The Future in My Veins

Chapter Six

Unedited. 

Chapter Six

I sent Luke down to my office while Gregori and I went to Lena's. I had no clue what she wanted now but by the look on her face when we got there, it wasn't good.

"Close the door," she demanded.

There were two ways into Lena's office. The official way which involved getting through her assistant and the informal way which only Gregori and I had access to.

Gregori closed the door while I decided not to sit down. I'd had enough sitting for the time being and a few things were still a little sore from the exam so I propped myself against the wall.

"What's going on, Boss?" I asked.

"You have a problem," she said and stood up.

"I currently have a lot of problems so you're going to have to be a bit more specific."

She walked over to the door that led out to her secretary's office and opened it. She ducked out for a second then stood off to the side just in time for Ashely, said assistant, to walk in with the largest bouquet of carnations I'd ever seen.

White carnations.

My eyes narrowed as Ashley placed them down on the desk and then left the office without saying a word. I knew what this was about and I didn't like it.

I pushed off the wall and approached the flowers like they would come alive and bite me. I only got white carnations from one person for a very specific reason.

"When did they come in?" I asked.

"They were delivered to your office early this morning, before you got back," Lena said, closing the door after having a quick word with Ashley. "Security intercepted them and opened the card as per protocol."

The card sat piked into the center of the arrangement with "Ana" written in black pen on the front. At least I knew he wrote his own cards. I plucked the card out of the plastic thongs and opened it.

"We don't know who they're from," Lena continued, "but I have a suspicion."

The card read We need to talk in painfully familiar handwriting. A sketch of me screaming in the snow sat on the top half and I wanted nothing more than to crumple it up and forget about it. But the picture told me what he wanted to discuss and that couldn't be avoided.

Lena picked up a packet of papers off her desk and handed them to Gregori.

"Aidan Hanover filed a grievance against you this morning," she said to him. "He claims you are the murderer and kidnapped Vertigo in an attempt to brainwash her. Only after she submitted and promised to lie for you, did you agree to bring her back."

"How colorful," I commented.

"I think the flowers are from him in an attempt to get you away from your perceived kidnapper," Lena told me.

When we were in school, the usual school booster sold carnations for Valentine's Day. I'd sent him a white carnation once to declare my passion and devotion but he didn't figure out it was from me until I told him years later. So while we were dating, white carnations became our thing.

Still keeping tabs on Hanover?I sent down the bond.

Jon's checking in on the situation now.

Which meant yes on so many different levels.

Do you know Hanover's current location?

When he didn't respond right away, I knew he needed to get the information from his outside source.