Tithes (Ava Delaney

by Claire Farrell

  18

  We were all frustrated, so when Breslin called two days later to say he had news, I dropped everything and went straight there. I called Phoenix and asked him to meet me at the office if he wasn’t busy, and he agreed immediately. He had tried and failed to find out who had warned Egan we were looking for him.

  Phoenix beat me there. I found him standing outside Breslin’s office, leaning against the wall, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Did you get any sleep?” I asked, pausing in front of him.

  “Very little. What does Breslin want?”

  “We’ll find out. He must have something interesting. If you’re too tired, I can call you later. You really need to catch up on your sleep.”

  “So do you. Let’s get this done.”

  He made to go inside, but I caught hold of his arm and stopped him. “Wait,” I said. “I’m worried about you.”

  His dark-green eyes glittered. “Don’t waste your time worrying about me. It’s Egan we need to concentrate on.”

  “And normally, that single-minded focus would come in handy, but you’re scaring me a little, Phoenix. You were always intense, but you’ve cranked it up more than a few notches.”

  He blinked rapidly. “Don’t you want to find the child?”

  “Of course I do.” I bit my lip. “But I don’t want you to—”

  He brushed some flyaway hair behind my ear. “I’m fine, Ava. Let’s go.” He held open the door, and we went inside.

  Alex barely looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, surrounded by books. “He’s in the office, waiting for you,” he mumbled as we passed.

  “You’re not the only one lacking in sleep,” I said. “Poor Alex. This job was more than he expected.”

  “Why did you offer him work?”

  I shrugged. “Felt sorry for him.”

  “You always seem so angry with vampire volunteers.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help them ever.”

  Breslin’s door was open, so we walked straight in.

  He took a big gulp of his tea and beckoned us to sit across from him. “I’ve had an interesting morning,” he said. “Declan Egan’s life has had a lot of twists and turns.”

  “How does that help us?” Phoenix said sharply.

  Breslin raised his brows.

  I nudged Phoenix. “He means is there anything in his life that could help us now.”

  “I apologise for any abruptness,” Phoenix said. “I want to find this man as quickly as possible.”

  “I feel the same, actually.” Breslin took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’ve looked into him, his acquaintances, and his family. They go back many years. He boasts of the fact he can trace his roots so far. His family were landowners, very successful, but the bloodline has almost died out a number of times. His father and mother ran a successful enterprise for many years before their deaths. They left everything to Egan’s older brother, Kenneth, and he did well with the company, even expanding.”

  I exchanged a confused look with Phoenix. What did that have to do with anything?

  “As it turns out, a bout of bad luck crippled Kenneth. It’s a long story, but in the end, he was forced to hand everything over to his younger brother, who had spectacularly good luck from then on. Declan Egan went quiet for a while when the Council ended, but with the new Senate, he has come to the forefront for the first time, even dabbling in politics. His slow build of new connections is working in his favour, but he has a lot of old connections to draw upon, too.”

  “No offence,” I said, “but I still don’t get what that has to do with us.”

  “Ah.” He held up a finger. “Kenneth Egan claims to have plenty of information that has a lot to do with us. I spoke to him earlier. He despises his brother, suspects Declan plotted his downfall. It could be the ravings of a man who failed, but he claims to possess certain family secrets that will reveal Declan’s true nature.”

  “Then he can speak with the Senate,” Phoenix said.

  “Not exactly.” Breslin’s lips twitched suspiciously. “Kenneth Egan actually has a wish to speak to Callista.”

  “He doesn’t have anything.” I restrained a groan. “He just wants to meet the siren!”

  “I think he knows something,” Breslin said. “And if there is bad blood between the brothers, who better to dig up Declan’s secrets?”

  “I’ll meet with him,” Phoenix said. “And I’ll drag Callista by the hair if I have to. We’re getting to the bottom of this. Set this up, please. As soon as possible.”

  So far, all of these little meetings hadn’t led us very far, but if Kenneth Egan really did have information, he could help us track down his brother. And with Callista on our side, he could at least be charmed into revealing whatever he knew, no matter how small.

  * * *

  I walked into the restaurant alone, embarrassed by my appearance. I had barely taken the time to brush my hair, and everyone around me was dressed to the nines. I half-expected the hostess to send me packing, but she was waiting for me. The others were already there.

  Callista sat next to Phoenix, leaving me to sit across from her, next to Kenneth. I detected an odd note of tension at the table when I took my seat.

  Kenneth’s profile displayed a bulbous reddened nose, pockmarked skin, and tired eyes that had likely once been attractive. Kenneth looked like Declan—if the life had been drained out of him. My heart sank. It was likely the man was just a disgruntled relative.

  The man took a large gulp from his glass of wine. His nails were spotless and neatly trimmed, but his shirt was frayed at the sleeves. Unlike his brother, he hadn’t bothered to fight his receding hairline, and an openness in his demeanour endeared him to me.

  “Shall we begin?” He spoke slowly and deliberately, and I wondered how many drinks he’d had before I arrived.

  Callista laid her freshly manicured hands on the table and gave Kenneth a glowing smile. “Tell me how I can help you, Kenneth. May I call you Kenneth?”

  He made a loud obnoxious sound through his nose that had everyone at nearby tables looking our way. “That crap doesn’t work on me. That’s why I wanted her here”—he looked at me—“to prove my point.”

  That was unexpected. “What point is that?”

  “I have things, family heirlooms and such, that make it easier to exist in this world. People like her”—he raised his glass dismissively at Callista—“are blights to ordinary people. To me? Nah. Not even a little affected.”

  Callista looked mightily offended. I struggled really hard not to grin, but by Phoenix’s expression, he had caught my smile. I studied my hands until I pulled myself together. I liked Callista well enough, but being in her company was exhausting. She never held back on her natural pull, and I sometimes suspected that was on purpose. I was so used to people fawning over her that I found it kind of comical that the one person we needed her to charm was basically untouchable. I made a mental note to look into the Egan family’s heirlooms.

  “I am no blight,” Callista said haughtily.

  Phoenix shot her a meaningful look. “Mr. Egan, you have means to protect yourself,” he said. “So what?”

  “Our family heirlooms are centuries old,” Kenneth persisted. “Created for us by supernaturals as favours, debts”—he looked at me again—“and tithes. My family might be human, but we were powerful once. My grandfather used to tell us stories about how our ancestors were untouchable. I never truly believed everything he said, but my little brother would love nothing more than to go back to those days.”

  “What else can these heirlooms do?” I wondered aloud.

  “Temporary magic, mostly,” he said. “If my ancestors needed a spell, it would come in the form of something discreet and manageable. A curse, some form of protection, defensive magic in particular. My ancestors were extremely influential and powerful people.”

  That explained the odd use of magic back at the flats. “Exactly how powerf
ul are we talking?” I asked.

  “Things that might be illegal now were acceptable once,” he said. “My ancestors ran things, were heavily involved in the produce of illegal substances, human trafficking, all kinds of things that would have you locked up. But we went straight. Until Declan got ideas into his head.” He pointed at Phoenix. “It was your mother, I reckon.”

  “Excuse me?” the fae prince said.

  “He met her, wouldn’t stop talking about her. He was a waster, spent his days gambling and reading pointless old books while I worked my rear end off. But after he met her, he changed. We both did. I was hit with a string of bad luck. I let down investors; shareholders lost their confidence. My family’s legacy was worthless. And Declan wheedled his way in and took it all. Then he miraculously fixed everything within months.”

  “So he was a good businessman,” Callista said. “What does that prove?”

  “He was no businessman,” he scoffed. “The idiot could barely count. No.” He pointed at her. “Declan used magic. Or favours. He made some kind of deal with that fae woman or someone like her. That’s how it works. We all know there’s a currency more valuable than coin.”

  “Why would she deal with him?” I asked. “What could he offer her?”

  “Support, I suppose.” He took another gulp of his drink. “A return to the days of old. I wanted to be different, to follow in my parents’ footsteps. They were clean, kept everything legal, forgot about where we came from. I was okay with that. Declan, though, he wanted to relive the glory days that we weren’t even alive for.”

  “Where did you come from?” I asked.

  “We came from money and lies,” he said bitterly. “And that’s where we’ve ended up again. Our family built their fortunes on the blood and tears of those less fortunate. Humans, yes, but my ancestors gathered magic like gold. The things I’ve seen. After my grandfather died, we inherited everything, whether we liked it or not. There’s no safe way for a human to dispose of magic, so we hid them.”

  “Do you still have many of them?” I asked, trying not to sound too interested.

  He nudged me, laughing heartily. “This one is curious. I have some items of interest. Declan has more. We weren’t allowed to touch them as kids. My parents were afraid we’d set off a curse or something. I forgot about it, let go of the superstitions and stories, but Declan held on.” He pointed around the table at each of us in turn. “We earned our money from fights, debts, slaves, deals, gambling, prostitution, magically altered moonshine, and more like it. Anything that was immoral was our bag. They say we made deals with the devil to get our start. That’s my family’s noble story.”

  I grew excited. “Are you saying your brother is into that kind of business now? Slaves and such.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me,” he said. “He kept buying buildings, snapping up estates that needed to be refurbished. I told him it was foolish, that they’d never earn money back. It made no business sense.” He waved a hand, his lips curling into a sneer. “But Declan knew best. I warned him, but he was insistent, said he had plans. We barely acknowledge each other now, but I reckon he must use those places for orgies and drug dealing and the like.” He nudged me again, this time a little harder. “That’s what I get for being the boring, responsible one, eh?”

  Kenneth was definitely drunk, but that didn’t mean he was completely wrong. He finished his drink and waved to the waiter for another.

  “What do you think?” I asked Phoenix.

  “It’s a start,” he said. “Kenneth, can you help us find your brother?”

  “Find him?” He blinked rapidly. “I don’t know. He’s well able to keep a low profile. I could make out a list of properties he could be hiding in, but he’ll run soon. He always has a backup plan.” He belched. “But I’ll happily testify against him.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Callista said. “He comes across as a begrudger, a bitter drunk who wants to drag his brother down with him.”

  “I might be a drunk, I might even be bitter, but I’m not cruel,” Kenneth said passionately. “That solicitor who arranged this meeting, what’s his name?”

  “Breslin,” I offered.

  “Breslin,” he said triumphantly as though he had discovered the name by himself. “He mentioned a child branded like a slave. When I heard that… it’s the only reason I’m here.” He ran his hands over his face, his anxiety ripe in the air.

  “It means something to you,” I said.

  “It reminded me of things I like to forget.” Another swig didn’t wash away his distaste—that was plain. “When we were kids, we had a maid for a while. Anyway, Declan had been stuck in those old books all summer long, and the maid brought her daughter to the house because her child-minder let her down or something. I don’t remember exactly. My mother said that we’d play with her in the garden, that I’d watch over her.” He let out a long shaky breath. “We were young—I remember that—and Declan had the idea to play hide and seek. I was… I was on.” He finished another drink. His trembling hands dropped the glass on the table.

  I righted the overturned glass. “Doing okay there, Kenneth?”

  He shook his head. “They disappeared,” he said. “I looked everywhere, in the garden, in the house. And then I remembered the old room where everything… unnatural was kept. It was supposed to be locked up, but I knew Declan had been sneaking in there. So I went looking, and he’d made the place into a little study for himself. A hideaway. Fire burning in the grate even though it was sweltering outside. And the little girl, she screamed so loud, I felt it run right through me.”

  “Why did she scream?” I asked softly. “What happened, Kenneth?”

  “He branded her with a poker from the fire,” he said, sounding as though he couldn’t quite believe it. “Marked her and said she was his now. I couldn’t…the look on his face was just… I knew right then that my brother was capable of evil. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. My parents covered the incident up, and we never saw the maid again, but I always knew, deep down, that there was something wrong with Declan. I tried to help him, but some people can’t be helped.” He shivered. “My brother could destroy me, but if he’s sunk so low, it’s time somebody stopped him. It’s time I did something. Declan was always a mean boy, a cruel little shit. I hoped he had grown up, that it was all over, but I was obviously wrong.”

  “I’m so sorry, Kenneth,” I said. “But it’s not your fault.”

  He looked at me, his eyes full of pain behind the belligerence. “Isn’t it?”

  “I’m just not sure that this is enough,” Callista said, ignoring my glare. “But there’s nothing stopping us from seeking Egan out.” She nodded at Kenneth. “Get us a list of places, and we’ll search for him. We have questions, if not about him, then about the missing shooter whose bail he paid.”

  “Jennifer Boyle,” I said.

  “Ah, his goddaughter.” Kenneth nodded. “She idolises him, would do anything for him. I’m not so surprised. She’s more like him than I ever was.”

  “So you know her?”

  “Only a little.” He shrugged. “Her father worked for Declan, asked him to be a godparent out of respect or something. My brother never really had friends, you see. Not like other people. Lots of acquaintances, but no…” He patted his chest over his heart. “Anyway, I thought he’d changed, because he was genuinely interested in that little girl. Only she started getting into trouble, violence and such. It’s now I see that’s the only reason he showed any interest in her. She was like him.” He looked exhausted, mentally and physically.

  “We’ll need you to answer more questions,” Phoenix said.

  “I don’t have anything better to do.”

  “I’ll set up a tab,” Phoenix said. “For as long as we need you, spend your evenings here, on me.”

  “Well,” Egan said, “I wouldn’t want to be rude.” He waved at the waiter again.

  I wasn’t sure if we could rely on him, b
ut he had confirmed things we weren’t confident about. Declan Egan had ties to terrible things, and he was on the run for a reason. We would find him. We had to.

  19

  Phoenix set a box of papers in the centre of the table between us and the Senate. “If this isn’t enough, then there’s something wrong here.”

  “I’ve spoken to Declan Egan’s brother,” Callista said. “The man has a story or two to tell, and I’ve been able to verify enough of it to believe the rest.” She gifted Phoenix with a smile. “Phoenix was right, as usual.”

  I resisted the urge to puke.

  “Egan himself is responsible for many problems that currently affect us,” Phoenix said. “And now he’s gone.”

  James shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a sheepish look on his face.

  “Oh, my God,” I blurted. “You’re the one who warned him.”

  Everyone turned to James, who covered his face.

  “James,” Mick said harshly.

  “All I did was ask him if he was being blackmailed,” James protested. “I didn’t think he’d run, and I didn’t tell him anything else.”

  “I’m choosing to believe it was a moment of stupidity rather than a purposeful attempt to help him escape,” Phoenix said coolly. “But if it happens again…”

  I couldn’t see Phoenix’s face, but James looked terrified.

  “We all know James is an idiot,” I said hurriedly.

  James glared at me, but Phoenix relaxed slightly.

  “The only question now is what to do next,” Phoenix said. “I’m told the vampire queen is willing to follow our lead on this—however we choose to act.”

  It was odd for Daimhín to relinquish any bit of power she could grasp.

  “I think we’re all agreed that we have no choice but to doubt Egan’s innocence,” Willow said. “How do you all wish to proceed?”