“Do you like whipped cream?” Noah asked.
“We have strawberries,” Gavin offered.
“Do you want to cut them for her too?” Vince asked as he watched them with narrowed eyes.
They both sat back and glared at him, but I ignored them all and started eating. The tension in the room could be dealt with later. Right now, I was going to enjoy my waffles, which were a close second to my dad’s pancakes, and pretend like this was a normal Saturday morning and Gavin wasn’t about to tell us bad news.
I could almost believe it until Sky came running around the corner, panting. “Did I miss it?”
Everyone froze at his sudden appearance, and Tessa was the first to snap out of it. “Miss what, honey?”
“The meeting?” he asked while eying each of us.
“No, we’re just eating,” Gavin answered.
Sky’s shoulders dropped about six inches. “Oh, good. I had to help my dad put away some boxes in the attic, and I thought I was late.”
“We would have waited for you,” Luca said before putting his last bite in his mouth.
“Well, I was hoping you wouldn’t have to.”
“You’re right on time.” Daniel handed him a plate piled high with waffles, and Sky beamed.
“Thank you!” He didn’t hesitate before adding syrup and several inches of whipped cream to the tower of sweets.
“Is this a formal thing or can you tell us while everyone finishes eating?” Tessa asked Gavin.
He swallowed and stood, moving to the end of the island so we could all see him. “I was up all night going through the files, and I pieced together enough from both Juliet and Mr. Parker or, rather, Mr. Haul. Plus, Corey sent me over additional information I couldn’t find.” He smiled at me, and I made a mental note to thank him for his help.
Gavin opened the laptop I hadn’t noticed was on the counter. “It was tougher than I expected at first. I couldn’t find proof he was lying about who he really was, but then, he logged into a different email account while I happened to be watching live. It was his personal account, the real one, and he emailed Juliet a summary of what you told him about your internship. I guess she was curious about where you’d been and why your schedule was different. He also mentioned Sky and his involvement.”
Daniel and Tessa were experts and gave no hint of what they were thinking.
“Once I had access to that account, I read through his past messages, and it looks like he’s been giving updates to several people about not only Ave but all of us. His ability is similar to Sky’s. He can tell when people aren’t telling the truth, but it’s not as absolute as Sky’s. He admitted to being wrong before.”
Noah’s head shot back like he’d been slapped, and I turned to see if anyone else was surprised by this. Luca’s brows were up, and Vince glared.
“He’s been watching us for longer than Ave’s been here. I could see messages for up to two years back of him detailing what we were doing and any odd behaviors or changes in our routine. I confirmed he was assigned to Arlington Park to watch the five of us.”
Tessa clutched the edge of the counter, and Daniel rubbed her back. “Tessa, I think it’s time to call an emergency meeting. We need as much of the council here as soon as we can.”
She nodded and walked out of the room. Daniel pulled out his phone and began typing. I slipped off my chair and went to Gavin. “This was going on before me?”
He nodded.
“I don’t understand. I didn’t even know about my ability or the Society until weeks after I moved here. How could they have known? How could they have planted Juliet?”
This was the biggest question I’d had since the first flicker of doubt about Juliet appeared. It was impossible for her to have known about me, who and what I was, before we moved here, yet she was transferred to be my dad’s assistant when he was promoted and relocated. Things didn’t add up.
“That’s why I’ve been reading his messages from as far back as I could. I’m hoping there’s an explanation somewhere in there, but so far, I haven’t found it.”
I folded my arms, and he pulled me into a hug. I sagged against him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Another set of arms joined us, and I inhaled the familiar clean scent of Noah. One by one, Sky, Vince, and Luca surrounded us in a group hug. This wasn’t just about me and my dad’s girlfriend anymore.
They’d all been targets. They’d been watched for years, even though they were just teenagers. They didn’t even have their abilities yet when Mr. Parker, or Mr. Haul, started. Why did the AS care about them? Why send in a spy to watch a group of kids?
I wasn’t sure I wanted the answers this time.