The Phoenix Society

Chapter 3

As I scrolled through the images on the tablet, it took everything I had not to throw up. I'm not sure what would ever compel someone do something like this to a person. From what I could tell, the girl looked young. Too young for something like this to have happened. It was terrible...I handed the tablet back to Elias. There was only one person I knew capable of doing something so horrible. I had been witness to it myself and its one of the reasons they are now after me.

"We have reason to believe that this case is connected to one from a year ago." Banks told me. "And if its anything like before, the bodies are going to start racking up."

I swallowed, trying to get the images of that girl out of my mind. "Are you even supposed to be telling me this? I mean aren't murder investigations supposed to be classified?"

Banks nodded, "While that is true for most cases, we have already identified who is responsible for this girls death."

"So, what do you need me for then?" I asked, once again confused. 

I watched as the males eyed each other. There was clearly something they weren't telling me.

"It was your father, Kya. It was Monroe and the Phoenix Society." Banks finally said, as if he was ripping off a band aid. They were the words I knew, but was dreading to hear. That was why they needed me. They thought I could lead them to him.

"I haven't seen him since I left the Phoenix Society." My fingers played nervously at the hem of my shirt, making sure it didn't rise past my wrist, exposing my brand. "I last saw Monroe two years ago."

"We've exhausted our options. We have been looking for the Phoenix Society since the first body showed up, that was over a year ago. We have no idea where to even start. The crime scene and body were both completely free of anything that would give us a clue to where they are."

"So, you want me to help track him?" I questioned slowly. I looked from Elias, who stood with his hands leaning on the counter, to Banks.

Banks nodded running a hand through his messy locks.

"Don't you have, like trained people for this?"

"I've read your file Kya. I know you escaped from the Phoenix Society two years ago, yet you have still lingered around here for some reason. I know you were trained in combat at a young age. You've been flagged numerous times for fighting, breaking and entering, and hacking. Yet have somehow seemed to evade the light of every law enforcement officer."

I gave him a smug smile. "Pretty impressive right?"

"And while you aren't currently still with them, you are still wanted for the crimes you committed while working with the Phoenix Society. Which include, but aren't limited to: system inference, kidnapping, theft, and grand larceny."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed. If he was trying to convince me to help him, he was not doing a very good job at it. I'm not sure how much help I would be anyway. If this so-called Order hasn't been able to find anything what makes him thing I will?

"And you're number seven on the FBIs most wanted list."

I frowned. "Only a seven? I'm at least a five."

Banks rubbed his forehead getting frustrated. "That's not the point, Kya. The point is, you're good and we need your help. You've been around these guys, worked with them. The truth is I think you are the only person who can help us find them."

"Listen that's nice and all. But have you ever thought that maybe I don't want to help you? I mean that is my father." My eyebrow twitched at the mention of our blood relation. I had done everything I could do ignore the fact that Monroe was my bloodline. "Besides, at the moment, I have my own problems to worry about."

"The way I see it, you don't have much of a choice." Elias spoke. His voice was frustrated, and he was clearly annoyed I was refusing to help. "You could go to prison for up to twenty years for the crimes you've committed while working with the Phoenix Society."

"I would rather go to prison, then work on some prissy, government, rich kid team." I told them, my voice cold as ice. 

"Kya, we need you. That's the truth. We need your help." Banks eyes pleaded. "You do this job, and I will make sure your record disappears."

I scoffed. "I could care less about my record."

"Then what is it you want?"

I looked at Banks for a second, then Elias, completely torn. They could help. I'm sure they have more resources than I did to track down Monroe. The more days I counted down, the more desperate I became. Who knew how much longer my brother had before Monroe does to him what he did to me. I sighed. But I couldn't risk it, not with my brothers life on the line. I barely even know these guys, and what, now I'm supposed just drop everything and trust them? For all I know, they could be using this all as a ploy to arrest me. And then what would I do. And, if word got to Monroe that I was now working with the government? Who's to say what he would to do my brother. Besides, after hearing about the body, I now knew where they last were. I looked Banks in the eye. He frowns slightly. It was like he knew the thoughts running through my head.

"Kya, what is it you want?" Banks asked again stepping toward me. This time his voice was soft, it surprised me how much concern there was in his voice. For a split second, almost making me change my decision. Banks knew there was something bigger at play, something I couldn't risk.

"I'm sorry." I told them. "But I can't help you. I haven't seen them for two years."

* * *

Banks sighed as he followed Elias down the rocky driveway to their bikes that sat at the end. That did not go as planned. For the life of him he could not understand why Kya didn't want to help them. For one, it would put her father in prison. Not to mention he offered to expunge her entire record, which was probably more generous than she should have been allotted. For a second, she looked like she was going to agree too, then everything changed. Her whole demeanor shifted becoming closed off and guarded, like there was something she didn't want them to know.

"Any other bright ideas?" Elias asked as he slipped his black motorcycle helmet on over his head. Banks swung his leg over the side of his bike as he thought about Elias's question. It all would have been much easier if she had just agreed to come with them. He thought about their conversation. He remembered the way her eyes read over the images carefully, as if they were taking in every detail of the image and memorizing it. Something about it told him that she knew more then she was letting on.

"Well, if she doesn't want to come with us, we're going to have to do this another way. We're going to have to catch her in the act." He kicked his kick stand up now holding the entire weight of his bike. A loud rumble of his bike's engine roared as he turned the key.

"Like wait for her to make a mistake so we can arrest her? That could take days. For all we know she just sits inside her house all day watching housewives." Elias started his bike in the same fashion. Banks shook his head; he knew exactly what she was going to do next.

"She's going to look at the crime scene."