Page 59 of House of Pain
Well, he tried as much as possible.
But sometimes, you just had to do what you gotta do to get things done.
And sometimes, it involved good old blackmail.
After a moment, the Dean snapped the paper shut, his lips pressed into a tight line. He tossed the paper on the desk, and before it hit the polished wood, it disappeared into thin air.
The Dean rose to his feet, a hand sliding over his belly to hook a button of his suit jacket into place.
“We have an agreement, Mr. Leveau,” he said, his face once more blank. “For your own sake, I would avoid getting into any more physical fights in the middle of the campus. At least wait until the end of the day when other people are not around.”
And with that, they were free.
They quickly rose and left the Dean’s office, Blaze strolling in the front.
“What the fuck was that?” Andro asked when they were outside.
Blaze shrugged, placing a cigarette between his lips. “Just something from my father’s files.”
“Well, good job, team.” Andro grinned. “That was hot.”
Alecto crossed her arms, clicking her tongue. “Does your father have a file on everyone?”
Blaze inhaled the smoke, tilting his head backwards as he let it escape his lips in an easy stream. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
That was a lie.
Galliermo had a file on everyone he encountered in Inathis and beyond.
And Blaze was familiar with all of it.
23
On a chilly Thursday afternoon, Alecto met Jolene downstairs. Her friend wore a long burgundy coat over her outfit as the weather was finally cold enough.
“Ready?” Jolene chirped, and Alecto offered her a smile and a nod. “Great. Val should be with us in a moment, once she’s done scolding poor first years.”
Alecto snorted. “What did they do?”
“Probably breathed too loud.”
They both chuckled. That was indeed how much it took for most people to piss Val off.
And after the shit that the Tigers tried to pull off with the memory orb, Val had beenexceptionallypissy. Not that Alecto could blame her.Alecto didn’t remember the last time she had been so angry. All the time.
“Ready, bitches,” Val said as she walked from the kitchen, a black coat wrapped tightly around her tiny body. “I hope whatever it is you’re going to show us today is gonna be worth it, Jolene. We have a locator spell to perform, the sooner the better.”
Jolene snorted, and they left the House into the cold air. Alecto could see her own breath even in the daytime now, and she was pretty sure that if she caught the reflection of herself right now, the very tip of her nose would be red.
“So, where are we going again?” Alecto asked Jolene as they left their street behind.
“It’s a surprise.”
Alecto didn’t like surprises. But she trusted Jolene as much as she was able to trust anyone at Venefica. So, Alecto didn’t question her anymore and followed her friend through the park towards the Old Darly.
They walked in silence, only the sound of the damp gravel of the wide pathway crunching around them. Alecto pulled her black coat tighter around her as the chilly wind swooped over them, sending gusts of gold and red leaves rolling through the park.
Soon, the old iron gate appeared, one side crooked, barely held by the rims cemented in the stone fence. As they walked through the gate, Alecto inspected the mossy stones, so different from the ones they had on their side of town.
