“The reason I’m calling…” he finally said.
“Yes, Papá?”
“It’s Hope Adams. I’ve offered her a week of contract work investigating a local gang, and she’s accepted.”
He went on to explain the situation, in far more detail than it warranted, hammering home the message that he wasn’t hiding anything, which almost certainly meant he was.
“Is this in regards to the debt Hope and Karl owe?” I asked.
“They don’t owe me anything, Lucas. I’ve told you that. This is an independent project.”
“And Hope in no way feels obligated or coerced?”
“Absolutely not. She’s here on the plane now. You can speak to her if you’d like.”
I flicked a stray paper clip back into the pile. “This seems very sudden. I haven’t heard any rumblings of an impending gang insurgence.”
“They’ve been small so far, but they are there, and it’s a problem best nipped in the bud.”
“Particularly if ‘nipping it in the bud’ provides an excuse to test a young Expisco half-demon, evaluate her powers and demonstrate to her the benefits of Cabal employment.”
He laughed. “I won’t say I wouldn’t love to have Hope on staff. But I know better than to poach her from the council.”
“Perhaps you should speak to Paige, then. She’s the council member, so she’s the one who should be apprised-”
“Which is exactly what I hope you’ll do.”
There was no reason to go through me-he was on very good terms with Paige. So what was he up to?
“Are you concerned about the job, Lucas?” he asked after a moment.
“Frankly, yes. Hope is a capable young woman, but this could be a dangerous situation, particularly without Karl as backup.”
“Having Karl would be ideal, but he’s not available so…” He paused. “I know. Why don’t you and Paige come to Miami? Finish up your work today and I’ll send the jet for you tonight. You can provide Hope with backup and direct supervision.”
I pinched my nose as I pushed my glasses up. I’d leapt straight into that one.
My father had done this before, calling with a case that would “benefit” from my attention. And while I was in Miami, he’d pester me to attend board meetings, client dinners, review recent organizational changes…anything to involve me in Cabal life.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll provide her with direct access to Cabal security. I’ll oversee her investigation from here.”
“If you change your mind…”
“I’ll let you know. Now, if you’ll give me a moment to update Paige, we’d like to speak to Hope.”
HOPE: GOBLIN ROMEO
If the situation alarmed Lucas, there was no trace of it in his voice. He was his usual self-calm and serious, words chosen with care, as if he was addressing a courtroom.
Lucas confirmed everything his father had told me about the gangs. He agreed I was a good choice to infiltrate one and he saw nothing suspicious in his father’s proposal. He would monitor the situation from Portland and, if I had any concerns or questions, he was only a phone call away.
Then Paige came on, and the tone changed. Was I comfortable with the job? How did I feel about it? Did everything seem okay? If the job bothered me at any point, even just a sense that something was amiss, I could call her, day or night-at home, at work or on her cell.
Not knowing the root of my powers-the chaos hunger was my guilty secret-they saw nothing odd about me taking this job. I was relieving myself of an obligation while gaining some experience, and that seemed perfectly reasonable to them.
Nor did they suggest the job might be more than I could handle. That would have been the first comment out of Karl’s mouth. I chalked that up to age. Karl was at least fifteen years older than me-with a werewolf’s slow aging, it was hard to tell exactly-but Paige was my age, and Lucas a year or two older. They could handle a job like this, so they knew I could.
When I hung up, I relaxed, my mind able to refocus on the task at hand.
“I need to know more about this gang,” I said as Benicio sat across from me. “You said there were rumblings. Exactly what are we talking about? Causing more trouble than usual? Or planning a strike against the Cabal?”
“The latter, I suspect, though at this point, it is only rumblings. I doubt they’re considering anything specific yet. You’re only there to get a better idea of the situation.”
He settled back in his seat and opened the window blind, as if that should be all I needed to know.
“So what are these rumblings?” I pressed.
He took a moment before answering. “This gang finds its recruits through an outside agent. That agent is also on my payroll, which is how I’ll get you in. The gang leader, Guy Benoit, knows that this agent was an employee of mine, before an apparent falling out. Benoit has, of late, been asking him questions about the Cabal.”
“Pumping your guy for information?”
The corners of Benicio’s mouth twitched. “No, Benoit would never be so crude. He’s a far cry from your typical street thug, Hope, and you’d do well to keep that in mind when dealing with him. Benoit is a brilliant leader. I sincerely hope to have him on my staff one day, but unfortunately he’s not eager to embrace Cabal life.”
A young woman stepped from the back room, phone in hand. Benicio motioned for her to take a message, then waited until she’d retreated before continuing.
“Guy Benoit is a sorcerer. His father started a small Cabal in Guyana twenty years ago. An ambitious project and one I would have been happy to support, if we hadn’t run into a conflict of interest. The Benoit Cabal was disbanded and Guy’s mother, a Vodoun priestess, fled with him to Louisiana. Five years ago, Benoit appeared in Miami and toppled the former leader of his gang in a masterful coup.”
“Masterful?”
“Guy has a reputation for avoiding violence. Even his coup was bloodless. Ruthless, but bloodless. That’s one reason I very much hope to hire him someday.”
“After what you did to his family? If he’s set up base in Miami, he’s obviously looking for revenge, not a job offer.”
Benicio only shrugged, unruffled by my bluntness. “In five years, Guy has given me very little trouble. Perhaps that was the calm before the storm-settling in and quietly getting the lay of the land-but he seemed to be happy to exact his revenge simply by lining his pockets at our expense, taking advantage of the Cabal’s willingness to protect the gangs. It’s only recently that he’s begun asking my agent vague questions about our security force and our general organization. That must be significant. As for what it portends…”
“Finding out is my job.”