Rogelio sat down his cloth on the desk after wiping down his nephew’s urn. He chose the most expensive urn, which was a white pearl with gold trimmings. Ever since Alex was carefully placed inside, Rogelio let no one else touch it. He guarded it, walked around with it and even talked to the urn... The head of the LaGon family was overwhelmed with grief. Members of his closest circle were even starting to notice how much Rogelio was affected by Alex’s death.

  Ishmael and Miles walked through the office door at the same time to speak with Rogelio about different issues. Ishmael went first. “Pa, I got a letter from Corzon saying the weapon design needed some modifications, but they were still able to push it through. The shipment is on route and should be here within a few days. They wanted to speak to Alex, so I’ll get on the line and explain…”

  Rogelio put his hand up, stopping his son from finishing his sentence. He didn’t bother to look up and meet his son’s eye contact. “Don’t do anything.”

  “But Pa, we really need to stay on top of this. I think we should bring Jordy back into the loop. As the Weapon Specialist, we’re going to need his help.” Ishmael insisted.

  Rogelio looked up then cut his eyes at his son. “I said, do nothing.” At that moment, Miles decided his situation wasn’t that important to bring up and leaned against the wall instead. “I don’t trust that boy right now. He hasn’t been a team player like I expected him to be. The less he knows the better.” The rebel leader stood to his feet and walked around his desk. “You’re not seeing what I see. What I see is we’ve been going about this wrong the whole time. I’ve had my head so far up my own ass that I couldn’t see what was happening all along.”

  Ishmael and Miles looked at one another before Miles spoke up. “We’re not following you, boss.”

  Rogelio continued, “Think about it. Those stupid queens had it wrong. They told us to expect a full-frontal attack like they did in my father’s town, Lias, when he was a boy. So, we’ve been preparing, waiting, and gathering supplies for this ‘attack’. But it’s not happening that way. I’m telling you they are here... The Angels of Death have been here in secret. Discreetly walking among us, I’m telling you I feel it in my bones. They didn’t do their usual ‘leveling’ methods. No, they snuck in somehow and are here to kill, steal, and destroy us. Like a thief in the night...”

  Ishmael sat down on a nearby sofa seat and pondered what his father was saying. “And you think Jordy has something to do with this? You think he’s turned?”

  “Yea boss,” Miles stated also a little confused by the accusations. “It does seem kind of weird to spy on the boy like that. Jordy hasn’t done anything out of place, and he’s done everything you asked him to do.”

  Rogelio again cut his eyes in frustration. “Out of place? I told the boy to keep Freeland in one piece while I was gone and came back with half of the KFM either dead or vanished. It was hard to believe everything went to shit so quickly. I had my Ace-one investigate what was going on. Especially after Trayvis Jr’s death... When I heard, he was fucking pinned to the wall I thought someone finally got their revenge. He was a spoiled little prick, and everyone knew it. Then we found out Pierre’s suite keys were used after Jr booked that time. It took Pierre’s ass two days to find them even though the keys were stashed in his own desk.” Ishmael and Miles listened carefully as Rogelio continued. “With Windermere, he was always surrounded by his men. When we went inside his house, it was more trashed than it was before. Then when we found him, we also found a broken necklace near his charred dead body. The pendant on the necklace was made up of a special material called Vix Glass. Alex put these pieces together, and without him we wouldn’t have anything to go on. He was like a blood hound when it came to investigating shit. Everything was starting to add up, which is why he was at Fuego’s that night...”

  Ishmael ran his hand through his hair before saying, “I think you might be on to something. I can’t quite put my finger on it either, but Pierre has been raving about Ree. Sky’s cousin and newest employee at the store. Every time he gets the chance, he was all over Ree. Almost like Pierre made it his mission to get in her pants.” Ishmael stood up and walked towards his father’s desk. “Now the prick is missing... No one hasn’t seen him in at least a week. When he came back from his business trip, his employees said he just disappeared and hasn’t come back since.”

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  Miles finally spoke up, “And you think Sky and her cousin Ree are behind all of this? They aren’t only new employees in Freeland. From what I’ve seen and heard, they don’t even come close to looking suspicious. Are you sure, boss?”

  Rogelio took a deep breath and replied, “The night Fuego’s house burned to the ground, not one Star Child’s body was found in the cells below. Alex had told me everything the night before he died and he was super close to finding who the Angels really were. Everything points back to it's someone close to us... Whoever it is has been watching us and waiting. Toying with us instead of giving us what we were expecting. Like I’ve said, I have my suspicions about those two new girls for a while now. Miles here told me Jordy and Sky have spent nearly every night together since coming back from Boro. Tell me that’s not a fucking coincidence.”

  Miles crossed his arms then huffed in disappointment. He honestly didn’t believe Sky or Ree had nothing to do with anything that was going on. Miles had no issue with the girls and actually enjoyed their company. Deep down, he wanted to tell them they were in trouble, but he knew that would be tricky. It was essential that he finish listening to Ro’s plan.

  Rogelio continued, “There was one lead Alex didn’t get to. He noticed that Sky and Ree hung around one of the main leaders in the working class. I can’t remember the girl’s name... Akra, Soki...”

  “Oki...” Ishmael aided with the correct name.

  “Yes! That’s it. Now, I need you to show me where exactly she lives...” Rogelio asked while giving his son and bartender a sinister smile.

  *

  Oki found Sky hurling up against a building wall. She didn’t know Oki was there until she placed her hand on top of her back. “Are you ok? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two sick before.”

  “I’m fine...” said Sky as she wiped her mouth. “It’s the smell of these dead bodies that are getting to me is all.”

  Oki heard what Sky had said but the look on her face said something else. “Oh, ok. Well, Ree and Jaca are waiting for us back on the roof. Are you sure you don’t need anything?” Sky nodded as she walked by. As Sky passed by, Oki got a whiff of a scent she was not expecting coming from an Angel of Death.

  Oki nor Sky saw that Jaca was standing nearby watching the whole interaction. He had come down from the roof to check on what was taking the girls so long. That’s when he saw Oki’s reaction when Sky passed by her. His suspicion was becoming a confirmation. Something his Highest One Cassandra had told him before they parted ways. The last piece to why the Twelve Queens were so afraid of being replaced. Something, even Jaca, had a hard time believing to be true.

  On the roof, Oki made a quick announcement. “Hey guys, I’ll be back in a few.”

  Ree turned around and responded, “What? You’re leaving us?”

  “No, I’ll be back in like an hour. There’s something I need to check on before we can bring Arkaminus back to the working-class sector. I have to make sure my people are ready and prepared. After tonight, there may be no going back. Trust me, I wouldn’t miss this for the fucking world.”

  “One hour!” Ree yelled as Oki ran down the metal fire-escape stairs back to the ground.

  “One hour, I promise!” Oki yelled back as she quickly dashed down the street. She ran as fast as her legs would allow without looking too suspicious. Oki took every short cut she knew. By the time she made it back to her sector, she felt like she had plenty of time to spare. When Oki turned her last corner, something made her stop in her tracks... “What in the hell?” She noticed every guard she stationed to be a look out was missing. That was unusual since there was always somebody on the watch out. Since Oki was in a hurry, she quickly had to dismiss the red flag.

  Turning two more corners and still not seeing anyone in sight, Oki ran down the stairs of her apartment then stormed into her apartment. She usually didn’t leave the lights on anyway but as of late, Oki left at least one light on for any newcomers. Her apartment had turned into the main meeting place for their upcoming attack on the KFM. This time, her apartment was completely pitch black. A slight shiver ran up Oki’s spine as she slowly walked into her place. Her first instinct was to say hello, but the words couldn’t form in her mouth. She knew something wasn’t right, but it was too late now to go back. Her apartment door was already closed, and she was standing in the middle of the living room. Oki knew she wasn’t alone...

  A few seconds later, the light switch to her living room lamp turned on. Oki slowly turned around and saw Rogelio sitting in her lazy-boy chair. She took a big gulp before realizing it wasn’t just Rogelio but his son and two other men. They formed a small circle as they came out of the rooms surrounding the living room. Rogelio smiled when he saw the owner of the apartment’s reaction. “Hello Miss Oki...”