Page 68 of In the Dark

“What would you like us to do?”

“Keep him in holding,” Orestes said. “I want our best people watching him around the clock. And interrogation.” Of course, interrogation. Where was the fun in life without it? “Make sure he’s uncomfortable and kept away from his son.”

Yes, he could picture it in his head. The man would talk, tell them everything they needed to know to gain the upper hand. Thorvald’s daughters would come for to him because they had no choice. Left alone with only a single parent. A single parent in a coma held above in the Claddium infirmary as further collateral.

A shiver of pleasure warmed his cheeks. Yes, things were progressing better than he had planned.

“Might I ask what this is about, sir?” Kelsi ventured.

“No, you may not. Do as you’re told or I’ll terminate your position. How many times have I threatened to fire you this week?”

“Seven times, sir,” she reminded him.

“Then I would think you’d learn to pay attention.”

She ducked her head and bent the upper half of her body in a curt bow. As she rounded the door to alert the proper people of his orders, Leo turned the corner.

“We need to talk,” he cut in roughly.

“Good morning, son. How are you? Did you enjoy your time in hiding with your tramp? I haven’t seen you in, what? Two, three weeks? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were ignoring me.” Orestes narrowed his eyes and tried not to feel annoyed at the lack of propriety. Their family had never been one for pleasantries, although he’d enjoyed beating the manners into them.

His pride and joy. At least, Leo would have been if he were anything close to his father in temperament.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Leo asked, his voice a deep baritone. The edges of his tan overcoat flapped around his large frame, signature red scarf wrapped around his neck. With shoulders wide enough to crack the door frame, the look should have been odd. Leo pulled it off with the grace of a magazine cover model.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.” Orestes leaned back with his arms crossed. “How about you fill me in on what you’re thinking?”

“Cut the bullshit, Dad.” Leo moved across the room in two strides and slapped his palms down on the desk. “I’m going to give you the courtesy of repeating myself once. Once. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“In regards to…?”

“In regards to attacking the Cavaldis and keeping Thorvald locked in the Vault like some sort of animal. You didn’t even have the decency to talk to me. You nearly took down the house, with people inside, and I had to hear it from an air elemental in the fucking break room! What did you do to him? Where is Varvara?”

“He confronted our own, Leonidas. There are people down there even now getting medical attention,” Orestes answered, those thin lips turning up slightly in a snake-like smile. Cold and untrustworthy. “And the mother—”

“Varvara.”

“Though I doubt she will ever be more than a vegetable, she is being taken care of. Trust me. She’s lucky I am able to forgive her husband in this case. Otherwise she might have been denied precious medical attention.”

Amber-colored eyes glared at him. “You sent men to his house to arrest his children without cause. What did you expect would happen? And where do you get off authorizing such an intrusion? There are no grounds. We have a checks and balances system in place for this kind of thing.”

“The youngest of their fold attacked this very building hours earlier, you know,” Orestes responded. “I am well within my rights to send people after her. She is a menace to society.”

Leo hung back, well aware of the reason for Karsia’s behavior and unwilling to divulge the information. “It wasn’t her fault.”

“I fail to see how that’s possible.”

“Sometimes people need help. Not a gun in their face and an order to stand down,” Leo said. He linked his hands behind his neck and walked to the bookshelf. Walked back. “You of all people should understand. But of course, I forgot. Diplomacy isn’t really your forte. Did you ever stop to think this might be a result of leaking magic due to the eclipse? Did you ever stop to think these people deserve your help instead of being attacked?”

Orestes shook his head and shot his only child a look down his nose. “They are a danger to themselves and others, and the little display today only served to prove my point. I’ve been saying this for years, and now I have the justification necessary to…” He trailed off.

“To what, Dad?” Leo asked. “To bring down an entire line of magic users? To try and wipe them off the face of the earth after you’ve already had their son in custody?”

“If that is what needs to be done, then yes. Sometimes it’s simple.”

“It’s never simple. You’re talking about murder.”

Orestes hesitated before moving to a small silver coffee service near the window. He lifted the carafe and poured himself a steaming serving. He didn’t bother offering his son any. “Say what you want. I now have provocation. Thorvald Cavaldi will remain in the Vault until I say otherwise.”

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