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And sometimes Juliette was the one who woke up. And when that happened, she woke up screaming.
Thankfully, it had been mostly quiet since then, and they’d been able to send out the Warrior Scholars to take care of the few issues that had cropped up. Most of the past year had been spent recruiting, calling people to the altar, and combing their records to make sure there weren’t any more nasty surprises hiding in their past.
That last one was something Franco and Colum had discussed. Again, if this meeting went well…
“There are some outstanding enemies who haven’t been fully dealt with,” Eric added.
“And a few potential enemies we could work together to eliminate before they become a threat.” Juliette’s tone was cold and resolute. Franco wasn’t sure if she’d have agreed to do something this aggressive before she’d been kidnapped and tortured.
“You’re suggesting we murder people whomightbe a problem?” Antonio’s tone was neutral. Franco had no idea if he was horrified or impressed.
“Eliminating a threat doesn’t have to involve murder,” Juliette said.
“We already have the Masters Protection Force.” Eric gestured to Percy and Owen. “But instead of calling them in after everything has gone to shit, we’re going to give them targets and let them do what they do best.”
“Sounds like you have it all planned,” Nikolett said. “Is this meeting just for show? So you can spread the blame if something goes wrong?” She gestured to everyone sitting around the table.
A muscle in Eric’s jaw flexed. “Nikolett.”
“Yes, Fleet Admiral?”
Eric sat back, gripping the arms of the chair so hard, Franco worried he’d snap them off.
“You’re here,” Juliette said, when Eric didn’t speak, “to help us add to the list of current or potential enemies, as well as prioritize who and what we send the MPF after first.”
Nikolett ripped her attention off Eric and looked at Juliette. After a minute, Nikolett nodded, sitting back in her chair.
“Also, this council will serve as a forum for any issues involving members of both societies.” Juliette quickly explained a recent corporate acquisition bidding war that unknowingly involved companies owned by members on both sides of the Atlantic. Some light corporate espionage had almost outed both trinities, and Juliette had reached out to Sophia to broker a private meeting between affected parties.
“Thank you again to Sophia for your help,” Juliette concluded, and Sophia inclined her head.
Eric leaned forward, forearms braced on the edge of the table. “So, where do we want to start?”
There was a beat of silence. No one wanted to speak first.
Franco cleared his throat. “We have a sort of new but also old problem. New because we just found out about it. It’s not a fun multibook plotline problem, more of a standalone thing, but we’d need help from the Masters’ Admiralty to figure it out.”
Franco looked briefly at Juliette, who nodded for him to continue.
“One of our members just passed away. He was the last one alive of his trinity. They were married for fifty years.” Franco had to stop and swallow. He hoped someday someone would be able to say that about himself, Juliette, and Devon. “The trinity had no children, so the estate passed to his great-nephew. When his nephew was sorting through the estate, he found blackmail letters and pictures.”
Eric was frowning, watching him intently, while others looked at him with mild interest or curiosity.
“The photos were taken forty-five years ago at a resort on the Black Sea.”
“Forty-five years?” Arthur’s brows rose. “The man paid blackmail for forty-five years?”
“Yes. We had a forensic accountant go through his finances and recent payments were made to a Swiss bank account, but before that, we think he was mailing traveler’s checks.”
“The photos are of the trinity in an intimate moment?” Sophia guessed.
“Yes. Our member was a highly ranked officer in the military,” Juliette said. “The photos show him with his wives, and his wives together. Not that anyone knew he was married to both of them.”
“Adultery is taken seriously within the U.S. armed forces. And homosexuality?” Devon shook his head. “Attitudes may have improved somewhat, but there are other members of his family who are current active members of the military. It wasn’t just his reputation at stake.”
“So he paid to protect himself and his descendants,” Eric said.
Hande’s expression was suspiciously calm. “Do you know where on the Black Sea?” Her question was too casual to actuallybecasual.
