Chapter 21 #2
I look over my shoulder to see that the other three have eyes on everyone, “Come with me.”
Max watches as we begin to walk away with his brows furrowed, but I give him a hard look, so he knows not to ask questions or point out our absence. I lead Zoe to a hallway and up two flights of stairs, but we stay silent until I bring her to the widow's peak tower.
“Talk to me.” I say as I turn to her, but she isn’t facing me, she’s looking out of the dirty stained-glass window.
“I know him. Darren.” She crosses her arms before she faces me.
Her face is still cold, and her eyes are distant, but she isn’t numb right now.
I ignore the pride that swells in my chest when I realize she was comfortable enough to let her guard down with us alone and far from the others. She trusts me, at least a little.
But I do stiffen her words, “Where do you know him from, Zoe?”
“He was part of the group that kidnapped me, the first time the Cambions tried to trap me. I haven’t seen him since the first time I escaped. He said he’d get me back, no matter the cost.” Her words come out hard, and empty of emotion.
“Okay. Is there anything else?” I push, needing to know more because she is holding something back.
“He tried to rape me, he didn’t because I was able to handle myself, but he still tried.” She sighs after the revelation and my body turns rigid.
He is so fucking dead.
“We need to get information out of him first. He recognizes me, so we will need to do it quickly. We can’t act now, because there are potential witnesses.
There is no telling if there are more men here that work for the Cambions.
Especially with Darren being the watcher of this operation.
” She rushes out, as if she can read where my thoughts were going.
I’d rather skin him alive, but she’s right. We can’t do it here, but we have to do it fast and with as few witnesses as possible.
“Fine. But he’s officially earned a death sentence.”
22
Gravitational Force
Zoe
I follow Brandon towards the exit once we’ve decided on a reason for our sudden exit in case we are asked by the brothers. We can’t risk explaining everything here, we need to do it back in the car.
Nothing seems off when we return, and Darren seemed to not notice that we left which will work in our favor.
I know I kept my face as neutral as possible when I saw him, so hopefully he thinks I didn’t recognize him.
There is no way he didn’t recognize me. The bright blonde streak at the front of my hair isn’t exactly a common feature, even more so when it’s contrasted with my flaming red locks.
When Teddy gives me a curious look I give him a subtle shake of my head, wanting to delay this conversation until we are in a private place.
Not many things shake me, and I’m not easily intimidated.
Seeing Darren here, finally being able to put a name to the face of a man who I know was serious in his threats to hurt me, and he knows I’m alive and exactly where I am.
For the first time in years, the Numb is not able to protect me from the fear weaving itself into my bones, all of my nerves are on edge, and it’s like I can feel where my blood is coursing through my veins.
I’m scared. Me actually feeling scared, scares me more than being within walking distance of Darren.
My instincts are telling me to get rid of the threat, exterminate him before he has a chance to strike.
Afterall, a surprised opponent is a weak opponent.
However, my critical thinking skills are overpowering those instincts.
I know that if I acted now, I’d risk so much because we have so many threats pointed against us.
The Cambions, the active hits that are targeting the Sparrow, and the leaks with infiltration in the Karma organization.
I can’t be a loose cannon, at least not yet.
I take a moment to myself, to breathe in the situation we are currently in.
I am safe right now; my team is with me, and I know they’ll have my back if a situation arises.
As far as we know, there are no other threats in the building and the personnel that are working in this warehouse work for the Karma’s, so they should defend us as well.
We outnumber Darren in weapons and in bodies. We are a bigger threat than Darren.
I did the same routine I went about at the other warehouse; I took my time to inspect the operations.
I walk the assembly lines and approach almost every person and examine their demeanor and posture, watch how they react to my presence.
Some tense up, but not in a guilty way, in the same way that they know I’m dangerous.
Few don’t react at all, as if they underestimate me and if it’s because I’m small or if it’s because I’m a woman- I’m unsure.
I made sure to remember every single face and file it away if it’s ever needed at a later date.
When I make my way back over to the brothers, they part to fit me between Max and Teddy in their half circle that is facing Darren. I nod to Max, but I keep my face blank.
“Well, Darren, everything seems to be going smoothly. Call if there are any issues.” Says Max.
Darren responds with a nod and shakes Max’s hand.
We make a calm but swift exit back to the SUV, before we enter the car Brandon and Dean check out the vehicle for any explosives, a safety measure considering the warehouse we are at.
Once we are all settled in our seats and the doors are closed and locked, Max is quick to ask a question that seemed to be bugging him.
“What the hell did you see in there, Harpy?”
I don’t say anything, and I just look at Brandon, “Do you want me to explain the situation, Princess?” I bob my head in response and just stare at my hands in my lap.
Brandon reiterated everything I told him in the widow’s peak tower, his voice is sharp and straight forward, and I don’t miss the way his arm is resting around my waist, holding me in a comforting way.
“Darren? Darren is a fucking Cambion?” Dean is turned in his seat and facing me directly for the first time all day.
“Yes.” Brandon and I answer at the same time.
Teddy grumbles something under his breath, and he is quick to unbuckle his seatbelt and goes to exit the vehicle- no doubt to take care of the problem at once but I grip his thigh to hold him back.
“Not yet, it’ll risk too much right now. We need to devise a plan to get him to the manor tonight so we can question him. After that, we can play. Me and you.” I say, hoping it would reel him in.
He stills and closes the door, “Me and you?”
“All of us.” Dean declares, and this is what brings my attention back to him.
I smile at him, a real one since the first time we’ve met, and as if hell has frozen over, he smiles back.
I must have fallen back asleep on the drive back to the manor. I woke up to Teddy tugging on my hair, and it’s like the rough act kept me from pouncing the same way I did when Brandon woke me up earlier.
Dean rescheduled the guard inspection for tomorrow, now that we have a more pressing matter.
Our plan landed on Brandon and I staying at the manor while the other three went to catch Darren and bring him back here to the manor.
Max, Dean, and Teddy left about five minutes ago and won't be back for hours, and Brandon and I are already in a standoff. At least, I feel like it’s a standoff; I think he is under the impression that we are flirting.
“I am not putting that on.” I cross my arms while Brandon holds up an itty-bitty red bikini.
“Princess, this is the only swimsuit that Max must have gotten when he got all those clothes for you.”
“Then I guess we aren’t swimming, Because I am not wearing that, I might as well just wear my underwear, at least that way I’d have more coverage.”
“I also support that decision.” He winks and looks me up and down like he can see through my clothes.
“Fine. I’ll just wear what I have on under my clothes then.” I shrug, giving in because he told me the indoor pool was already heated, and my aching muscles are dying to feel the hot water.
“Good with me. Follow me, Princess.”
I still haven’t gotten a full tour of this manor, so when I was told there was a heated indoor pool just chilling somewhere on the second floor, it was an instant must. I know Brandon is only wanting to see me in as little clothes as possible, and maybe I am craving to see more of him too, but I needed some sort of reprieve.
I need a way to relax after this shit show of the day. I don’t want to drown all of these new trudged up emotions about Darren in liquor, and if I go to sleep, I know the nightmares will come, even more so now that Teddy won’t be there to interrupt them like last night.
My train of thought comes to a halt when Brandon brings me to a door I haven’t passed before.
We walk in and I gape at the pool room. The pool is almost the same length and width of the room with glass floors around the edges, the light is warm and low giving the reflection on the glass an ethereal glow.
I follow the light dancing along the walls to find natural ivy climbing along them and stretching onto the ceiling, it’s like the room is a pool room and greenhouse hybrid.
The greenery stretched across the ceiling is contrasted with vibrant pops of color in the flowers.
This room is completely different from anything I’ve seen in the manor so far.
Where this room is natural and raw the rest of the home is contemporary and gothic.
Letting out a wistful breath I whisper, “It’s beautiful.” I let my fingers graze along the leaves that seem to be an extension of the wall itself.
“You’re beautiful.” Brandon whispers, keeping his voice low as if this moment is just for us, and wants to be sure nobody can hear us, despite us being completely alone.
“Why do you do that?”
His brows pinch together to create a dimple that I’ve grown to admire, “Do what, princess?” He takes a step closer, popping my bubble of space.