The Devil's Masquerade: The Remedy (The Devil's Eyes) (10 page)

“We can’t allow Savage enough time to fight it or have you fired in the process.” I remind him of the ruthless evil we are dealing with.

“You know I hate when you suggest that all my bosses are corrupt,” Brady huffs at me.

“They don’t have to be corrupt. All they have to do is speak to him, and they will believe every word he says.”

“Oh wonderful. I am in a world of insanity and spineless weasels.”

“Don’t think about any of that. Think about Lena and your child. Would your father break the rules to protect you? I believe he broke them to find your aunt’s killer. He had to. He just didn’t realize how powerful Savage was. But you do, and you can use your understanding against him.”

“Okay, but I don’t like it. I don’t like having to lower my standards to get him, but I agree. I don’t much care how we get him as long as we do,” Brady says. Galena and Nick’s cars pull up to Sovereignty’s doors, and Brady breathes in deeply. “Alright, I hope this works.” Brady and a few of his men meet Galena at the door before she is able to make it inside the building. They suggest that she is involved in some criminal activity, and she laughs softly, without saying a word. Nick sits quietly in the car as Galena waves at him to be calm. Brady intensifies the situation by pushing Galena around and yelling at her at the top of his lungs, and suddenly, Ro is pushed out of the car. He stumbles his way towards Brady and asks how he can help.
What the hell is Ro doing with Nick?
I watch the guards inside as they start to fidget and seem to debate on what to do about the situation. I suspect they rarely see trouble at this building.

“Brady, you need to hurry before the guards call Savage.” Brady glances in my direction, and I know he is frustrated, but when he shakes his head cursing, I smile. Brady grabs Galena’s arm and shoves her into the wall, yelling that she is under arrest for harassing an officer and other criminal activities. Brady goes all out and no matter how hard Galena tries to keep Nick in the car, she fails. Nick jumps out of the car and grabs Brady in a threatening manner, and that’s it. That was all we needed. Brady calls for Nick’s immediate arrest while Galena defends him. She quickly figures out that her efforts to keep him from being arrested are pointless, so she changes her efforts into making sure that Nick does not act violently against the police. In the process, Ro jumps on Brady’s back to stop him from taking Nick which shocks everyone. Brady’s men have him removed, and they arrest him as well.

“To the police station, Lionel,” I say, smiling ecstatically. Elijah and Ryan are already there waiting when I arrive.

“Nick is going through processing, and it is taking forever. Damn Brady and his rules bullshit!” Ryan gripes.

Not long after I arrive though, Brady walks in a handcuffed Nick by us. Nick stands tall and defiant. He will never speak to Brady. In fact, it’s doubtful that he will speak to anyone, but I am not here to have a conversation with him. Right behind Nick and Brady, Ro is escorted in, and he is not so silent.

“I want my phone call. Ain’t no way I am talking without my phone call! You can’t make me talk! I am a rock. I cannot be broken!” Ro yells out.

I walk up on him, “Ro, what are you doing with Nick?”

“Kayla, oh thank God. Get me out of here!” He yells as he is pushed into another room.

I can do little for Ro at the moment. I have to concentrate on Nick. Brady puts Nick in a room and walks out, leaving the door unlatched. I quickly take advantage and rush in, meeting Nick’s eyes instantly. I am taken aback for a second and have to take a breath. I don’t know what I thought would happen. Perhaps I had hoped he would see me and suddenly be excited or there would be some sort of recognition in his eyes? He didn’t do that the other day, so why would he do that now?
Ridiculous.
I feel absolutely ridiculous. I have no idea what to do now. He looks at me with a sneer, so I am careful not to get too close. “Nick?” He doesn’t respond as he eyes me down. “I miss … I …” I don’t have any idea what to do.

“I have been looking for you,” he says harshly. “I know it was you that broke into our family’s safe house. Why? Why are you after us?”

“I’m not after all of you, just you,” I say.

“Why?” he asks. “If you kill me, my grandfather will surely come after you with all he has. You won’t stand a chance.”

I lean down on the table between us and stare into his swirling eyes. “You have no control over me Nick, so you can stop trying. I don’t want to kill you. I want to bring you home, bring you back to where you are supposed to be. You have to know that you don’t belong where you are, that something doesn’t feel right about your life right now. You have to know that there is something drawing you to me.”

“I am only drawn to you because I want you dead,” he says, slamming his handcuffed fists on the table in front of me, causing me to jump back. “You should give up now, and maybe I will consider ending your life quickly without pain.”

I take a deep breath and quickly kiss the snarl from his lips. Suddenly, Savage roars into the station with his attorney demanding Nick’s release. He steps through the door and pushes me to the side. “You. I should have known. Are you alright, Ma Joie?” he asks.

“Yes, Grandfather. Perfectly, fine sir,” Nick says, smiling towards Savage as he looks over him with pride.

Brady walks in and releases Nick, and I panic. Nick walks out the door, and I run after him, grabbing his arm and staring into his eyes. “I love you!” I yell at him, but he laughs.
He laughs at that?
I am instantly angered, and on instinct, I slap him.

“Get this horrible woman away from us. If anyone should be arrested it should be her,” Savage yells, shielding Nick from me.

They leave, and I do my best to keep an eye on Nick, hoping that he will stop at some point, turn around, or even just look back over his shoulder at me, but he never does.

I sigh as they speed away and wonder how I am going to get another chance to be with Nick again. I am not even sure I am doing anything to bring him back. I need to figure out what it is about me that causes Savage so much worry.

With Nick gone, I go to Ro before they release him, too. I try to quickly explain what has happened to him in between his pleas for me to get him out of this mess. I can’t help him, but at least he understands what he is up against.

Chapter 13

Nick

Again I find myself sitting next to my grandfather in his car after he supposedly rescues me from Kayla. I don’t find her that threatening. Hell, it’s not like the woman pulled a weapon on me. She kissed me. She said she loves me. The moment she said that, I realized she must be obsessed with me. I looked over her body more closely, and I find her to be quite appealing. Her lips were not something I would normally turn away either. No, I really can’t find any reason to be worried about her. About the only harm she could cause me is wearing me out after I fuck her for hours. A smile forms on my face as I imagine ripping her clothes from her body and using her to my pleasure. Before my imagination carries me too far, I feel a burning glare from my grandfather.

“Thank you for coming to get me, but there was no reason to interrupt your day, Sir. They couldn’t do anything to me,” I grumble, trying to mask the odd trembling in my body that I suddenly noticed when I lift my arms to speak. Maybe that kiss wasn’t so innocent. I try to examine myself without being noticed. My entire body is definitely trembling, but I don’t seem to be losing any ability to function or think. I slowly begin to calm and the trembling comes to a stop. So, she didn’t poison me, but she obviously did something to me. I don’t know what that witch did to me, but she cursed me somehow.

“I know that, Nicholas, but I just found the whole thing absolutely preposterous. The very idea that they could treat my grandson like a common criminal is an insult to our family. Tomorrow, I will demand an apology from them all.” I will have the Chief of Police himself personally apologize to you.

“There is no need for all that. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Probably best just to let it go and get on with our lives. We don’t want the media to catch wind of it and think we are worried about anything. We certainly don’t need them hounding us while we work,” I say to him. He nods as he considers the idea.

“Good thinking, Ma Joie. That is what we will do then, put it behind us.”

“I do have some questions though. That man who said he was my brother was there. Does he own the police? And who is that woman, Kayla? Why does she act so strangely towards me? She seems obsessed with me,” I say, hoping for some kind of information that will make sense.

“Do not worry about any of them. They are nothing. I will deal with them on my own. You stick to your duties and training. That is what we need to be most concerned about right now.”

“If you had let me kill them a few days ago, I don’t think any of this would be an issue right now,” I snap with frustration. “Let me go hunt them down and handle this for you.”

“Absolutely not!” he yells at me.

“Why not?” I yell, but he ignores me. “Grandfather, I know you are trying to protect me, but I wish you would stop and fill me in on more of what is going on. I can help you if you would only let me. Who were they? At least tell me that. That one who was said to be my brother. He had strength similar to mine. He must be related to me somehow. And that woman acted as if I owe her a fuck.”

“He is your brother, but he is not on our side. As you could see, he wants to kill us and take the power himself. That woman? Oh that woman is a menace. You must stay away from her, Ma Joie. She is much too powerful for you to deal with. I will take care of her. Then, and only then, will I allow you to kill the others.”

“Well, who is she? Why is she against us? Maybe we can sway her allegiance …” He holds his hand up to me with a growl. I sit back, stewing over his belittling nature. I know I can handle anything. I know I can handle that woman if he can.

To ease my frustrations, I work out in the fight room, practicing and releasing my tensions. I manage to calm, but I don’t manage to forget that woman. I need answers, and he is going to give them to me. I don’t care if he doesn’t want to. Determined, I seek my grandfather out, even though I am told that this is his meditation time and no one is to see him right now. Rabbie walks out of his room, leaving the door open as he gathers food and drink for him from his cart. Before I can step inside, I hear him discussing today with Galena and another woman. I quickly decide that it will be better to listen in on their conversation than to ask for what I want to know.

“It is unbelievable to me that you manage to constantly get yourself into these situations that require others to help you out!” Grandfather yells.

“I am sorry Father, but how was I to know that they would come after me? They have clearly joined forces with Amery. That is the only way Kayla could know about the High Council, and it is the only reason why they would target me. You know he hates me. It is astonishing to me that Amery would ever join up with anyone outside his small world. He doesn’t trust anyone, but he clearly has. I bet you they have Gideon, too. That dog of theirs! The dog … the dog is very strange and familiar. I wasn’t sure before. Hell, I thought it was an insane idea that is why I didn’t bother saying anything, but I think the dog is Dante,” Galena says.

“What!?” Grandfather yells at her. “Dante died years ago. I saw it myself. Nicholas killed him right in front of my own eyes. How could he possibly come back to this world without …” There is silence in the room for a time until I hear a low growl. “I sense betrayal amongst the Council. Dante, of course. I also sensed a familiarity about that dog, but I dismissed it. I didn’t think it possible. Clearly, I was wrong. Our target list has grown. I can’t have Dante as a dog or as anything else helping them. Very well, Galena, you are forgiven for now but do not allow yourself to be cornered again.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Father,” Galena says with a sound of relief in her voice.

“And Ria! The very idea that you could live in their home and have no clue as to what is going on is even more astonishing than anything else. I should kill you now!”

“No, please. I knew they had been sneaking around, but I had no idea why. They wouldn’t tell me anything. They kept to themselves. They didn’t trust me. There wasn’t anything I could do about that,” Ria pleads.

“And why have you not done what I have already asked you to do? Why is Kayla still alive?”

“I am trying to plan just the right approach so I can make sure to …”

“You are planning?!? Who asked you to think and plan anything? I told you what to do. There should be no reason for you to wait another minute after that to execute my orders! You are the most disappointing woman! You have no value whatsoever. You go back to that house, and you do what I told you to do. Otherwise, Dear, I am going to have to go back on my promise to you and have Nick marry another. I certainly can’t have my grandson’s children coming from such incompetence. Maybe I should contact your sister instead. She obviously has something to offer. At least she has some guts to come after us,” Grandfather says.

“But Catriona doesn’t want Nick. I do!” Ria pleads.

“I don’t care what you want. I care about keeping that woman away from my grandson.”

“Kayla is not easy to handle. I’ve tried. I can’t get near her, even to sneak up on her … she knows. I don’t know how, but she knows I am not who I say I am. I would go back over there but…”

“But. But! BUT! I am sick of hearing that word. You either kill her or I will kill you and before you ask, I don’t care how. Just do it! The Masquerade is only a few months away now, so if you want it to be your hand that Nicholas takes that night then I suggest you make sure your duties and promises are completed by then. And Ria, don’t bother returning to me until you can report to me what I want to hear.”

“Yes sir,” the woman says, running out of the room. I follow after her as she runs out of the house.

“Ria,” I call out to her. She turns to me. “Where are you going?”