I swallowed hard, seeing fear in Ricky’s eyes. I knew that he was right. Too many things had happened and now we had some investigator going through our files, telling us that we were conspiring against the master of the underworld. We were running out of time and I no longer knew who to trust. Ricky was right—someone was working very hard against me, hoping that I would drop the case and forget about missing Prince George. And I was ready to do just that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Fate's arrow, when expected, travels slow.” ― Dante Alighieri, Paradiso
“I saw the prince with Zach last night at the cemetery. He was with the missing hooker. These rumours aren’t right, Rick. George is still in London and whoever is spreading this story is hoping that we give up and forget about the case,” I pointed out, looking at the door. “We went to that hooker’s apartment and someone had set up a lab there. She couldn’t have known how to brew the Second Chance potion. The prince is the key to all that.”
Ricky was worried about our future. He didn’t want to leave his life in London behind and start over somewhere else. We were both in the same boat.
Normally Watchers dished out the punishment before they asked any questions. I was obligated to answer to Rodriguez, who wanted me to find George quietly, but I still didn’t trust him. Lucifer couldn’t afford to lose control over his own demons. There were most likely many that wanted things to change. Maybe that’s why the prince went missing in the first place, so he would be used as a bargaining tool in the upcoming election in hell.
“What happened after that?”
“Nothing. Things went tits up, and he disappeared,” I admitted and then stood up. “I need to shut myself in the office and make a few phone calls before Zach gets here.”
“So you didn’t play poker last night?” Ricky asked.
“Poker? No, I was working for a change, trying to get the faction off our backs,” I told him, thinking that it’d been long enough since I tasted tequila. Maybe tonight if I made any progress, but Ricky didn’t need to know that.
I didn’t want him to leave Cyril alone for too long. He was still nosing around our cases on the other side of the building. I knew that my partner was anxious about our missing prince, his future, and the fact that I wasn’t stable enough to carry on with this work on my own. He wanted to keep his life away from faction business.
My only other lead was the waitress that called the office yesterday, and I needed to track her down. She would most likely lead me to her friend and then to the prince. There was a reason that prince was in the cemetery last night. He was digging the grave, searching for someone that must have died recently, but why? I had a feeling that I was working against a very powerful and power hungry demon that had nothing to lose but a lot to gain.
I went back to my own room and collected a protection elixir that I used sometimes when I was challenged by unknown powers, then locked the door.
Months ago, when my mind wasn’t so screwed I brewed a few useful potions. Some of them were good for a fight, some were useful in situations like today’s, but I was running low on stock.
It was time to start getting in touch with people that owed me favours. Zach was probably curing his own hangover today, just like I had been yesterday, so I had some time to figure out my next step.
Eventually Cyril packed his stuff and left with his people. He slipped his card down on my desk and told me that he might be in touch again. Around five I had a phone call back from Rob. He lost quite a lot of money in a poker game with me a couple of months back and then tried to do a runner. He didn’t get far, and after a long night of bargaining, I eventually let him go. We started working together after that. I said that I could forget about his debt if he helped me out sometimes tracking people down that didn’t want to be found. My knowledge of technology was limited, and Rob was a computer hacker during the night.
Rob checked Jessica’s background and told me she lived alone and she didn’t have any family. He managed to get me the address of a hotel in Shoreditch. Apparently that was where the waitress had called from the last time I spoke to her.
When I left the office later on in the evening, the guilt settled in. Zach had gone through a lot and he was still searching for the truth. There was no doubt that he was guided by his own beliefs. We could never be in a relationship (not like I was counting on it) because of who I was, someone between a human and a demon.
I took the tube to Shoreditch High Street station and then walked for about ten minutes to the hotel. My feet were sore from yesterday, but my head was clearer. Zach could have died in the cemetery. I exposed my world and risked a lot more than just my skin.
The girl that asked me to check on her friend had called from a five-star hotel. The building went through an extensive renovation six months ago and now the new hotel attracted people from all over the world. Natasha was hiding, and she wouldn’t be stupid enough to go back to her home address. This was the only other place where she could have been staying, probably with someone that was covering her expenses.
Inside the entire lobby was covered with white tiles, tall black desks and pretty receptionists. There was a fireplace along the wall that created an electric flame effect. All the staff were wearing matching uniforms. There was a large bar at the back, so I headed there first. It was still early, so many people were sitting alongside the window, reading their papers. There was nothing out of the ordinary going on, and these humans as usual were oblivious to the noise and busy road outside.
I sat at the corner of the bar and looked around. Rob had given me the address of the club where she was last registered for work. Natasha hadn’t shown up for her shift for a good few days and her boss was ready to fire her. I got what I needed from him, which was her most recent photo. The trip across the city was eventful, and without Zach breathing down my neck everything was going more smoothly than usual.
“Hey, handsome, can I ask you a question?” I asked the barman when he came to take my order. He was very young, possibly only nineteen or twenty. He was thinking about the older lady that flirted with him yesterday in the afternoon. I had to shut down my demonic abilities and concentrate on my tasks. The girl was somewhere in this hotel and she was the only other person that could lead me to missing Prince George.
A blond with nice blue eyes smiled at me, glancing over my colourful highlights. I didn’t fit into the shiny surroundings, wearing my second-hand brown leather jacket that kind of made me look like a badass.
“That’s depends on the question,” he said, leaning over. I took the picture of the girl from my side pocket and put it on the bar, itching to order tequila. My taste buds could already imagine the sharp, woody taste moving down my throat, spreading over my system. God, there was really something wrong with me. I had made too many bad decisions whilst drunk. Maybe I had to stay away from the yellow liquid until this evening.
“Have you seen this girl? I know that she is in this hotel, but I’m more interested in knowing who she is hanging around these days?” I asked, touching his hand and sending snips of electric power over the surface of his skin. The small dose of energy could make him talk more than usual, and I needed to know everything before I headed upstairs.
Brandon (he had a name tag) stared at the picture for a long while with a frown. His thoughts started racing all of a sudden, and he scratched his head like he wasn’t sure if he had seen the girl here. I glanced around, thinking that someone was watching us, but all the humans were minding their own business. After a long moment, his face brightened up.
“Yes, I have seen her around here. She is very pretty. Comes in late in the evening and orders a cocktail,” Brandon blurted out.
“What room number? And was she alone?” I pressed.
“She was in the company of a woman and an older man. They were staying in the penthouse suite on the top floor, in the most expensive part. Prince George stayed there once a couple of months back,” he continued with a wink. I only enco
uraged him to talk, but it seemed that his tongue was already loose.
“Thanks, handsome, you were helpful,” I said, smiling and leaving a five-pound tip on the bar. I wanted to order the damn shot, but a strong voice of reason shut the temptation down pretty quickly. The craving was loosening up my focus.
Brandon was convinced that George had been here before, staying in the penthouse, and that was a good sign. On my way to the elevator I felt my phone buzz. Zachary was trying to get hold of me. He already left a couple voicemails on my mobile. The doors closed and I pressed the top floor, but the light indicated that I needed to insert a special key card. Right, so there was a problem; that floor was restricted and only accessible for the guests.
I pressed floor sixteen and decided to improvise, possibly use the stairs. My demonic energy rose as I was moving up. The temperature of my body shot up as anticipation settled in. When the door finally opened, I realised why. Royal guards were scattered around the sixteenth floor. I recognised their matching suits and a couple of familiar faces. A bulky man that was part of hotel security stood in front of the main door that most likely led to a conference room.
Someone from the royal family was staying on this floor, and I didn’t need this right now, renewing the old contacts. I turned to the left and started walking in the opposite direction, thinking about my options.
“Max, hey, Max,” someone shouted after me. I cursed under my breath and stopped. A moment later Jonathan Blackwell caught up with me. He was personally responsible for the security of Prince George when I still worked in the palace. I had no idea what he was doing in a place like this.
“Hi, Jon, how is it going?” I asked, pretending that this meeting was one huge coincidence.
“I’m good, everything is fine. There is some sort of meeting going on here,” he said, looking relaxed. I exhaled with relief, knowing that the guards were here for completely ordinary reasons. I needed to stop worrying. “But what the heck are you doing here?”
“Well … I need to investigate something on the top floor, but I can’t get—”
“Jon, what’s going on?”
I didn’t have to look up to see who was walking towards me a moment later. My senses registered him before I had a chance to even face him. I had no idea what the hell happened to my abilities. How could I have missed the fact that Arthur was staying in the hotel? We were connected and I was always able to tell if he was close. This wasn’t the time or a place for a friendly chat.
“Maxine, what a pleasant surprise.” He beamed when he saw me. Jonathan didn’t know about our history, so he nodded and started backing away. Crap, seeing Arthur right now wasn’t on my list of priorities.
“Hey, Arthur. It’s good to see you,” I greeted him. “I’m actually heading somewhere.”
His whole entourage stared at us from the other side of the corridor. I needed to do something, either use my abilities to make him forget that I was here or knock him out for a bit. Both options were reasonable enough.
“Well, let me go with you. I’m on my break. We aren’t due to come back to the room for another half an hour. We need to have a proper catch up,” he said and heat flared up my neck. Last night I had my first sober night in a while, so my mind was clear enough to know that I needed to leave. Arthur looked bloody handsome wearing a black most likely designer suit. When he stared at me like this I lost my breath and all sense of time.
“I have to go. I’m on a case,” I said, quickly breaking our eye contact and turning around. My heart turned in my chest as I continued pushing my legs forward. He had his morning planned out, and I was hoping that this time he wouldn’t follow me around. The end of corridor was blocked off; the doors were only accessible with the special key card. I couldn’t use my abilities; there were too many humans on this floor, all aware that I wasn’t supposed to be here.
“Flower, I can help you with access to the top floor,” the voice behind me stated. Arthur leaned against the wall, holding a sliding key in his hand.
“Then let me in. There is a girl upstairs that might know where George is,” I snapped at him.
“Your wish is my command,” he whispered and slid the card in. The doors were unlocked and I went in heading upstairs. The only problem was that Arthur was right behind me, and his whole entourage followed through.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought.” ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I turned around to tell him to get lost when we reached the top floor, but Arthur had something entirely different in mind. The doors to the room opposite were wide open and he pushed me inside, shutting them behind us with his left leg. A fresh dose of anger boiled my blood, but at the same time his presence was like an antidote for all my pains.
“Two seconds,” he told me and then cracked the door open slightly. “Jon, make sure that no one enters or passes through this door. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” said Jonathan, and then Arthur shut the door in front of his face. I glanced around the room and scratched my head, slightly taken back by its size. This must have been one of the private suites. A four-poster wooden bed stood in the middle, there were a couple of leathers sofas by the window, a huge TV with other high-end gadgets.
“Arthur, I really haven’t got time for this. We have nothing to talk about,” I said, placing my hands on my hips. Secretly I wished that I had the ability to change the past. I could have saved myself a lot of hassle if I had never accepted that job in Buckingham Palace. He clasped his hands together and approached me.
“We are going to talk, here and now,” he said, sounding completely serious.
“No, you’re not forcing me to talk. I have shit that I have to get on with, Your Highness,” I snapped, emphasising his royal title. He dragged his hand through his hair and started moving closer, so I took a couple of steps back until I hit the wall. I could easily wave my hand and stop this whole nonsense, but the line between doing what was right and wrong was thinning with every passing second.
He lifted my arms above my head and pressed himself closer, deeper. God, I was losing complete control of myself so quickly.
“You know how much it turns me on when you call me that, Flower,” he said, shifting his voice to that husky tone. My body pulsated with the rhythm of my heartbeat, and the energy started to circulate, this wild anticipation that was suddenly building deep inside me, a promise that this could go somewhere. “I looked for you everywhere after you disappeared, Maxine. Someone in the palace had discovered the truth and went to Queen Mother. All my choices were taken away from me twelve months ago. The guards were following me around almost twenty-four-seven nonstop. I felt suffocated.”
Our last kiss nearly broke me to pieces, but right then I didn’t care about the rules. My heart beat loudly in my chest, telling me that things were different now and he needed me back. Warmth danced in my belly, reminding me about the euphoric times in his private study.
A tiny voice in my head shut down these conflicted emotions and roared no and stop. I pushed him away. It hurt, it fucking tore apart my stupid heart, but I couldn’t let him cloud my judgment.
“No, you have no right to me,” I snarled, and lifted his right hand, so he couldn’t deny anything. “You gave Natalie a ring and you’re going to marry her. There is nothing more between us. It ended when the Queen discovered the truth, when everything fell—”
“Flower, I nearly lost it then. It fucking hurt so badly when you vanished. I wandered off to the wildest places in the city, hoping to find you. I drank and lost control. Everyone tried to lead me back to the straight and narrow, but I still loved you. Listen to my heart … listen, Maxine, it beats for you.”
I wanted to laugh from his claims, but a messy lump formed in my chest. My throat was raw with emotions as I stared at this man that transformed my life for the better, then the worst. It was now or never. I needed to tell him, but af
ter that there was no way out. He would hate me for the rest of my life.
“She fired me. Your precious grandmother pushed me out as soon as I stepped into her quarters. I had five minutes to pick up my things and leave, Arthur,” I shouted, remembering the humiliation. He was pale and his hands were clenched into fists. The undying love that beamed from him was crushing. I remembered that day when I was thrown out of the palace with no way of coming back, like a pleb, someone that needed to rot in hell.
“After I’d gotten myself into yet another fight, I was called to the base and within days I was being deployed to a combat mission. I searched for you, but Ricky didn’t want to tell me anything. When I beat him up, he called the palace, sold me out. I was sent to Iraq, Maxine, and got stuck there for months without any way of getting out.”
I didn’t have to listen to that. I knew the truth, but he had no reason to lie to me. Frustration boiled through me. There were two broken hearts in this room, and I never thought, not in a million years believed that this whole affair would cause so much drama. I should have stopped myself when there was still a chance, when we were only playing with each other.
When I came back to London, Prince Arthur was already engaged to Duchess Natalie Morgan. Somehow Ricky had convinced me that I needed to regain my focus and keep myself busy, so I went back to work. I was fully aware that Arthur had forgotten about me, about what we had.
“What?” he yelled hoarsely when someone knocked at the door again. We’d both ignored it the first time.
“Your Highness, a few other people are asking for you. The meeting is just about to start,” said Jonathan, who was standing outside the door. I needed to remember the reasons I was here, and even if Arthur was telling me the truth, nothing changed the fact that he was already taken.
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