“Yes.”
“You understand that if you go back to what we’re helping you escape, everything that has been done to help you and your family shall be undone, correct?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll help your sister, but not because you are giving us information. That deal is already done. We’ll help your sister, so you don’t fall into the same trap you find yourself in now. I need you to swear to me that you will not waste all of this, and should you be remotely tempted in the future when your path grows hard, you will bear the curse of betrayingHaus de Donmoue. Centuries of my family’s legacy will fall down on you all at once, and not even the wealth of the VanMarches will be able to save you. Tell me you understand.”
“Wait, Donmoue as in the great Ophelia Donmoue?”
Maybe I was wrong, but Cherry’s expression looked like a mix between pride and a tiny touch of insecurity. “One and the same. So,do you understand?”
“I-I understand. And I never meant any disrespect. I didn’t realize...” He swallowed. “My mother used to be big into stories about Ophelia. Always said one day she’d pay for a reading. Never happened, though.”
“Well, I am not my mother, but she taught me everything I know. So, now that we have your word, sworn on the power of my ancestors, we will help your sister.”
The assassin burst out in tears. Shock coursed through me, making me feel a little disjointed. Shouldn’t I be ripping out the throat of the man who had tried to kill my brother? But the urge wasn’t there, especially since Jackson had clearly so thoroughly trounced him.
“Thank you. Thank you so much! I’ll tell you anything you wanna know. I didn’t... I just didn’t see another way. I felt trapped.”
“Desperation causes many of us to do what we normally would never think possible of ourselves,” Cherry said calmly, removing her hand from the man’s wet face and sitting back. “Now, who set this bounty?”
“I don’t know. I promise, I’m not lying.”
“I know you aren’t. Do you have any idea of who it could have been?”
“Not really. It has to be someone with money, though, because the bounty was pretty hefty. Life-changing for a lot of us. And I have to warn you, I know I’m not the only one out for the contract; I just happened to be the fastest because...” he trailed off, and it was quite bizarre to watch him blush.
“Because why?”
“Because I picked up one of my side chicks here after she left with him at a club.”
Cherry did that head tilt I was beginning to recognize as her examining something more deeply. For some reason, it made me feel a bitaccomplishedto already recognize patterns in the enigmatic psychic’s behavior. Like I was special or something. Odd, but I was going to chalk it up to having one of the worst weeks of my life.
“That’s a half-lie, so I will give you a chance to clarify. Don’t let your pride ruin a good thing here.”
“All right. I went to a concert with a group of friends, and one of the girls I’ve had a huge crush on for about five years. She and another girl ended up leaving with him”—he shot Jackson a rather venomous look—“and she called me in the morning. She asked me to take an Uber to her car, then pick up her and her friend. I did it because I wanted to be a good friend, but after that she pretty much stopped talking to everyone in the group.”
“Bummer,” Jackson said, sucking his teeth. “At least you saw her real side before you wasted any more time pining over her.”
“Not the time,” I said sharply.
“So, this contract is recent?” Cherry asked.
“Barely an hour or two old, or at least an hour or two since it hit the general circulation.”
A horde of footsteps came thundering through the door, and suddenly we were face-to-face with nearly a dozen of our security guards. It was disconcerting that we’d gotten there so much faster than them; maybe a shake-up of our employ was in order. Losing our top five was a serious blow to our protection.
“I’ll deal with this,” Chris said with a heavy sigh. “Please, finish your interrogation, Mrs. Donmoue.”
“It’s Miss, but also, please call me Cherry.”
“I… will attempt to do so.”
“Please and thank you.”
With that, she returned her attention to the assassin while my brother dealt with the bewildered and hyped-up shifters who were ready to throw down. The energy was incongruous, but I didn’t let it distract me as Cherry continued.
“Do you know of anyone else who’s taking the contract?”