The Blood Legacy (The Lost Heir Book III)

Dodge's Diverting Delectables

Isabella sat beside Seth at Theophilus's shop at the same table they'd first had lunch with Key and Cast when they'd arrived in the Underground for the first time nearly a year ago. They shared lemonade and sweet bread from Theophilus's kitchen. "We all need our strength," Xander said, biting into his third sweet bun.

Cleo simply sighed and took a swig of her lemonade. Micah chewed his bottom lip while running his thumbnail in odd patterns across the surface of the wooden table.

"There's something else going on," Isabella said. She felt it vibrating off her friends in waves. "Tell us."

Cleo sighed again but looked Isabella square in the eye. "Lana and Evie are lost somewhere in The Underground. I tracked them both to the speakeasy room where I found Lana's backpack near an open vent. Maybe they were looking for something or someone, I don't know. But there's no question that they're off on their own and that's a problem. We need to find those two and get them Skyside."

Isabella's stomach dropped. "What?!" She jumped to her feet. Bad enough having new family drama but now her best friend Lana and that Evie girl were missing and in The Underground of all places? They wouldn't last long down there all alone. She'd heard that trespassers were not dealt with kindly, especially defenseless ones. "Wait, how do you know Evie's with her? You just said you found Lana's stuff right?"

"From what we found out from their parents, both were together and Evie's also missing," Cleo explained, "well we know they're missing, I told both their parents that the girls are with me hanging out at the hotel. Since Lana's close to you and we hang out together, they bought it."

"But that won't work forever," Seth said, "sooner or later their parents will start to suspect."

"We have to find them right away." Isabella steeled herself. Why had Lana even done this? She hadn't ever asked her about coming to the Underground before. But she had been jealous of Isabella and her new cohort. Maybe this was her way of trying to get back at her, to make her worry. But Lana wasn't like that. If anything, it was Isabella who was the irrational one of the pair. Her mind shifted to her half-brother, turning her stomach yet another time. "And why was Colin arrested at all? What kind of evidence did the police find to think he was a suspect much less taken away?"

"It's complicated, but really simple at the same time down here," Cleo explained. "First off, he's being held at Empath Hall. And secondly, just remember who Serena was Isabella. It's a big crime murdering another empath. It almost seemed like they needed a suspect as fast as possible."

"Doesn't sound that different from Skyside."

"They found Colin's fingerprints on the gloves she was wearing and in her pocket, she was carrying a Midnight Brotherhood ring."

"Why would he give her that? It's clearly planted evidence."

"But what about the prints?" asked Xander. "And why couldn't they find his ring?"

"It wasn't him," Cleo snapped.

Xander held up his hands. "Okay, okay. Sorry I asked."

Micah put his hand over Cleo's and squeezed but looked directly at Isabella. "We know he didn't do it. We just don't know how whomever framed him was able to do all this, or when or what," said Micah.

"I really appreciate you guys caring about my brother like this," she said.

Micah shrugged, pulling his hand away from Cleo's. "We technically met him before you did."

Cleo elbowed him, but Isabella just shrugged with a laugh. "Good point."

"I also heard that someone saw him in Serena's room about an hour before she died, and that same person said that Colin was acting really weird," Xander spoke up, "that would be a dumb reason to arrest him but then they found the prints and..." He swallowed.

"What? Please tell me it wasn't some kind of murder weapon." Isabella went pale.

"No!" Cleo cried. "I can't believe that you would even...he was also found with Serena's recorder in his pocket. I guess Colin couldn't give a good enough explanation of having it and the higher ups decided that was enough to take him in. Plus, you know the Brotherhood has been involved in something no one knows about. It's creating suspicion."

"They're the Midnight Brotherhood. That's what they do!" Isabella cried.

"Well, it's not doing him any favors right now."

"Colin is not some goon Cleo!" Isabella raged, "and that evidence is flimsy; no Skyside cop would use that!"

Seth touched her shoulder. Isabella shrugged it off and started to pace. "We know Colin is a good guy. But remember that he has been breaking all sorts of rules lately. Including bringing the Landry brothers to train with us," said Micah.

"Who cares about that?" Isabella spat.

"Apparently, they do," said Seth. Isabella rounded on him, piercing his blue eyes with her green ones. "I'm just being honest with you, Iz. But it doesn't matter. You can help him. After what we saw..."

"Well, we need to get out of here and do something," Isabella declared, "my brother is not going to rot because some ignorant bigshots can't find Serena's real killer. I have to see Colin and make sure that he's okay. Also, we need to get Lana and Evie out of here as soon as possible. They don't belong in The Underground and if they die then things will just get even more insane."

"We can't do both at the same time so what's the game plan?" Cleo asked. She kept shifting her feet and eyeing everyone. Yet despite the nervous demeanor was determined to help.

Isabella thought long and hard. Both things needed to be done but Cleo was right. Colin needed their help no question. But he was at least somewhere we could find him. Not an ideal place but better than being lost and defenseless like Lana and Evie. Yet with a murder charge, he was not exactly sitting pretty. "I have an idea, but we are gonna have to get some help. Cleo, Xander and Micah, can you guys go get Mimi for me? Seth and I will go to Empath Hall to try and see Colin. Meet up with us in forty-five minutes on the front steps."

Cleo nodded and turned to Micah and Xander. "We'll make better time using the canals to get to the Morphling Road. A ten-minute walk then we search. We'll have to leave the car here."

"Thank you." Isabella pressed down her frustration. This was not the time to break down. She had really wanted to talk about all the things she and Seth had discovered in the ghost realm, but there was no time. She'd sort through it with Seth on the way to Empath Hall. "Wait. What car?"

"Cleo got the Brotherhood to lend her a zip car," Xander supplied.

Isabella's balked. "Without a license?"

Cleo held up a card marked temporary. "Helps to be really good at tests and have friends in high places."

Micah held up one, too. "Yeah."

Seth sputtered. "Wait. What?! You got a zip car license before I did? That's just...Not right. That's what it is."

Micah shrugged. "Right place, right, time, I guess."

"What about you, Xander? Did you get one, too?"

Xander shook his head. "No way. I prefer to be a passenger."

"Well, we only have one car, so Micah can drive you, and Xander and I will go find Mimi."

"All right then, let's get going."

And the cohort was off, split up again, and on a new mission in the Underground. Isabella wondered if she'd ever visit this place without a ton of chaos surrounding her as she and Seth followed Micah to the garage beneath Dodge's Diverting Delectables – The Avenue #42, Violet City, ES, California, USA.