Suddenly the other Russian guy standing by the stack of beers moved. Everything happened so fast, and when I blinked again, Zach was held by the Russian dude, who was pinning him against the wall.
“Olek will break your jaw unless you apologise, mate. Everyone in the area knows I adore Maxine. Why would she get into trouble with me?” Andrej had spoken, and I swallowed hard, knowing that Zach couldn’t afford to make a bad move right now.
Zachary’s eyes were moving from me to Andrej. The silence stretched for longer than I wanted. My heart had practically stopped beating. Dostojevsky’s men considered hesitation a weakness.
My magic was gone, lost and caput, and I couldn’t do anything, so Zach had to pull his head out of his arse and fucking apologise. We really didn’t have any time to waste. We still needed to go back to the pub and then drive to get Ricky and Paul out.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disrespect you, Andrej,” Zachary finally said, obviously struggling to breathe.
Andrej’s eyes flickered at the corners and then he winked at me. All right, so this whole thing was a joke to him. Well, that was to be expected. Andrej felt an unhealthy attraction toward me. That was why I was still alive and had such an easy access to him in the past.
He dragged more toxins into his lungs and blew out smoke from the cigarette.
“Olek, you can let our guest go. We were only fucking with ya,” he added in his strong Russian accent. The huge Russian nodded and let Zach go.
“All right, Andrej, my time is precious, so I really need to know if you’ll be able to help us tonight.” I asked, staring down at the clock on the table.
“Of course I’ll help you. One day I want to be famous, but being called one of the most dangerous gangsters in London isn’t doing it for me anymore. I would very much prefer being a politician,” he said. “So, I have a condition, Maxine. Something I want you to do for me, too.”
“I didn’t think you would do it from the goodness of your heart, Andrej,” I said, folding my arms over my chest. In the past when I had my magic, I could always predict if he was in a good mood or not. Now it felt odd not sensing how he was going to react.
“That agency of your Doomed Cases… I heard good things about it,” he said. “My ex-wife has taken my daughter away, and no one can seem to track her down. I want you to find out where she is. Apparently, you can find anyone.”
I scratched my head and thought about his proposition for a moment. He was right—in the past I could always find anyone. A lot of my clients had hired me to look for missing family members or people who owed them something. This was all before my troubles with royals started, before I had an affair with the prince.
“Depends how quickly you want me to find her?”
“Just find her, I don’t have a timeline. If you agree, then we have a deal,” Andrej said and lifted his hand for me to shake it.
Zachary was staring at me intently, and I already knew what he was thinking. This was a bad idea, but I desperately needed Andrej’s help. Without him, the whole rescue mission would be a big flop. It was my fault that Ricky was behind bars.
I smiled and shook his hand, silently thinking I was going to regret this later.
Chapter 26
“Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
“You made a deal with the devil. What if he asks you to travel to Russia? Who knows where his ex-wife might be?” Zach said as soon as we left that bar.
We needed to get back to the pub as soon as possible. I didn’t have time to go over what I had promised Andrej. The whole meeting took longer than I anticipated and now we were running a bit late.
The old steel factory hadn’t been open in years, and the government was considering tearing it down and turning it into an industrial estate. Cyril didn’t give me any specifics, but I knew that we had to cover a lot of ground in order to find Ricky and Paul. Getting my magic back was a priority, too, but Ronan had no idea where to even start. I knew that I had to stay alive because of my daughter. She was the bright ray of sunshine during those dark hours when I thought that I couldn’t carry on. I wasn’t ready to give up just yet, and I had to find a way to bring that magical part of me back.
“We have plenty of time to worry about this, Zach. Anything can happen by then,” I said, sounding like I didn’t have faith in myself anymore. My track record wasn’t great, and Alexis nearly broke me in that cell. Lucifer had told me that my abilities were extraordinary, but without my magic, that that didn’t matter now.
My daughter was my bright light at the end of a dark tunnel. I was looking forward to the moment when I could have her in my arms again.
“Dostojevsky. I’m surprised that his name hasn’t been on my radar before,” Zach said, scratching his jaw.
We were walking fast, and I felt an unexplained tension in the air. The cold air stung my sensitive skin. The pressure was slowly getting to me, and I was really worried about Ricky and Paul.
“You probably have, but you didn’t even know it. That man is evil. He murders people for fun. He owns half of East London, and he has connections all over the city,” I said, when we were finally getting into a tube. Before we went back to a more populated area, I stopped in an alley and drank the potion and changed my appearance again.
We returned to the pub an hour later. Ronan was out, probably gathering more ingredients for potions we might need to use during our rescue mission. Emma looked so much better, and all of a sudden, she insisted that she wanted to come along. This time around, I put my foot down and told her it was categorically out of the question. Even Zachary agreed with me this time. I packed what I thought was necessary, knowing later on I would have to rely on my physical strength. Ronan came back in a bad mood half an hour later.
“You were right. Nameless must have gone down to join his clan in the underground. No one has seen him, not even people who are still loyal to him,” he said, placing a few bags on the table.
“I wish I could get my hands on him,” Zachary muttered. I bet Zara wasn’t too happy that her boyfriend had turned out to be a complete scum. She had already gone through enough, and now she had a broken heart, too.
“Nameless has made too many enemies. He knew that he wouldn’t have survived on the streets for long. That’s why he’s hiding,” his father said.
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t be worrying about him now. We are leaving in five minutes. Zach, get ready,” I announced. My nerves were finally getting to me. Normally, I was very resilient to this kind of thing, especially after my experiences in Hell.
Maybe I was unrealistic thinking that a gangster could actually take care of Rodriguez, but Andrej had proven to me too many times that he was very resourceful for a human. The election in Hell should be over by now, so Lucifer should have sent someone for Rodriguez, at least I hoped that was the case. He made a promise to me, and I didn’t care if he was the dark lord or Prince Charming, he needed to keep his word.
“Max, your magic is gone, so we have to stay together. Promise me that you won’t do anything stupid,” Zachary said when we were all getting into Ronan’s car. Emma wasn’t too happy with the fact that she had to stay in, but I threatened to fire her if she dared to even stick her nose out of the pub tonight.
I didn’t want to dismiss the fact that Zach was worried about me. Trouble kind of followed me around and I didn’t like sticking to any rules. Now I was in a committed relationship, so I really had to consider his feelings. Arthur was gone, and that part of my life died with him.
Ronan was driving, and the tension in the car was sky high, and being stuck in heavy traffic for at least half an hour made us all agitated. None of us were willing to talk and I was okay with a bit of silence. In this moment, I felt defeated, heading over to face Watchers without my demonic energy.
The streets w
ere foggy and thick dark clouds covered the sky. I squeezed the knife that I had with me, telling myself that my friends had my back, and so did Andrej, who wouldn’t hesitate to do anything to complete his task. This was going to work.
We arrived by the entrance to the old steel factory around ten o’clock and then we waited for Andrej’s people to show up. Timing wasn’t his strong point, so I had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Several minutes later a black slick van rolled up behind us. We were outside the old gate on the other side of the factory. This place had been empty for many years, but demons had often claimed that someone had opened an illegal entrance to the underworld around here. There was a reason why Rodriguez was keeping Paul and Ricky in here. Maybe he knew I would eventually show up, and we were walking straight into another trap.
“Wait here. I’ll be back in five minutes,” I said, telling myself to get it together. Rodriguez had no idea what I was planning. Nameless was gone.
I got out of the car. The window of the van went down and then the back door opened up.
“My guys are ready; we have a clear objective, this shouldn’t take long,” a heavy Russian accent said as blue eyes stared back at me.
I had given him pictures of Paul and Ricky. Rodriguez had humans who worked for him, and I suspected that there were other demons there, too, probably being kept prisoners. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, but I couldn’t worry about the others right now. I came here to get my friends out.
Andrej’s people went first. They cut the wired fence and got through to the other side. I gave the signal to Ronan and Zach, and then we went after them, moving through the wide open space. The old factory was right in front of us, and in the darkness the building looked haunted, unloved, as if the factory was fading into the landscape.
Soon Andrej’s gang had scattered around the place, blending into the background. Ronan had vanished somewhere to the left. He was strong, recovered, and had his magic, so I wasn’t too worried about him.
Zach and I managed to get to some outbuildings. We hid behind the old oil tank, staring over at the empty yard. Nothing happened for about five minutes, and we couldn’t just stay here. We needed to start moving through the factory and find out where Ricky and Paul were being kept.
“Let’s move,” I said to Zach and we started speeding across the yard. I thought I saw someone on my right, but by the time we reached the entrance to the old factory, it didn’t matter. Andrej’s people had cleared the space for us. Two dead humans were lying by the door. Both of them had their throats slit.
Inside, old lights were flickering, rust covered the metal walls, and a strong smell of a sweet, doughy odour tinged with charcoal wafted through the air. We heard a few more gunshots somewhere on our right, and I gestured to Zach that we couldn’t stop. We had to keep moving.
Zach pulled me inside a damp room a second before someone passed us, taking several raspy breaths at once. I figured he must have been one of Rodriguez’s men.
“Clear. Let’s go,” he said, and we started running downstairs toward the basement area. Zachary had a flashlight leading the way, and minutes later, we reached a long, wide round of corridors that must have recently been flooded. My shoes were soaked, and there was a cold draft coming from underneath us.
“I know we said that we shouldn’t be separated, but the guys might be kept indifferent parts of the building. There is a lot of square footage we need to cover,” I said, thinking about heading even further down.
The factory had been built on many levels; I’d briefly seen the plan. Ricky and Paul could have been kept anywhere.
“Fine, let’s meet up in the same spot in ten minutes if we don’t find anything,” he suggested, and I nodded.
Moments later, he vanished into the middle corridor and I went to the left. It was dark, and I only had a small flashlight with me. I sped to the other side until my way was blocked by a human man. I would have been knocked unconscious by now if he were a demon.
I saw something shiny in his right hand and didn’t move.
“It will be a pleasure to mark your pretty face, girl,” he snarled and attacked. My instinct as a fighter took over. I clenched my fingers around his wrist, twisted, and shoved him over my back. He slammed on the ground, and I twisted his arm around, so he had no choice but to drop the knife, swearing at me.
I might have lost my magic, but I still had my fighting skills. The adrenaline was already kicking in when I had him pinned down on the floor. There was so much going on in his eyes, and he tangled his massive body, using his legs to free himself. I started elbowing him until he stopped resisting and didn’t move again. Blood poured out of his nose and mouth when I got off him, wiping the sweat off my face. There was no point wasting time, so I kicked the other door and found myself in a narrow corridor with a set of doors on my right.
“Ricky, are you in there?” I shouted, walking up and down. I started punching one door, then the other.
“Max, is that you?”
Finally, I heard a familiar voice when I reached the last door. I had no doubt it was Ricky.
“I haven’t got my magic, so you have to bear with me,” I said, knowing I had to get Zach or Ronan in here.
I should have taken Zach’s gun. He bought one in some random shop in East London after we saw Andrej. It would have been useful in here.
“The doors are charmed,” Ricky said.
I turned around, and thought I saw someone standing on the other side of the corridor, blocking my way.
Scorching heat made me a little dizzy, but I clenched my teeth. I already knew who showed up to surprise me. I could smell his filthy attitude all the way from here.
“This time around, Miss Brodeur, you won’t escape. And it’s just you and me.”
It all happened so fast. One second, I was backing away to the wall, and the next raw flames were all around me, licking my skin with unbearable heat. Right beneath my feet, the floor split, revealing the fiery pits. The strong energy was already pulling me down. My heart skipped a beat and panic invaded every cell in my body. I struggled to remain standing upright, trying to take a few steps back, but there I was greeted with fire. I had nowhere to escape.
“Max! Are you all right? What is going on out there?” Ricky was shouting, banging his fists against the door. The entire building started to shake, and it was possible I only had a few seconds left on this Earth
My knees gave out, and moments later, the gates sucked me down. I screamed, and with my last attempt, I grabbed the edge of the rock wall of the opening. I managed to hold on to the world outside with my right hand as the incredible heat ravaged my body.
I screamed. Tears rolled down my cheeks. My legs were burning, and I couldn’t take it anymore—so I let go. I was falling down, passing the darkness, as my life started flashing right in front of me.
I hit the ground hard and faster than I expected, bruising my elbow, but gravity must have been on my side, because for some reason, I didn’t break any bones. Coughing and spewing dust, I tried to lift myself back on my feet. After only a few days I was back in Hell—back to the area governed by Berith. The ground was dry, and I couldn’t breathe. The air was filled with smoke from the fire all around. I started coughing again, as my lungs were literally burning.
I kept hearing agonising screams around me and remembered the humans who were drowned in the large pools filled with lava and blood. It was difficult to get that image out of my head.
“At last, you belong to me,” a voice said, and I felt cold fingers on my neck. A split-second later, Rodriguez was penetrating my memories and thoughts. “This is the place where you belong, and I’ll take what’s mine.”
My knees gave out and I slammed on the ground. He was suddenly grabbing, moulding and stealing my good memories away, like they never mattered. I was losing my most precious thoughts, those moments when I gave birth to Summer and memories about Arthur. He loved me, I knew he did, and what he had done to
save our daughter’s life was noble and brave. The old demon was trying to find out where I had hidden my little girl; that was all he was after. He wanted to use her to return to the palace, to gain the royals’ trust again.
I screamed, writhing on the ground, trying to take a breath, but I couldn’t. Everything was hurting me, my muscles and mind.
“Once and for all, she’s going to be mine.” He was saying, laughing. “And you will be stuck here in the pits like a worthless human.”
“Cease your energy, demon. I have seen enough.”
It was another voice that had spoken. Suddenly Rodriguez was gone from my head and my mind was at ease. The thick smoke from the fire was gone, too, and I could finally take a full breath of fresh air. I lay on the ground, sensing him standing a few meters away, watching me. I was in Hell, but this wasn’t meant to be my end yet.
Chapter 27
“Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I shall endure.
All hope abandon, ye who enter here.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I stood up, breathing hard and staring at my father, who was approaching from the other side. Heat radiated from the pools of fire and blood that surrounded us. The old demon had made an error. He brought me back to Hell, thinking that no one would interfere, but he didn’t realise that my father must have sensed the moment when I crossed his gates.
“I have told you before, Morpheus, this is none of your business,” the old demon spat and wiped the sweat off his face.
This was the only appearance that my father most likely had ever taken, and I didn’t believe that anyone had ever seen him in his true form. Even his most trusted demons had no idea how he really looked.
I knew the time in Hell worked differently. Ricky and Paul were waiting, but I wouldn’t want to miss this show. This would surely be Rodriguez’s end. I had been looking forward to this since he and Alexis had kept me prisoner in that cramped cell.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 90