Page 13 of Iona's Christmas
“Because I’d be putting him and his family in a serial killer’s sights. There’re children there, Warden, I couldn’t risk them. And Jameson’s people, while good, aren’t you guys and you’re the ones I need to survive,” I replied.
“Cécile, are you sure he is targeting you?” Undertaker inquired.
“I’ve got every letter and a picture of every gift he sent me. The answer is yes. He’s definitely coming for me. If I can hide, it gives the feds time to track him down. The guy’s a lunatic and a murderer, but he is human and can’t stay hidden forever,” I replied.
“The Zodiac Killer did,” Etienne mumbled, and I glared at him. Etienne shrugged.
“Shut up, smart ass,” I retorted. Etienne had all the discretion of a bulldozer.
“So, you want protection?” Warden asked.
“Please. Just while Etienne and I decide where to land once the killer’s caught. We won’t be returning to New Orleans. It wouldbe far too dangerous. And we both hate busy cities. New Orleans was palpable because… well, it was New Orleans. Plus, we didn’t live in the city itself. But now we need to find a new home,” I replied.
“What about Camden?” Undertaker suggested, and I was startled. I glanced at Etienne and even he looked shocked.
“We come as a pair,” Etienne said, and Undertaker nodded.
“The offer was for both of you. In New Orleans, you blended in because there were so many frauds. You didn’t stand out except when you started to grow your name. Despite all your attempts, you and Etienne became known. Join us. Cécile, you know all about the abilities our brothers and sisters have. You won’t stand out amongst us,” Undertaker continued, and Warden looked intrigued.
“I’ve been told what you put your prospects through, I don’t want to be cleaning, puke, piss and shit up. That’s a generous offer, but nah, I ain’t doing that,” Etienne said.
“You think about joining, and we’ll talk about prospect status,” Warden replied slowly.
“Don’t you need to vote on this?” Etienne asked.
“Nope. Because we discussed this when we first met you and the consensus was to make you an offer should an opportunity come up. This is the right time to give that. Even if you both decline, we’ll still give our protection,” Warden interrupted before Undertaker could say anything else.
“You would take both of us?” I asked, and Warden nodded.
“Etienne is your anchor; you can’t leave him, or you’d suffer. We don’t like causing innocents’ pain. We ain’t clean, but we have boundaries, Cécile. There’re lines we won’t cross, Jameson knows and allows us to run as we do. The club would benefit from having you, but I think you’d thrive being around genuine people with abilities. Pretending not to be the real deal had to be draining,” Warden added.
“Warden, you’ve no idea,” I exclaimed. What he said was true.
There were a lot of frauds in the quarter, and hearing them daily spinning bullshit stories to tourists was painful. Especially when I could see what was going to happen to them. In the end, I stayed well away from them all. When some idiot promised a couple love and a long, happy life, and I saw tears and death, it wasn’t a good thing.
“Yeah, I do. Don’t forget a lot of our club were alone until we found one another. I might have had Undertaker and Oracle, but we had to protect Oracle from those who had used him,” Warden replied.
“Or who’d abuse him for being different. Oracle may’ve been jeered and tormented when we claimed he was epileptic, but it stopped everyone discovering the truth. Rather, he was teased and made fun of for something untrue than something true,” Undertaker added.
“And how many times do you think unscrupulous people attempted to grab Vogue and Dynamo? The underworld knows about them, and there’s some individuals who’d love to claim them. Except the women soon showed them they weren’t to be messed with,” Warden said.
“Dynamo only got trafficked because they hit her with a dart from afar. If they’d tried taking her straight on, they’d have failed. And even though they had taken her, they didn’t last long,” Undertaker explained, and I heard the envy in his voice.
“Dynamo still struggles,” I whispered, knowing that was true.
“Wisecrack is working with her,” Warden stated.
I could taste Dynamo’s hate and she wasn’t in the room.
“Wisecrack may be healing her pain, but her resentment is robust. Her memories are just as sharp as they were when you rescued her,” I murmured.
“Do you see something regarding Dynamo?” Warden demanded.
I did, but I didn’t tittle-tattle.
“Dynamo has a long path, Warden, but there is light at the end of it. That’s all I’ll tell you. If Dynamo wants to know more, she can come to me. But it’s not my right to discuss what I see concerning her with you. You wouldn’t like it if I did that to you. No. Trust Dynamo will find her way, but it’ll be a struggle,” I said firmly.
Warden and Undertaker both looked put out. They wanted answers and to heal their wounded road captain. I understood, but my point was valid. It was unethical for me to discuss someone’s future with anyone else but that person. I didn’t have much in my life, but I had ethics.