did me a favor. Robert has always been a difficult child. Willful. Feckless. More concerned with what my name could buy him than what his behavior might do to my name.” She sighed heavily. “But that witch finally turned him into something useful. A martyr.”
Fenton shook his head. “She’s digging her own grave.”
“We hope,” Harlow answered. She checked the site again. “Almost a million hits and three thousand shares. We’re definitely getting eyes on this.”
“Good.” Augustine’s voice was soft, his lids struggling to stay open.
“Rest, Augie. There’s nothing more you can do right now anyway.” Harlow dropped the volume on the holovision a few bars.
Pellimento’s swan song was coming up. When the camera returned to her, her face was a mask of disgust. “I will not rest until your kind are tagged and contained. Or exterminated. I’ll take whichever comes first. Your kind are a plague and the sooner you’re eliminated, the sooner humans will be safe again.”
The view switched to Augustine, who seemed filled with righteous indignation. He looked strong and beautiful, his bruised face giving him the appearance of a fighter unwilling to back down. “My kind have existed beside humans since the beginning of time. Humans are in no more danger now than they were then. My kind are doctors and teachers, police officers and stay-at-home mothers.”
A tremor of emotion filled his voice, causing Harlow’s breath to catch in her throat as he continued. There was no one who could deny Augustine believed the words he was speaking. “They work hard. They contribute to society. They love their children. They pay their taxes. They are not the enemy. You are.”
The video cut to Senator Pellimento being led out of the alley by the cop, then faded to black.
The screen flickered again and the local newscast reappeared. The anchorwoman seemed surprised, but not flustered. “As you just saw, our broadcast was interrupted by what appeared to be a video of Senator Irene Pellimento with a gun. We put a call in to the New Orleans Police Department and they confirmed that Senator Pellimento was charged an hour ago with unlawful possession of a firearm. Based on that report, we believe the date and time stamp on this video to be genuine. Our call to the senator’s office has not yet been returned, but I can assure you we will be following this story very closely.”
Fenton’s LMD buzzed. He held a hand up. “I’d better take this.” Harlow turned the holovision off as he answered. Augustine had finally fallen asleep, too. “Yes, Prime Quinn. I see. Very good. Yes, they both are. I’ll tell her.” He hung up, keeping his voice low and glancing at Augustine. “Let’s go outside to talk.”
She followed him into the hall, closing the door behind her so Augie could get the rest he so desperately needed. “What was that about?”
“The charges against Augustine have been dropped, but will be resumed unless we bring Giselle Vincent in.” He hesitated as if searching for words. “What you did, with that video, was… amazing. You not only saved Augustine and his reputation, but depending on how this shakes out, the threat of Senator Pellimento may be one less thing for us to worry about. I can’t pretend she won’t still do whatever she can to make life for all othernaturals as uncomfortable as possible, but she’s been exposed and that’s a very good thing for us.”
Harlow shrugged, a little embarrassed by the praise. “I was just doing what needed to be done.”
“Prime Quinn would like to throw a dinner in your honor. When Augustine is up to it of course.”
“That would be… wicked cool.” She grinned, unable to help herself.
He smiled back. “Now, about Ms. Vincent.”
Harlow nodded. “Yeah, about her. Where did you stash her?”
A curious light filled Fenton’s gaze. “The Claustrum.”
Her mouth came open. “Are you kidding me?”
His jaw popped to one side as he shook his head. “No.”
“Are you going to get her and bring her back here?”
“I have to. I’ll need to get Nekai to meet me at the Pelcrum when I bring her back. He’s the only one who’ll be able to bind her magic when she’s once again on the mortal plane.” He tipped his head to the side. “Of course, I could use some help fetching her from the Claustrum. Would you like to come?”
“That place terrifies me as much as it intrigues me.”
“Is that a yes?”
She laughed softly. “That’s a hell yes.” She held up a finger. “Can you give