Page 62 of Rising from the Ashes

A nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach forms.

This will not end well for any of us.

Chapter nineteen

Calista

Standing in front of Everly’s office, I let out a breath before tapping lightly on the wooden door. Quinn is standing behind me, nervously wringing her hands together.

After last night, I offered to let Quinn stay in my quarters and think about my offer of her joining my and Shado’s mission and going after our fathers together. My one stipulation is that she doesn’t join The Society, but will return to her normal life that was denied to her once our mission is complete. She deserves to regain her power and happiness, once she is not stuck under Allister’s thumb.

That will be the hardest to convince Everly of, letting someone work within the proximity of The Society but not join it.

I wonder if she would even let an already established member leave without killing them.

“Come in.” I hear her call from the other side.

Turning the knob, I walk in slowly.

“Ah. Calista. I was wondering when I would get a visit from you.” She smiles. “I hear you have a package for me.”

Her eyes brighten when Quinn comes into view.

“Did you request the ransom?” She asks.

“Yes. I had Tavish send it out this morning,” I respond. “It was very convincing.”

Shado and I explained our plan to Quinn, and she was agreeable as long as she could be the one to go after her father, with our help of course. We sent a ransom note accompanied with pictures of Quinn bleeding with my arrows surrounding her, her hands bound to the chair in the persuasion room.

Any father who cares for their daughter wouldn’t leave her to die at the hands of the one person responsible for thwarting his plans.

Everly simply nods her head. “Good.”

I glance at Quinn standing off to the side. After we brought her back to my room, Shado and I rinsed her bloodied body off and doctored her wounds. She has two small bandages covering both cheeks on her face. She is wearing my ripped black skinny jeans with one of my many rock band crop tops. Her hair is pulled into a loose bun on the top of her head and she is standing there clasping her hands together in front of her.

Following my stare, Everly smiles. “I’m proud. You didn’t hurt her too badly.”

Nodding, she states, “If that is all, you may leave now.”

I stand there for a second fighting the urge to just spin on my heels and walk out of the room. She doesn’t intimidate me. It’s her three little puppets that are lurking in every corner waiting for her to give them something to do or kill. The same three men who tortured Shado.

After a moment of silence, Everly stares at me. “Is there something else, Calista?”

“Yes. I have a request.”

She snorts, “You and your requests. The last time you had one, you convinced me to let Shado stay.”

I don’t respond.

She looks between me and Quinn, letting out an exasperated sigh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You want to keep her, too? You’re like a child bringing in stray pets, Calista.”

Striding up to her desk, I am filled with determination. “She is just like us, Everly. Allister took everything from her. She wants to take him down with us.”

Everly stands up and rounds her desk. She looks Quinn up and down as she stands in the back of the room, looking meek and awkward.

She’s going to have to learn to stand up to Everly if she wants to survive around here.

“Quinn Lowery. The delicate ballerina from NYU. You made quite a name for yourself in Manhattan.” She leans against her desk with her arms folded.

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