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Authors: Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant
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exact place they left it?”
Charlie was still staring at the mothership. At the energy beam connecting it to the money pit. He gave another small nod. “Vail,” he said. “Again.”
Piper followed Charlie’s gaze and saw the shadow.
It had come closer, as if to listen.
CHAPTER 14
Christopher didn’t listen. He went to see Lila first. Because, of course, that had been the whole idea.
Now that Meyer was gone — away in a trance with Divinity, according to Mo Weir, who hadn’t been given the memo — Raj was nominally in charge. It made sense. Who in the house outranked him? Who in the house (or, really, in Heaven’s Veil) could challenge him? Captain Jons, maybe. But Jons had his hands full with Reptar peacekeepers, and now this bullshit with the Apex’s power. Raj would be running the place before Jons knew what hit him.
For now, everyone was toeing the line. Christopher would do as ordered where his dick wasn’t concerned while the other guards licked Raj’s boots.
If Raj wanted snooping devices installed, he could do that kind of thing now. Meyer already had. That’s how he found out about the virus Terrence had unleashed onto the network, when it had been changing hands with … well, with Christopher. Raj had seen the recordings — right there on the house server, accessible with his plain old sysadmin access.
Raj went to the office down the hall. The last time he’d been in here, Heather had come in with some sort of vampy comedian routine to insult and distract him from what Terrence was up to — from what Meyer (and everyone kept forgetting this) had let him do. Meyer got what he had coming. Traitors got the broadsword. So it had always been; so it would always be.
Raj closed the door. Pulled out a tablet. And, of course, watched from the far end of Lila’s room as Christopher entered. The little bastard didn’t leave the doorway and kept checking the hallway, probably sure that the minute he unzipped, Raj would be there to cut something off.
Which was accurate.
But the door stayed open. Christopher stayed professional, save one telling, too-deep kiss. Clara was in the room while Lila and Christopher betrayed her daddy, back turned, her spooky internal eye surely wide open. She’d been withholding, too. She knew what the others were up to yet failed to tell her father.
Why was everyone against Raj? He was a good guy. Smart. Great at solving problems. He’d always tried to do the right thing. He’d stuck by Lila’s side, tried to keep her safe. But he just wasn’t goddamn good enough.
“Terrence is back,” Christopher told Lila on-screen.
Lila’s eyes, from what Raj could see, looked red. That bit of information cleared them enough to snap around, stare Christopher in the face.
“Back?”
“Upstairs.”
“Did he escape?”
“No. Raj has him. He’s under guard. Trying to undo what he did.”
“Mom made it sound like it wasn’t un-doable.”
“Who knows.” Christopher shrugged. “This is Raj we’re talking about.”
His skin prickled. Raj wanted to head down there, punch Christopher in the throat. He could do it, too. Get a few guards to hold him down then beat Christopher’s face off with his knuckles while his lover watched.
“How are you doing?” Christopher asked.
“I don’t know.”
“I haven’t heard anything. I ran into your mother. She said Mo is looking for him.”
“For Raj?”
“For your dad.”
Lila sniffed. The idea of an aide searching for his dead master seemed to strike her as especially sad. She sighed.
“What about Clara?”
“I can’t tell her. I just can’t, Chris. She’s adamant. Wants to go find him.” She sniffed again. “Wants to play.”
Lights flickered around Raj but also around Christopher and Lila. The tablet stayed on, as both it and the spy device ran on internal power. The signal was over the air, not the net.
“Terrence?” Lila
Charlie was still staring at the mothership. At the energy beam connecting it to the money pit. He gave another small nod. “Vail,” he said. “Again.”
Piper followed Charlie’s gaze and saw the shadow.
It had come closer, as if to listen.
CHAPTER 14
Christopher didn’t listen. He went to see Lila first. Because, of course, that had been the whole idea.
Now that Meyer was gone — away in a trance with Divinity, according to Mo Weir, who hadn’t been given the memo — Raj was nominally in charge. It made sense. Who in the house outranked him? Who in the house (or, really, in Heaven’s Veil) could challenge him? Captain Jons, maybe. But Jons had his hands full with Reptar peacekeepers, and now this bullshit with the Apex’s power. Raj would be running the place before Jons knew what hit him.
For now, everyone was toeing the line. Christopher would do as ordered where his dick wasn’t concerned while the other guards licked Raj’s boots.
If Raj wanted snooping devices installed, he could do that kind of thing now. Meyer already had. That’s how he found out about the virus Terrence had unleashed onto the network, when it had been changing hands with … well, with Christopher. Raj had seen the recordings — right there on the house server, accessible with his plain old sysadmin access.
Raj went to the office down the hall. The last time he’d been in here, Heather had come in with some sort of vampy comedian routine to insult and distract him from what Terrence was up to — from what Meyer (and everyone kept forgetting this) had let him do. Meyer got what he had coming. Traitors got the broadsword. So it had always been; so it would always be.
Raj closed the door. Pulled out a tablet. And, of course, watched from the far end of Lila’s room as Christopher entered. The little bastard didn’t leave the doorway and kept checking the hallway, probably sure that the minute he unzipped, Raj would be there to cut something off.
Which was accurate.
But the door stayed open. Christopher stayed professional, save one telling, too-deep kiss. Clara was in the room while Lila and Christopher betrayed her daddy, back turned, her spooky internal eye surely wide open. She’d been withholding, too. She knew what the others were up to yet failed to tell her father.
Why was everyone against Raj? He was a good guy. Smart. Great at solving problems. He’d always tried to do the right thing. He’d stuck by Lila’s side, tried to keep her safe. But he just wasn’t goddamn good enough.
“Terrence is back,” Christopher told Lila on-screen.
Lila’s eyes, from what Raj could see, looked red. That bit of information cleared them enough to snap around, stare Christopher in the face.
“Back?”
“Upstairs.”
“Did he escape?”
“No. Raj has him. He’s under guard. Trying to undo what he did.”
“Mom made it sound like it wasn’t un-doable.”
“Who knows.” Christopher shrugged. “This is Raj we’re talking about.”
His skin prickled. Raj wanted to head down there, punch Christopher in the throat. He could do it, too. Get a few guards to hold him down then beat Christopher’s face off with his knuckles while his lover watched.
“How are you doing?” Christopher asked.
“I don’t know.”
“I haven’t heard anything. I ran into your mother. She said Mo is looking for him.”
“For Raj?”
“For your dad.”
Lila sniffed. The idea of an aide searching for his dead master seemed to strike her as especially sad. She sighed.
“What about Clara?”
“I can’t tell her. I just can’t, Chris. She’s adamant. Wants to go find him.” She sniffed again. “Wants to play.”
Lights flickered around Raj but also around Christopher and Lila. The tablet stayed on, as both it and the spy device ran on internal power. The signal was over the air, not the net.
“Terrence?” Lila
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