Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Daisy
My first morning back in Sauvage's hotel has me remembering why I love my guys so much.
When I woke up, Shade was gone, but in his place were Mav and Blake, and they spent a good couple of hours making sure I understood exactly how much they missed me.
My body feels deliciously achy as I take a shower and pick out some normal clothes. God, I've missed normal clothes and normal underwear, I think as I put on some new, soft socks I found in my drawer and take stock of my life as of right now.
Some of my problems have totally evaporated over the past three weeks. With Joe, Joseph, and John all dead, the trifecta of evil that was derailing my life is gone for good. I can allow myself to hope for the future now.
There’s still the stalker, of course, but I haven't heard from him in weeks now. I assume that at some point he'll reappear, but, for the moment, I feel relatively safe. Even if it’s a false sense of security, I’ll take it at this point.
In Sauvage’s penthouse, as I look over the city, I finally relax in a way that I haven’t since John told me I was being married to Joe back in November.
Sauvage has already told me to take a break for as long as I want, and I was surprised. I’d assumed his regard was contingent on me making the drugs for him, but the guys are right. He seems to genuinely care about me. It’s definitely a fatherly thing though.
But I don’t actually want a break. As soon as I feel up to it, I will get back in the lab. After all, it's what I enjoy doing, and I don't want to fall behind in my production of Envy. We had a deal and I will keep my end.
As far as I know, sales are very good, both in Sauvage's businesses in the US and in Europe, where he has been sending small shipments to test the market.
Shade mentioned that the club should be reopening soon, which means we'll be able to sell it there again. There’s a reopening launch party planned, and I’m looking forward to going back.
I wonder if I'll miss Sauvage's hotel when we leave. I look around at the penthouse bedroom. I do like it here. I enjoy the view over Richmond from the large windows, and the nice bathroom as well, but being with my guys in our own room down in the basement of the club is something I’ve missed more.
I get dressed in some jeans and a black top with a long sweater, throwing on the boots that I bought at the consignment shop with Lu all those months ago. It seems like another life now.
I frown at all the full hangers. I seem to have a lot more clothes than I did before.
Many of them are not items that I would ever choose for myself, designer labels that look pretty but would likely feel awful on my body, at least that’s my experience.
But I can’t help touching, and, surprisingly, I find the fabrics are all soft and supple, completely the opposite of the nightmare outfits that Joe and Nasty Nurse made me parade around in.
When I emerge into the living room, I'm greeted by Blake and Mav who are on the couch eating waffles. Shade’s back, and he’s currently pacing around the penthouse slowly. There’s a room service trolley with multiple silver domes on it.
My stomach rumbles loudly. I can’t remember when I last ate properly. I didn’t on the plane as my stomach was in knots, and I had zero appetite. In the cells at The Heath, I was given only a pre-packaged sandwich each evening, so it has to have been at least three days since I had a full meal.
I sit down with the guys and I'm handed a plate with a large Belgian waffle on it. It’s hot, syrupy, buttery, and light. I don't even make a pretense of following any table manners at all, stuffing my face like I've never seen food before in my life, much to Mav, Shade, and Blake's amusements.
'Are you guys ready to go?' Shade asks when he’s cleared his plate.
‘Where?’ I ask.
‘I think we should go through my father’s office before Andy gets here.’
‘Just finishing up,’ I say with a nod, my mouth half-full.
'Was your brother almost here when you spoke to him?' Mav asks.
'No, I don't think he'd left Harvard yet. He didn't sound like he was in a car either. I just think that it would be a good idea for us to take a look. If there is anything to find, we’re more likely to before my brother takes over.’
‘Takes over?’ Blake asks. ‘That sounds ominous.’
Shade snorts. 'He'll go straight to the lawyer and sign whatever paperwork he needs to sign to make sure he has control of the businesses. He won't leave that up to chance, and he won't delay.'
We leave the hotel through the tunnels in the basement.
I’m a little anxious because the last time I was down here was after the bomb in the club when I thought I was going to die down here, but the guys stick close to me, and it doesn’t take more than a few minutes before we come up through the large crack in the stone wall at the back of an ancient looking Banderville crypt.
I resist the urge to vandalize it in some way.
It looks like no one’s even tended it in a hundred years.
Mav drives us out of Richmond to the Novelle estate in the truck. It takes about a half an hour before we reach the driveway, and he presses the buzzer at the intercom. The wrought iron gate creaks open slowly.
We creep up the long driveway to the circle at the top. I look up at the house, wondering if I should feel something. After all, I was trapped here under the thumb of Nasty Nurse for weeks, but I feel nothing at all. She's dead, and so is Joe. They can't hurt me now.
The four of us go up the marble steps, and the door opens to a young man dressed like Stevens, who I've never seen before. He looks at us with his nose in the air.
'Are you expected?' he asks.
Shade steps forward. 'I'm Jack Novelle. Is Stevens here?'
The young butler bows slightly. 'Of course, sir. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. Please come in. Stevens is currently in the kitchen. I'll go and get him.'
'No need,' Shade says, walking through the foyer to the back of the house.
We follow him to the kitchens where we find Stevens sitting at a table in a wheelchair reading the paper. He looks up at us as we come in.
‘Miss Marguerite, you’re back,’ he exclaims warmly. ‘I’m so glad they found you!’
I smile. ‘Thank you, Stevens. Me, too.’
'When did you get out of the hospital?' Shade asks, coming forward and shaking his hand.
'At the end of last week,' he says with a smile.
He gestures at the wheelchair. 'I'm afraid I'll be in this contraption for the next month, however.’
He rolls his eyes and looks over at the butler who answered the door. 'I hope young Percy here didn't make a fool of himself.'
The new butler winces a little at Stevens' harsh tone, but says nothing.
'I suggest you begin familiarizing yourself with the binder I’ve given you,’ Stevens says to Percy who nods and leaves the room, going in the direction of Stevens’ office behind the kitchen.
‘My condolences, Master Jack,' Stevens says to Shade, looking somber.
'Thank you for the sentiment, Stevens,' Shade murmurs. 'But you know we weren't close.'
'Just so, sir. I should tell you, I've been told to expect Master Andrew shortly.'
'Yeah, he called me this morning and said he was heading up. I didn't figure he'd waste any time.'
Stevens just nods.
'I wondered if I could get into my father's office.'
'I'm afraid it's been locked, sir,' Stevens murmurs. 'On your father’s instruction, in the event of his passing the room was to be secured. One of the family lawyers came not an hour after we received news of the crash. He took the key with him.'
'Fuck, we're too late,’ Shade grinds out.
‘Indeed, sir,’ Stevens replies, looking around the kitchen slowly, as if making sure no one else is listening.
'However,' he says very quietly, 'I believe there is a spare on top of the bookcase in the hallway outside the door. You see, your father once locked himself in his office and then got himself roaring drunk. No one could get in until he’d sobered up and unlocked the door himself.
This was years ago, of course, not long after your mother.
.. As a result, I had a copy made and kept there, should I ever need to enter in an emergency. '
Shade’s relief is palpable. ‘Do we have your permission to go in?’
'Of course.’
‘What about the camera?’ he asks. ‘We don’t want a record of us being in there.’
‘I actually turned it off remotely this morning,’ Blake murmurs with a small smirk. ‘No one will know we were here.’
If Stevens is surprised that Blake has access to the house systems, he doesn’t say, but I think he does give Blake an assessing look over the top of his China cup as he takes a sip of his tea.
‘I would ensure that none of the staff see you, though. Over the past few weeks, some employees have proven to be untrustworthy, and I had not yet been able to speak to your father about procuring new hired help before his passing.'
'Don't trust the staff. Got it, Stevens,' Blake says, turning on his heel with a mock salute.
He goes out of the kitchen first, and we follow on his heels.
Mav is the only one who's tall enough to reach the top of the bookcase. He feels around for a few seconds and produces a large, dusty key.
We make sure no one's watching us, and we open the door to go into John’s office.
The books on the shelves are all old, clearly never opened or read by John. They’re all just here for show, part of the decoration that he had imported from some castle, Shade told me.
The three guys are searching the walls. I look out at the window that overlooks the garden for a moment before I turn around and take stock of the desk. There's not much on top. The paperwork that I find and leaf through are just general household expenses that Stevens needs a signature for.
The middle top drawer is mostly pens and sticky notes with a couple of envelope openers that look like daggers. All the rest of the drawers are unlocked and hold nothing of interest, except for the one at the very bottom.