“Fine, we’ll need three thousand pounds as a down payment, weekly stipends of an additional thousand pounds to be paid directly into our account, and the rest can be settled once we find little Georgie. That’s the standard rate. That way, we will dedicate all our precious time to this case,” I said, certain that we couldn’t back away now. The deal was done. Lucifer wanted me to take care of the problem, and we needed to get paid.
Rodriquez’s left eye twitched, but he didn’t say anything. He simply opened the drawer and then started putting bundles of cash on the table. A moment later, I was holding an envelope full of money in my hand. Maybe I wasn’t going to get evicted after all.
“If the formalities are settled then, let me take you both to George’s room. Detective Zachary Quinton has been put in charge of the human investigation. Princess Layla has already spoken with him, so he’s aware that he will be working closely with you,” Rodriquez explained, getting up. His demonic power filled the room, knocking some air out of my lungs. Ricky was slightly pale. Obviously, he felt it, too. It was easy to be affected by his domineering energy that stuck to ours like glue. Part of me always wished that I had been born a full demon, just so I had more control over what was going on in my life.
“I work alone, Mr. Rodriguez,” I said, reminding him that humans were only going to slow this whole process.
“Detective Zachary is one of the best. He cannot be ignored, so you must compromise, Miss Brodeur,” Rodriquez countered, and I bit my tongue, forcing myself not to come back with a snarky comment. As far as my experience went, the human police were useless. They did very patchy work, using old-school methods that didn’t work anymore. At least I had contacts, people who I could rely on. I didn’t need some arrogant human to follow me around.
Ricky was surprisingly quiet. I could tell he wasn’t too keen, either, not wanting us fully committing to this case, but the money was a motivating factor.
The walk to the other side of the palace was long and exhausting, mainly because every room reminded me of my time with Arthur. The prince’s quarters were on the third floor. I didn’t need a tour. I had been in George’s room a few times before, mainly to check if he was all right. He must have been staying in Buckingham Palace quite a lot lately. I didn’t understand why, as he had other apartments around London. This just didn’t seem right.
Princess Layla was standing outside the door. She was talking to a tall dark-haired human. She glanced at me, pursed her lips in a thin line, and gave me a courtly nod. It was obvious that she hadn’t forgotten my illicit affair with her nephew; that ice-cold look reminded me that I wasn’t particularly welcome here.
“I’ll take you straight to George’s room. You can get acquainted with Detective Quinton in a moment. We can’t waste any time right now,” Rodriquez said when I was ready to stop and speak to the woman I used to work for.
“That won’t be necessary, Bill. Maxine knows the palace like the back of her hand. I’ll take it from here,” said a voice behind me that I instantly recognised.
Suddenly the tough, harsh Maxine who kicked arse turned into a scared little mouse, a creature who couldn’t even turn around to face the man who had broken her heart.
Chapter 5
“The devil is not as black as he is painted.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
Prince Arthur, the son of the tragically-dead Princess Catherine, had cleaved my heart in two. Our affair was enchanting and intense. I never believed that I could be stupid enough to actually fall for him. Maxine Brodeur, half demon and half human was never planning to commit herself to a relationship that broke her soul. In her code of conduct, she promised herself to never get involved with her clients, but Arthur became an exception.
“Arthur, I’ve got this. Your aunt asked for Maxine, and she has a lot on her hands. All the evidence needs to be processed thoroughly right away,” Rodriquez said, kind of getting between me and the prince. I didn’t want to turn around; I wasn’t ready to face him after such a long time.
Two years ago, I was a different person. I had a life that was full, a job I adored, and people whose company I enjoyed. Then Arthur came and used his charms to sweep me off my feet. Two years later, I had become the antithesis of that girl.
Right then, the same warmth that I felt when we met for the first time overshadowed the fact that I had a job to do in the palace. Nothing seemed important enough when he was around.
“Actually my aunt wants to have a chat with you, Billy man,” Arthur said, more forcefully. “I can deal with Maxine. We have so much to catch up on.”
Rodriguez exhaled, looking from me to Arthur, probably calculating if it was wise for him to leave us alone.
“All right, I’ll be right back,” Rodriquez said, giving me a sharp look that probably meant not to forget that I was here for a reason, not because of the prince.
Ricky was taking notes, probably nosing for some sort of clues. He was in my head, too, telling me to take it easy, to calm down. I wasn’t listening. All the promises and the wall that I had built up over the past year were razed to the ground the second I heard Arthur’s voice.
I took a deep breath and slowly turned around and faced him. My heart stopped functioning. All the people in the background, the voices in my head were insignificant. My human side was compelled to melt, to feel that same warmth around my heart.
For a human, Arthur was exceptionally good looking, tall with a wide jaw and lips that I had acquainted myself with thoroughly on many different occasions. His eyes were pale green, almost grey. His hair was longer than it had been; a dark shade of blond, it had that just-fucked quality to it that made you want to run your fingers through it. I remembered the texture of it in my hands. It looked like he stopped cutting his hair around the time that I stopped working for the royals. At times when I had a chance to use the internet, I stalked him online. It was sad really, but somehow this kept me sane during the most miserable time of my life.
I swallowed hard as his eyes took in my appearance. The tiny sparks of my demonic power zoomed between us. The heat rolled over me, igniting the fire in my stomach. There was no point pretending: I wasn’t over him. The past twelve months, the time that had passed meant nothing.
“Hello, Arthur,” I said, putting on that strong and confident tone of voice. “Please, show me what happened here last night.”
I don’t even know why I said it. We hadn’t seen each other for over a year, and I should have at least asked him if he was all right. The awkwardness between two people who used to love each other was still very apparent.
He smiled and winked at me, stepping closer. The door to George’s main room was open, but I wasn’t able to move. My feet were glued to the wooden floor, heart beating frantically in my chest.
“Your wish is my command, Flower,” he whispered, leaning closer, as if no time had passed. That nickname brought back all the intense feelings that we had shared with each other over and over again. When we started spending more time together, and our connection became stronger, Arthur gave me a silver ring that was supposed to always remind me of him. The ring wasn't special; he said that he found it in the cemetery when he was visiting his mother. I still wore it—even now I was moving it over my finger, remembering all the days when I felt like I couldn't carry on without him. Arthur said on many occasions that the ring wasn’t worth anything, but for me, it was the most special gift I’d ever received.
I needed to regain my focus and assess the crime scene. There was no way I was going to focus with him following me around, asking awkward questions about the past twelve months.
Ricky appeared at my side, pulling me away from Arthur.
“A demon was in this room, but I can’t detect to which faction it belongs. Some of the blood was already swabbed off the floor and sheets. I will collect what I can.” Ricky spoke in a hushed tone, his voice tight.
Arthur was watching us. I had no idea what to expect, but the prince didn’t seem
angry or resentful. After all, I had just vanished and never said goodbye. I always assumed that he knew why I did it. “Are you all right?”
“Fine, I’ll be fine,” I answered with a lie.
A familiar enigmatic energy began sliding inside, connecting with the demonic part of my soul. That and the intense wave of lust scorching through my entire body was a very bad combination. Ricky nodded and began moving around, collecting the evidence we could analyse later.
George’s room covered the square footage of a small apartment. The high ceilings gave the room a feeling of grandeur and made it look larger. The old sash windows overlooked the main courtyard outside, and a stream of sunshine flooded into the room. There was a modern kitchen and a bathroom on the other side. A large antique mahogany bed stood in the middle of this majestic space. The bed was rumpled, the sheets were tangled, and all around a burning, acrid smell infused the air. The stench burned the inside of my nostrils and made me slightly dizzy.
I needed to find some physical evidence, a connection to a demon who had taken George.
“How are you, Flower? It’s been a year. You disappeared, and my heart bled longing for you,” Arthur said when I stopped by the bedside cabinet, hoping to take a closer look at the black powder that was spread over the wooden surface. He looked down at my hands. “You’re still wearing it. That could only mean that you have been thinking about me.”
He was lying to me. He had never tried to find me. I would know if he had. When word in the city was out that I was back, he ignored it.
“I don’t imagine it was too painful for you especially since Natalie was there to console you. I congratulate you on your engagement, Your Highness,” I snapped back, unable to sound anything but bitter about it, ignoring the painful comment about the ring.
The truth was that Arthur had seduced me. He had gone to a lot of effort to make me his, and I kept playing his game, stupidly believing that no one would find out, risking everything for him. His engagement to Natalie Morgan was the final nail in the coffin. Once I found out, I stopped stalking him online, stopped reading stuff about him in the papers. We were done, and our affair long forgotten.
He shoved his large hands into his jeans pocket and his enigmatic smile faded. I swear to God, I thought I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes, but no. He couldn’t have been torn up by the fact that our affair was history now.
“You know that my hands were tied back then. I searched for you after you left, Flower, but you vanished. No one knew what happened to you. I never meant to—”
“Please, stop it. Don’t bring up the past. I was asked to come here to investigate George’s disappearance. If I knew that you would be here, I never would have agreed to it. We have nothing to discuss. I’m just an ex-employee, and you’re the future king,” I told him, imagining how it would feel to hold him one last time.
Humans were cruel, but love even more so.
I reached out after taking a small plastic bag from my jeans pocket, hoping to gather some evidence, but then Arthur grabbed my wrist. His tight grip twisted, and he forced me to look him in the eye. His touch awakened something inside of me, and I thought I felt something that I never thought would come alive again. Absolute Love. The longing for the small life that I left behind, that I had to give up.
I felt everything he was feeling at that moment. Sadness, lust, and disappointment that he hadn’t fought hard enough for me. He had broken the rules, and I was forced to leave my post.
“Oh, Maxine, Flower… I have missed you so much. The Queen Mother and everyone else…they fucking pushed me into this engagement. We had something, and I had—”
“Found anything yet, Flower?” another voice interrupted. Arthur let go of my hand and I stepped away. A tall, good-looking guy was standing next to us. He must have overheard Arthur call me Flower. I hadn’t really had a chance to take a good look at him earlier on when he was talking to Princess Layla.
Now he was in front of me, and I was taken aback by his appearance. He was almost as tall as Arthur, with thick black hair that curled over his ears. I suspected that his human mother or father was from the Middle East by his caramel skin and angular features. His deep brown eyes were framed by a row of thick black lashes. His strong jaw was peppered with that sexy day-old stubble that you see on male models, enhancing his good looks, and his mouth, lord have mercy—his mouth was curled up into a sexy smirk displaying his kissable lips to perfection.
I cleared my throat, pretending that I didn’t hear his remark and that his face didn’t just knock me on my arse. Arthur narrowed his eyes at the stranger, looking pissed that we had been interrupted.
“As a matter of fact, yeah, I did find something, but we haven’t been introduced, so you are who exactly?” I said, ignoring the tingling of heat low in my belly, the warmth that turned me on.
Many people learned of my affair with the future king, but nothing had been leaked to the press, so royals were lucky in that respect. My career, my life, everything would have been over then.
Ricky was watching me from the other side of the room, shaking his head. I was having trouble concealing my emotions, and he was reading me very openly.
“Detective Zachary Quinton, and you must be Maxine,” he said introducing himself, eyeing me up and down like a predator, with that annoyingly sexy smirk on his face. He was very confident, whip smart, and obviously convinced that I was going to slow down his investigation. He wasn’t concerned that he interrupted a royal conversation just a moment ago. A delicious unexpected shiver passed over my spine as his eyes rested on my breasts, longer than was appropriate.
“I don’t think we have been formally introduced. My na—”
“His Royal Highness Prince Arthur,” Zachary cut him off. He used a sarcastic tone of voice that suggested he wasn’t impressed by the future king that stood right in front of him. Both men shook hands and the tension escalated.
“Arthur is fine. I hate the official titles. I was just updating Maxine on everything that we know happened. She knew George well.” Arthur started blabbing, moving closer to me, like he wanted to mark his territory. I didn’t know what the hell was going on here. Suddenly I felt like the prize steak, ready to be consumed by two hungry predators.
“I’m sure you were, mate, but I doubt very much that you can help. I want to go over some facts with Miss Brodeur, without interruption, if you don’t mind,” Zachary shot out. My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he just called a prince “mate,” at the same time, winking at me. This guy needed to learn some manners.
Arthur narrowed his eyes at him, probably ready to come back with some smart remark, but he hesitated.
“Maxine, find me before you leave. I need to speak to you,” he said, only loud enough for me to hear, then muttered, “Detective,” to Zachary and walked away. I stood in the same position completely baffled. I had never witnessed anyone speaking to Arthur that way.
On the other hand, Zachary had this domineering, alpha, take charge aura about him. He obviously wanted to come across as someone who wouldn’t be intimidated and focused on the job at hand. Maybe that was his thing.
He wore a heavy leather jacket, with dark trousers and cowboy boots. He didn’t look like a cop, and I was ready to hold all the judgement back, but then he opened his mouth again.
“So, you and Prince Charming? How very lovely.” He chuckled, curling his lips in a smile. My blood rushed into my ears, and anger rolled over me in a violent way. Okay, so he was a wanker, too. It took me all of one second to figure it out.
I took a step toward him, wanting to use my energy to wipe that arrogant smirk off his handsome face.
“Listen to me, Detective, I’m not here to be arm candy, and no one is getting into my pants. I was summoned here to investigate the disappearance of Georgie, so I suggest you forget about what you think you may have heard and tell me if you have anything we can go on,” I said, standing way too close to him, but at that point, I didn’t care. I could have come a
cross as intimidating if I wanted to. A wave of his cologne brushed under my nostrils. I liked that musky, very masculine and woody smell.
“Flower, I’m here in my official capacity as a copper. Whatever you do with Prince Charming doesn’t concern me. I work best on my own, but this case is unique … so I’ve been told, so much so, that it requires a woman’s magic touch. That’s supposed to be your expertise, Flower.”
I was ready to stick my hand between his legs and twist his balls, so he would stop testing my patience. I had no idea if anyone was watching us, but right then, I was broadcasting very angry and very twisted demonic vibes.
“My name is Maxine, by the way. Rodriquez called me because I’m the best at what I do, so I suggest you drop that chauvinistic attitude. We are going to have to work together, and if you pay attention, you may learn something,” I told him, not backing down.
He didn’t back off like I expected him to, and his proximity felt suddenly intimidating… and somehow hot. Deep down in my stomach, I felt something that I thought I would never again experience standing so close to another man.
No, he is just another human with a cocky attitude.
“I work alone and only alone…but I suppose you can tag along.” He smirked. “The young prince here was taken against his will. There is evidence of a struggle as seen by the pillows on the floor, the upended books, and the water glass on the floor. It’s baffling that the intruder managed to pass the guards with the amount of security the palace has. We need to study the CCTV carefully and start interviewing witnesses pronto, Flower.”
“We will see about that, arsehole,” I muttered, exhaling sharply. I made up my mind. I didn’t bloody like Detective Zachary. No—correction—I couldn’t even stand being around him for another minute.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 8