Coyle and Fang: Curse of Shadows (Coyle and Fang Adventure Series Book 1) by Robert III (great books for teens .txt) 📗

the contrary, Miss Coyle. You found a peculiar device no one else found before you were confronted by Moreci.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m happy to have your services, and I believe you’re the perfect fit for the Templars.”

She smiled politely. Her skin prickled.

You really don’t know Treece, do you?

How many times would she fail before Treece decided she wasn’t worth keeping around?

Let me know when Treece wants you exterminated.

She pulled away from him and wiped her face. “I appreciate everything you’ve offered me. If you feel I should resign from—”

“Absolutely not.”

“I don’t feel I’m pulling my weight here.”

“If you feel deficient in pulling or pushing weight, you can count on me to help,” GEM said. He blinked his emerald eyes. “After all, you helped me in my time of need. They would have found me if it weren’t for you.”

Coyle frowned.

“There, see?” Treece patted her shoulder. “Even the automaton would like you to stay. You’re needed here, Miss Coyle. I believe you can do a great amount of good.”

“I don’t know what else I can do,” she said.

“Why don’t we send you and the others to Trevin’s place to have a look around? I know you could find something useful. And GEM will help take care of you.”

“Absolutely!” GEM said. “Where is Trevin’s housing located?”

“Fort Alcatraz,” Treece answered.

GEM blinked and swiveled back and forth between Coyle and Treece.

“Fort Alcatraz is surrounded by a cold, deep ocean with surprisingly strong currents.” GEM gently patted Coyle’s shoulder and leaned close. “All that to say—I can’t swim. I believe it’s in all of our interest if I sit this one out. Best of luck!” he said, and headed to the doorway. “Gentlemen, who wants sandwiches?”

Chapter 10

Let me never slumber, never lose my assurance, never fail to wear armor when passing through enemy land.

Amen.

It was close to noon when they embarked on the magnificent waterborne horseless carriage. Three volunteered: Poes, Vonteg and Coyle. The others opted out, giving her a wary eye. She wasn’t sure which was more hurtful, the fact that she wasn’t trusted enough by the other men or the fact that Poes and Vonteg were basically forced into working with her.

This was nothing new. In her former line of work, not too many men wanted to work with the “weaker” sex, and those who did were mostly interested in the possibility of intimate relations. She found it infuriating all the same. She just wanted to be the best candidate for promotion, and since she wasn’t going to heed their desperate urge for relations, she had opted for the test scenarios with her peers.

She hunched over, shoulders slouched, resting her chin on her knuckles, eyes gazing out at the bustle of the streets.

“How are you feeling so far, Miss Coyle?” Poes asked.

“Fine, I suppose,” she answered. “I’ve never been involved with an investigation on this scale.”

“Do you feel like you fit in? Or not?” Poes asked.

She paused. He was an attorney; she had to remember he was trained to get to the point.

“Truthfully, I do not. But I also suppose it’s natural since I’m the only person unfamiliar with the Templars and Treece. I can’t say anything bad, of course. I mean, he’s invited me into his amazing home and provided every furnishing I need, even new clothes.”

“He’s generous with what he has,” Vonteg said.

“I’ve never seen so much of it in my life,” Coyle said. “My father is rich, too, but he never shared any of it with us. We lived in a simple home outside of Sacramento. He was always away and too busy building his shipping empire.”

“Treece is a good man,” Vonteg said. “Gives to charities, supplies hospitals with equipment, helps build farms for the poor. Not a mean bone in his body.”

“He’s kind to his... employees?” she asked.

Vonteg nodded. “And members of the Templars. He gave me a small bonus when my firstborn came into the world. And then he sent a nursemaid to help with the first year. I’m lucky to be working with him.”

“And you?” Coyle asked Poes. “How long have you been working for him?”

“I got picked up by Dawn Industries less than a month ago,” he answered. “I haven’t seen as much, so I’m in the same sort of boat you are.”

“Every Templar in North America works for Dawn Industries, but not every employee for Dawn is a Templar. Treece runs a world-renowned conglomeration. He uses Dawn Industries to create what’s necessary for agents in the field, who in turn protect assets owned by Dawn.”

“What are the Templars all about?” Poes asked.

“Lots and nothing at all,” said Vonteg. “I know this all sounds strange, but there are a lot of dark things out there. I’ve fought against a small army of mummies in Peru, a swarm of tentacles in Lake Okeechobee. The most frightening thing was probably a para-demon in New Mexico. Took eight Templars out before we could banish it.”

“That was the ‘lots,’” Poes said. “What did you mean about the ‘nothing’?”

“No one outside of the Templars knows what we do. Not our neighbors, not our families, not our children. All of our work is kept silent, and that’s the way it’s been for thousands of years. We’re of the Unseen Path, the path no one knows about, the path that’s used most by the enemies of mankind. But that’s the rub. So much of our work is quiet, we lose people sometimes. People disappear, and sometimes people die, and people turn against us.”

“What does he need an investigative attorney for?” Coyle asked. “No offense intended.”

“None taken,” Poes said. “The Templars operate as their own agency, their own business. And as such, they have need of everything a business needs: phone operators, radio operators, pilots for airships, and the list goes on. I’m needed on this case because apparently an employee had not been truthful with his work schedule and hid potentially valuable information.”

“Trevin?” Coyle asked.

Poes nodded.

She studied his face. His eyes. The pulse of his jugular veins.