Page 2 of Soul

Lila took me next door to get me some help because Daddy was too busy arguing with everyone.

Chapter One.

Soul

“Lie,” I said with a yawn as Warden asked Pine if he’d been skimming.

“It’s not!” Pine shrieked.

“Yeah, it is, but the lie feels heavy, Prez,” I stated with a frown.

“Heavy?” Warden inquired.

“Yup. Like there’s more to it.”

“Is someone else involved?” Warden demanded, eying Pine.

Pine watched as I folded my arms and held his gaze. Pine was nervous, and for good reason. He’d been a bartender at the nightclub Illuminate, which the club owned. Money had been disappearing, and the books weren’t adding up. Bogeyman had gone in, but everyone had kept their thoughts away from the theft. He’d not been able to get a telepathic read on them.

However, Undertaker, our empath, had picked unsettling feelings from a couple of staff, and Warden had been pulling them into the office tonight during their shift.

Will Pine was the head bartender, and Undertaker had noted that he was especially uneasy.

“Warden, I ain’t been dipping in the takings,” Pine insisted.

“Lie,” I declared softly.

Every time someone lied, it was like a red-hot rash ran over my skin. Considering how many lies people spoke daily, I avoided people like the plague. Better than being in agony. Even a little lie such as ‘I’m fine’ grated.

Warden, having sat me down when I joined, had ensured the brothers be truthful around me. It was the whores who made life fuckin’ uncomfortable, the lying, scheming bitches they were. Warden had hired a construction company to soundproof my room, so I had a sanctuary to flee to.

Until recently, I’d never heard of an anchor—untilCécile had arrived with her one. Now I was on the constant lookout for someone who calmed shit around me. But unluckily for Pine, I’d not found her yet. His lies were like sandpaper on my bare skin, which was notching my anger lie by lie.

“Warden, I’m not lying!” Pine cried with panic in his eyes.

“Lie,” I said and sighed.

“Take Pine to the wet room. We’ll question him there,” Warden ordered.

“Wait, what?” Pine demanded, panicked.

Bogeyman moved in, slammed Pine down on the desk, and forced his arm up and behind his back.

“Let me go! What are you doing?” Pine shrieked.

“Shut him up,” Warden offered, looking at his nails.

Bogeyman hit him with one punch, and Pine went lights out.

???

Agitated, I tapped Keres against my leg as Pine watched with terrified eyes.

“What did you think would happen, skimming off us?” Warden asked calmly.

Pine wasn’t getting out of here. Not alive anyway. Slasher, our medic, Undertaker, and Bogeyman were all present. Undertaker was reading Pine’s emotions as Bogeyman tried to read his thoughts. We’d established that Pine was definitely hiding something and protecting someone, but the fucker was adept at repeating the footballs scores.

“Just own it. Tell us the accomplice, and then we’re done. You get a bullet, and this shit stops,” Warden said, sitting in a chair.

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