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Kheem.
    From the way things had been going, Josie had kept a rather low profile. She’d been able to keep moving and to avoid the troubles of Hunters or other Clans that roamed the world. For her, all she had to keep doing was moving and making sure that she kept her nose clean. Even when men looked at her with her baby, their eyes full of dark fire and wicked thoughts, she was able to keep calm.
    She was able to ride out the storm and keep pushing. She had no doubt that one day she could find a home to call her own, a place where she could live with Ony in peace and quiet. Even if the map was filled up, there were still plenty of places out there that hardly made a dot on the map. She could get a job and tend her own.
    “I hope you remember your loyalty to the Clans and to Tarobi,” King Ronald said with a fairly dark smile that bothered her. “This child is welcome among us, but you will need to ensure this child was not your own before the Council. They will need to know that your loyalty to the oaths and the vows you swore have not changed in your absence.”
    Shit, Josie thought as she held Ony in her arms. They knew . She didn’t know how, but she knew they were aware of the origins of Ony. She looked at Kibwe who had been smiling like he’d heard a very good joke the entire time he’d been near her. Of course he knew. They must have had people tracking her or maybe Kheem had let it slip accidentally. How could he do that, though? It wasn’t like Kheem to be reckless or careless. He wouldn’t have let the information slip. So how did they all know?
    “No problem,” Josie said with a nod and a smile that felt like it was glued on her face and the glue was starting to come undone. They could see right through her. The pretty girl that everyone liked had done something bad and that meant that she was going to be in a very precarious situation and now she had a child to worry about as well.
    “Very good,” King Ronald said with as much false ambivalence as he could muster. “I told them that there was nothing to worry about. You are a good and loyal friend to the Clans and you simply went to adopt your poor sister’s child. Nothing more. I am glad to put their minds at ease once and for all.”
    “I must have been the talk of the town,” Josie exhaled, pretending like she was relieved and that there was nothing wrong with her. Of course, it was all a lie. Inside, she was screaming and wondering where Kheem was. Raffu looked as suspicious as the rest of the Clan Leaders, which meant he wasn’t buying it either. She was outnumbered.
    “Unfortunately, people talk,” King Ronald said gravely. The message was clear to her now. People had been talking and they were on the verge of the truth. “There is business at the Hotel I must attend to and I simply wanted to greet the return of our dear friend and wonderful associate on her return back to our sanctuary. Welcome, my friend.”
    Josie hardly heard a thing he had said to her. In fact, all she could think about was whether sleeping with King Ronald might buy her some time to figure out what she could do to delay the judgment they would inevitably cast on her. The truth would come out and she needed to be ready for that to happen.
    As King Ronald kissed her on the cheek and turned away, she watched as the Council left as well, but Kibwe remained for a moment longer, looking at her with his jackal eyes. He looked like he was about to eat her and savor every last moment of the ravenous meal. She shuddered at the thought of his eyes on her and that clearly made him even happier.
    “Spin your lies,” Kibwe said to her with a malicious tone that made her hairs stand up on the back of her neck. “You can tell all the lies you want, but we know the truth. We are not fools.”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Josie said with as much sincerity that she could muster for him. He looked at her and chuckled at her weak response. Why was she so scared