Page 4 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family
I got in the driver’s seat of my black Audi and was about to head out when the burner phone I had on me vibrated. I glanced at the screen but didn’t need to. My brothers were the only two people who had this number. Yair encrypted the line so that there was no access. Not a damn soul could get past the program he loaded on our devices to ensure our communication was protected.
“Yeah.”
“You done?” Kades sounded casual as hell like we were discussing a grocery run instead of an execution. I started my car and backed out of the spot I was in. After shifting gears I pulled out onto the street ready to open this shit up. This car was my baby.
“Yeah. He won’t be making it to his morning meetings.”
Kades chuckled. “You sound bored as hell, Mir.”
“I am. The job was too fucking easy.”
Warren walked straight into his death without a chance in hell of surviving the night but it wasn’t necessarily the kill that had me bored and more so the lack of challenge. No thrills or resistance. Just another name crossed off a list.
“The fuck you want, a standing ovation?” Kades said smugly.
I took the ramp to enter the highway and hit 100 within a matter of seconds. “Nah, I don’t need praise, fam. Just something more interesting than that entitled muthafucker.”
Kades laughed. “Stop taking them easy ass jobs then. You’ll also be happy to know I checked your exit routes and Yair made sure you’re not on camera. Everything’s clean. Your presence was a ghost.”
It always was…
I took pride in the fact that I never left a trace or made mistakes but tonight I damn sure left something behind.
A witness.
“You sure about that?” I asked lazily, gripping the steering wheel tighter with one hand, shifting gears with the other.
“Yeah. Why? You leaving something out?” He asked.
“Nah, I’m straight. No loose ends or evidence.”
That wasn’t technically a lie. She wasn’t either. More like a complication, but I wasn’t worried about her talking. I was more interested in why she hadn’t run and I was going to find out.
Kades’s voice pulled me back. “You heading home?”
“Not yet, I need to drop this phone off to Yair first.”
“Bet. I’ll hit you in the morning.”
“Aight,” I muttered before ending the call.
I exited the highway and approached an intersection with my mind still replaying the moment her eyes met mine. She knew exactly what I was and she didn’t fucking run. The moment was going to haunt her for sure but there was something there. I needed to know what.
Yeah, this damn sure wasn’t over and she was gonna see me again.
An hourlater I pulled into my driveway and stepped out of the car feeling my muscles relax as I walked toward my front door. The neighborhood was quiet and exclusive, tucked into one of Crescent Falls’ wealthier neighborhoods, Chandler Heights. A huge contrast from the life I lived most days but that was intentional.
Once I was inside I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it over the back of the sofa before heading straight for the fridge. I grabbed a beer, popping the cap off with one hand before sinking onto the sofa.
I turned the TV on and a late-night sports recap played in the background which I barely paid attention to while I reached for my personal phone, powering it back on. The screen immediately filled with notifications of missed texts and emails which I ignored. I moved right to Skroll and opened the app.
When it came to me and my brothers, I was the only one who actually had a presence online. Kades stayed off the grid, paranoid about data trails and digital footprints. Yair didn’t see the point in social media but I knew how to use it to my advantage.
Perception was power. When people saw your face and recognized you out in the world, living normally, they were less likely to make assumptions about the parts of your life they weren’t privy too. My focus wasn’t my life at the moment. I needed details about my new obsession. The woman with a curvy body and sexy brown eyes. I lifted my beer turning it upbefore I typed the name from the van outside the event into the search bar:
Haute Events.
The company site loaded, highlighting their latest events and the names of their team. I scrolled through the staff page swiping through the names and profiles until I found the face I was looking for.
