Intuition (The Path to Redemption Series Book 2)

by Kimbra Swain

  “You got this?”

  “We’ve got this,” I replied. I felt confidence and power roll off Tadeas like nothing I’d ever felt before. It was a risky situation to test our bond, but the moment demanded it.

  “What may I do for you, Miss Davenport?” he asked.

  “Is hospitality dead in New York?” I decided to hit him directly.

  “There are rumors of traitors within the Agency. Things have become increasingly unstable since you returned. I offer no hospitality. Gregory Theodoard is losing grip of the network. He may have called you in to rescue him, but it’s too late. I am doing what I can to hold it together without his guidance,” he said.

  “You imply that I am the traitor, and admit to your own treachery in the same sentence,” I stated.

  “I believe you are the traitor and have taken steps to protect my holdings,” he said plainly.

  I nodded my head, and Tony exited the plane. He dragged Mr. Tillens with him. Giordano’s face blanched white.

  “I propose that we discuss it with Mr. Tillens.”

  Tony sat him on the ground between us. Tillens whimpered, sitting on his knees. He kept his eyes on Giordano to beg for help. I felt the fear and uncertainty radiating off of him, but felt Tadeas’ steady confidence pushing me forward.

  “I do not know this man,” Giordano said.

  I held up my cell phone and a weak voice came across the speaker, “He’s a liar, Miss Abby.”

  “Thank you, Matt. We will be home soon. See you then,” I replied sweetly and hung up the phone. Giordano tensed. He knew Matthew and his abilities. “Let’s start again. Why do you have an operative inside Andy Gilbert’s organization?”

  “Mr. Castille runs his half of the country. I do things a bit differently than he does. You taught him, bedded him, and have him in your pocket. However, we have our own way that has worked for over a century in this country. I had credible information that Mr. Gilbert funded the organization known as the GEA. The very ones you fight. The ones you failed to stop when they destroyed the Agency’s home base in the United States. Or perhaps you aided them,” he suggested.

  “Carboni is dead. His memories told me what I needed to know. What they didn’t tell me, my team dug up. I have read all the hidden emails, texts and correspondence between you, Carboni and Mr. Tillens here. I know you have a wielder, a very powerful one nearby. I suggest you call off your dogs,” I responded.

  He waved his hand, and his men took their hands off their weapons. “I worked on behalf of the Agency as a whole. I made decisions to keep the world turning. Is that not what we do, Miss Davenport?”

  “Tadeas,” I said. And in a quick swift motion, Tadeas pulled his pistols from his coat. He fired once into Tillens’ head and pointed the other at the man to Giordano’s left. Tillens’ body slumped to the ground. All of Giordano’s men poised their weapons on me. “For the crime of treason, assassination of an Agency Proxy, framing Agency employees, and getting on my fucking nerves, Mr. Tillens’ I find you guilty.” I used the power I’d drawn in to put a barrier around Tadeas, Tony and myself. Tony had his rifle drawn, and he positioned himself on my left flank.

  “I suppose it’s my job to clean that up,” Giordano smirked.

  “You are good at covering murders. In fact, I did my own digging. You have lost control over your employees. I’d hate to think you were allowing a wolf shifter to kill children for his own pleasure while you turned your head.” I saw the fear rise in Giordano. I knew more than he ever thought I did. “Boyd Skerritt, for the crimes of raping and murdering 12 girls, I find you guilty.”

  Tadeas pulled the trigger as the wolf started to shift and lunge toward us. His body hit the concrete at Giordano’s feet. Tadeas turned to the next man who put his hands up. All of Giordano’s remaining men dropped their weapons.

  “She will kill you all, weapons or not, you fools,” he growled.

  “Actually, no, I will not. I grant all of your men immunity if one of you will tell me the name of the wielder that Mr. Giordano retained outside the purview of the Agency.” I stated. None of them spoke because none of them knew who it was. Giordano kept his treachery concealed from his people, however each of them were involved with an even deeper scheme I’d yet to reveal my knowledge of to Mr. Giordano. Tadeas knew and stood with confidence next to me.

  Giordano laughed. “Miss Davenport, you wouldn’t expect me to tell my lackeys my deepest secrets.” As he spoke, two black Yukons pulled up to our side.

  “Did you bring friends?” I asked.

  He snarled at me. I laughed, because the friends were mine. “Get on with it,” he growled.

  “Gentlemen, would you all please place all your weapons on the ground and get in the car behind Mr. Giordano? The two men in the car should open the door and place all weapons on the ground,” I said. The doors opened on the back car. I had magically projected my voice so they could hear me clearly inside the car. Four of the men removed pistols and knives from their ankles, backs and pockets. They laid them all on the ground, climbed into the car, and shut the door.

  “You are making a huge mistake,” Giordano growled. Finally, I would get to meet this wielder. I decided that I knew who it was. I made sure Tadeas understood the stakes. I felt the confidence continue to build in him.

  I looked at the remaining man who had abandoned his main weapon, a small pistol. He had not emptied any of his other hidden pieces though. “Vito, I understand your need to support your father. A child should never have to choose between what is right and family. However, I offer my potential support in taking over your father’s empire from this day forward.”

  He stepped forward a little to speak, and Tadeas rolled his aim off Giordano to his son, Vito. “Don’t move, Vito,” he spoke sternly.

  Vito put his hands up in surrender. “Miss Abby, I cannot turn against my father. I will stand by him. If his sentence is death, it will be mine as well.” My heart sank for him. He was honorable to a fault. “I believe the network is failing. My father made the steps necessary to secure his territory. Yes, there have been lapses in judgment. Father, please. I knew of Boyd’s activities, and I did nothing to stop him. As the proxy of New York City, I failed in my duties. I must be executed as well.” He fell to his knees with his hands up. Tadeas tracked his gun down to his kneeling position.

  I turned my eyes to Giordano. “Release him from his oath to you, and I will let him live.”

  “No, we are family,” he stated.

  “That’s your problem, Giordano. It’s been your Family first and your obligations to the Agency second. From the moment the Agency re-established our connections with the Families of the East Coast, I knew this day would come. One day, I would destroy that connection. It would bring turmoil and chaos. In the end, a new stability would form. We will see this through,” I stated.

  “You think your stability lies in whoever you have in that car over there? You think one of my made men can do my job. I know you’ve recruited one. I just don’t know which one,” he said.

  “Perhaps your wielder isn’t as good as I thought,” I stated.

  “My wielder doesn’t care about insignificance,” he spouted.

  “I would love to meet him. I know he is here. Will he show his face to save you?” I asked.

  “No, he will not,” Giordano muttered.

  “Very well, I shall summon him. Cyrus MacCormack, descendent of Helios, son of Hyperion, one of the Six, please join us,” I said. I saw Tony tense. I had no way of warning him as I had Tadeas. I instructed Tadeas to stay trained on Vito and Angelo to allow me to deal with my Uncle Cyrus.

  He shimmered into view behind Giordano, and a young woman followed him. Cyrus MacCormack, dressed in a dark navy bespoke suit that matched his deep blue eyes, approached our gathering. I felt his privacy bubble spell the moment I stepped off the plane. I knew I would be dealing with my own kin. Each of the Six members of the board of Kenward, Blake and Shanahan wielded godly powers. His white hair shone in th
e light of the sun, and a strong scent of the salt sea surrounded us as he approached. Cyrus, better known as Ler, father of Mannanán Mac Lír, generally stayed out of politics. I knew he actively sought Grandfather’s position, because all the Six did, even Aunt Lianne. I also knew that he worked in the shadows. Flashes of him arm and arm with Meredith Spence at Tadeas’ welcoming party flowed through my head. I felt Tadeas acknowledge the memory.

  I knew the woman as well. Gabriella Milani, a principal wizard in the Conjurors Association, strutted confidently beside Cyrus MacCormack. She held many titles including an esteemed member of the Fraternity of Magic alongside Cassidy’s father Edgar Donovan. She stood average height, but wore 4-inch heels. I knew she negotiated an eternal youth blessing from one of the Fae Queens. She had deep black wavy hair. Her dark blue eyes reminded me of a deeply dyed denim. I felt her power, but she did not concern me.

  “Child, call off your executioner. I out-rank you, and I will not allow you to destroy the East Coast Regent,” he spoke with confidence and arrogance. Tadeas did not move from his position, neither did Tony.

  “Good to see you again Cyrus. I give you one chance to leave before I kill them both,” I offered him a chance.

  His arrogant eyes flicked to each of us. He raised his hand in an effort to squeeze out our lives, but he grimaced when he realized that he could not. “You do not have the power to block me,” he spouted as he strained to do us harm.

  “You are right. I don’t,” I said.

  Lukas waited for me as I exited the elevator. He smiled, but quickly caught on that I wasn’t in the best mood. “What’s wrong?” he said as he approached me.

  “Let’s just go. We can talk in the car,” I said.

  “Sure,” he nodded to the guy at the security desk. We exited a side door that went into a parking deck. He drove the red Mustang. He opened the door for me and hustled to the driver’s side. Paying attention to the road, he didn’t say anything. If I made him wait too long, he would push. He wouldn’t want to, but he would for my sake.

  “I called headquarters again. Lukas, if this is a ritual blood sacrifice, then I need help. I can’t do it alone. There will be a shaman and four priests. They will continue the sacrifices and build up power to summon a demon or other powerful evil being,” I said.

  “You are upset, because you had to ask for help?”

  “I am upset, because I had to ask Lincoln for help,” I admitted. He sighed and held my hand even though he needed his to shift gears. He played with the brakes and clutch to keep us moving in the thick traffic.

  “What’s going to happen?” he asked.

  “He will bring a team in to locate the shaman. They will probably arrive this evening. I would appreciate it if you kept contact with them. I will get involved as needed, but I…” my voice trailed off.

  “I will do what is required of me as proxy. Abigail, you are strong enough to deal with this. You’ve got to put your past with him behind you.” He let go of my hand to shift gears. “I’m here with you, and we will do it together. I need these bastards out of my city.”

  I sighed, “Okay.”

  “We are going to dinner. Do you want to go back to the loft and change?” he asked.

  “Yes, where are we going for dinner?” I asked. I wanted to think of something other than Lincoln.

  “The Coconut,” he said confidently.

  “Isn’t that the place I took you the first day I met you?” I asked.

  “Yes, it is,” he grinned.

  “Is it an anniversary or something I forgot?” he always remembered those things. I hoped I hadn’t forgotten something important. After calling my ex-partner for help, I didn’t want to upset him.

  “No, it’s not. You didn’t forget anything. I just thought it would be nice to revisit it,” he said. He knew the look on my face as I tried to recall something that I hadn’t even forgotten. It amused him.

  We arrived back at the loft, and we both changed clothes. He put on a more formal suit. Not a tuxedo, but definitely tailored to fit him. His blue eyes sparkled as he quirked a smile at me, because he knew I watched him with adoring eyes. I slipped into a navy cocktail dress. It was strapless and short. He approved. “I’ve decided I want to stay here,” he said.

  “You promised me dinner. You can’t expect me to put out without dinner,” I said.

  “Don’t be so crude, Abby!” he laughed in spite of his admonition. “I could just order food to be delivered though.”

  “No, we are going to dinner,” I teased. We played this game often. Sometimes we went to dinner. Sometimes we didn’t.

  We went downstairs, where Jay waited for us with the Jaguar. I looked at him. “Seriously? You going to copy the entire night?”

  “Maybe, but let’s skip the shooting part,” he said.

  “Yes, please,” Jay said as we approached.

  “Good evening, Mr. Stafford,” I said to him.

  “Good evening, Miss Davenport. You look beautiful as always,” he held the door open for me. Lukas went around to get in on the other side.

  Jay followed around the car and jumped in. “Where to Mr. Castille?”

  Jay obviously played along, “The Coconut, please Mr. Stafford.”

  I laughed at them both playing a silly game, and Jay drove us there. Lukas held my hand. “What else do I need to know about our visitors?”

  I shot a look at Jay. He already knew who was coming. I suppose Ashley had informed all of them that Lincoln’s crew would be arriving tonight. “Just that he will come in with a few wielders of various skill sets. He will use them to locate the threat and identify the power of the group we face. If he thinks he and his team can take them, then they will remove the threat. If not, he will call you and ask you to allow me to join them.”

  “Why would he ask me? I’m the proxy, but you don’t answer to me,” he said confused.

  “He will do it out of respect for our relationship,” I said softly.

  “Oh,” he said surprised. “That’s honorable.”

  I sighed. “I suppose.”

  “I’m sorry. We will talk about something else,” he said.

  “It’s important that we cover everything, because I’ve never hidden anything from you. I won’t start that now. We haven’t talked about why Lincoln and I split up. I will, but let’s not ruin our night,” I said. I didn’t want to talk about it to anyone, but if he needed me to talk about it, I would do it for him.

  “It’s not necessary unless you feel like you just need to get it out. Honestly, I don’t care. You and I are together now, and that’s all that matters,” he said squeezing my hand, and he never mentioned it again.

  We sat in silence as Jay drove us through the city. I wondered if Lincoln had located the shaman. I didn’t actively pursue the magic man because I knew I couldn’t handle him plus four others. Lincoln would call for help if he needed it. He didn’t have the same arrogant pride that I had.

  “At least, I smell better this time, right Jay?” Lukas broke the silence. Jay died laughing.

  “Dude, thank goodness you do!” Jay joked back. I laughed at them both.

  “Ridiculous! You were living on the streets. You couldn’t help it,” I said.

  “Don’t make excuses for me, Abby. There are plenty of places I could have gone. I just needed a reason to care,” he said turning a bit more serious.

  “See, Jay, all he needed was a closet full of suits, and a job offer that required him to face the supernatural bad guys of the world on a daily basis,” I teased.

  “All I needed was you,” he said. Yes, I melted. I even saw a light of approval in Jay’s eyes.

  We arrived at the restaurant and had a lovely dinner, talking about everything except for the blood sacrifices. When we walked back outside, we crossed the large concrete walkway that expanded from the restaurant to the curb. The Jaguar sat on the curb waiting for us. Jay waited inside of it instead of outside. The night was cool with a slight breeze, and the sounds of the city
even seemed subdued. I walked with Lukas arm in arm, and he stopped in about the spot where he threw me to the ground after our first “date.” I smiled at him. He enjoyed these little things that reminded us of where we started and how we ended up in each other’s arms. His sensibilities were far more romantic than mine, but those were the things I loved the most about him. We actually had little in common, but we complimented each other. I wanted to enjoy every moment with him, even if it was a corny, romantic notion.

  “Is this the spot?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure exactly. It’s hard to remember things when you get shot, you know?” He turned, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me on the spot. The kiss felt different from any other we had shared. He held my face in his hands, and I felt his heart rate pick up.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he said as held me with his left arm around my waist. “I have always wanted to give you something that was meaningful. You have given me so much.”

  “Lukas, you don’t have to give me anything,” I started to get nervous, too. A million thoughts rushed through my mind. I hoped he wasn’t going down the path I suspected.

  “I want to though. Yes, you gave me suits, a home, and a job. You gave me hope that I could make a difference, and you had faith in me. Somewhere along the line, you gave me your heart. I never imagined I’d ever love like I love you,” he paused, gathering his thoughts.

  I started to panic inside. If he asked me to marry him, what would I say? I had no intentions of ever marrying anyone. Lincoln and I never discussed it. I promised myself to him, and he to me a long time ago, but he broke that promise. I had no intentions of ever putting that kind of restraint on a relationship. Lukas and I were fine the way we were, and part of me did not want to change it.

  He touched my face and brought me back from my internal conversation. He’d seen me do it so many times before. I’m sure he could read the panicked look on my face.

  “Just hear me out, okay?”

  I managed to choke out, “Okay.”

  “When you were younger, you told me that your mother left you at a children’s home in England. You told me you picked Davenport as a last name because you didn’t have one. You thought it was a right good name,” he said mocking my British accent. I relaxed a little and nodded. He took another deep breath and calculated his words, “I also know that Lincoln didn’t have a name to give you.”