“You’re welcome, big guy.” Braden clapped his hand on his father’s shoulder and winked at me. “Seriously, though, why do we have to eat with them? They won’t be pleasant.”
“They won’t,” Cormack agreed without hesitation. “They’ll be downright unpleasant. They’re making an effort, though. We must do the same.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.” Cormack was stern as he pinned Braden with a look. “You’re coming — and you’re bringing Izzy with you.” He tilted his head toward me, putting me on the spot.
“What if I’m here dealing with this?” I challenged. Until twenty minutes ago, I’d been looking forward to meeting the Grimlock grandparents. Now I wasn’t so sure. I wanted the option to duck out if I could manage it.
“There’s nothing to deal with.” Cormack’s response was bland. “We can’t remove them from the island completely because it’s public land. We can push them out of the parking lot and keep them from entering the aquarium, but that’s about it.”
I was dumbfounded. “So we’re just going to let them camp out here and talk about the door between life and death?” I asked, the last part a little louder than I’d intended. Cormack glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was eavesdropping before speaking again.
“We can’t react in an over-the-top manner.” He looked resigned as he rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re not technically doing anything wrong. And they’re definitely not doing anything against the law. If we try to force them from the island they could go straight to the television stations.”
“So what?” Braden shrugged. “What if they do?”
I heaved a sigh. I understood what worried Cormack. “If they go to the news stations and garner attention, then every conspiracy theorist in the area will head out here convinced we’re actually hiding something.”
“Which we are,” Cormack pointed out, straightening his shoulders as he watched the newcomers interact. “We need to find out whatever information we can about this cult before we do anything.”
“I can put Paris on it,” I offered. “Although ... where did Paris even go?”
“She took off right after I called Dad,” Braden volunteered. “She seemed agitated. I’m not sure why. As far as cults go, this one seems relatively peaceful. It’s not as if they’re passing around the Kool-Aid or anything.”
Cormack shot his son a look. “You have a sympathetic heart, son.” He rolled his eyes. “As for putting Paris on the research, that’s a good idea. Other than that, we just have to ignore them. If they go a few days without getting what they want they’ll lose interest and move on. That’s the end goal here.”
It was a reasonable assessment, but I couldn’t shake the ripple of dread moving up my spine. He made it sound so easy.
Three
Braden had to report for an afternoon shift. He tried unsuccessfully to bribe three different siblings over the phone to take it for him, leaving just Oliver, Paris, and me in the gate room for most of the afternoon. Even though I loved Braden and his boundless enthusiasm and nonstop romantic overtures, I embraced the quiet.
That is until Paris started reporting some of what she’d learned about the group in the parking lot.
“There’s not much about them,” she said as she typed on her keyboard. “I can only find shadow references on various message boards. They don’t have an official website.”
“Do cults have official websites?” Oliver asked, his forehead crinkled.
“You’d be surprised. The White Custodians, for example, have a website that espouses their preference to wipe out anyone with a dollop of color in their DNA. They put it right out there for anyone to read. They want to force tests to identify those they consider enemies.”
I was horrified at the prospect. “They do realize that we all have color in our DNA, right? I mean ... technically we all sprang from the same area.”
“I don’t believe they follow scientific journals,” she replied dryly. “It doesn’t matter. They have, like, three hundred members and a moron for a leader. He actually changed his name to Caucasian White, which is why the group has the name it does.”
“Caucasian?” Oliver shook his head. “Whenever I think humans can’t get any dumber, they prove me wrong. How do you even cope with stupidity on that level?”
“I find it more troubling that The Hidden Fellowship doesn’t have an online presence yet they managed to amass as many participants as they have,” Paris admitted. “That’s a sizeable crowd out there.”
Other things bothered me about the gathering. “I want to know how they even heard about the gate. That’s supposed to be the best-kept secret ever, right?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Oliver reassured me, lightly patting my shoulder. It was as if he could sense my genuine unease. I wondered if that was a vampire thing or simply the fact that he was overly perceptive given our relationship from my childhood. “There are many ways they could’ve found out.”
“Really?” I turned my full attention to him. “Can you give me a list of those ways?”
He nodded. “For starters, there’s no rule that reapers have to serve for life. From what you told me about your conversation with this Titus Weaver fellow outside, he’s referring to the gate as a door. It sounds to me as if he got a little information and extrapolated. It’s possible a reaper who never saw the gate but had minimal knowledge left the fold and flapped his gums.”
I hadn’t considered that. “Wouldn’t any reapers who joined the team have to sign a non-disclosure agreement?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t take into account drunken ramblings or the ravings of a madman. Even if the former reaper in question seemed completely cognizant and on the level, it’s not as if he or she would be able to disseminate much information about the gate.”
“I guess.” Oliver’s words made sense, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. “I know Cormack said that we would draw more attention to ourselves by trying to oust them than simply allowing them to spout nonsense for a few days and then lose interest on their own, but I’m worried.”
Oliver shook his head. “I think that’s your perpetual state. You like to work yourself up over the inconsequential. What’s happening in that lot has little bearing on us.”
“Oh? What if they somehow manage to pique the interest of the media? What happens then?”
“Then ninety-nine percent of the tri-county area watches the evening news with smiles on their faces. They’ll think it’s a bunch of kooks and charlatans. That would be the preferred outcome. If it hits the local news, everyone will laugh.”
“Do you think so?” His tone made me hopeful. “It’s my job to make sure this doesn’t get out of hand. I feel as if I should be more proactive.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Oliver stressed. “You have Paris conducting research. They’re not doing anything but walking in circles up there. Things could be worse.”