Maria looked to the crowd before her and put on an alluring smile before stepping off the stage. She had been scanning the room the whole time and seeing a few of Lucas' men in the background; knew that the threat to her life was being swiftly dealt with. Returning to her room, her smile and confidence fell as she ripped the gloves off her hands and threw them in the bin. The door opened, and the four men in the back of the room walked in.
"Maddam-" Maria's nails scraped across the table before her to silence them.
"Why did I have a gun to my head?" There was a burning rage in her eyes as she approached the four, "I was promised protection, so where was it?" Standing before them, her beautiful looks were warped by anger. She had only agreed to continue her show because cancelling would have damaged her perfect reputation, but throughout it, she couldn't help but feel nervous, nearly ruining her performance several times.
"The Gentleman profusely apologises. The situation is being dealt with." The man lowered his head, resting his hand on his chest. "In the meantime, until this matter is dealt with, he is requesting that you leave the stage for the moment and seek protection in his residence. We can't be sure if the gunman had accomplices."
Maria's lip twitched. She had only been so brave because she heard Cain and knew any gunshot would be heard. The man had obviously been threatening Cain and wouldn't risk drawing attention to himself, or else the information he needed would have been useless.
Taking a few deep breaths, she took out a key and opened a locked drawer. Pulling out a small nylon packet containing white powder, she carefully poured some onto her hand and brought it to her nose, snorting it. "Tell Lucas I agree, so long as it is dealt with in the week."
The four nodded and led Maria out of her room, outside. Many of the customers and workers wondered why she was surrounded by so many men in suits, but pushed it aside.
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Cain played with his wrists, stepping out of the station. Before him, a blacked-out car window rolled down, a member of the Gentlemen's Society in the driver's seat. Clicking a button, the back door opened.
Cain stepped in and saw Alannah sitting in the seat next to his, her gloves off. As soon as he sat down, her hand rested on his arm, bar one finger. "What are you doing?" Alannah said, staring into his eyes. Cain looked at the hand on him with a frosty gaze.
"Take your hand off me." Moving, he put one headphone in and played some jazz, taking a calm breath as soon as he heard the saxophone.
"People, myself included, are beginning to think your worth is dropping. This rat is playing with you. Now, you're in the system, and Maria was targeted." Alannah's finger twitched, threatening to touch his arm, "Lucas wants answers, I do, Maria does, and so does he."
"Alannah." Cain stared deep into her eyes, "Take your hand off me." Each word was said slowly. "I will tell you, but I have spent hours in there. Let me rest." His final words sounded like a growl. Alannah sweetly smiled and pulled her hand away, putting on her red gloves once more.
The ride was silent as Cain let his mind get lost in the music. Only when he felt a tap on his arm did he groan in annoyance and step out before one of the manors erected around the mayoral building. Pulling in the driveway, he saw numerous cars parked around, each one more valuable than the last. To leave cars worth so much lying around was strange, but it was obvious to think why the owner was so brave. Anyone who dared to rob Lucas was either an idiot or confident in avoiding his wrath.
Cain strolled through the main hall, where numerous servants, each one with dead eyes, lined the walls, waiting to serve anyone's needs. The rest cleaned away at the pristine building, trying to scrub the non-existent dirt.
Stepping into the dining room, he saw Lucas eating a small meal, as Maria stared out the window in annoyance. Magnus sprawled across the table, already having fallen asleep. Cain went to step forward but was stopped by Alannah as she walked past, taking a seat at the table.
Pulling his headphones out, he looked at everyone before focusing on Maria. "Are you okay?" Maria looked at him and waved her hand, looking out the window once more. Lucas grabbed the glass of port by his side and finished it. Putting it down, he sighed and turned to Cain.
"What are you doing?" Lucas' voice lacked the warmth he usually had when speaking to his friend. Cain smiled and lifted his hands.
"I was tricked. What more do you want?" It wasn't an answer that was good enough for the three, and Cain knew it. "That warehouse isn't a place I can let draw attention to itself, you know this. I was hasty, yes, but they had told me it was an attack by a vigilante, not the cops."
Lucas nodded in understanding, "Didn't Charles also die at the hands of a vigilante that..." He clicked his finger, pretending to be in thought, "Yes, it was directed by the same Detective. We know this man isn't working cleanly, Cain, and yet you didn't stop and think."
"I follow orders, Lucas. My orders for that warehouse were to make sure the cops don't find out about it. A fire draws attention."
"So does being paraded around like a common criminal. We have worked tirelessly to make sure no one officals knows about you, and that work has been squandered. Your obligation to the General is second to us, Cain, when you sit with us as an equal," Lucas said and sighed. Getting up, he walked over to Cain and stood before him. The two stared into one another's eyes for a second before Lucas moved again, "But I forgive you, we all do." Coming next to Cain's ear, he whispered, "So long as you deal with this. Everything is ready, we are waiting for you now." Cain nodded and returned the embrace.
"It will draw attention from those in the station he worked with. One is a non-issue, but the other is dangerous." Cain seriously said. Nodding to himself, Lucas quickly knew who Cain labelled dangerous.
"Jeremiah moves when something big happens. Now he is on the table, we must make a distraction, but that will be easy." Lucas moved back to his seat. "Result day. Jeremiah will be forced to keep the peace during the election; they won't dare be placed anywhere else. You strike then."
"Two days..." Cain said to himself. "Understood." Seeing he was allowed to sit now, Cain pulled a seat for himself and let his body relax, "What does he say?"
"He is finding clues on the final two keys and making plans to deal with Xavier. As we all know, however, Xavier is a tricky foe who can't be easily manoeuvred around. As for the keys, he has a guess but can't be sure yet." Cain smiled.
"Will Magnus be ready by then?" Looking at the sleeping boy, Lucas took a deep breath.
"Potentially, but we need his growth to be quicker. He isn't ready to cast an illusion on the door yet." Alannah moved around toward Magnus and stared at him.
"He thrives when pushed to the limits, Lucas." She said with a worried voice, "If I protect him, it will stunt his growth."
"Temporary measures." Lucas eased her concerns, "Until Mr Graham is dealt with, we can't take risks." The room fell silent. Lucas looked around and stood up. "There is no need to be so worried, my friends. We have had many hiccups along the way. What is one more?"