what is the plan?” I pressed.
Saint paused in his work, looking over at us then sighed, rising to his feet and heading to the fridge. He poured himself a measure of a vodka in a crystal fucking glass then moved to perch on the arm of the chair opposite us. “We have three urgent tasks we need to accomplish. The first, is to ensure Tatum is never found by my father and remains safe within our care at all times.” The boys all nodded and my heart filled up with sunlight. “The second task is finding a virologist of good nature to give those vaccines to. Someone who has the skill to produce more of the vaccine in a timely manner whilst maintaining the secrecy of their source. And finally, the third task is eradicating my father and all that he stands for, including the sadistic club which he is connected to and likely involved in the running of. We will expose him and his friends for what they are and ensure they are so thoroughly crushed beneath our heels that they may never rise from the dust again.”
“Wait, your Dad is a member of Royaume D’élite?” I gasped, looking to the others. “How long have you known that?”
“I didn’t think we did,” Blake balked.
“You did not, but I have spent quite some time working over the facts available to us and it seems like a strong assumption to make,” Saint said, brushing a speck of lint from his knee. “Of course, there is room for error in that estimation and believe me when I say, I do not like taking gambles on vague assessments without damning proof. But in these circumstances, I have deemed it necessary to make a…” He trailed off, his features contorting.
“Guess?” Nash finished for him with a smirk and Saint winced like the word repulsed him.
“Yes, if you must call it that,” Saint muttered in disgust. “I understand if the four of you would like to debate the validity of such a decision and perhaps take a vote on whether this assumption can be given enough credit to assume it is true for the purposes of our actions from here on out.”
I shared glances with the others, everyone’s face saying the exact same thing, so I voiced it for us all. “We trust you.” The guys nodded and Saint glanced between us, satisfaction filling his gaze.
“Good.” He pushed to his feet, walking over to the pile of bags. He took out a collection of new phones and tossed us one each then took his own from his pocket. “You will not contact each other through anything other than this app.” He showed us his screen, pointing out the red and white icon and I picked up my phone, finding the same one on it.
“It will take you to a secure server where we can speak through an online chatroom. You can make calls through it too, each of your contact information is stored here under animal codenames. Kyan you’re Koala, Tatum you’re Tigress, Nash is Nighthawk and Blake you’re Baboon.”
“Baboon?” Blake blurted. “Why do I get Baboon? Why not Bear or Boa Constrictor or something cool?”
“Because you are a baboon,” Saint said smoothly and I snorted a laugh.
“Kyan’s hardly a koala,” Blake complained.
“On the contrary, koalas are quite vicious,” Saint reasoned.
“And cuddly,” I added, pinching Kyan’s cheek and he smiled wickedly.
“So what are you?” Monroe asked Saint curiously.
“He’s Squid!” Kyan announced and I laughed wildly, nodding my agreement.
Saint’s eyes turned to deadliest nightshade. “I am not Squid. I’m Scorpion.”
“You’re totally Squid,” Blake said, bouncing in his seat. “Especially if I’m Baboon.”
“I am not Squid,” Saint hissed venomously. “End of discussion.” He turned sharply away, heading back to the bags to finish unpacking the food and I caught Kyan’s eye as the two of us cracked up.
“Squid’s in a mood,” Nash muttered and I roared a laugh, making Saint swear furiously.
I settled back into my seat and we all watched some trashy TV for a while. I started to get a little sleepy as I sat there, a yawn pulling at my mouth. It had been a seriously long day, but despite all the changes and the danger we were still in, I felt kinda happy. Just being with my Night Keepers like this was a blessing after so long in that horrid lab. I was free now, back where I’d ached to be for weeks, imagining how good it would feel to be with them