Page 85 of The Vixen

A photo of a corpse. An obituary.

Holding my breath, I slip the thin piece of paper from its sheath, flip it over, and narrow my eyes.

What?

“It’s what you want, isn’t it?” Luna asks with a voice uncharacteristically gentle.

I want to read her expression, but my eyes struggle to move from the check in my hand.

Thirty million dollars, made out to the foundation in my mother’s name. Dated December 31st, right on time to meet my yearly contribution.

Every penny I planned to take, placed in my hand like a return-reward drawn up for a thief.

If it’s a trick, it’s a cruel one.

I shake my head while lowering the check to the desk like it’s made of glass. It takes me several seconds to speak.

How did you find the organization?

How do you know my mother’s name?

When did you learn mine?

These are the questions I would ask if I had the breath to do it.

“Why?”

Finally, I meet Luna’s gaze. She’s propped against the desk with her hands clasped on her stomach, long hair draped over her shoulders. In the light of the lamp, she’s less of a ghost, but even less of herself. Every hour that passes seems to morph her features further into an exhausted mess, the skin beneath her eyes slowly melting down her face.

And yet the word that comes to mind is: beautiful. More so than yesterday.

“Because I need you,” she says simply. As if a thirty million dollar check could ever be so simple.

In some ways, it is. I can see in her eyes that it is. I can see what she’s telling me. Asking.

Please. Help me.

I look down at the check. My tongue prods my cheek as my head spins. “The Shadow Sanctum doesn’t believe in banks. All your money is kept?—”

“Officially, you’re correct. The money in the mines comes from the Rhodium, which is what the public and our people are aware of. But when initiates enter our society, they transfer their wealth electronically to offshore accounts… The money is real. You have my word, the check isn’t going to bounce.”

My tongue stops prodding my cheek as her words settle. “What would your father do if he knew you gave me this?”

Luna’s feet shuffle as something crosses her expression. Not fear—that, I look for. Shame, I think.

“He won’t… I’m the one who handles the new initiates and the wire transfers. Now that all my focus is on this work, it’ll besimple with the influx of cash coming in. Just… trust me. If you can.”

I nod. “I trust you.” I don’t even consider it’s a lie.

Ibelieveher. I don’t trust her. But I believe her.

She was once a mystery, but now…

“But I don’t trust your father. I think he has a closer eye on that money than you realize.”

She tucks hair behind her ear and opens her mouth, but I cut her off before she can speak.

“And I think that because when it was me charging people to live in a sexual deviant’s paradise, not a single dollar moved without my knowledge. When you work that hard to build something—fucked up or not—you protect it. I tried to kill my own best friend to protect my island. I don’t know the lengths your father would go to, but I wouldn’t count on a familial bond to save you.”