The Grove by J.R. King

Author:J.R. King [King, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-02-01T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Prevent Me To Fly

The warning bell rang as Kaleb stood beside Rome’s locker, watching him retrieve his schoolbooks. Students passed noisily in the hall, talking and causing trouble on their way to class. The sound of lockers clanking shut permeated the air, accompanied by frantic feet moving through the crowd.

“What are your plans for today?” he asked.

“Besides going to class?” Rome said.

“A waste of daylight…”

Rome glanced at him around the metal door. “Sorry, but some of us do have to attend. You might try it sometime.”

“Not even if they tied me to a chair,” Kaleb said.

Rome laughed, stepping into the throng.

“What are your plans for later?” Kaleb asked. “I could use your assistance with something.”

“You do know what tonight is, right?”

Kaleb shrugged. “No.”

“It’s the one night I can’t help you. But whatever it is, we can do it tomorrow. What did you need, exactly?”

As they walked, Kaleb’s glare was locked on the crowd. He could see over the heads of most of their classmates as they went. Richard was standing near the stairwell, conversing quietly with another teacher and every so often sending sharp looks his way.

“It’s nothing,” he said.

“You should know by now, I have ways to make you talk.” Rome smirked. “Seriously, what’s on your mind?”

“Your girlfriend’s pet gargoyle…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rome caught sight of Richard, following the subtle cue Kaleb had given him.

“I couldn’t tell you. He just always seems to be around.”

“Are you trying to say he’s following you?” Rome said.

“He works for the Collective, doesn’t he? That’s reason enough not to trust him. And didn’t you say he threatened you?”

“Yeah, but I’m secretly dating his daughter. Maybe you’re just being paranoid?”

“It’s not paranoia if someone really is watching you.”

Rome stopped outside of Elements class as the bell rang. “We’ll talk more about it later,” he said. “I promise.”

Kaleb nodded. “Be careful tonight. We don’t know how much they know. I doubt I’m the only one on his watch list.”

Through a cluster of kids, Richard was carving a path towards the two of them. His expression was one of consequence, and Rome urged Kaleb to get lost before the guy could reach them. He was left standing alone as the towering man came to a stop in front of him.

“We need to have a discussion.”

Rome grimaced at how pleasant that sounded.

“If you’re here to threaten me again—”

“Threaten?” Richard raised his eyebrows. “I recall giving you valuable information. An accusation like that could really disrupt what you’ve got going here.”

Rome held his gaze. “What do you want?”

Richard’s face was a stone mask, belying nothing. He smoothed a hand down his tie. “I know you were involved in that incident with my daughter. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it’s my job to cover up sloppy mistakes. Like when suspects start exhibiting symptoms of infection while in police custody.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rome said.

“Sources say a large dog was the cause of the man’s injuries. We still haven’t found that dog. If we did, we’d have to take care of it.

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