Page 62 of Midnight Legacy

My attention was on the bag at my feet. “Do we really want to know what’s in this?” I asked, poking it with my shoe.

“Some things can’t be unseen when you see them, or removed from your head when you know them,” Xavier agreed. “But something in that bag has some very bad men spooked. So, it’s better that we know whatever it is that your uncle thought was important enough to give you the second key for.”

“Why not force the box open?” I asked. My parents died twenty years ago, surely someone must have wanted the information before now.

“They’re tamper-resistant, and Dragon’s Hoard trade on their reputation for secrecy and keeping items hidden for generations. How many clients do you think would use them if they allowed anyone who wanted have access to your secrets?”

I pushed the bag toward him with my toe. “I don’t think I have the strength to look today. You have a quick inspection and we’ll discuss it fully when you know what it all means.”

There was no one else in the world that I would trust to look through my family history except Xavier. He studied me for several moments and nodded, then bent to lift the bag. He lifted items out and studied them before setting them on the table. Initially, I tried to remain impassive and uninterested. But watching his expression constantly change, I became intrigued. Finally, I left my seat to go and peer over his shoulder.

“It seems your father and uncle were planning to systematically eradicate the Council. They were collecting information on the members who were using the Council for their own personal gain.”

“Doesn’t everyone do that?” I asked, lifting a piece of paper from the table.

“No, the entire purpose of the Council is unity for the collective. All funds are supposed to go to a central account that filters equal profits to all members. That’s why there was so much uproar about Malcolm. He was using Council resources to finance his own slave trade business.”

A shiver ran up my spine at the thought of helpless men and women being abducted for the sick pleasure of others.

“If Uncle Dan was helping Dad, then why did they fall out?”

“I don’t think they did, Cas. I think they had different roles to play.”

There had been old tapes and videos in the box that we would need to source a player for, and journals. It would take a long time to search through all the information. Xavier’s shoulders stiffened and I knew that whatever he was reading meant bad news.

“What is it?”

He glanced over his shoulder at me. “I’m not sure, but I think this book might be what everyone is getting their panties in a twist for.”

Leaning on his shoulders with my hands, I leaned forward to try and read it. “It’s just numbers.”

“Those numbers are the right length for account codes.” That hadn’t occurred to me. “There are initials, which might correspond to Council members past and present. From my research, your father was first and foremost a businessman who was a wizard with figures.”

I just remembered his love of old buildings, but I was beginning to wonder if the houses he took me to were involved in conveyancing or if everything I knew was a lie.

Xavier started to separate everything and put them into box folders. “I’ll sort this properly later,” he said. “Ash brought our bags from the apartment and I’ll use one of my cars stored here. We can leave as soon as everyone is back.”

The world closed in around me and I struggled to breathe. My past started to catch up with my present until everything felt too much.

Xavier’s eyes missed nothing, his arms steadying me, and his lips finding my forehead. “Breathe, baby. Everything will be okay.”

I doubted that, but I appreciated the sentiment.

***

Chapter Seventeen

Xavier

Cassandra and Sasha were in our home, far from prying eyes and listening ears. I locked myself in my study after we arrived to remove some of the paperwork I saw earlier. I trusted Jordan and Ash with my life, but some of the information in that last safety deposit box made me re-evaluate my own background and what my father had told me.

Money turned good men bad. The property deeds to diamond mines would be enough for the Council to sign an execution warrant over. I had no doubt that was what everyone was wondering was in that deposit box. I also knew that the Council was the only one with the power to get their hands on those land deeds.

Clive Brown sat in a chair, looking pale and bewildered. His hand shook as he pushed his hair back from his face. “What happened?” he stuttered slightly as he spoke. Ash had pretended to be a doctor earlier, telling him he’d been in a car crash when he panicked as Jordan brought him out of the induced coma. He was dressed in black jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt.

I dragged a seat across the room and turned it around before straddling the chair to sit on it. “I want to tell you a story,” I started, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s about a man who loved his family so much that he decided to give up everything he knew to keep them safe.”

Clive’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Is this about my accident?”

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