EVIL VILLAIN (The Royal Court #3) - Rebel Hart Page 0,52
keeping under lock and key. A lot of what they knew was already stuff that we’d managed to discern ourselves, and mostly it sounded like the men were being very tight-lipped.
“That doesn’t surprise me, knowing my dad,” Nathan said, but he seemed more frustrated than he did at first. He looked around the table, letting his eyes eventually land on me. “I’m sorry, Cherri. I really thought there would be more.”
“There is one thing that’s pretty obvious. Connor is still operating in and around Postings,” I said. “That’s better than nothing.”
“No wait,” Sicily said. “It really is better than nothing.” All eyes fell on him. “Connor had Deon snatched too, right? Would that suggest that he’s here too?”
Silence enveloped the table as we all pondered that thought. How had that never occurred to us before?
“Deon, wow. A blast from the past,” Anisa said. “You still haven’t found him?”
“No,” Nathan said. “We’ve had a few leads, but we’re coming up empty.”
“If only we could get into those guys’ phones. I’m sure they’ve been communicating with Connor, or at least other contacts of his. They get pretty regular phone calls, but the phones are so protected, you have to know the password just to answer a phone call,” Cobalt explained.
“You have their phones?” Nathan said, and then his eyes shot over to Sicily.
Sicily leaned back in his chair and a sly smile crossed his face. He interlocked his fingers and stretched them out away from his body. “Once again, it’s time for Sicily to save the day.”
“Once again?” Colette said. “We’re still grinding our way through the fifty thousand pings you dug up.”
“Hey!” Sicily snapped. “We are all learning a marketable skill, and we’re doing it together. Trade and friendship. That’s invaluable.”
I just shook my head and chuckled at him. Be it comic relief or just his pure inability to be anything other than laid back, Sicily was a much-needed light in the dark halls of The Royal Court.
“I can bring you their phones,” Anisa said. “Do you think you can get in?”
A voice we rarely heard croaked up. “He can do it,” Jaxon said, bringing everyone’s attention to him. “What? I can recognize talent.”
Sicily’s hands flew to his face. “Did… Did Jaxon just compliment me?” He picked up a napkin and dabbed it at the corners of his eyes. “I wasn’t prepared for this. I’d like to start by thanking my parents, and my best friends, Deon and Cherri.”
“You mean Cherri and Deon?” I said.
“Stop,” Jaxon growled.
Sicily nodded. “Stopping.”
Cobalt chuckled. “I like this one. He’s weird.”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he is, but Jaxon is right. If you can get us those phones, Sicily can get in.”
Anisa smiled. “I’ll bring them by tomorrow.”
Just like that, the trail that was running cold was blazing again. This was different from my and Nathan’s phones that only contained a single, designed-to-be-untraceable phone number. These guys worked for Connor and could have even communicated with the people who were after Deon. It was a huge development.
The rest of dinner with our renewed hope was enjoyable and delicious, so much so that the restaurant had to kick us out when it was time to close. We spilled into the parking lot laughing and chatting, and Nathan gave Anisa and Cobalt each huge hugs, promising to see them again soon. I watched them and my stomach burned thinking of my own parents. I’d apologized, but it still felt like there was a huge wall between us.
One only I could break down.
“Cherri?” Avery said. “You ready? I know you rode with Jaxon and Colette but…” She glanced over in their direction and I followed her gaze to where the two were embroiled in a massive makeout. “You probably aren’t going to want to ride back with them.”
“Yeah, uh, actually… Do you think you can bring me to my parents’?” I asked. “I just… I never told them the whole truth about everything, and I think I’m ready. Nathan and Deon both had these fractured families and I have two parents who love me that I’m lying to. It’s time to come clean.”
“Wow,” Avery said. “Sure, if that’s what you really want.”
“It is,” I replied. “My parents deserve to know everything.”
16
Deon
Felicity was fidgeting back and forth, while I kept trying to keep a clock on the people who were following me, a tough enough task on its own given that everyone was in masks.
“How did this happen?” Felicity said. “Was it immediate? We haven’t been here that long.”