Reckoning: A Fallen Siren Novel by S.J. Harper

Author:S.J. Harper [Harper, S.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-10-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

“Thought your talking points were solid, Emma.” Zack bows his head slightly as he passes Kallistos. “Your Highness.”

No sarcasm there.

Kallistos bristles. “Armstrong.”

It’s like watching two porcupines dance.

Simon has moved on to “Little Red Corvette.” I wave toward him. “That would be Kallistos’ operational director.”

Zack stares. “Seriously?”

I nod. “He’s quite brilliant.”

“I hope so. He sure as shit can’t sing.”

“We’ve uncovered another connection,” I tell him. “And the source of the money.”

Zack’s shoulders tense. “We?”

“Simon confirmed the three missing girls were all enrolled in a program run by the Blood Emporium.”

Zack heads for the dining table where Simon, oblivious to Zack’s presence, is working. “What kind of a program?”

The data on Simon’s screen looks like gibberish. He watches intently as it scrolls past.

I look over my shoulder toward Kallistos. He’s leaning against the back of the sofa, arms folded in front of his chest. Whether it’s a defensive or contemplative pose, I can’t tell. His eyes are on Zack.

I take a deep breath, then dive in. “The Emporium has been marketing some unique boutique blends in addition to the run-of-the-mill A, B, AB, O.”

“Blends of the four blood types?” he asks Kallistos.

“Our master blender also develops samples that are pure with respect to certain characteristics. The missing girls were all voluntary contributors to our YBV blend.” Kallistos walks over to the bar, opens the mini-fridge concealed in the cabinet underneath, and pulls out a blood bag. “Very exclusive. Basically, we add a small amount of their whole blood into a bag of AB negative.” He tosses the pack to Zack.

“Young Blond Virgin?” he asks, after glancing at the label.

“Highly valued and hard to find.”

“I can imagine, what with the shortage of nunneries.” Zack turns to me. “Tell me these girls haven’t been bled dry and disposed of.”

I shake my head. “If they have, these two didn’t have anything to do with it. To them, these teens are like prize cows.”

Kallistos frowns. “We don’t think of them as cows.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad analogy,” interjects Simon, headphones now off. “You know, cows produce milk. Our YBVs produce highly coveted blood of the innocent.” He extends his hand toward Zack. “I’m Simon.”

I sit back down in front of my laptop. “My partner, Zack.”

The two men shake hands.

Simon’s attention is caught by something on the computer screen. “I’m afraid you might have more missing girls.” He turns the laptop so that I can see. Kallistos and Zack crowd behind him. “Four girls in the Los Angeles area didn’t show for their appointments today.” With the click of a mouse, one by one their images appear on the screen. “Three different girls in the Orange County program were no-shows, too. Searches have been initiated for two of these seven girls, one in Los Angeles, the other in Newport Beach. It’s possible the other five haven’t been missed yet. School just got out a couple hours ago. Two of the five were absent from school today—unexcused absences—the other three attended all classes.”

Zack bends closer to the screen.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.