Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“The timing issue is definitely not ideal,” he said. “The paper trail shouldn’t be an issue, though. It’ll just show that Elliot Graves’s people were sent in to attack Jessie. We don’t care if people know that.”
“Unless that Irishwoman goes sniffing around.”
“She’s too busy with the gargoyles. We’re good. We just need to pay attention to that timing issue. We need to be able to stop the attack if needed.”
“I know. I’m on it.”
“Ideally, how long do we need to keep the big cairn leaders here?”
“You mean how long do we have before Austin Steele pulls all their heads off?” He could hear the humor in her voice. “At present, we’ll need them to stay for at least a week and a half to hit the projected date, and longer still if we hit delays. That wouldn’t be too hard if we weren’t amping up their aggression with those gifts, and if we didn’t already see an example of how she might be treated. Keeping Jessie and Austin in check might be the hardest part of this situation.”
He paused for a moment, assessing. “We might need to pull back a little with the gift boxes. Maybe not amp up their tension so much out of the gate. Gimerel especially. That cairn seems to be the mightiest in terms of social influence, mostly thanks to their lead enforcer. Maybe if we avoid offending the Gimerel leader, the others will mind their manners a bit longer. It’ll be easy to throw a wrench in their moods if things go too smoothly.”
“Probably a good idea. If any of them treat her like Pierce did, this situation will go pear-shaped in a hurry. It’s a lot more precarious than I like to plan. We have a lot less control than I’m comfortable with.”
“I hear you loud and clear, Captain. We’re on track so far. We just need to keep Jessie and Austin from exploding.”
“Easier said than done.”
Wasn’t that the truth.
EIGHTEEN
Jessie
A day before the cairn leaders were due for dinner, I was doing everything in my power not to let nerves overcome me. I sat in the TV room with a sandwich, butterflies swarming in my stomach and my gaze continually straying to my phone.
The leaders would be arriving today. Their guardians had scouted the area and secured lodgings, and they would be settling in for the foreseeable future, dependent on me and my crew to keep them entertained while we got to know each other.
They’d also get their gift boxes.
I swallowed nervously as Naomi walked around the room, surveying everything.
I still wasn’t sure about those gift boxes. The actual gifts were lovely, of course, but some of them sent very pointed messages. These people were hiding secrets. Dark secrets, some of them. Gross and terrible.
The Dark Three had all agreed this was necessary. Even Austin had given their plan the go-ahead. The cairns needed to know I was a power player right off the bat. This would show them that I wasn’t afraid to dig for dirt, my crew was capable of finding it, and also that I could keep secrets. I was showing them I could play the game better than any of them. Or so I’d been assured.
“Jessie?” Naomi stood with her eyebrows raised. I vaguely recalled hearing a question about the blanket she’d just artfully draped across the new couch like we were preparing for a magazine shoot.
“That looks great, but when my dad comes, it won’t work,” I told her as I finished my sandwich.
She put her hands on her hips. “Why not?”
“Sorry, let me rephrase.” I held up a hand. “It’ll work as a blanket for warmth but not as a fart blanket.”
She stared at me silently for a long moment. I’d come to realize that could mean a handful of things, most notably that she was irritated, full-out angry, or didn’t understand.
I figured it was the last one. My dad’s fart blanket mystified the brightest of people.
“He sits on a blanket to keep from getting too hot and sticking to the leather,” I explained as someone I didn’t know stepped onto the walkway leading up to Ivy House. “He has a flatulence problem, kind of like the basajaunak after too many magical flowers. The blanket collects—”
“Say no more.” Naomi raised her hand. “Please, say no more.” She shook her head, grumbling under her breath. “Fine, I’ll get a trashy butt blanket for when he comes. We can store it in the linen closet. I’ll ensure it matches the couch so it’s not so offensive.”
“It would have to be a soundproof blanket for it not to be offensive, but yes, that’ll work.”
I crumpled the napkin as I stepped out into the hall, feeling Mr. Tom coming down the stairs to see who was nearly at the door.
Oh God, what if it was one of their guardians saying the gift boxes had been too much and they were pulling out? Or a guardian wanting…something else. I’d seen some large gargoyles downtown lately, guardians potentially interested in a job, but I hadn’t met anyone affiliated with the top four cairns. I had no idea what to expect.