Chapter Seventeen
When I woke up this morning, I never thought that I would be spending the night in an interrogation room, handcuffed to a metal bar on the table. I understood Dane’s reasoning. He wasn’t going to take any chances. He even used a metal detector to make sure I had no hidden weapons. I had already shown him back at the fighting ring that I didn’t need weapons to be lethal. That was probably why I was handcuffed to the table.
Nobody else was in the room. I was certain that there were a dozen onlookers with their noses pressed up against the glass, watching intently. It was one-way glass. There was no looking out of my prison. For all I knew, I was surrounded by men and women with guns. I was being paranoid. Or was I? The room was also soundproof so I couldn’t hear anything beyond the walls.
Dane hadn’t said a word to me for several moments. He was sitting opposite me, observing me with those soulless grey eyes. His hands were overlapped on the table, his fingertips resting on a thin black folder. His jacket was slung over his chair but his gun was still within arm’s reach. I hadn’t given him an excuse to shoot me and I wasn’t going to give him one. I liked living.
I was surprised I wasn’t hooked up to a lie detector. Maybe Dane thought his man on the outside could get into my head or perhaps Dane was a very good judge of character. I was beginning to think that the silence was Dane’s way of getting to know my tells, so when I did lie, he would know. He didn’t need a lie detector. He was getting the base line on his own by watching me. I had a feeling this interrogation wasn’t going to get heated. If it did, I would tense up and that would make it easier to lie. He would keep his cool with me, I just knew it. That’s what my gut told me and it was never wrong.
Two glasses of water remained untouched on the table. I wasn’t thirsty and had trust issues. I would also find it too awkward to drink with my left hand. I always picked glasses up with my right and that hand was cuffed.
Dane didn’t seem thirsty either. The only thing he was thirsty for was information. I think he was trying to figure me out without asking anything. Not everyone was an open book. Staring at me wasn’t going to answer anything. It was just awkward and uncomfortable.
Dane had a nice face, clean shaven. He didn’t look mean. There was no arrogance or hostility in his features. They were all smooth. He didn’t seem like the type of man who killed anyone tainted by immortality. He was actually kind of handsome if you overlooked all of the terrible things he had done. His bittersweet cologne filled the room, an intoxicating scent that left you wanting more. What was it with me and being attracted to psychopaths?
“You said you wanted me to come here so you could ask questions. By all means, ask away. I’d like to get home at a decent hour and sleep in my own bed,” I said, finally gaining the courage to break the silence. “These handcuffs aren’t necessary. I’m not going to attack you.”
“I still haven’t worked out what side you’re on,” Dane replied; uncertainty didn’t suit him. His smooth and foreboding voice gave me goosebumps. “You wiped out every notorious gang in town in one day. Nobody was spared. Why? You carried out a mission my company was too hesitant to approach. I admire you but every other agent is afraid of you.”
“They have no need to be afraid. Those gangs were poisoning our city. It was only fair that I poisoned every last one of them,” I said.
Cyrus taught me that a convincing lie had some truth to it. I could get through this interrogation with half-truths. I was a very good liar when my life depended on it. I was sitting across from a man who killed my kind for a living. That was an incredibly good excuse to lie.
“A poison that sets Tainted Beings ablaze and turns them into ash. How did you come across such a powerful weapon? A weapon that would win this war indefinitely. We need something like that.”
“You kill innocent people and children. I only kill criminals. That poison was given to me. I don’t know what it was or if there’s more of it. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you or give it to you because you would use it on everyone. Mothers, fathers, children. They didn’t choose to become immortal. They’re innocent.”
“Criminals have families too, Joan. There are a lot of grieving widows out there who would have wanted you dead if we hadn’t taken responsibility for those murders. There’s a reason why we gave the public minimal information about wanting to take you in.”
“Thanks, I guess, but I can take care of myself.”
Dane smirked. Amusement gleamed in those piercing grey eyes. “Who trained you?”
“A bounty hunter that works for the council,” I replied. “I’m sure you know what council it is I’m referring to.”
Dane glanced behind him, staring into the glass. I saw his reflection. His eyes became swirling storm clouds. That smooth face was edged with hostility. I had stuck a nerve.
“Anthony, clear the room. If they don’t comply, feel free to shoot them,” Dane ordered, speaking sharply to the man behind the glass, the man neither of us could see.
There was a crackle. I glanced up into the corner of the room and noticed a small speaker. It was the same colour as the wall. I had mistaken it earlier as a vent. Goes to show how much I know.
“Gotcha. You heard the man, out,” a voice came from the speaker; it must have been Anthony’s.
“You don’t even work here,” someone else retorted, the annoyance visible in his tone.
“I will go out there and turn that room into a bloodbath if none of you heed my warning. Get out, stay out, go home. I will not tell you again,” Dane boomed, rising up out of his chair.
Silence replied. It was safe to say that everyone was fleeing to the other side of the building to avoid Dane’s wrath. I could see why Renée said he would nuke an entire forest. After that power display, I knew exactly what she meant. He was ruthless, even more than Cyrus, and that frightened me. I was keeping my calm composure even though I was quite close to trembling like a leaf.
“You’re good. No one here but me. I locked the door when everyone left,” Anthony said through the speaker.
Dane inclined his head before sitting back down.
“The magic council’s existence is a secret to those who don’t possess magic. Tell me, how do you know of them?” Dane’s voice was a lot softer than before, when he yelled at those people on the other side of the glass. My assumption was correct. He didn’t want this interrogation to get heated.
“I know many things about this strange world we live in. Although I am no mage, nor do I possess any power, I was exposed to magic. I learned more than I’d like to share, horrors I couldn’t even begin to imagine to be true or real. I made it my top priority to make sure corruption didn’t repeat itself. Being trained by one of the best bounty hunters made me a stronger person. I was able to wipe out the Tainted Beings poisoning the city, my home. That’s all I’ve managed to accomplish. I didn’t know what to do from there.”
“Why did this bounty hunter help you? They could have eliminated the gangs on their own.”
“He saw something in me nobody else did. Potential. He wasn’t going to let that slip through his fingers. That’s why he trained me. That’s why I was the one who killed them all.”
“Have you killed before?”
“People?”
Dane nodded once in response and took a sip of his water. The glass made a quiet clink sound when he placed it back down on the table.
“No. They were my first,” I murmured.
“Did killing them bother you or make you feel better?”
“Both. Seeing their final moments bothered me. Knowing that I set the city free, that made me feel better.”
“The water is not laced with anything. You can drink it,” Dane mentioned when he noticed I was eyeing up the glass of water.
“I have trust issues and I’m not thirsty.”
“Trust is a fickle thing,” he said with a short pause. “How did you know you’d get my attention at the club? You also waited a long time to come out of the s
hadows.”
“My tutor is very resourceful and knew you had an ally that worked there. I waited because I wanted to be caught on my own terms, when I was ready to be found.”
“What made you ready to be found?”
“When the dust settled enough. I didn’t want to be surrounded by multiple guns demanding I turn myself in. That’s not how I wanted it to go down.”
“What did you gain by being found?”
I had to take some time to think about that question. I couldn’t tell him why I was here. I couldn’t tell him my goal. I needed to have a good answer, a concrete response. But what could I say? Whatever I did answer with had to be solid. If there were any holes, I would fill them up with whatever lies I could, but that would be messy.
“I want to work for you,” I finally said, meeting those cold eyes. “Like you said before, I did something your company was too hesitant to touch. I’m a risk taker.”
Dane flicked open the thin black folder, plucking out photographs. He laid each one down on the table, creating a collage of individuals I didn’t recognise.
Dane gave me time to skim over the handful of photos. I had never seen these people before. None of them had been my targets. I didn’t know who they were or why they were important.
“Don’t recognise anyone?” Dane asked me, gathering up the photos when I nodded in response. He left them in a pile on the corner of the table. He plucked out two more photographs and put them flat on the table.
I gave my best poker face but felt my heart flutter. Renée and Cyrus.
“And these two?”
“Why are you showing me these photos?” I questioned, trying my best to keep my response calm and collective. The last thing I needed was to trip up. I had come so far without failing. I wasn’t going to start now.
“The first group of photos were members of the resistance that were wiped out three years ago. These two were the leaders.”
Renée told me she never showed her face. Somehow she had been discovered. The resistance was wiped out ages ago. They no longer posed a threat. I found it strange that Dane still had photos of the people who fought and died. What was the point of keeping those photographs if the danger had passed?
“No, I don’t recognise them,” I replied, looking away from the photos to stare up at him.
Dane took the photos away and pulled out another one from the folder. The photograph was a lot bigger than the previous ones. It was the size of a normal piece of paper. He spun it up the right way and put it down in front of me.
My pulse quickened and my heart skipped several beats. It was a photo of Cyrus carrying me, when he saved me at the warehouse and carried me to Lorenzo’s, half dead. It was a dark photograph because of the time it was taken and the poor weather conditions. Someone took the time to enhance it. Our faces that were hidden in darkness had been brought into the light.
Crap!
“Now would be a good time to explain yourself before I decide to plant a bullet in your head,” Dane said, slipping all the photographs back into the folder.
Think of something. Think of something fast. It will only take him seconds to reach into the jacket slung over the seat to grab his gun and shoot.
I had nowhere to run. I was cuffed to the table. I had no weapons. All I had was quick thinking.
“Ok, fine, you got me. I’d clap but my hand is cuffed to the table so it will make it awkward.”
“I’m curious to know how you plan on explaining this,” Dane said, tapping the folder.
I drank the entire glass of water to fix my dry throat. I needed the refreshment for the incoming speech. “I didn’t recognise the woman. The man is my teacher. He rescued me from the warehouse after I passed out from the shock. Did you ever wonder why it was so easy to wipe out the resistance in one fell swoop? He knew he was fighting a losing battle and set them up to die. He knew there was no hope for immortal kind, not when war was something they wanted. Those who fought in the resistance wanted to shed blood for the sake of killing, not to protect innocents. They became corrupt. If it weren’t for him, you’d still be at war with the resistance. When he trained me, he shared his mistakes and hoped I’d be his redemption. That’s why we targeted the notorious gangs. It was a gesture to show his true intentions, to make up for past mistakes. I don’t approve of your methods, wiping anyone who carries immortality in their blood, but know this... I will happily take down criminals for you, if you let me.”
Dane never took his eyes off me for the entirety of my speech. He had the best poker face I had ever seen. His features literally gave nothing away, nor did his posture. It was overly relaxed and not tense. Even his eyes said nothing. They were empty. Those endless grey pits were always empty.
“Did he send you as a peace offering?” Dane asked, voice dangerously smooth. I could already hear the sound of gunfire ringing in my ears.
“When you put it that way, yes. He knows showing his face to you is an automatic death sentence. I’m the only thing he has to offer. A lethal weapon, at your service.”
Dane pondered my response. Several moments passed before he spoke. “If you’re put into a position where you have to kill who I say, will you pull trigger?”
“I’ll kill whoever you want me to. If they’re innocent or children, I’ll disobey that order without question. That’s the only exception.”
“What if those children try to kill you? What would you do then?”
“Do whatever I can to survive, even if that means breaking my fundamental rule. I hear you’re a honourable person. You wouldn’t put me in such a position after I explicitly said I wouldn’t kill innocents.”
“Quite right. One last question, which I can get the definitive answer on my own,” he said, removing a thin blade from the folder. “Hold out your hand.”
He was going to cut me. He was going to cut me and see if the wound healed.
I was screwed. I was totally screwed. I had no choice but to comply. If I didn’t, he would force the matter and perhaps slit my throat for good measure. If I were in his shoes, I would do the same thing.
I held out my hand. I took in a sharp breath when the tip of the blade dug into my palm. Dane made a quick slice, like a cat scratch, cutting the skin quite deep. Blood pooled into my hand. I felt Cyrus’s magic stir. A cold splatter of rain soaked my skin. Cyrus’s magic was preventing me from healing. Nice of him to let me know beforehand. He never told me anything.
Dane pulled out a handkerchief. He folded it in half and wiped away the blood in my hand, only to see the cut was still oozing blood.
“That wasn’t what I was expecting,” he murmured, turning the handkerchief into a makeshift bandage. He wrapped up my hand and tied it tightly. His fingers were as cold as ice.
“I could have told you I was human. You didn’t have to cut me,” I muttered, ripping my wounded hand out of his grasp. My hand stung, a lot. I was going to kill Cyrus for not giving me a heads up. He gave me a damn heart attack instead of warning me.
“I expected you to be immortal, just like the rest of them. I find it most surprising that I was incorrect. It’s not often that I’m wrong.”
“It was a fifty-fifty chance, a coin flip. Are you going to hire me? My terms are no academy and no innocents are to be killed by my hand. I’m not asking for much. It’s quite a bargain, really. I’m already trained up. Putting me through the academy will be a waste of time. I’m ready to go now.”
“I will do more background checks first. I’ll be in touch.”
“I have a clean record.”
“Too clean.”
“My record is clean for a reason. I have nothing to hide.”
“Oh?”
“I didn’t go to school because I was training to become an assassin. I was never checked into hospital because I’ve never broken bones. I have no family ties because my parents died in a car accident and I have no siblings. That covers the majority.”
“A bounty hunter takes in an orphan, hides her aw
ay from the rest of the world, and turns her into a lethal weapon. This sounds like it’s gonna bite you on the ass, Dane,” Anthony said through the speaker. “That’s just my opinion.”
“I’ll take it into consideration,” Dane replied smoothly, rising up out of his seat. “With the immortal gangs dead and out of the way, that will lure out corrupted and powerful individuals. She will be the perfect addition to the team I’m planning on promoting. She was taught differently from those who went to the academy. They could learn from her.”
“That’s if they don’t try to kill her first. All of the agents in this building are terrified of her,” Anthony said, tone serious. “She will always be an outcast. She will probably kill half the team you assign her to as self-defence. They wouldn’t stand a chance against her. How many agents are you willing to go through to keep her?”
“As many as I have to,” Dane said, removing my handcuffs. “They can challenge her at their own risk. I’ve put down many agents who tried to rise up against me, as you are well aware. Fear weeds out the weak ones. She’d be doing me a favour.”
“It’s your company, your decision. She’s too dangerous,” Anthony advised. “If you think you can tame her, then go ahead. I still think it’s a bad idea.”
“I am not a wild animal that needs to be tamed. I am not a savage beast that tears people apart. I fight to survive. It’s a natural instinct. This is who I am. Take it or leave it. I have been nothing but honest with you since I’ve been here. At least give me a chance to prove myself,” I said, staying seated. I didn’t want to make any sudden moves until I was given permission to stand. I was treading on very thin ice.
“If agents turn on you, how would you approach the situation?” Dane asked, gripping the back of my chair. He was standing behind me, staring at our reflections on the glass. The chill of his hands brushed against my shoulders. “Would you kill them or teach them a lesson?”
“I understand that I will make people uneasy. If they try anything, I won’t kill them the first time. The second time around, I won’t be so forgiving,” I replied, not taking my eyes off our reflections. I didn’t feel safe with him behind my back, hovering. At least I could see exactly what he was doing.
“I’ll warn you now, Joan. If for any reason you’re under the grand illusion that I’m not suspicious of you, think again. I’ll be keeping a very watchful eye on you. If you step a toe out of line, your final moments will be quicker than you expect. Kill whom I assign you to kill. If agents turn on you, you have my permission to do to them what you will. I will not tolerate deceit. If you happen to have a hidden agenda that involves compromising my company, I will make sure you regret crossing me. Do I make myself clear?”
Dane scared the hell out of me but I wasn’t going to let it show.
“Crystal,” I replied, keeping my voice firm. “No hidden agendas, promise. I just want the world to be a better place.”
“Don’t we all,” Dane murmured, letting go of my chair and stepping away. “I’ll escort you out. We’re done here.”
My legs felt like jelly when I stood. I had to hold onto the back of my seat for balance. I hadn’t realised how freaked out I was until I stood up. All I had to do was hold my head high. There was nothing difficult about that. Just a little longer. As soon as I got to my apartment, I could break down and cry. I wasn’t allowed to do that until the coast was clear.
Dane retrieved his jacket, slung it over his shoulder, and escorted me out of the interrogation room. I kept my head down and focused on my feet, nothing else. Dane kept a firm grip on my shoulder as we walked. Perhaps he thought I might try and make a run for it. Running was the last thing I had on my mind. I was trying my best not to fall apart.
The building was empty. I knew this because there were no whispers from anxious people as we walked down the corridor. I was still looking at the shiny marble floor. I wasn’t feeling curious enough to absorb my surroundings. There would be time for that later, when I wasn’t on the verge of falling to pieces.
Dane’s hand slipped from my shoulder when we entered the elevator. I moved to the corner, away from him, and hugged myself to keep warm. He was a walking ice cube. I had never felt such cold skin before.
“You’re not some kind of vampire are you? You’re freezing.”
Dane chuckled; a laugh that sent more shivers down my spine. “Maybe I am.”
“That’s not funny,” I muttered under my breath.
I didn’t have the nerve to say that I still had nightmares about people screaming and burning. Vampires were known for combusting into flames when exposed to sunlight before turning to ash. The imagery was far too close to what I experienced back in the warehouse. Vampires were the last thing I wanted to think about. It was my fault for bringing it up in the first place. It couldn’t be help. Immortality and cold skin were on my mind, a mixture of Dane and myself.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Dane commented when we walked out of the elevator and into the parking lot.
There was only one car left, a blood red Lexus. I knew nothing about cars and was grateful that the model names were always visible. I wouldn’t have a clue otherwise.
“I don’t have anything left to say,” I replied. “I said all I had to back in the interrogation room. I don’t do small talk.”
Dane unlocked the car and opened the passenger side door for me.
“I was going to walk home,” I said, staring at the open door apprehensively. “It’s not far.”
Dane closed the door and locked the car. He reached for the jacket still slung over his shoulder and slipped into the sleeves. He adjusted his cuffs after doing up the buttons.
“I’ll accompany you.”
“I’m not going to get mugged on the way home. Even if I did, I’d kick their ass. I don’t need a chauffeur,” I said.
“This isn’t up for debate,” he replied, grey eyes narrowed. There was no arguing my way out of this one.
“Fine,” I huffed, following the carpark arrows to find my way out.
Dane wasn’t too far behind. He was close by, a shadow. I could hear his footsteps mirror mine. I sensed his chilling presence without needing to glance back. There was a certain gravity shift when he was around. Maybe I was just imagining things.
I could smell his bittersweet cologne even though the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. After being alone with him for too long, in a confined space, I became covered in his scent. At least I smelled nice.
The streets were still buzzing with people. The majority were staggering and cheering gibberish. I didn’t know how they were still walking on two feet. It was a miracle, really. They were so drunk. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, ignoring the crowd to the best of my ability.
We walked several blocks in silence. Giving Dane the slip was an option but I wasn’t going to. I had to gain his trust. Staying within his visual and not fleeing was a good start, right? I honestly had no idea how well that interrogation went. Considering I wasn’t dead, that was reassuring. Dane scared me more than Cyrus. It didn’t take long to bring out Dane’s hostility. It was in my best interest to stay on his good side, especially if I wanted to live.
I was glad I put my apartment card and keys into my jeans pocket instead of my jacket. Cyrus was in possession of my jacket. I wouldn’t have been able to get in otherwise. The apartment block was pretty secure. No card, no entry. I was fortunate that I had everything.
Dane followed me into the lobby. The reception desk was empty. I didn’t blame them. It was late. Maybe they knew Dane was coming and scampered. Even humans were scared of him. It wasn’t just Tainted Beings. His ruthless reputation made him seem like a monster. Scratch that. He was a monster.
I tapped the elevator button and waited patiently.
“This may be a silly question but when do I start working for you?” I asked.
“If I’m satisfied with the background checks, I’ll come to you.”
“Understandable,” I said, watching the ele
vator doors slide open. “Going up as well?”
“Naturally.”
Was he ever going to let me out of his sight?
I clicked my floor and held my breath when the elevator ascended. Dane’s cologne was starting to make my brain go fuzzy. Seriously, how does someone smell that nice? It was so damn distracting and intoxicating.
“Do you think immortals from out of town are going to takeover the territories left behind by the gangs I killed?” I asked, twiddling my thumbs.
“When the dust settles, yes. Powerful foes will come into town. I’ll be ready for them when they do.”
“Why are you calling them powerful?”
“Viktor was a prime example. He was more than an immortal. I’m sure you already knew that, considering you had to kill him the old-fashioned way.”
I shuddered and rubbed my arms. “Yeah, something like that,” I murmured, stepping out of the elevator when we reached my floor. “How did you know about Viktor?”
Even Cyrus didn’t know about Viktor. Well, Viktor seemed to think so when he spilled his secret to me. He was quite proud of the fact that nobody knew, until Cyrus planted a bullet in his head and killed him.
“It’s my responsibility to know every mage in town, locals and visitors passing through. I live in both worlds,” Dane said.
I slipped my key into my apartment door. “This is where I’ll draw the line. If you want to search my apartment for whatever reason, come back with a warrant. I’m not letting you in. I’m grumpy, tired, and just want to sleep.”
A small smile formed on his face. I think he liked me. Either that, or he was thinking of a hundred ways to kill me. That smile was very hard to decipher.
“I’ll be in touch, Joan.”
“Yup. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” he said, turning away and strolling down the corridor without looking back.
Oh. My. God.
I fled to the comfort of my apartment and slid down the door after I locked it. I kicked off my boots, watching them skid across the floor. Everything I had bottled up hit me like a tsunami. Tears cascaded down my cheeks. My chest felt like it was going to cave in from how hard I was trying to hold myself together. I didn’t want my sobs to be earth shattering. I wanted them to be non-existent. I didn’t want to feel like this. I was such an emotional wreck.
Cyrus picked me up off the floor and carried me to my room. I didn’t even realise he was here. Silky golden hair trailed down my bare arms, covering me in a honey scented blanket. He put me down onto the bed and made the move to leave.
I sat up and caught his wrist. “Don’t leave me alone. Stay with me. Please,” I said through my tears.
“You’re stronger than this. You don’t need me to stay,” he replied, shaking off my hold. “Get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
“Already reverted back into your jerk state. I see how it is. Fine. Leave. If you walk out that door, don’t bother coming back. If that’s how you’re going to be when all I need is for you to hold me, then fine. Get out.”
“Joan–”
“Out!” I screamed.
Cyrus held my face, wiping away the tears that continued to roll down my cheeks. “I’m not leaving.”
“Your personality switches are giving me whiplash. Make up your mind alr–” my sentence was cut off when he kissed me. All the fear, anxiousness and anger melted away. Desire flared through my veins. I didn’t want to come up for air. I gave into desire. I lost myself in him.
Everlasting Flame Page 17