Page 74 of Created in Chaos

Lucian: I’m on my way home.

Lucian: We got a fucking problem.

Me: ?

Lucian: Talk when I get there.

I debate whether or not I should tell him Nova went for a walk but decide against it. He would probably insist I go get her, and I don’t think we need to put more garbage on her plate at the moment. I’m sure I’ll catch shit for it later, but I can deal with him.

I hear him on the stairs twenty minutes later, and I’m a little anxious about Nova being gone so long myself.

His eyes scan the room the moment he enters the door. “Where is she?”

“She went for a walk a little over an hour ago. She saw the coast guard helicopter.”

“How’d she take it?” He drops down into a chair. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a little relief in his tone.

“Better than I thought she would,” I answer. “She’s worried you won’t get away with it.”

He waves his hand dismissively. “I was worried she would feel guilty or some shit.”

“I think she’s more concerned about us blaming her in the long run. I’m not sure she will tell us if she feels guilty.”

“I don’t know how she could. All those fucks got off easy, if you ask me,” Lucian comments, proving killing someone isn’t always the worst thing that can happen.

“What’s the problem?” I question before Nova comes back. It would be our luck that she would walk into some shit she doesn’t need to know about.

“Alden,” Lucian snarls.

“Care to elaborate? Did he flee the country or something?”

“No, that old bitch has been harboring him from the beginning.”

“We already assumed that.” I shrug. He’ll have to leave at some point. We can get him then or use the fact that they protected him against the Umbras.

“But we didn’t fucking know that Dad never went through with disowning that traitor. He only made it official with Albert.”

“What?” To say I’m shocked is an understatement. “Have you confirmed this, or is this just what that chick told you?”

“Lev is digging into it now, but she swears she’s seen evidence. He still has his robes and family crest.”

“But that would mean…”

“We can’t ask for death since he was technically still a Morningstar, if in name only.”

“If they knew this, then why not present the evidence that night instead of pretending he escaped?”

“Maybe Rory didn’t know. Maybe Astrid was trying to cover her ass or cover the fact that they knowingly had a member of a different family working for them, which would be a problem.” Lucian gets up and begins pacing the room.

“Have you talked to Hershel? Someone at the firm would know,” I ask, bringing up the lawyers.

“Hershel confirmed he created the documents, but it wouldn’t matter if Dad didn’t submit them. Our best source would be to go straight to the record keeper, which is currently a fucking Quade since this is Cadieux bullshit, but I don’t want to alert anyone to the fact that we know and send up any red flags.”

“Why would they even hire him if he was still a Morningstar? We would never let an Umbra in our house.”

Lucian looks at me dead in the face and shakes his head like I’m an idiot. “Except when we did.”

“Christ, I don’t even think of her as one of them.” I scrub the top of my head, ruffling my hair.

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