Air: Elementalist Book 1 by Rebecca Wolf (christmas read aloud .TXT) 📗

provide me with the same techniques you were going to employ to avoid the alcohol taxation. In return, I won’t tell the fire elemental that you were trying to poach a business that he is strongly associated with. You got me?”

Ben gripped the bar table with white knuckles. Dave swallowed hard. “We got you.” They said finally. “Good.” said Penny, “I will notify Mr. Ember that we have found a lucrative business arrangement with the two of you.” They got up swiftly looking eager to hurry out. “Thank you, gentlemen,” said Penny, taking her time before rising as well. “Oh, and I better see an increase in my clientele. I want my old bar crowd back.”

Penny headed back towards the bar. I gave her a fierce hug when she got to me, “you were brilliant!” I said. Penny looked at me for a moment. “I just wish I could have scared them off on my own, instead of hiding behind another man’s shadow.” She sighed, “I hope working here hasn’t been keeping you back. You could have so much power if you allowed yourself to.”

“Are you kidding?” I asked, incredulously, “working for you is the best thing that has ever happened to me! My job is an enjoyable way that I choose to earn a living, but we are more than our place of employment.” I gave her a gentle shove, “besides, the work I do smuggling is meaningful., and this job facilitates that. That makes this job meaningful too.”

“Aww shucks,” said Penny, smiling at me. “So I guess this means I owe Aiden an apology for thinking he murdered Jerry, huh?”

“I guess so.” Said Penny with a half smile. “I guess he’s not a complete villain after all.”

“maybe just a partial villain” I said, unwilling to forgive him completely. I resolved to call him tomorrow with an update on everything that had transpired.

When I called him the next afternoon, he was very gracious about everything. I felt like I owed him for his assistance with the bar, so when he invited Penny and I out to eat for lunch the following day, we accepted. We met up with him at a cute little Asian bistro. We talked about all sorts of things, both mundane and interesting, and I felt for the first time that maybe Aiden and I could be good friends if I let us. Aiden got up to use the bathroom and Penny turned to me “Hey, would you be Ok with me asking him to let me see the footage of your dad? I’ve always been curious what he looks like.”

“Sure, That’s fine,” I said, feeling relaxed after eating excellent food, and having enjoyable conversation.

Aiden came back, and after asking him, he pulled out his phone for us to review the footage. There he was, Thomas Cole, going in, and then a little while later, coming out with that disgruntled grimace. The video stopped. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed what appeared to be a prior clip of related video footage right next to the one we had just watched. I was curious. Maybe there was more incriminating evidence on that footage that someone else had missed. Why wouldn’t Aiden show me both clips? A feeling of dread sank its claws deep in my stomach. Before he could stop me, I pressed play. “Wait,” Aiden said in alarm, fumbling to turn it off, I swept it into my hands with a powerful gust of concentrated wind and flew a few feet away, pressing play. I had to see what was on that clip. The feeling of dread intensified.

At first there was nothing, Then, about one minute in, Lucy Ember appeared in the footage with two security personnel. She walked up to Jerry’s door and knocked. A moment later the door opened, Jerry peeked his head out, and then moved out of the video’s line of sight. Lucy and her security walked inside.

OH. MY. GOD.

I looked up at Aiden. He met my eyes, his face expressionless.

“I thought you said full disclosure?” I said, my voice deadly calm.

“I fully disclosed what I thought you should know.”

“You lied to me, you told me that my father had done it!”

“No, I never said that. I said that your father likely knew about you now, I didn’t actually say that he had killed Jerry. You inferred that all on your own.”

“You implied it, though! You mislead me by leaving out vital information!”

Aiden swallowed hard, “I was trying to protect the two most important women in my life.”

“By not telling me your mom is psychotic??”

“I TOLD you she was overprotective, she considers you family now. She felt that Jerry was a liability. Frankly, I think it’s a good thing she took care of him when she did. If she hadn’t, your father would know everything about you right now. This gives us time to strategize.”

“I can’t believe you’re rationalizing this! I can’t believe you’re siding with your mother on this!!”

I turned to Penny, who was looking between us open-mouthed. “Penny, we’re leaving.” I turned around and walked out, Penny following close behind me. I felt completely blindsided. His mother had seemed so sweet and kind. How could a woman like that have tortured and killed Jerry in cold blood?? This was exactly the reminder I needed of what happened when you got involved with elementalists. People around you started dying, and it was considered NORMAL. I couldn’t live like this. It was a week before the wedding date. I looked over at Penny. Penny would help me, Penny was the only one I knew I could trust at this point.

Chapter 20

It was the day of the wedding. I got ready on autopilot, partly because there were so many people involved in getting me ready. Partly because if I let myself think about it, I was likely to panic and do something stupid. According to Lucy and Penny, brides suddenly became inept