Page 32 of The Bleak Beginning

I nod slowly.

“Don’t you think what we’re already doing is going far enough? I mean, we’re using—”

I fix both of them with a hard stare. “Do you want to lose everything we’ve worked for? Everything our families have built? Prescott is a threat to all of that.”

Both of them swallow hard and nod reluctantly.

“Besides, family drama is the perfect vulnerability,” I say, my mind already churning with possibilities. “If this Clara person is important to Prescott, we need to find out why.”

Sly nods, a glint of understanding in his eyes. “We could intercept the letter, see what’s inside. Cam already convinced the girl behind the counter not to take it today. We could grab it tomorrow if she comes back.”

“Too risky, besides you know how Maxwell is about that stuff,” I counter. “We need something more subtle. Cam, you said Prescott was arguing about sending it immediately?”

“Yeah, she seemed pretty worked up about it,” he confirms.

Sly taps at his chin thoughtfully. “Then we delay it. Make sure it doesn’t reach this Clara person in time for…whatever it’s meant for.”

“Or we put a hold on it altogether.”

“And how exactly do we do that?” Cam asks, skepticism clear in his voice.

“Leave that to me,” I say, already formulating a plan. “What we need to focus on is gathering more information. Sly, you have scheduled one-on-ones with her, correct?”

“Unfortunately,” he groans.

“Good,” I say, ignoring his discomfort. “Use that time to dig deeper. Find out more about Clara, about Prescott’s past, anything that could give us leverage.”

Cam leans forward. “What if we create a false emergency? Something that would force Prescott to leave Altair urgently?”

I consider this for a moment. “Not bad, but it needs to be believable. We can’t risk her catching on to our plan. We need something deeper. Something that will force her to leave on her own.”

“What about her family?” Sly suggests. “If this Clara person is so important, maybe there are other family members we could use.”

A slow smile spreads across my face. “Cam, I want you to do some digging. Find out everything you can about Prescott’s family. Parents, siblings, distant relatives—anything we can use.”

“On it.” Cam nods.

“And me?” asks Sly. His eyes glint with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

I turn to him, considering. Sly’s always been our wild card—unpredictable, but brilliant when it counts. “You’re going to be our back up. I want you to get close to her.”

Sly’s head snaps up. “What? But we already have—”

“Exactly,” I cut him off, knowing where he’s going, but it doesn’t matter, we need any resource we can. “You can approach from a different angle.”

He dips his chin, a smirk creeping across his face. “I can work with that. Any particular angle you want me to play?”

“Feel it out,” I advise. “See what she responds to.”

Sly lets out a low whistle. “That’s a tall order. The girl’s not exactly warm and fuzzy.”

I didn’t care. She needed to be gone. I wouldn’t let our group fail when it came to keeping up the standard for our families. Prescott was hindering our success, and on a personal level, one that I couldn't even admit to myself, let alone my closest friends she’d become more than just a rival. This was personal.

It was from the very first moment she’d arrived and stood next to that car that I knew there was something about her that bothered me. Maybe it was the way her lips parted and her eyes fluttered shut, so soft and delicate. Or maybe it was how she acted in that moment, breathing in deeply, as if she were only there for me and the night sky surrounding us. Whatever it was, it made me start thinking of ways to break her down until that expression on her face was replaced by one of fear; one that would force her to look up at me with the same vulnerability before I silenced her with my hand.

“That’s why I’m counting on you, Sly,” I say, leaning forward. “You have a knack for getting under people’s skin—”

“And under their skirts,” Cam interjects.

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