Deceptions: A Cainsville Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

your mind control, didn’t they?”
    “Huntsmen?” He tried for an air of bewilderment.
    “Cwn Annwn,” I said. “I think I’m finally pronouncing that right. Welsh. So many letters. So few vowels.”
    “I realize recent events have been confusing, Eden, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “No? Huh.” I looked at Gabriel. “Is it warm in here?”
    “Cool, actually.”
    “Then why is Edgar breaking into a sweat?”
    “It’s a fever,” Chandler said. “I’ve been unwell. I’m also under a great deal of strain. You’ve heard about Anderson’s death?”
    “We have,” Gabriel said. Chandler’s former bodyguard had apparently OD’d on morphine in the hospital a couple of weeks earlier. “I presume he was murdered. While you would be the obvious suspect—and mind control the obvious weapon—the fact you contacted us says you are not responsible and, moreover, you fear you’re next.” He motioned toward the guard. “Hence your paranoia.”
    Silence dragged on for so long that the guard started walking over, expecting Chandler to declare the visit at an end.
    “I need to make amends,” Chandler said finally.
    “To us?” I said. “Oh, that’s sweet.”
    Chandler looked confused.
    I glanced at Gabriel. “Not to us.”
    “To the Huntsmen, I take it,” Gabriel said. “You’ve outlived your usefulness, and you could be a threat.”
    “There’s someone I need to . . . have removed.”
    Gabriel’s brows shot up. “I provide many services, Mr. Chandler, but that one is outside my area of expertise.”
    “No, I don’t think it is.”
    “Then you think wrong.” A chill crept into Gabriel’s voice.
    “All right. If not you, then Olivia here. She has the background for it.”
    “Um, no. I—”
    “I’ll tell you everything. About the hounds. The Huntsmen. My association with them. Your parents’ association with them.” An anxious smile as I reacted. “That one intrigues you, doesn’t it? I can answer every question you have, for the small price of ‘removing’ a man who, as you will discover, richly deserves it.”
    “The name?” Gabriel said.
    Chandler turned to him.
    “I will require a name.”
    A genuine smile spread across Chandler’s face. “How quickly your ethics change, boy. A word of advice: don’t feign outrage next time. It really doesn’t suit you.”
    “The name?”
    “Jon Childs.”
    Gabriel nodded as if making a mental note. Chandler eased back in his chair, chortling to himself, and I realized he wasn’t a sociopath at all. That would imply an inability to recognize ethical boundaries. This was a man who recognized such lines and delighted in pulling others over them, because it proved they were no better than him.
    I knew Gabriel didn’t have any intention of killing Jon Childs. There were a dozen reasons why, starting with the fact that he’s not an assassin and ending with the fact that he’d never play one for a guy like Chandler. But with the target’s name, we could track the man down and see why Chandler wanted him dead.
    I let Chandler enjoy his amoral victory for about ten seconds. Then I leaned across the table. “People who do what you’re asking expect a down payment. I want an answer up front.”
    “Nothing about your parents. I’m not that stupid.”
    “What exactly did you do to piss off the Cwn Annwn?”
    “I’m in here. They are not impressed.”
    “Maybe. But you’re not a serious threat. You can’t unmask them. That’s like Scooby-Doo pulling off Mr. Wikles’s face and revealing a monster underneath. No one would believe you. There’s more to it. You seriously pissed them off. How?”
    When Chandler didn’t answer, Gabriel said, “By targeting
you
, Olivia. The Cwn Annwn are courting you. They certainly don’t want you dead. Which explains Mr. Chandler’s eagerness to insist he was, in fact, not targeting you at all.”
    Chandler’s hand flexed against the table.
    “But there’s more,” I said.