Stealing Phoenix (29 page)

Because the Seer needed the Benedicts to carry on unwittingly feeding information through. I had no illusions that he was offering this concession for humanitarian reasons. More devastating was the realization that real information had been swapped for me; Yves had done exactly what he said he had: betrayed his family and friends. I felt the pain like a blow to the stomach. Somehow I’d been hoping for a miracle. I couldn’t bear to think that his attachment to me had made Sky and his brothers into pawns he was prepared to sacrifice.

Yves clicked his fingers at me. ‘Yo, Phee, get over here.’

‘What?’ I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. This was taking the role way too far.

‘You’re thinking too much. Mr Seer says I’m in, so come park your butt here where I can see you.’ He leant to the Seer. ‘She’s still not with the programme—things are changing too quickly for her little brain. I want to keep a close watch on her.’

While I wanted to put a fist in his inflated ego, he’d also asked me to trust him. I was the only friend he still had if he’d cut his ties with everyone else for me.

With a flounce to broadcast my annoyance, I stalked over to the sofa and sat as far from him as the seat would allow. He was having none of this. Hooking an arm around my waist, he pulled me to sit on his knee, palm spread possessively on my midriff. The Seer missed none of this by-play, giving us his creepy smile of approval.

The Seer gestured to one of his companions to serve him a champagne cocktail. He offered a glass to Yves but not to me. I had no more role to play in this conversation than a sofa cushion. ‘Now, son, the next step will be to meet with my colleagues this evening. They have a proposition for us.’

‘What kind of proposition?’ asked Yves, squeezing me in warning as I shuddered at the Seer’s use of ‘son’. No one said ‘son’ unless in a jokey ‘all right my son’ way—not unless they were making a heavy point to their audience.

‘Business opportunities for us. Mr New York may argue for you to be absorbed into his organization as you’ll be spending most time in the States, but I will press for you to remain on my books, what with you being my daughter’s soulfinder. You’re one of the family now.’

So they were going to squabble over the inside source, were they? Anything that drove a wedge between them was good news. Remembering ‘Jim’ New York, I was expecting him not to give up such a morsel without a struggle.

‘And you’ll want to come back and visit her frequently, won’t you?’ continued the Seer, sipping his drink. ‘See how she’s getting on here?’

Yves stretched his arms out on the back of the sofa, leaving me perched precariously on his lap. ‘I’ll hear what you’ve all got to say tonight, but I think you need to get it straight that there is no question of me leaving Phee behind. Isn’t that right, Phee?’

What did he want me to say? Yes, sir; no, sir; three bags full, sir? I could only stomach so much of this before I snapped. ‘That’s right, Yves; I’m staying with you.’

‘See.’ Yves smiled at the Seer as if to say, what could he do? The little woman couldn’t live without him.

‘We’ll settle that later.’ The Seer was not going to surrender his ace so easily. He must have realized that once Yves got me away, his hold over both of us would be immeasurably weakened. ‘For now we need to discuss business. Phoenix, you go and doll yourself up for the meeting while your soulfinder and I discuss terms.’

Mentally waving a single finger in his direction, I got up. ‘Can I use something from the Community wardrobe again?’

‘Of course. And look out evening wear for Yves while you’re there. There’s a white dinner jacket that will do.’

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Dragon and Unicorn exchange a look. No male had ever been allowed to wear what was recognized as the Seer’s colour.

‘OK. Later.’

Yves gave me a brief pat, acting as if he’d forgotten me even before I left the room. I was tempted to stick my tongue out at him from behind the Seer’s back but couldn’t risk anyone else noticing my rebellion while Yves worked so hard to project the image of bossy male. But, really, he’d better not be getting ideas; he was enjoying this far too much for my liking.

I tried to lose myself in the business of sorting through the clothes in the Seer’s stores. Some of the dresses made Karla’s choice at the boutique look restrained. I’d not seen so much diamanté and sequins on anyone other than a pantomime dame. Finally, I found a gown I could live with—a soft apricot chiffon over a satin slip. It had a classic halter neckline, gathered under the bust, and then flowed to end just above my knee. Looking at myself in the mirror, I decided the colour flattered my tan and that the choice of little kitten-heel shoes showed off my legs, making them more attractive than they normally appeared in my clumsy trainers. I accessorized the outfit with another diamond necklace—this one more delicate, with the stones in flower settings so it looked as if I had a priceless daisy chain around my throat.

For Yves, I found a white dinner jacket and black trousers designed by Paul Smith—or at least an excellent fake, you can never tell in the Seer’s storeroom. I didn’t yet know Yves’s size for certain so held them up to me trying to remember where his waist came in relation to my body.

‘Don’t think they suit you.’

I dropped the trousers on the rug. Unicorn had entered silently behind me and was watching me in the mirror, his eyes cold with loathing. He pinched the bridge of his prominent nose, struggling to contain his temper.

‘Oh, I don’t know: I think the dinner jacket will finish off my look nicely.’ I held it up on its padded hanger for his inspection. ‘White was never my colour before, but now … well, maybe I’ve changed my mind.’

He moved forward smoothly and plucked it from my hand and hung it back on the rail behind me. ‘Just because you are paired with the Seer’s latest toy, don’t think that that means you are going to take over his operation when he retires.’

As if I would want a role in this petty kingdom. ‘That’s so not my ambition, Unicorn: that’s yours.’ I picked up the trousers and hung them over the back of a chair. ‘I just want to be happy and live somewhere without fear.’

My movement made my jewellery swing forward, the glitter catching his eye. He lifted the diamond necklace and let it fall. ‘There’s no such place out there for you and me, Phee, not with our gifts. To the rest of the world we are freaks and you either run the circus or obey the orders of the ringmaster.’

‘I think you’re wrong,’ I said quietly, refusing to back up a step as he would expect. ‘There are Savants who live a normal life. It doesn’t have to be like this.’

His lips curled into a sneer. ‘Says who? Your precious soul-finder? Look at him: he’s quick to sell out his family, isn’t he? At least we here in the Community are loyal to each other. I spit on him and his so-called normal life if this is what it means.’

I couldn’t find an argument against him—not without revealing my hope that despite everything Yves would find some way to avoid damaging the Savant Net. It was unsettling to find that Unicorn really did believe in the Community and was loyal to it in his own way. But maybe I could understand when I imagined myself in his shoes: it was the only family any of us had known; what else had he to cling on to? I was so used to being afraid of him that I forgot he was also a teenage victim of the Seer, only he was dealing with the situation very differently from me.

I rubbed my arms to smooth the goosebumps that had risen on the bare skin. ‘Still, you can’t deny that it looks like the Seer is taken with Yves. Might make my life here a bit better if he values my soulfinder.’

Unicorn poked his index finger in my chest to emphasize each word. ‘You will not take my place, Phoenix. I’ve given too much of my life to our father to let that happen now. I’ve spent years earning my place; I won’t let a skinny slut step in and take over.’

I pushed his hand away. ‘Hardly my choice, is it? If the Seer wants Yves at his side, then that’s his business.’

‘The Seer doesn’t trust him enough for that. And he knows exactly how soft you are—unreliable when it comes to the tough decisions. He’ll still need me and Dragon for the real work.’

‘Then you’ve nothing to fear from us.’

Unicorn closed the distance between us and gripped my shoulders, fingers pressing into flesh to leave little half-moons from his nails. ‘Make sure I don’t. If your soulfinder gets in my way, I’ll send him to an early grave. He’ll be about a hundred of course—but that should only take me minutes. He won’t like it but I’ll enjoy every one of them. I’ll laugh as you kiss the wrinkled, toothless old man goodbye.’

‘I hate you,’ I whispered, looking down at the toecaps of his black boots planted right by the tips of my little shoes. I couldn’t let him see the terror in my eyes at the thought of him turning his gift on Yves.

We heard footsteps in the corridor outside. He forced my head to his shoulder, hand gripping my hair painfully, a mockery of a brotherly embrace. ‘I’m glad you feel like that, Phee. Now we know exactly where we stand, don’t we?’

I said nothing.

‘Don’t we?’ His hand twisted, hair pulling at the roots.

‘Yes,’ I choked.

‘Phee, are you OK?’ Yves had entered to catch the tail end of our exchange.

Unicorn pushed me away with a warning look. ‘Yeah, she’s fine. We were just having some brother and sister quality time, weren’t we, sis?’

I nodded, rubbing the back of my scalp.

‘So I’ll let you two get ready then. We leave in fifteen minutes—that’s what I came to tell you, Phee.’ He brushed past Yves with a smirk.

‘What was that about?’ Yves glared at Unicorn as he walked away.

‘The usual. Threats, punishment, intimidation.’ I rubbed my shoulders, attempting to regain control over my emotions. I couldn’t let Unicorn reduce me to a quivering wreck; he’d done that too often in the past and I had to find strength to stand up to him. ‘Just promise me you’ll keep away from him. He’s very powerful.’

‘Sure. I don’t foresee us spending Thanksgiving with your family, sweetheart.’ Yves stripped off his top and took the shirt I had found for him off its hanger.

‘If they
are
my family. I’m still hoping that my mum had another boyfriend.’ I passed him the trousers. ‘I’m not sure these will fit.’

‘Turn your back unless you want an eyeful of my shorts,’ he teased.

I smiled wanly and occupied myself rummaging in a box of ties to find him a white bow.

‘Have I told you yet how pretty you look? I really like you in that colour.’

‘Thanks.’

‘The necklace is just right.’ He was trying to cheer me up and it was working, like a little sunshine after Unicorn’s frost.

I turned back to him, holding out the tie. ‘Shame all the jewellery’s stolen, huh?’

‘Right. But perhaps I’ll get you one made just like it when we get to the US.’

‘Sky mentioned you were obscenely rich.’

He shrugged. ‘Embarrassing, but true. At least we don’t have to worry about how we’re going to pay for your college fees. I’ll float you a loan.’

I closed my eyes briefly as this tantalizing dream hovered between us. I hadn’t challenged his assumption that I’d go with him as I simply did not believe it would happen. ‘I could go to college? But I don’t have any qualifications.’

He scooped up my hair and planted a kiss on the nape of my neck. ‘First, you can get your high school certificate with some intensive tutoring from a very gifted teacher.’ He pressed another on my bare shoulder blade. ‘That’ll be free as he’ll only ask for kisses in repayment.’ He brushed his lips over the other shoulder, smoothing away the hurt.

‘I guess this tutor you have in mind is about fifty, overweight, with a comb-over? Hmm, yeah that’ll be interesting.’

‘Ha-ha.’ He punished me for my teasing by kissing my jaw. ‘He is almost eighteen and left high school with A grades in all subjects and in the top percentile.’

‘Sounds really geeky. Not sure I’d want to kiss him.’

‘Not so. I know for a fact you love kissing this particular scholar. He prefers that term to “geek”—so much more attractive.’

‘But he has to go to college himself. He can’t fool around teaching someone who’s never had any formal education.’ I slid my arms around him, coming in close for a hug. Yves had the ability to expel the last shivery aftermath of an unpleasant encounter with my so-called relative.