handed it over because she knew that Chelsea was going to get it anyway. This was not the moment to show her hand. This was the moment that she was supposed to agree with her and tell her that everything was okay. Which it was, until it wasn’t.
Jamie’s hands were trembling a little bit, but it was Chelsea that she could see was visibly shaking. It threw Jamie off, wondering what it was that they had just given her. What would mean so much?
“It has been almost fifty years since I have seen this. I didn't think I ever would again.”
Jamie wanted to ask questions; she always did. There was always so much more to learn, but she knew better than to try to find out more than was given to her. If Chelsea wanted to let her know, she would. Most likely, Jamie would be better off being involved in it as little as possible.
“Well, I'm glad that we finagled it back for you. I'm also hoping that we can talk about taking down that compound and getting Molly back now. We lost a lot of people getting that little trinket.”
Chelsea's smile faltered for only a moment, but she did get serious, and Jamie hoped that she didn't regret her words.
“You're right. Now that I have this, there is no way I am going to be stopped. I can finally get my revenge on the Syndicate.”
“Revenge? You never said anything about revenge.”
“Yes, my dear; they have kept my precious things from me for far too long. They did it to keep me under wraps, but now they will feel the full fury of my anger.”
“But we're going to get Molly out, right?”
Chelsea waved her hand like it didn't matter to her either way. That was the whole reason Jamie was there, though.
It was already bad enough that thirty had to die for one life. However, taking down the Syndicate was important to many. The Syndicate would kill far more than that if they were left on their crime spree unabated like they had been for centuries. That was the only way she was able to sleep at night.
“Yes, child, we will get that girl for you so you can stop feeling so damn guilty. It's hard to be around you because it just comes off of you in waves.”
“Well, then you can talk to me.” Jessica piped up. She hadn't said much since they got in there, but she still had her own anger to deal with.
“You don't have much to say either. You want me dead, that's clear enough, but both of you need to realize that taking down the Syndicate will help us all. It is a win-win-win situation. Why wouldn't we?”
Jamie nodded in agreement. “You're right. I would much rather take down the Syndicate. I do feel guilty as hell for even bringing them into the lives of people around me. Once they are gone, I will be able to forgive myself and heal.”
“And that's what this is all for?”
Jamie sighed. “I guess so. We will do anything to calm our own minds, won’t we?”
Chelsea agreed. “Yes, we will, and we will also do anything to pay back the people who have wronged us. We all have a common enemy, and there is nothing that they can throw at us that we can't handle.”
She sounded so sure, but Jamie still wasn’t sure herself.
“They have a dragon...”
“They might have a couple of them. I know of one, and he has been with them for many years. Loyal to a fault. Tevin might be a problem.”
“Why would you be a problem for us? Like you said before, y
ou're a witch!”
Chelsea agreed. “While I will admit I am not afraid of anything, there are a few magical beings that make me pause, and dragons are one of them. I have never liked fire all that much.”
“So, you understand that we need you?”
“Yes, child, that's why I had you get my things. I knew two things would be too much, but now it is done, and I will hold up my side of the bargain. I am going to not only give you your friend, but I'm also going to give you the destruction of your biggest enemy. Your patience and help will be worth it.”
Jamie knew that the woman could still be lying to her, but for some reason, she didn't think that that was the case. There was a relief that washed over her that was hard to deny. Whatever was going to happen next would be their best chance of taking out the Syndicate. Once and for all. How could that not be worth it?
“So, when are we going to do this?”
“I need a couple of days to prepare myself. It has been a while since I have used the Craignure. I will have to remember and become reacquainted with my old friend.”
More questions that were never going to be answered. Jamie wanted to know when and where, and Chelsea said that she would come to them. “I don't even know where we're going to be in a couple of days.”
“You don't have to know. I will find you.”
And with that, they were dismissed. Jamie and Jessica gave each other a look and walked out. They had gotten everything that they wanted and more. How could they complain? At this point, they had to just trust that she was going to do as she said. The idea of it finally being over started to wash over her in large waves. It was one of the best feelings that she’d had in a long time.
When they got back to the temporary meeting spot, Jamie told Dylan everything that had been said to her. She was sure that Chelsea was going to come through. She wanted him to be sure as well, so she might have skipped over a few parts. Jamie was convinced that all she had to do was work a little harder and wait a little longer. All she had to do was see it through, and finally, it seemed like they might be at the end of their trial. It has been a long one.
Alpha Shifter Bride Service: (A Paranormal Romance Series) Page 50
