36. Niko
Niko
Bill sat across from me and placed his hand of cards face up on the table. “Beat that.” I couldn’t and sighed, knowing that he’d won. He was an excellent poker player, but I guess he had to be to work for someone like Vance.
I took a glimpse at the clock on the wall. “I guess our time together is up. What are the rules?”
It was a question to reiterate the deal that we’d made. I’d already be going off the script in less than an hour and wanted to follow Caleb’s plan until then. When Caleb had first told us he didn’t want Vance’s employee harmed, merely bribed, I had argued with him. I told him you couldn’t trust anyone from his circle. Unfortunately, Dominic had backed him up. “This is a man who is simply trying to provide for his family. His trust can be bought.”
Both were right. William Chance didn’t give a shit about the Vance family or working for them. He simply wanted to make sure that his three-year-old had dinner and a roof over his head. Now, he’d never have to worry about it ever again. Starting next week, he’d be living in Strathmore and working for Jupiter Financial. His house had already been paid for, and so was his brand-new SUV for his very pregnant wife. We required only his loyalty and the location of the Order meeting, which he willingly gave us.
Maybe not everything had to be handled through brute force.
Most things did, including the next part of the plan. But I was happy we let Bill live. He was quick with a joke, and the pictures of his family pulled at my heartstrings, a reminder that our family would never be whole again. At least after today, we’d have Ivy, but Cam was lost to us forever.
I took Bill’s hand and gave it a quick shake. “When you get settled, maybe we can have a drink.”
I didn’t bother to mention the part about if we were all still alive. Double crossing Vance and the Order came with risks, but it was worth it. I’d put my life on the line every day if it meant I could wake up next to Ivy.
Caleb and Trey had taken turns staying with me at night. It hadn’t caused the nightmares to disappear, but they had lessened. Every night, I still dreamed of Cam. How could I not? He’d been a part of my life for nearly a decade, and his absence had left a hole in my heart that I didn’t think could ever be filled.
I took a deep breath and counted to ten before opening the car door and meeting Caleb at the door to the house that still haunted me. That was another thing that I couldn’t seem to forget. Gervais’ house had once been a beacon of hope, a way to ensure that my debts were paid. Now, I just thought of it as the place where I was violated.
Between Well’s being killed, Ros’ grandfather’s demise, and the New Year’s explosion, the number of Order members was diminishing. Even the name was a pretentious crock of shit. Still, like cockroaches, they refused to die. Their dwindling numbers had just changed the meeting place to accommodate those who were still living.
“Ready to do this?” Caleb asked. I gave him a nod, letting my hands stay in my pocket. The cold steel weighed me down as we strode into the house. Ros stood by his side, and Angel, who was now the leader of the Forsaken, stood behind them. It was a show of force.
Despite our vows of blood in and blood out, Angel hadn’t mentioned any of us coming back into the fold. Whether it was because Cam was gone or the fact he knew our hearts weren’t in it, he offered me a quick handshake. He hadn’t even asked whether Sergei was coming back. Maybe it was because our vows were made to Vincent, not him.
Caleb had been invited to the meeting that was happening, but we hadn’t. I kept my eyes focused forward on Angel’s back and didn’t allow myself to look around. I didn’t want to see the over-the-top extravagance or the paintings that lined the wall. Really, I didn’t want to get pulled into my memories. My stomach churned from either what we were about to do or the fact that it was the first time I’d been back here. It was the first time that I’d been confronted directly with the memories of the place I was in.
Caleb threw open the heavy double doors and strolled in as if he belonged. At the head of the table sat a man wearing a hood and a mask. Caleb had briefed us before we came and told us exactly what to expect. I stood behind Gervais and placed my free hand on his shoulder. He tensed beneath my touch, and I couldn’t blame him.
Caleb grinned at the men sitting around. “Sorry that my grandfather can’t make it today. He’s indisposed. There’s been a change of plans.”
“What’s the meaning of this?” Gervais asked, his voice terse. It wobbled at the very end, revealing how he felt. Our presence unnerved him. It unnerved everyone seated around the table.
Ros pulled out her gun and leveled it on the masked man as I pulled the piece from my pocket, pressing it against Gervais temple. “There’s been a change of leadership,” she said as she pulled the trigger.
The smell of gunpowder filled the room as the man grabbed his shoulder, a hole left behind in his suit.
There was a degree of arrogance in everything that the Order did. Despite killing innocent people and using the women surrounding them like they were nothing more than playthings meant to be abused and discarded, there was an unspoken rule. No weapons were allowed at their gatherings. They assumed that the security that they hired was enough. Why would they ever need to protect themselves? They weren’t prepared for the events unfolding before them.
Faster than anyone could react, Trey was beside me, his knife pushed against someone’s throat. I squeezed the trigger and smiled as blood splattered onto my skin. Even though the nightmares would never end, and even though I couldn’t erase the past, the man responsible for what had happened to me was dead. I had done that.
“Oops, my finger slipped.”
Caleb stared at me for a moment, but clicked his tongue in his mouth. “Well, that wasn’t a part of the plan, but I guess we have to adjust. There’s been a change of leadership. If anyone has opposition to that, let me know now.” He strolled over to stand behind the masked man and whispered something I couldn’t hear in his ear. From his pocket, he pulled out a blade, mimicking Trey’s stance.
“Any objections at all? Especially from you. After all, didn’t you want to annul my marriage to Ivy? And for what?”
The man didn’t reply, instead clasping his hands on the table in front of him. Without seeing his facial features, he could pretend that the bullet lodged in his body didn’t bother him. Which was crazy because being shot hurt like a bitch.
The man in Trey’s grasp made a noise, and Trey pressed harder. “What’s that? You have a problem with what’s happening?” He shook his head, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Trey rolled his eyes.
“Not yet,” Caleb stated. The masked man sitting silently was supposedly the Princeps, the puppet master behind the entire charade. He was also who had Ivy. That was the only part that mattered to me.
Caleb lifted the edge of the mask, and my mouth dropped open. It was Vincent’s brother, the cop. He was the one who had visited us multiple times when Arabella came up missing. We’d known who it was the entire time. He’d been hiding in plain sight, trying to befriend us. He’d tried to win over our trust when there was none to give.
“Any last words?” Caleb asked, the muscle in his jaw flexing.
The Princeps raised an eyebrow. “It was all worth it in the end. No one will willingly follow you after a coup—”
Caleb let out a sigh before dragging the blade across the man’s skin and rolling his eyes. “Does anyone in this group ever tire of evil villain monologues?”
A man across the table cleared his throat. “I have questions.”
Caleb lifted his chin at Angel, who shot the man who’d spoken. “Any more questions?” He smiled wider, an actor comfortable on the stage. “None?” He pushed the body of the Princeps onto the floor. Blood still spilled over the man’s skin, and Caleb wiped his hands on his pants. The body landed in a heap and he took a seat, leaning back in the chair. “On that note, I believe business can begin. Trey, please look up any properties owned by the Detective. That is unless someone can tell me where he is keeping Ivy Spencer.”
The man with a knife pressed against his throat lifted a finger. “I can write down his address for you.”
Caleb slid a pen and piece of paper in his direction. “The second thingyou all need to know is given that the Princeps has passed, and unfortunately so has my grandfather—may God rest his soul—until a new Princeps is born, that leaves the leadership of the Order in my hands. If you look at the outdated text, on page sixty-three, it outlines exactly how leadership passes. Currently, I have several matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving Order matters in the hands of Rosalyn. As you know, her family has also been integral to ensuring that the Order runs smoothly.”
The man next to me finished writing, but his hand paused. “You can’t be serious. She’s—”
Caleb nodded to Trey, whose eyes glinted with amusement. He slid the blade in his hands against the flabby flesh, and scarlet poured down his skin.
“Any other questions?” He waited a beat as the remaining four men stared at him with wide eyes. “No? Okay, matter three for the day. All ties to the church are cut from this moment forward. The Order can find other means of entertainment. The operations of the Gilded Lily will be shut down immediately. All women trapped there will be moved and given financial assistance to help them start a new life in other parts of the country. I expect that to be completed by the end of the business day. Questions?”
The remaining men shook their heads. They had learned that if they questioned any of Caleb’s plans, their lives would be cut short. Trey dialed the number Dominic had given him for cleanup as Ros placed file folders in front of the remaining four men.
“You will never utter a word of what happened here today. I have the originals of everything detailed in these files ready to be sent immediately. If anything happens to me, my contact has the okay to forward this information to the local police, the federal government, and national news stations. Are we clear?”
Caleb cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “If you don’t like the terms of our agreement, I need to know now. The last thing I want is to make a second call for cleanup.”
I grabbed the piece of paper from the table, leaving bloody fingerprints in my wake. It was my key to Ivy. Nothing else mattered. Even if we all went to jail, it would be worth it in the end. We wouldn’t go to jail, though. Dominic, Angel, and Caleb had worked out all the details in advance, but I wouldn’t care even if we did.
I needed Ivy more than I needed air to breathe. She was the only one who could hold all of my broken pieces together. She was the only one who truly understood what it was like to be me.