Chapter 22
Landon's POV
I ran after Nadia who just went out, both injured and pissed.
She's with the vial containing the contents that could eliminate Vance, my only competitor.
It finally looks like the stars are aligning in my favor.
Nadia is walking with all the adrenaline her body can produce.
"Is that all of it?" She asks when I finally catch up with her at the gate.
"Just any amount would do." I said to her,
We head into the compound. It's still early in the evening and the warm glow of what is left of the sun is reflected by certain surfaces in the compound.
We enter into the kitchen, Nadia first.
"Do you know where she went?" We both hear Vance ask in an icy tone.
Talia's "No" is sharp and has every shade of 'I don't give a fuck.'
A little back and forth ensues between them, but in a lower voice, each replying before the other got done.
I did not have to distract them, they were already distracting themselves.
Just maybe this is the moon goddess' way of telling me that what I'm about to take is really mine and she supports it.
We keep waiting by the kitchen door leading to the compound, and peeping for signs of the maid.
There's a whistling kettle on fire, a tell tale sign that someone was cooking and will come to check on it soon.
We stay still in our positions for about five more minutes.
"What a stupid question!" Talia walks in immediately, hissing at the sight of the kettle like it is her annoyance.
The loud banging of metals against each other, and sometimes the floor makes me wonder what other trouble could be in this paradise.
She walks out leaving all the spills and collisions unattended to.
Tracy walks in as soon as Talia leaves and starts with picking the pieces off the floor. Her expression is blank and one really can't ascertain her mood, especially not from the window we are hanging on.
Nadia blows a quiet whistle. It, at first, doesn't do the work. Tracy is still humming and getting her work done.
On the second call, Tracy answers looking up with much surprise as to who could be calling.
She looks around cautiously like a thief before walking over to Nadia and I.
"Hi." Nadia says to her. She's surprised to see me with Nadia. A beta does not crawl in the house and hang by auxiliary entrances.
I bob my head once as an acknowledgement. Tracy looks frightened, as frightened and scared as a cornered mouse.
"What is going on?" Nadia asks, referring to what was going on inside.
"That is not important." I cut the two ladies in their gossip, the one thing they do best. "We are here on something else." I added, giving clarity to my opinion.
"Would you like to present the case?" Nadia asks albeit very rude.
"I don't want to cause a scene is why I'd let this slide. But don't you ever open your smelly mouth to talk to me in such a manner, ever again in your unfortunate life. " I warned Nadia. My blood is boiling and my heart is beating very fast.
My words have the intended effect, she has remembered who the boss is.
"So what is it you need me for?" Tracy asks, her eyes darting back and forth from Nadia to me.
"Landon…" Nadia starts, a very poor start.
"It's' Beta Landon". I say to both of them."
They look each other in the eye for a split second and Nadia continues.
"He needs you to do him a favor."Nadia says.
"Why not? Sure. But I would have to ask Alpha Vance if it is out of my jurisdiction, and you could have passed the front door. It's too little a thing to sneak in through here." I never knew she was such a chatterbox. Tracy had always come across as the quiet unsuspecting maid.
"Do you mind hearing her out first?" I cut her in her speech.
She calms down, reminding one of a deflating balloon.
"I'm sorry, Beta…" She apologizes.
"That's okay, let's go on Nadia."
"All you need to do is to put it in his dinner."Nadia says to the now quiet maid.
As she reaches for her pocket to pull it out, Tracy looks alarmed and takes one step back, almost tumbling over the door post.
"If only you would be still, this would go a lot faster." I say to her out of irritation.
She looks at my face and looks down on her feet like a chastised child.
Nadia is spending too long looking for the bottle, as we are both staring at her now.
"Here it is." She hands it over to Tracy, who is reaching for it with her shaky hands.
As soon as Nadia takes her hands off, the vial falls to the floor, the fragile bottle would have broken and called attention if not for the quick save by me.
"Would you quit fooling around too?" In that instant, I wished I could shout at them and not keep expressing my disdain in hushed whispers.
Tracy reaches for the bottle with me again, with the same agitation which she reached for it the first time.
I hold her hands and look straight in her big round eyes.
"If this bottle drops, you die." I have no time for going round in circles.
She quickly cautions herself and starts quieting down and regaining her composure.
" Do you mind continuing?" I say to Nadia who is just staring blankly and quite foolishly at the exchange.
"You'll put as much as you can in there…" Nadia says.
"Not 'them'. His, his, Vance's!" I cut in. Why are all of them misbehaving? What the hell is this?!
"You'll put as much as you can in Alpha Vance's food, and serve him. I know Talia does the cooking, so you will be absolved of the blame. And if you are ever suspected, you have the backing of the beta and his mate." Nadia says to her in one breath.
"But…" Tracy starts to object, at first, weakly.
"But?" Nadia snatches the thought from her head.
"Why do I have to do it?" Tracy asks.
"Who's son was brutally murdered by someone they now work for?" Nadia asks, like a rhetorical question. Truth be told, I do not know the answer.
Tracy is silent and her whole body goes still.
"Who's son was killed by a stray child whom she took pity on and brought into her house? A child she washed and fed. Who?" Nadia asks again, looking Tracy in the eyes.
Tracy's eyes begin to water and her gaze is forward and unshifting.
"You will do it, because you need to do it. If you are ever going to be at peace with the death of your son, you can start when you've sent the killer where your son is. How does that sound? Like common sense?"
Tracy's eyes are red with water streaming down uncontrolled. I wish I felt pity.
I also never knew that was why she is here in Vance's house.
Nadia must have calculated her moves correctly. That is why she agreed to use Tracy, because Tracy has a motive.
"I still won't do it." Tracy says.
"You can start your countdown." Nadia says to her, fixing to turn back and leave. "Pass it." She says to Tracy, signaling with her hand for her to pass the vial.
Tracy turns round and walks in with the vial, closing the door behind her without a word or a glance.
Mission accomplished.