Chapter 18 #2
Her pathetic excuse of a father ran away the second the cops showed up yesterday, too scared anything would fall back on him. He didn't visit her at the hospital. Didn't even call her to tell her where he was going.
"Where do you want to live?" I ask, ignoring her first question.
"In my trailer on the North Shore!" she snaps. "Nowhere near you."
"You're not going back there." I snort. "Not until I've figured out what's happening with you."
She shakes her head, her disappointed eyes scanning me.
She's holding her phone tightly in her right, bandaged hand, and with the left, she snatches her violin case where it's resting against the wall. Wearing nothing but my t-shirt and sweatpants that fit her about ten times too big, she heads toward the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" I ask casually.
"To the North Shore."
"I just told you not to. I thought you hated that place."
"I do," she snaps. "But nothing is worse than being next to you."
I can't comprehend the fact that she's not doing what she's told. I'm not used to anyone not doing what they're told around me, so I wasn't ready to get up and follow her. But when she opens the door, I understand she means it.
"It's too bad you have nothing to blackmail me with anymore, isn't it?" she sneers, eyes narrowing.
The door slams, and I blink at the hallway.
"She'll come back," I say, more to myself than the others.
A couple mocking chuckles spread in the room, and I turn back to Wren and Chris.
"What?" I ask with a little too much violence for my blasé self.
"This is what I call the tipping point," Chris explains, as if I'm a two-year-old.
When they see this brings me no useful information, Wren keeps going.
"See, before that point, you have her in the palm of your hand and can do whatever you want. The tipping point is that very annoying moment when you realize you care too much and wouldn't put any threats into action because you don't want to hurt her or lose her."
"Nyx is terrified of me," I explain. "I make her do whatever I want."
I take a long moment to myself, realizing that, in truth, Nyx isn't scared anymore…and I really fucking am.
"We've all been there, my friend," Chris says, like the wisest man in the village. "She's got you by the balls now."
A long pause. Nyx doesn't come back.
One more second.
One more…
"Well. Fuck."
I stand up in a rush, running to the door. Nyx is right there, walking the path that leads to the woods.
"Come back here, woman!" I shout as I run after her.
All I get is a middle finger, not even a look back.
"I swear to God, Nyx. Take one more step and you're being tied to my bed for the rest of the day."
She doesn't even shake. Doesn't stop. I catch up with her, grabbing her by the upper arm and turning her around.
"I think you're mistaking my not being able to blackmail you with my not being able to make you do anything I want," I tell her. "Do you think you're free to walk away from this? From us?"
"There is no us," she says without hesitation as she tries to pull away. Good luck with that. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
"As many times as you wish, I don't give a shit.
I'll find a hundred ways to keep you. Don't you get that?
You need a house? Pick any you want, as long as it's near me.
Pick my fucking bed. Close your eyes and point at whichever mansion around here, for all I care, and it's yours.
But you're not going back there, far from me, where people don't treat you the way you deserve.
Your life is here now. With me. In a place where I will cherish and value your talent, your beauty, your exceptionality. Am I fucking clear on that?"
Her lower lip trembles, and I rub it with my thumb.
"But I want to be home."
"No." It sounds dangerous, fatal, and selfish. All the things I am.
"I hate you," she croaks, her pretty brown eyes meeting mine.
"Doesn't matter. I have the rest of my life to make you change your mind, and I will."
"You're self-serving, arrogant, and manipulative. You think the world belongs to you and that you're above everything."
"You bet your ass I do. It's the truth. Now come back to bed and rest. We need to check on your hand and make sure the cuts are healing."
She opens her mouth, probably to tell me to fuck off, when sirens resonate all around us. Cop cars speed down the road, surrounding us in a matter of seconds.
"Nyx Mayer," one of them calls out as they exit their vehicles. "You're being detained for questioning."
"What?" she gasps as he stops right in front of her.
He grabs her arm roughly, but I still haven't let go on my side.
"What are you doing?" I ask gravely.
"As I just mentioned, we're taking her to the station for questioning."
He pulls, and she looks at me, her wide eyes filling with tears. "I haven't done anything," she panics.
She doesn't even know Chase is dead.
"Sir, let go," the cop tells me, much more professionally than he did when he talked to her.
"No." I look back at Nyx. "Don't worry."
"Sir, I'm going to ask politely one more time. Let go of her."
"Where’s Detective Kross when we need him?" I snap. "Call him. Tell him Achilles Duval is asking politely only once to call off this bullshit arrest."
"She's being detained, not arrested."
"I know where that kind of shit leads. She's staying right here." I get in his personal space, knowing full-well the perfect time to use my privilege is to protect someone who has none. "Let her go."
"This whole investigation is under Detective Kross. You'll have to call him yourself if you want more information. In the meantime, she's coming with us."
"I did it," I snap. "Whatever, arrest me."
"Did what?" she hisses at me.
I let her go to offer them my wrists, not a care in the world, but my stupid mistake gets her taken away anyway.
"Achilles," she whimpers.
In less than twenty-four hours, I’m forced to hear the kind of fear I hate to hear from Nyx. A dangerous chill runs down my spine. I’m the one who scares her, and in the best way only. That kind of despair? It’s not safe for anyone around.
"I just told you I did it."
Why the fuck is nobody listening to me today? It's rather irritating. I’m losing my patience as I follow them to the car.
They force her to sit, slamming the door, and her anxious eyes find me through the window.
"Hey." I hit his window with my palm. "I did it!"
The cop shrugs. "I don't know what you're talking about. You can follow us to the station if you wish."
In the car, Nyx hits the headrest with the back of her head. I hear Chris and Wren joining me outside, their silence screaming I told you so.
"Okay." I huff. "So I did fuck up."
The car drives away, and I stand here, helpless. Something that hasn't happened in so long, my brain can't seem to process it. Until I remember whose fault it was the last time I was helpless.
Looks like more people are about to die for their stupidity.
"There's a special place in hell for people like you, Father," I call out as I enter my family house in Stoneview.
I'm a man who keeps his cool, but I'll admit, when it comes to the person who's sucked the life out of me since the second I joined this earth, it's hard to think straight.
I kick the door to the tearoom open. "Where are you, asshole?"
A tearoom. Nyx's entire home burned down in less than five minutes, and we have a fucking tearoom.
"Achilles," his wife, Catherine, gags with shock as she puts her cup of tea down.
They have guests. Too bad.
"That's no way to speak to your father." She continues before dabbing her mouth with a white cloth.
I point a finger at her. "I know you have to behave, or he'll smash your face in, so keep smiling for your guests and let me talk, alright?"
My dad stands up under everyone's shocked gazes and extends his hand toward the hallway.
"Let's talk in my office."
I can barely hold myself back until he closes the door behind him.
"What the fuck are you playing at?" I bite out.
"Care to explain what's got you so emotional?" he asks lazily.
"That murder was me. Why the hell is Nyx Mayer being arrested?"
"Because the police are doing their work and going for the number one suspect, I assume.
All I know is that Kross told me he was going to question my son's girlfriend, and if I wanted to call that off.
" He smiles at me like the cat who got the cream.
"But I said my son doesn't have a girlfriend, or he would’ve introduced her to me so I could get him initiated. "
He cocks an eyebrow at me. "Do you have a girlfriend I should protect, Achilles?"
My nostrils flare as I try to breathe calmly. It's impossible. The fucker is getting exactly what he wants. But there's no way I'm initiating into the Circle, especially not with Nyx. It would be too many people I care about in danger.
I swallow my rage, roll my shoulders back, and finally calmly say, "No."
"Then, that’s that." He shrugs. "No issues that someone will be arrested for the murder they committed, right?"
"I'm the one who killed him. That murder has my name written all over it."
He pauses, his features freezing in shock for a second.
"And you forgot to put the Circle's sign on the body?" Murder doesn't shock him, but my stupidity does. "Then I guess they'll arrest you if they do their job correctly. If not, an innocent girl is going to prison."
"Just do whatever it takes, Eugene," I growl. "Like you always do."
"No," he purrs. "Your privileges are over. Fini." Over, he insists in French. "Tu as compris?" Understood? "You don't want to join the Silent Circle? You don't want to help us out? Then you will be an outsider. Outsiders don't get free favors."
I scoff, not surprised at all that he's come to this conclusion. I betrayed him. There's someone I have feelings for, who I could force to initiate, and I'm not doing it. The worst thing is, he thought he was going to be able to use her against me, and now I have too much power over her for that.
"Alright," I say. "We'll do it your way."
He's won this battle because I have no time to fight it. I need to get to Nyx and make sure to get her out. Cops don’t need to find the murderer to have a guilty person.
They'll work out whatever they want, and Nyx is an easy victim because she's out of her depth.
I'll bail her out and come up with a plan after.
"Tu es une telle déception, Achilles." You're such a disappointment, Achilles.
"Regarde moi dans les yeux, père." I wink at him.
"J'en ai rien à foutre. Why would I care about the opinion of a man who used to beat up the mother of his child, and the only reason he doesn’t anymore is because she managed to run away? You got a whole secret society behind you and still couldn’t get her to stay. Talk about a disappointment."
He narrows his eyes at me. "Où est-elle?" Where is she?
"What?" I taunt him. "Can't your precious society find her?"
"Tell your mother that if she puts one foot in my town, I will make her suffer."
I get closer to him, looking straight into his eyes. "You ever get anywhere near my mom, and you and all your little friends are going to visit every corner of Hell."
I barge into his shoulder as I leave, and within a minute, I'm speeding toward the Silver Falls Police Station. I park like an asshole in a hurry, because I am one, and stride to the counter, cutting the line to speak to the cop there.
And for once, it's not because of my selfishness. It's because I know Nyx is terrified of jail, and she shouldn't be sitting in a cell, especially not for a crime she didn't commit.
"Achilles Duval. I'm bailing out Nyx Mayer. Tell me how much."
When the young police officer looks at me with wide, confused eyes, I slap the counter. "Nyx Mayer. Tap-tap on your computer before I lose my patience. It's very fucking thin tonight."
"Uh… Sir, she's not," he stutters. At least sharing the same last name as my dad still has some sort of influence. "There's no bail."
I throw my head back, taking a deep breath.
"Listen, I really don't want to hurt anyone—"
"Achilles?"
Her voice is one of an angel descending on Earth. I turn around, and my feet are carrying me before I can control myself.
"Fuck," I breathe out as I take her in my arms.
She winces from all the bruises she's sporting, but I can't get myself to let her go.
Pulling away, I keep her face between my palms. "Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?"
She shakes her head. "I'm okay," she rasps. "They just questioned me, but I didn’t know anything. I didn't even know Chase was dead. It's fine. I'm good to go."
I should know something doesn't add up. Should know to be more careful.
But that's not something I'm going to realize and regret until later.
Until my heart is shattered by a beautiful voice, big brown eyes, and a will to survive I could never understand.
Because I gave up on surviving a long time ago.
No, all I see tonight is the woman I've been worried sick about. The woman who has my heart in the palm of her hand and who I'd risk everything for.
"Can you take me home—" she cuts herself off, quickly remembering she has no more home. "Just…anywhere, please. I'm exhausted."
"I've got you, mon trésor," I murmur before giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "Let's get you home."