“It doesn’t look like it has a security system activated,” Trix pointed out.
“That’s not normal is it?” Nyx questioned. “If he’s so important why wouldn’t he have some type of safe-guard?”
“To be fair Darrian never said he was important, just that some deal he made with the Stags was. We don’t know what the fuck this is all about yet.”
“True,” Zane said. “Trix you wanna give the door a try?”
“Give me a second,” she replied, jogging up the driveway.
“Don’t you think this has all been a little too—?”
Trix came jogging back up to us not a second later slightly shaking her head. “That doors not locked, opens right up.”
“See, easy,” Addy finished Nyx’ sentence. "This has all been too easy.”
I agreed with that too but I wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions without thoroughly running each scenario through my mind.
“I have a theory,” Zane began, “but to prove it we need to go inside.”
“That doesn’t seem like the brightest idea,” Nyx replied. “It feels like a trap.”
“Or a clue,” I tossed out.
“An unlocked door is a clue?” Addy asked.
“Hasn’t everything been? Nothing up to this point has been hard to accomplish or severely life threatening.”
Staring up at the house I knew we had to go inside. Or more, I felt as if someone wanted us to go inside. The only real question was, why?
Something flew overhead, landing on the house’s center peak. Charon. A soft caw and tilt of his head seemed to ask, what are you waiting for?
Chapter Twelve
doce
I took a step forward and was immediately halted by a strong hand wrapping around my forearm.
Arching a brow, I looked from his hand to his face. “What are you doing?”
“You should let us check it out first. To make sure it’s safe.”
“Excellent idea, be a good girl and wait with them?” Zane directed at Addy.
“Safe? Do you not know where we live? Being out here is just as unsafe as whatever is lurking in that house.”
“Fuck, Nyx. Just…please?”
I glanced at Addy to see what she wanted to do. She gave me a shrug. “It’s a losing battle, babe.” Then she huffed out a breath and wrapped her arms around Zane’s middle. “Just don’t go in there and die.”
“And leave my princess? Never.”
I looked over at Maliki, being met with a smug expression. Ugh, this man.
“You’re lucky I’m occasionally beginning to adore you,” I relented.
He grinned, flashing his pearly whites. “Baby-girl, you adore me always.”
I would have protested, but his lips sealed over mine, and then he was gone, moving up the driveway with Zane.
Trix sighed wistfully and wrapped her arms around Addy and I, pulling us closer together.
“What are you doing?” I asked once our boys disappeared inside.
“I’m just glad everyone has gotten their shit together enough to let love win.”
“I guess it’s your turn then, huh?”
“Girl, no.”
“We’re totally going to find you a pretty lil woman to love on,” Addy intoned.
I wanted to ask what the issue had been with her and Zane but they seemed to have worked it out for the time being. Trix was not someone I would be having that discussion in front of. I trusted her to have my back, not keep a secret.
After a few more minutes of standing on the curb, Zane and Maliki reappeared, waving us forward.
We headed up the drive, up the steps, and entered the house, shutting and locking the door behind us.
“Whoa,” I mumbled, looking around.
The place was freakishly clean, and much nicer on the inside than the out. Not a single spec of dust or lint lingered anywhere in sight. Whoever had furnished it made sure they had the best of the best.
“That’s gorgeous,” Addy sighed, staring up at the chandelier above us.
“We have those too.”
“Ours are dark and satanic, this one is glass,” she retorted. “You find anything?” she asked Zane and Maliki.
“We didn’t do an extensive search we just wanted to make sure it was clear. But, there is something you should see.” Zane grabbed her hand and began leading her past the staircase centered in the foyer.
“Come on.” Maliki nodded after them.
We followed, going down a hall that ended with a door straight ahead, and another on the right. One was as regular as a door could be; the other was affixed with a thick black lock, some kind I had never seen before.
“The only way past that is to break the door down,” Maliki explained.
“So what’s stopping you?” Trix asked.
“I was getting to that. If we break it down and there does happen to be some alarm I would assume this would trigger it. Maybe we should search the rest of the house first.”
“No,” Addy objected. “That could be a waste of time and we have no idea when whoever lives here is coming back and with whom. We need to get in this room first, and then if we have time we search.”
I nodded in agreement. “No one puts a lock on something unless they’ve got something to protect or something to hide.”
“Alright then.” Zane rolled his shoulders. “Clear the area.”
“Seriously?”
We all stepped back, giving him ample room to get to the door without drop kicking us in the process.
There was a loud bang as his boot met the wood, splintering it. His second kick knocked the entire thing damn near off its hinges. He and Maliki used their hands for the rest, pulling the door apart chunk by chunk until a section around the lock remained.
If there was an alarm it was silent because nothing happened. No beep, click, whir—nothing.
“Holy shit,” Zane muttered, stepping into the room. “Come here, princess.” He held a hand out, helping Addy over the last pieces of wood.
Trix and went, and I trailed after with Maliki’s urging. He stepped through behind me, resting a hand on my hip.
“Think they were protecting whatever is in here or hiding it?” Maliki asked.
“Both,” Addy and I answered at the same time.
I wasn’t sure what to make of all we were seeing. There was a large circular desk with three monitors atop of it, all powered on and set with a screensaver of a weeping angel with a cross behind her.
On the wall the desk was facing, was a projector screen with the word A.R.C displayed in green letters. Bookshelves lined one wall behind a roundtable that was littered with papers.
A brown leather couch faced the opposite direction of the desk. A coffee table with magazines, a remote, and a flat television sat in front of it.
We wandered over to the computer station and woke the center one up, causing the projector screen to change along with it.
“Password protected,” Trix announced once all three computers had been tampered with.
That wasn’t surprising, but… “So this room was locked, these computers are password protected, the house is insanely clean which means this Cardinal guy gives a damn about it, but then he forgets to lock the front door?”
“I think someone wanted us here, and to find this room,” Maliki said.
Addy crossed her arms and smothered a yawn. “Even if all that is true, how were we supposed to get into the system? Does anyone know how to hack?”
“Ice does,” came from the partial doorway.
In one defensive motion we all turned to see who had arrived.
A disbelieving laugh bubbled out when I saw his face.
“What the hell, Luce,” Addy snapped. “What are you doing here? How did you get in here?”
“I wanna know how his ass knew where we were,” Trix voiced.
Luce grinned at us before stepping through the doorway, a man with dark blonde hair followed after him. I knew Ice from around the compo
und. He had always been one of Lucifuge’s go to confidants, a lone wolf if there ever was one.
“I’m here to check on my baby sis and little cuz.”
I scoffed. “We’re older than you.”
“Numbers mean nothing,” he joked, holding his arms out for a hug.
Pretending I was reluctant, I dragged my feet forward and embraced him. I was happy to see him.
It felt like forever since we’d been home, aside from missing the hell out of my parents he was the next best thing.
I stepped back and caught the strong scent of gas. “What did you do, roll around in a tub of diesel?”
“Naw, Ice and I paid a visit to a farm.”
There wasn’t a need to ask which farm so I simply asked, “And then?”
“We had ourselves a good old-fashioned bonfire,” Ice answered, his southern accent full of amusement.
I shook my head at the two of them understanding the meaning. They’d burned the Stiles farm down and more than likely had some fun with the remaining cannibals.
“Then I want to know even more now how you knew where we were and what’s going on?” Addy demanded.
She accepted her brother’s hug, and then stood by as he did the manl-y handshake with Maliki, Zane, and even Trix.
“This is Ice, he’s been with me since things went to shit,” he introduced the blonde and then turned to address as a whole.
“The SUV has a tracker on it; our parent’s made sure of that before sending our most precious cargo off into the world. Up until a few days ago you had four acolytes trailing you. They’re all dead now, someone had them taken out nark style.”
“I’ve been on your asses ever since, staying a few paces behind. That is until I got a call from your Latino friend. He filled me in and spilled his distrust for an old friend of the Venom. I’ve got Bryce on his way to him and you bunch get my assistance.”
Um…
I took a few seconds to process his words, looking to Addy. “Are you not as surprised as I am?”
“I’m super underwhelmed actually. We should have known this one would be on top of things, our dad’s too.”
I shrugged and moved back to the comfort of Maliki. Luce was Luce. Uncle Romero had wanted to replicate himself minus all the fucked up shit he had to go through and he had exceeded even his own expectations. His protégé was exactly the kind of person the Badlands needed to run it.
Lucifuge was a Savage to the core, a lethal prince just waiting for his turn on the devils throne. He hid it well, too. Beneath his charm and easy demeanor lurked something I never wanted to meet. But, he was my cousin and for all his secrets and sins, I loved him.
“Ice,” he said, gesturing to the computers.
We all moved out of his way so he could to the chair.
Sitting down he pulled something out of his pocket and plugged it in to the main computers USB port.
“I’m gonna copy all I find once I’m in,” he explained, tapping a few keys on the keyboard. “This could take a minute, might want to get comfy.”
Great. More time to sit around wait.
“I’m going to look through those papers.” Addy smothered another yawn and went to claim a chair by the roundtable.
“I’m hungry as hell, you can find me in this asshole’s kitchen throwing us something together,” Trix stated, heading out of the room. Just before she exited she stopped beside Luce and asked, “How did you get in here?”
“That’s a secret, just know I can get into anywhere. It’s locked down, though. No one is coming in without me knowing, if you were scared.”
She glared at him and continued on her way.
He, Zane, and Maliki crowded around the computers as Ice worked, leaving me unsure what to do with myself.
I looked around the room. Addy seemed to have the paper thing under control, Trix was a hands on chef who be annoyed if I got in her way.
With no better solution I walked around the leather couch and plopped down, grabbing the remote in the process.
“Let’s see what you’ve been watching,” I mumbled to myself.
I hit the power button, confusion setting in when I realized the TV had never been off, its screen had just timed out. Powering it back on revealed whatever someone had been watching last was paused.
Hitting play, a video began to play, something that had been recorded with a camcorder.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at the sight of a young girl, maybe ten or eleven at most in a see through white night-gown sitting on the edge of a bed with a man older than my father at her side.
Her hair was something between auburn and golden brown, flowing in waves to her waist, skin pale and slightly freckled. Her round eyes were the color of pewter, and would have been beautiful if they weren’t so empty.
She looked like a lifeless doll. I turned the volume up to hear what was being said, and immediately regretted it.
“Do you know why the sheets are white?”
A small nod. “Yes, Cardinal.”
“Are you afraid?”
A shake of her head. “My body and my life belong to the arc, to be chosen for a Stag is an honor. There is nothing to be afraid of. I am thankful.”
“What the fuck?” Zane voiced.
“Very good. Now move to the center of the bed and present yourself like your mother taught you.”
“No,” I objected as if I were in the room.
Maliki’s hand was suddenly reaching over my shoulder and turning the television off. “I think I speak for all of us when I say no one in here needs to see the rest of this video.”
“No we don’t, but what the fuck was that?” Addy asked, rising from her spot at the table.
“The video was time-stamped,” Ice supplied. “Seven years ago.”
“So then the A.R.C isn’t new?” My question was rhetorical; the proof was right in front of me.
“So the sick fuck just likes to reminisce?” I stood from the sofa and took a deep breath, trying to settle my revolting stomach.
“Someone come get me when the password is cracked,” I muttered, heading for the hall.
“Nyx.”
I ignored Maliki the first time he said my name. He didn’t give me a chance to do it a second. I hit the foyer and found myself being lifted off the floor.
“What the hell are you doing?”
He ignored me, carrying me towards the stairs.
“Malik, put me dow—!”
He slapped my ass and told to, “Shut up.”
I let myself become dead-weight thinking that would make him sit my heavy self back on the floor.
A small laugh, and then both his hands were grabbing my ass and using that to haul me.
After we made it to the top floor and he opened one of the bedroom doors did he finally set me down again.
Before I could speak I was pressed against the door and his muscular arms were caging me in on either side.
“Don’t ever walk away from me. All I want to do is help, not make it worse. That’s what I’m here for.”
“Is that all?”
“I’m here for whatever you need, whether that be someone to vent to or someone to fuck you until you can’t remember your name. I’m here.”
I pushed down the emotion trying to escape from my eyes, and studied his face. How did I get lucky enough to land someone like him? And what happened when the Badlands tried to take him away?
“What if I just want you to hold me?” I questioned shyly.
Without a smartass remark or smirk, he dropped his arms and pulled me closer, wrapping me up in his embrace.
“Then I’ll hold you until you can stand on your own again.” He walked us backward until we reached a bed, and then he pulled me down onto his lap.
“The video…” I began, licking my lips.
“It makes you wonder, right?” he finished for me.
“Yeah, it makes me wonder about a lot of things I don’t want to think about.”
“If sh
e’s still out there and she’s resilient, I can’t say she’ll be okay but I can say she knows how to survive. If she’s dead, even better. No one should have to live with the demons that follow something like that.”
Furrowing my brows, I leaned back and took a good look at his face, staring into his eyes. “Why does it sound like you speak from experience?”
His fingers began to thrum against my hip, and his throat bobbed. “Because I’ve been in a similar situation.”
I didn’t say anything, biting my tongue to prevent myself from throwing off his flow.
“My mom was raped by some Venom. I was born nine months later,” he shifted beneath me. “She told me when she looked at me all she saw was darkness and misery. I was shopped around until I was six or seven and then Zane’s dad showed up. Mom was killed and I was taken to the cell with Zane. Been with him ever since.”
Turning all this over in my head, I was reminded of the way he and Zane grew up. I’d never known a childhood like that. I had my mom, dad, and baby brother…acolytes. “What do you mean she shopped you around?”
“I mean she offered my ass as barter for her survival. And before you say anything I wasn’t trying to make this about me or downplay what happened to that little girl. I guess I wanted you to know people are resilient. We come back from a lot of shit.”
“You’re not as bad as you think you are,” I mumbled. “You are sweet.”
He laughed softly, tracing a finger down my spine. “Only to you, baby-girl. I’ve never been like this with anyone.”
“Gwen?” I dared ask.
“Nyx? Those blondes you see me with. I’m not fucking them. I’m destroying their bodies and then discarding them like trash. Everything I want to do to her.”
That caught me off guard, but it also explained the blood on his jeans the other night and why he didn’t have his shirt on.
“Because she broke your heart?”
He laughed again and leaned back, taking me with him. Once I was positioned so that I was lying on top of him, he moved his hands to my ass.
“That bitch never had my heart and I was never in love with her. I was in love with the idea that someone could love me.”
I placed a soft kiss on the tip on his nose. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I said the only thing that I could. “I think I could fall in love with you.”
Hellions: Badlands: Next Generation Page 13