Chapter 65

THE MASK WE WEAR

Dwayne Stone’s Office, Rogue Rider Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, United States

“What were you thinking?” Dwayne Stone asked, his knuckles on his desk as he leaned forward like he was about to pounce straight onto Gen.

She sat squarely in the chair on the other side of his imposing desk, looking up at him with a stoic expression. “I was thinking that I needed to go after the man who framed me for a crime I didn’t commit.”

His thin eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “It was Commissioner Sloane who set you up for stealing from MystTech Creations?”

Gen nodded confidently. “Yes, I learned that he was trying to get rid of me after I stopped the robbery at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art—which he was behind.”

He narrowed his tiny eyes at her. “What else have you learned?”

She pursed her lips together, ready to play this just as she and Emperor had planned. “I learned that Charlie Sloane murdered the old Commissioner of Los Angeles, Peter Stevenson. But you already knew that, didn’t you, sir? Because you knew who did it, but as you told the council at the House of Fourteen, you couldn’t release information because you were forced to play a political game? You were trying to take down Charlie Sloane, but stealthily, right?”

The leader of the Rogue Riders seemed to consider her, the vein in his head surfacing as it did when his stress mounted. He pinched his lips together and nodded—lying. With a sigh, he took a seat in the chair on the other side of his large desk. “Yes, I was aware that Charlie Sloane was the murderer and that’s how he got his position as Commissioner.”

And there was the first of many lies that Dwayne Stone would tell Gen. She didn’t give anything away, actually smiling with determination.

“Well, I learned when trying to clear myself of the false charges that Charlie Sloane was behind it,” Gen explained, expertly able to lie and not be detected. “Then I discovered that he had stolen the special virtual reality technology from MystTech Creations. That, of course, got me worried, especially since he had the billboard magitech.”

Gen went silent for a moment, studying Dwayne Stone. He was trying to figure out how to play this, which was perfect because she was already ahead of him.

“I know that you’re angry that I went off on my own and destroyed the transmitters, sir,” she continued. “But I was only trying to save the people of Los Angeles from an evil man’s plans and I knew that you weren’t in a position to do anything major, not wanting to create an enemy of the Commissioner before you could take him down strategically.”

He sat back. Swallowed hard. Averted his gaze. “You’re correct that I couldn’t act, not having sufficient evidence against the Commissioner. As a new leader to the Rogue Riders, I’ve come in at a very sensitive time and couldn’t put targets on our backs.”

And there was another set of lies…

“Right,” Gen said, nodding understandingly. “It seems that Charlie Sloane used the timing of your leadership to his advantage. Anyway, I didn’t have anything to lose and had made an enemy of Charlie Sloane. You told me to clear my name and I did, learning that he was behind a huge campaign to control and take advantage of the citizens of Los Angeles, all for his selfish gains.”

“But you killed him,” Dwayne said, shaking his head.

“I did not,” Gen stated. “He fired at me when I caught him red-handed, trying to send a brainwashing signal out to LA. If it went out then the people would become zombies. He’d look like a saint, with no crime, but people would cease to live their lives. I stopped that. And it was he who fell off the side of the building.”

“When your weapon struck him,” Dwayne Stone argued, the vein pulsing bigger. “It doesn’t look right that the Rogue Riders were at the center of this. You flew around the city and demolished property.”

“I stopped the transmitters which were broadcasting brainwashing messages to the citizens,” Gen countered. “I’ve turned all the evidence on Charlie Sloane over to Captain Neal. That man was behind the Federal Reserve Bank robbery attempt. He admitted that he wanted people to be shells and get out of his way because he hated them. What I did was necessary. And I was in the position to do it. You weren’t and I understand that, sir.”

He considered this. Considered what lie to tell next. “I will admit that this has gained us, the Rogue Riders, some accolades. The new Commissioner, this Captain Neal, is very grateful and has offered us many advantages managing the city.”

Gen nodded, hiding the glee. She and Captain Neal, now Commissioner Neal, had planned this perfectly. They didn’t want Dwayne Stone angered. Instead, he could have no reason to be mad at Gen. And in doing so, he couldn’t stop her from taking her role.

“Sir, I’ve completed all of my training,” she stated. “I’ve finished my shadowing hours, cataloged magical creatures, solved murders and passed the test on moral philosophy. I know that you’re worried that I’m too new to this world. But I’m ready for a case. It can be anything. Something at the bottom of the barrel. I promise that I won’t be a problem. I only had to stop a bad man who came into power at the time of your new leadership and my arrival here.”

Again, he seemed to consider his options.

“I see evil,” Gen went on, not giving him a chance to answer yet. “I saw it with Charlie Sloane and that’s why I went after him. I was at the right place at the right time with the LACMA robbery. But if you assign me a case, then I can devote my efforts to real Rogue Rider business. Please, sir…”

Triumph sprung to Dwayne’s eyes. He thought he’d won. He thought that he could keep Gen busy while working to get rid of her. He had no idea that he was being played.

“Okay,” Dwayne finally said. “I’ll find you a case. But from here on out, you are not so much as to think about something outside your jurisdiction without telling me. I want to know everything that you’re doing. I want to know about everything that you learn.”

“Of course, sir,” Gen replied, lying easily.

She had no plans of telling Dwayne Stone what she was doing, which involved finding out exactly what he was up to. Gen needed to learn why he had killed the old Commissioner of LA, Peter Stevenson. She had to find out why he had framed her for the crimes at MystTech Creations. And then she wanted to know why the Founders had promoted an evil man who was using his position as leader of the Rogue Riders for selfish and corrupt gains.