Chapter 257: Puppeteer
Ezra sighed, rubbing at his face. He never expected a war to be this… boring. The Counts were all taking their time, the A X E girls and the Odinson coven working overtime to sabotage and destroy.
Solomon also had his Subjects, along with the Flower Shop girls, also defending and retaliating. All Ezra had to do was wait and watch while keeping Westside out of the enemy's hands.
And it seemed like the enemy had a lot more to worry about than Westside because they were all leaving it alone.
It wasn't that Ezra didn't like how boring it was, it was just that he expected to be thick in the middle of the fighting. But with all the free time, there were only a few things to do.
Eat, sleep and fuck.
Most of the time.
And plan. He had to pay scheduled visits to the farmer's market, always alert for the Necromancer, in case he fell into the ambush.
Ezra leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as his thoughts turned to the man.
He didn't even notice as Gen sauntered into the room, naked. She yawned, stretching in ways that highlighted certain qualities.
"Hey, Ez." She greeted him. "What are you thinking about?"
Ezra blinked at her presence as she took a seat next to him, grinning. "The… Necromancer." He said as he eyed her like a particularly juicy steak.
"Oh yeah." Gen's grin widened. "That dude." She crossed her arms under her modest breasts, pushing it up. "Can't believe he's not really behind the game, you know."
"Oh? What? Yeah." Ezra nodded, his mind coming to the present. "The game. Yes."
He blinked, turning serious. "The way it's all playing out… it doesn't feel like him. The Necromancer might be unhinged, but this whole game of cat and mouse? It's too controlled. Too… calculated. Not something he'll spend his time planning."
"You really think someone is pulling his strings?" Gen asked, pouting at his diverted attention.
"I do." Ezra replied, nodding at her question. "He's dangerous, sure, but I should have known from the start. This doesn't feel like his style. Look at the way he kills, the way he gathers minions."
"He likes chaos, but this? This feels like someone else's plan. Someone smarter. Someone more organized." Ezra sighed, rubbing his chin this time. "The Necromancer isn't acting on his own which means he isn't the actual thief. But that's not the part that worries me."
Gen raised an eyebrow. "Then what does?"
"The person who's puppeting him." Ezra said, his voice dropping lower. "That's the real problem. If there's someone behind him, they're using him to get to us. To get to me."
Gen raised a brow at his words. "Will it be possible to find out who's behind him? Whoever it is, they're surely dangerous, and if they've got the Necromancer playing these games… they must somehow be close to us. Too close."
Ezra was silent for a moment, his mind running through every possibility, every angle. He shook his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "We can't find them. Not directly. They've covered their tracks too well. But…"
"But what?" Gen pressed, leaning closer.
"My gut tells me it's Helena." Ezra said quietly, almost like he didn't want to say it out loud. "She knew about the slush fund being stolen before we even did. She had information no one else should've had."
"If it's anyone, it'll be that bitch." Gen nodded as if she'd been expecting his words. "She's ambitious, loyal to no one and will be willing to take whatever risk she can to get what she wants."
Ezra nodded.
"Why did Yuri even allow her back into her confidence?"
"She's probably not in Yuri's confidence." Ezra snorted. "But Yuri can't afford to cut her loose with the war going on. They probably worked out a deal."
Gen nodded in understanding.
Ezra's gaze hardened. "But people like Helena play by their own rules. She'll always think she's one step ahead of everybody, always keeping her cards close to her chest. If she's involved, it means there's something bigger going on. Something she wants."
Gen shook her head slowly. "So, what? Helena's using the Necromancer as a tool to… take you down?"
"I don't know what she wants." Ezra's lips curled into a bitter smile. "But I know she doesn't care about the Necromancer. She's just using him as a pawn in her own game. And I have a feeling it's not just about me. It can't just be about me. She's playing for something much bigger."
Gen tilted her head, her nudity forgotten. She furrowed her brows, making her look cute. "What do we do now? We can't just let her get away with this."
"We won't." Ezra said, his eyes dark and focused. "But we have to be careful. If it's truly Helena, we need to move slowly. We can't confront her head-on, not yet. Yuri needs her and won't take kindly to us messing with her."
Gen nodded in agreement. "She's going nowhere. She'll always be at the peacekeeper hq. We'll find out everything we can. Every move she makes, every connection. Then, we'll get our money back."
Ezra smiled at her determination. "Exactly. But for now, we play along with the Necromancer's game. Let them think they're winning. And when the time comes, we'll take them both down."
"Yeah." Gen grinned before standing, she made to leave before freezing. "Wait a minute." She turned back to Ezra with wide eyes. "I know how we can get to Helena while keeping things quiet."
Ezra raised a brow. "How?"
"Have you forgotten?" She sat down back, her tone eager. "Remember Helena's suspicious apology? She wants to have private meetings with us and 'patch' things up." Gen made air quotes. "What if we gave her the opportunity? Keep everything on the down low?"
Ezra nodded calmly. He'd thought about using the same technique. "It's a possible strategy. But how can we be sure Helena won't have contingencies for this exact kind of thing?" He asked.
"Ah." Gen leaned back in her chair. "That's possible." She perked up. "Wait a minute. Why not play the husband game?"
"The husband game?"
A grin spread across Gen's face.
"Let's assemble the girls for this."