Mates Inc.

Waiting For Emma -- Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Decisions In The Deep

Emma was stunned at the group before her. A large conference table had been setup instead of her couches, and there were over twenty men and women sitting there waiting for her. She felt Lance walk up behind her, she felt his warmth and even a strange.... sizzle along her skin that she never felt before.

"What's going on?" she asked and looked at everyone. Her friend Evan was sitting at the head of the table with a large file folder sitting in front of him.

Evan tilted his head and answered her, "Please sit, Emma. I'll explain everything." Most of the people in the room were on her list, but there were a few new faces. She noticed that even Councilor Trenton was in the room which surprised her, he was a traitor in her own eyes.

Moving with precision, Emma made her way to an empty chair. Evan sat back and nodded his head to Lance who silently walked to the door and leaned against the wall. Emma still surveyed the room and noticed the coffee and desserts were there at least.

She was paying for all of this after all.

"Emma, as you've already discovered, there is a group of mainly League members who have been freeing falsely imprisoned men from the Royal prison. We have been following a plan that was developed years ago, and part of that plan was to bring you into our group in a few months. The timeline has been moved up for reasons I'll explain in a moment."

Evan handed the folder to the woman sitting next to him, Raina was her name, and she silently stood and walked toward Emma. Evan's gaze never left the woman of the moment, but Emma finally broke eye contact to take the folder that was given to her.

She put it on the table in front of her and once again looked to Evan.

Smiling slightly he continued, "As you know the corruption in the Monarchy has gone unnoticed for too long. When my brother was taken and forcibly thrown in the prisons is when I decided to take action. Each person here has had a family member stolen from them. Each of those men and women were falsely accused, tried, and in some cases executed."

Evan's hands were now fists, and he pounded the table once in anger. The wood split.

Letting out a breath as Raina put her hand on his arm gently, Evan closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. His eyes were burning with fury but his voice remained eerily flat and controlled. "We've discovered the reason for the false imprisonments, and it is because Councilor Bryant is leading a group to overthrow the Monarchy."

Emma just sat and blinked at the man as she tried to digest this news.

Evan continued, "Bryant is becoming involved with various military and strategic companies that will help him with his coup attempt. The innocent men and women thrown in prison were preventing his plans from moving forward in one way or another, these people had no idea what was going on. Some of them just had stocks or land that he needed, or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and could identify Bryant with various contacts."

Taking another deep breath, Evan forced himself to continue. "Some, like my brother, simply had access to financial records and were just in the way. Bryant's plans are very good, but they rely upon secrecy and he's surrounded himself with all the corrupt wolves he can find. We have purchased some of their secrets, which are in the reports in front of you."