Page 11 of Marked for Desecration

I laughed out loud. My mother only had half a face that was still healing. My father shoved her in coals and pushed her head out in the sun constantly while he fucked her as her punishment. Smelling her charred skin appealed to him.

Xavier didn’t get it. He stared at me intently and turned to the man beside him. “Phoenix, William, let's get our asses inside and get this meeting started. Mathias has news about something important he wishes to pass along.”

So he worked directly with Mathias, the head of Clan Letos. I took a mental note.

How would a caporegime know my mother?

It was a question I buried in the back of my mind as we followed the three men that came to meet us. Jordan brought up the back and the driver stayed in the car.

The building that sat catty corner to the docks was made of wood and metal. Some of the side material disintegrated throughout the years with lack of use. It continued to look abandoned, but Xavier was leading us right in its direction.

A few rooms in, we’re seated in a large open area that had a table in the middle surrounded by a few chairs. Some wooden crates were randomly scattered in corners.

William pulled my chair closer to him and further away from his brother. The exchange didn’t go unnoticed by everyone else who either grinned, rolled their eyes, or looked like they couldn't care less.

“William, how is trade going? We need to make sure to increase our weapons stores as well.”

I crossed my legs slowly, pulling Xavier’s attention to me for a second. My lips curled into a small grin.

“Good. Shipment will be here in the next few months.”

Jordan looks strained with his arms crossed, but he doesn’t say a word, only staring ahead at the man I wasn’t introduced to. He was broody, just like the driver. I wondered if they were related somehow.

“Corrus is set to invade Human Resistance in the next week.”

Both William and Jordan sat up and leaned in.

Jordan finally piped in. “How is that possible? By whose intel?”

“The source is reputable.” Xavier flicks his eyes to me in suspicion before continuing. “There are rumors about what they have their hands on.”

“What does that have to do with me?” William retorted back.

Xavier leaned in with his forearms on the table, staring directly at both men beside me. I knew the Cromwells did a lot of underground trade and movement for Clan Letos, but I was never privy to any more information. My assumption was livestock, but I listened intently while trying to keep a bored expression.

“It has everything to do with you because your trade line to the south will be cut off if they are successful in their mission. From what I gather, the south has been your biggest supply run. It’s been said that the queen was found venturing that way not long ago to meet up with someone. Her entourage found some of us and our soldiers had to make a quick getaway before they could hear the entire exchange. All we know is that one of the human compounds houses a doctor.”

There was something left unsaid in the air, and it annoyed me. They were speaking in code because of my presence.

“If they obtain what they came for, Clan Letos will have to regroup and be on the defense when their attention turns tous. It will turn the tides of war in their favor.”

War? What war?

“If the southern route is compromised, I’m going to need time to make a new one. You know this. Those Disaris bitches are cunning and ruthless. They’ve cut off my runs before. This is the third line I had to make.” William leaned back and ran his hand over his face in frustration. “The northern tunnels are more tightly secured on our side because of our access to all the territories. The rogues have been paid off greatly for their involvement.”

“So I hear.”

“We have a mission for you Cromwells.” Phoenix’s eyes bored directly into mine despite the fact that he was addressing the men. “We’re going to need you to head north to the Velvet Fang. Rumor has it Cassie’s right hand is going to be there tomorrow. We need to gather as much intel on what’s happening.”

“The Velvet Fang?” I inquired under my breath. Whispers of a brothel on neutral territory traveled to the southern lands of Letos, but none of us down there have ever actually seen it. It became a sort of urban legend to us.

How was it possible to run anything neutral in the world we live in?

The man to the left of Xavier hasn’t said a word since we’ve been here. It made me itch to slit his throat just to know what his screams sounded like. As if he read my mind, his cruel lips slowly turned up.

It made me hot. In more ways than one. I squeezed my legs together and leaned toward William, playing with the collar of his shirt while keeping an eye on the other men in my periphery.

“Yes. The Velvet Fang. Your driver will be given the exact directions to take to get there in order to avoid any potential spies.” Xavier ran his hand down his goatee. “I’m also sending Logan with you so he can make sure you do what you’re supposed to do.”

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