“Finally! I thought you weren’t going to show,” Zach said when he saw me, taking his boots off my desk. This guy really needed to stop acting like I was working for him.
“Late night,” I muttered. “So what’s up? What kind of lead have you got?” I asked, knowing that I had to talk to Ricky about last night and about my dramatic encounter with Watchers and that bitch Alexis. Time wasn’t on my side and I was worried that somehow Nameless would get my letter straight to Arthur. My paranoia had reached a new level. I had to start him using whatever resources I had. I couldn’t waste anymore time dealing with people that would only slow me down.
“We are going to a party tonight, a posh party filled with royals,” Zach said, standing up so he was facing me. I looked at him wondering if he took something this morning.
“Party? Are you having a laugh?” I repeated, thinking about Arthur and our night together. Yep, those kinds of thoughts still flooded my mind from time to time.
“Oh, I love parties. I wish I could join you guys,” Emma said unexpectedly from behind me. I wanted to roll my eyes. I wasn’t planning to attend any party tonight. Zach scratched his head. I didn’t know why he seemed surprised. He knew me well enough already to know that I hated any official parties.
“And I think I can make it happen, Emma,” Ricky stated, poking his head into my room. “I received an invitation, but I have other plans. I don’t think there would be any harm if you join Zach and Max?”
“Hold on a minute, guys. I’m not going to any party. Zach has come here to talk to me about our investigation,” I said, annoyed that no one was listening to me. I wasn’t planning to move my arse from the office today, and on top of that I was still very much hungover. My drawer was filled with human painkillers. They normally didn’t work, but today I was ready to swallow a dozen pills so I could get some relief.
“Oh yes, you’re going, Max. One of the big designers is presenting jewellery from his newest collection and I have information that Nameless is planning to make an appearance there,” Zach explained, staring at me intensely. I wanted to roll my eyes, not believing that the most wanted burglar in London would show up at a party that was riddled with security and police. Zach couldn’t be stupid enough to believe that.
I turned to Ricky, rubbing my forehead.
“So, how come you got an invite too?”
“It’s an opportunity to network to gain new business contacts. I used to pay lots of money for access to events like that. There are always plenty of clients there that might be interested in our services,” Ricky said, thinking rationally again. His thoughts were quite explicit today: he still didn’t trust Zach, even after all this time.
“Oh gee, Ricky, that is so cool. But I have nothing to wear and I need to think about getting a babysitter,” Emma said, jumping up and down.
“Zach, you cannot be serious. Is this really necessary?” I asked, not wanting to break Emma’s heart and tell her that maybe it would be safer if she stayed home tonight.
“Yes, my intel informed me that Nameless might have the letters with him tonight. Your Prince Charming sent someone to my boss. He wants results and he thinks that I’m not doing enough to catch Nameless,” Zach said, shaking his head, like he couldn’t believe that Arthur dared to question his abilities.
“All right … fine. I get it. I have to wear a bloody dress then?”
“It appears that way, Flower, but we both know that you will rock whatever you will wear,” he added, saying the other part of the sentence in that hushed tone of voice. Ricky heard him anyway and he cleared his throat, reminding me that my heart was still fragile. Zach and I hadn’t spoken since I left him on the platform and his presence was already causing an emotional turmoil inside my chest. I needed to make a decision. “I’ll pick up you ladies at eight.”
Emma giggled again like a schoolgirl, and I sat down at my desk, thinking that maybe tonight was the final opportunity to nail down Ronan’s son for good. Deep down I wasn’t quite sure if he would show. Zach said his goodbyes and left shortly after. Emma went back to work when Ricky’s new client needed to be registered. I was slightly relieved when the detective was out of my sight for now.
“I assume that you didn’t get information about Gjöll last night?” Ricky asked, wondering if I went overboard with tequila again. God, I really had a problem; now even my business partner thought that I wasn’t capable enough to complete a simple task.
“Actually, after I lost over three grand in hard cash one of the demons must have taken pity on me, because he shared with me the way that I could get to Gjöll,” I told him. The Nameless wasn’t most likely hiding in the underworld if he was planning to highjack the royal party. This just didn’t make much sense.
“Great. I don’t get it, so why are you so down?” he asked, sitting on the edge of my desk.
“I had too much too drink, ended up losing control when some moron demons tried to molest me on the street on my way back,” I explained. “I got tricked by Alexis. She knew that I would be at the market last night. On top of that I was also forced to use my power and attracted attention of two Watchers. They started chasing after me, so I had to run most of the night. I shouldn’t have worn the new trainers, now my feet are covered with painful blisters.”
Ricky rubbed his jaw, already alert. I could only hope that no one had recognised me from the streets.
“Alexis is a problem, Maxine.”
“I’m aware of it, and I’m planning to do something about it. Just give me some time,” I explained, regretting every bit of drink that passed through my throat last night. Deep down I really had no idea how to deal with Alexis, but Ricky needed to be assured that everything was under control.
I wanted to discuss with him details about my mother, but a moment later Emma interrupted us again. She started telling me all about the dress that she wanted to me to try on before the party, so I decided that the conversation about Alexis needed to wait. I popped some pills in my mouth, hoping to silence my headache. It sounded like Emma knew what she was talking about, and I had absolutely no experience in planning a night out. In the end we agreed to meet at her house. After my last official date with Zach I needed someone that could help me choose a dress that was appropriate for tonight.
I had the headache all day, while studying the map of London and analysing the information that Frederick had given me last night. The entrance to Gjöll seemed tricky, and I had to use my abilities to gain access in the first place. Watchers were always looking to catch mongrels that didn’t obey the rules, so I had to make sure that everything went to plan.
My phone rang when I decided to head home later on in the afternoon. It was a restricted number and past experience taught me that it was better to ignore these calls. However after almost ten missed calls I gave up and answered it.
“Hello.”
“Flower, I have a proposition for you,” said the voice that sent chills down my spine. Of course it was Arthur. It appeared that he had already forgotten about our last conversation. He was still openly pursuing me. “Party tonight. I’m taking you as my date?”
I automatically regretted that I picked up. Arthur was slowly turning into a stalker. He knew where I lived and now he also had my number.
“Arthur, how hard is it for you to understand no?”
He laughed, of course, he thought this was funny. We were playing a cat and mouse game, but this was my fault for letting him into my bed a couple of days ago.
“I’ll be picking you up, be ready around eight,” he insisted. All right, I had a feeling that he was talking about the same party that I was going to attend anyway.
“I had an invitation for some jewellery party tonight from Zach, and I’m taking my co-worker Emma with us, so I’m afraid that I have to decline, Your Highness,” I said, closing my eyes for a second, so I could erase the image of him on top of me. Yep, this was still happening.
There was silence on the other side of the phone for a good few
moments. Maybe he finally started to understand that this wasn’t going to work.
“The detective. He is taking you to Bridskirt Manor?” Arthur asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, it’s a work thing,” I said, and automatically wanted to bite my tongue. Arthur was a competitive guy, and he wanted to beat Zach. I had a really bad feeling about this. Maybe I should get on the phone to Zach and cancel.
“Fine, go with that arsehole, but I’m not pulling away. I love you, so he can piss off,” Arthur said, then hung up the phone.
I chewed on my bottom lip, thinking that I should have made up some other lie. Arthur didn’t need to know that I was going out with Zach. I left the office at five and then went home. I picked up whatever elixirs I had left, knowing that my stash was running on empty again, and headed over to Emma to try on the dress she’d mentioned.
She opened the door nearly screaming my head off, asking me about all the officials that were going to be at the party. Her daughter seemed excited too. It looked like Emma had told her about a visit from the prince. I really needed to start appreciating more the fact that I had met most of the royals.
“So I have red, navy and gold dresses for you. I know that you’re much smaller than me, but I wore these dresses before I got pregnant with Suzi,” Emma was saying, after she dragged me upstairs and handed me a glass of white wine.
Alcohol, great. I wasn’t really sure if that was appropriate, but I took it. Some time after that she asked me to try everything on, and it turned out that I looked good in red. Emma was talking the whole time, complementing me on my legs, boobs that I didn’t have, and my hair. She matched accessories with my outfit and I was extremely grateful. After that her daughter arrived from downstairs and it looked like she approved too. When I checked myself in the mirror several moments later, I had to admit, I looked hot.
Emma had sorted herself much quicker than me. She chose a lemon long silky dress paired with a black clutch and heels. I couldn’t say anything bad. She looked astonishingly refreshing and pretty. Somehow this short bonding time kind of put me in a good mood. I felt like I finally had a friend, a girlfriend that I could ask about fashion advice. My head couldn’t deal with the emotional aspect of this new relationship, but maybe there was hope for me. I wasn’t going to die alone after all.
By seven Suzi was running around the house and shouting that there was someone waiting for us outside. The babysitter was there when we were leaving. She looked like a teenager, but I didn’t dare say a word.
“Ready, oh my, I’m so excited I could burst,” Emma said, looking flustered. “Come on, let’s go, the detective is waiting.”
I nodded, finished the glass of wine in one go, and headed towards the door. I had a feeling that we would have a very eventful evening tonight. That earlier phone call from Arthur worried me, but I told myself that I could do this, that I was strong enough to push him away. In theory that was easy, but in practise this had proven a real challenge.
Chapter 21
“The heavens, that their beauty not be lessened, have cast them out, nor will deep Hell receive them — even the wicked cannot glory in them.” ― Dante Alighieri, Inferno
Zach was staring at me intensely when I walked towards him, his burning gaze followed down my face, and then lower, causing havoc inside my whole body. I didn’t have to read him to know that he was planning to take me to his bed tonight, as soon as he locked up Nameless in the police cell. I wished that I could share his optimism. Nameless was a half demon and he could easily use illegal spells to escape and he wasn’t working alone either. On top of that I doubted that he would have been lured by expensive jewellery. This whole operation seemed tricky, but I had to stay open-minded. Zach had his own sources and Nameless had proven on a number of occasions that he liked stealing from humans.
Between his thoughts about having me on top of him, Zach kept wondering if he brought in enough people to the party. Men were odd creatures. Even at twenty-six years old I still couldn’t tell if he was more interested in shagging me or being in a relationship with me.
Zach opened the door for me and Emma. He chose a black tuxedo for tonight. Emma whispered to me when we were walking down that he looked really handsome and yummy, whatever that meant. She was right, Zach was very good looking and as soon as our eyes locked, a strange kind of heat pooled deep in my body. My hormones were letting me know that tonight I could head home with a man, a human man that didn’t necessarily have to be royal.
“You look gorgeous, Maxine, so stunning that I don’t think I can control myself around you this evening,” Zach said, almost in a whisper when he opened the passenger door for me. Emma was already inside, blabbing about her expectations for this evening. I had on very high and uncomfortable heels that my bestie had picked up for me.
Deep down I was a nervous. Zach was obviously convinced that I was over the prince and he had a chance to make me his tonight. Earlier on I had promised myself that I would stay away from the bar. This whole operation was important and I didn’t want to screw up anything again. Thomas was risking a lot by showing up in the manor filled with police. This evening he could easily slip my letter to Arthur somehow and that made me feel nauseous all of a sudden. My thoughts drifted off to my father and that stranger from outside my flat that asked me to look into the death of my mother. Then my thoughts drifted away to Alexis. That bitch was really getting on my nerves, because now I had to divide my focus and deal with her too. After her visit in the monastery she’d no doubt gained a lot of interesting information about my past, about my dead human mother.
“Hey, Flower, are you still with us?”
Zach’s voice brought me back to the car. Everything seemed complicated again. I had to fight to protect my secret but at what cost? Alexis had turned into my enemy and she was determined to prove her theory. Maybe this wasn’t worth it, maybe I should have told Arthur the truth.
I pushed away these thoughts and looked back at Zach. Thinking about fluff wasn’t going to help, so I needed to get it together.
“I’m fine, I have a lot on my mind,” I explained. I didn’t even realise that we reached the manor. Emma was most likely keeping Zach entertained for the whole journey while I was lost in my own busy head. We were somewhere on the outskirts of London. There were other people walking inside. The large residence was beaming, with colourful lights set up outside. Butlers were directing people to the showrooms in the manor. My stomach was in knots when I recognised a few royal guards. Arthur wouldn’t dare to cause a scene in from of his family. He wouldn’t be that stupid, but he had proven to me on a number of occasions that he didn’t care about the opinion of other people. He wasn’t even afraid to upset his grandmother, the Queen.
“Oh lord, this is really beautiful. Do you think we will have a chance to meet any royals this evening?” Emma asked, shaking with excitement.
“Probably, it’s their party. Just watch the space. I’m sure that Prince Arthur will show up,” I said, being already aware of his presence. Emma squeaked even louder. For her this whole thing was a novelty. She was a single mother, and probably she had never met anyone famous before.
“Max, what’s wrong? You’ve been distracted from the moment you got into the car,” Zach asked, pulling me to the side, while Emma continued on her own towards the manor. I bit my lip, wondering if there was any point warning him about Arthur. We weren’t even together, but I wasn’t planning to tell him that a couple of days ago I slept with my royal ex whilst drunk.
“Nothing, I’m just nervous. Arthur is going to be here and he had already warned me that he would be difficult.”
Zach dragged his hand through his hair, not taking his dark eyes off me.
“I can handle your Prince Charming, Flower,” he chuckled. I grabbed his elbow, wondering if he realised that any incident with the prince would harm his blooming career.
“Well, it’s not as simple as that,” I said. “What about your missing sister?”
His fro
wn deepened, and I felt his stinging pain. He was obviously still thinking about her. I felt guilty that I didn’t stay with him that day on the platform, that I didn’t comfort him.
“She’s still alive and once this case is over, I’ll go back down to the tunnels and look for her,” Zach said, and I sensed that he didn’t like talking about it.
“Hey, you guys, come on, we can’t be late,” Emma shouted after us. Zach didn’t say anything else, and I didn’t press on that subject. A moment later we joined her. Zach showed the invitations to the butler and we were through.
“A few of my guys are already inside. The guards are aware of this operation. Everything should go smoothly,” Zach said as we walked through to the large banquet room filled with glamorous people, great decor and a few reporters that were snapping pictures on the other side. When I still worked for the royal family I always remained in the shadows, never engaged in any official events. Tonight I was out of my comfort zone, being in the crowd and knowing that people could easily recognise me. This was unnerving.
“So what is the plan?” I asked, feeling tense and on edge. There were too many familiar faces around, people that stared at me. I even saw a glimpse of George laughing somewhere close, which meant that his brother was inside already.
“There is no plan. Just keep your eyes open to anything suspicious,” Zach muttered, running his fingers over my naked back. He was distracting me, and my body reacted every time his finger connected with my skin.
“Madame Brodeur, may I have a word?”
Rodriguez showed up right in front of me. Of course, Lucifer had his people everywhere. I’d forgotten that the demonic world liked keeping tabs on the royal family.
Doomed Cases Series (1-3) Demonic Triangle Diabolical Quest Infernal Initiation Page 39