Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows)

by Mell Corcoran

  “What?!” Rojas was genuinely surprised. “Murdered? By who?”

  “So you admit you know who Casius Arcano was?” Max wanted to be sure.

  “I remember that was the name Cameron said when he hypnotized Adrianna but I never met the man nor do I know anything about him other than he owns the company Ernesto’s brother works for. What about Adrianna?”

  “She was found burned alive. Bound in an embrace with Casius Arcano, the severed heads of the Salazar brothers and Johan Esterhuizen staring at them from the foot of her bed.” Max didn’t sugar coat it and he could see by the look on Juan’s face the man was truly horrified by the news. “While your processing that information you may want to strongly consider telling us where your brother is before his head winds up like a marshmallow over an open fire too.” Max got up and started pacing around him again.

  “I swear to God I have no idea where my brother is!” Rojas stammered. “I had no idea anything was going on! Pick ups and drop offs have been going like normal! Aside from the spot checks from Cameron, nothing has changed! I know nothing! I swear it!”

  Max paced another slow circle around Rojas. He glanced over at Niko and got a nod indicating he believed the man had no more information to give them. Aside from his client list, of course, but they were extracting all of that from the computers that they had seized in Cuba. It appeared to both Niko and Max that Juan had been left out of a lot of the operation. He was the production end only. Ernesto Vargas and Manuel Rojas were clearly the operations managers of the enterprise with Cameron Timms, one of their own, running the show. It was a hideous betrayal.

  “There is a silver lining in all of this you know.” Max broke the silence finally.

  “What is that?” Rojas could have cared less about any silver lining. He knew damn well that he was never leaving that meat locker alive.

  “Once we are finished with you and your brother, the world will finally be rid of your putrid gene pool.” Max gave Juan Rojas an exaggerated smile and watched once more as the fury wash over his face. Not caring to spend one second longer with the lump of crap then he had to, Max turned and walked to Niko, placing his hand on his shoulder once more. “I obtained permission for you to dispose of him as you wish. The only caveat is that there is not a trace of left of him when you’re done.” He looked him in the eye and waited for his response.

  “Not a problem.” Niko said with a smile.

  Max nodded and started to leave the locker. “Oh, but do not be late for the dedication tomorrow! You hear me?” He asked without slowing his pace.

  “As you wish, my Dominor.” Niko answered back with a touch of sarcasm, making Max chuckle as he exited the building. Niko retrieved a clear plastic poncho from a small bag that had been sitting in the corner of the room. He pulled it over his head and turned to face Juan Rojas as he adjusted the crinkling material and grinned. “I like this shirt. I don’t want to ruin it.” With that, Niko pulled a switchblade from his back pocket, releasing the blade as he approached his quarry. Rojas’ eyes grew wide when he saw the blade and realized what was about to transpire. Once again he began to scream like a little girl. “Well, I guess we know what I’ll be removing first.” Niko said to no one in particular then proceeded to stuff his fingers into Juan Rojas’ mouth. He pulled the man’s tongue out a little further then God had intended and paused. “This is gonna hurt. A lot.” He gave Rojas advanced warning before he began sawing the tongue from his mouth. It was the first of many cuts to be made before Niko would be done with him.

  It was just after 1:00 a.m. when Dillon and Lou finally pulled into the driveway of the McAllister home. Traffic had been light but Lou had insisted that they make a stop for tacos at a place off Pico that she suddenly had a craving for. Despite Dillon’s protests about eating in his car, Lou won the battle by not only offering to buy his dinner but also to pay to have his car washed if she spilled one drop. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse so they made the detour and he was grateful for in the end.

  When he turned off the ignition and saw Lou staring at the house apprehensively, he felt even more guilty then he had before. Dillon blamed himself for Lou’s injuries. A direct result of his failure to protect her and keep her safe. They had argued about it for the first half of the drive home. Lou insisted she was not a child and that she was fully capable of getting herself in and out of trouble without his assistance. He knew she was tough but he also knew that Max was holding him to a very high standard of which he had not lived up to today. There was going to be hell to pay for the both of them.

  “You think he’s here?” Lou broke the silence first.

  Dillon sighed. “I hope not.”

  The house was partially lit which meant her mother was definitely home and awake, but that wasn’t unusual. Shevaun was a night owl and Lou expected she would be waiting up for her since she hadn’t checked in for nearly twelve hours. There was one black SUV parked off to the side which Lou expected either Frank or Abby’s. There was only one way to find out for sure and Lou was not exactly itching to get inside and face the music. She and Dillon had decided they could lie to Vinny about how Lou got hurt. Her injuries could be explained away by saying that she slipped and fell down the stairs to her terrace. They were a flight of twenty-four steps, made of stone, which easily could cause extensive damage. The fact she had taken a header down the stairs before, braking her arm in the process, would help sell it too. As far as her mother and Max were concerned, there would be no lying to them. Dillon and Lou would tell them the truth and they would take the inevitable lumps that came. Lou worried that Dillon would get the worst of it from Max, despite the fact that she was senior detective, Principate and he was just following her lead. Max was intensely protective of her since her abduction so she knew she needed to be the one to give him the run down on what happened. Hopefully, Max wouldn’t be there yet and Dillon would be gone before he arrived. Max would have time to cool off and be able to address the situation with Dillon calmly and rationally. At least that was Lou’s silent prayer.

  “Let’s get this over with.” Dillon grumbled as he got out of the car then walked around to help Lou.

  “Just remember what I said.” She reminded him, pointing her finger right up into his face. “No falling on your sword for me, you understand?”

  He smirked down at her as he handed her the crutch. “No swords, I understand.” He grabbed her bag and followed close behind as she hobbled up the steps to the front door. She didn’t even have a chance to reach for her keys before the door swung open and Shevaun came rushing out, tossing her arms around her.

  Lou tried to bare the pain of her mother squeezing her so tight but she couldn’t stand it for very long. “Owe, momma..” Lou croaked. “Not so tight, please.”

  “Oh!” Shevaun released her and took a step back to inspect her with a furrowed brow. She stood there for a long time without saying anything. “If you could have only waited one more day I would have won the pool.” She turned and headed inside, leaving Lou and Dillon gawking at each other.

  “What pool?” Lou yelled as she gimped after her, Dillon following close behind.

  “The pool we all had going on how long it would take you to get into trouble and get hurt.” Shevaun told her smugly as she took her seat back at the kitchen island with Abby and Frank.

  “There was a pool?” Dillon asked, no longer surprised at the wagering that went on. “Why wasn’t I let in on that?”

  “So you could rig it in your favor?” Abby scoffed. “No way.”

  Dillon rolled his eyes. “Real nice. You think I would let Lou get hurt just so I could win a pool?”

  “Of course not!” Shevaun got up and fixed them both a cup of tea. “We all agreed you would probably take a thousand bullets, prolonging things. It just seemed better to leave you out of it. Healthier for you, at least.” She smiled sweetly at him.

  “Who all was in on this?” Lou asked. She should have been upset but she simply didn’t have the energy.<
br />
  “Everyone.” Frank smirked as he sipped from a steaming mug. “Even Vinny.”

  “What?” Lou goggled. “He can’t know how this happened!”

  “Relax!” Abby got up and pulled a stool out for Lou. “The rules didn’t specify that it had to be work related, just you injuring yourself. So, it’s all good no matter what story you tell him.”

  “Was Max was in on this too?” Lou wondered.

  “Hang on.” Abby fished a piece of paper out of her bag, unfolded it and smoothed it out on the counter. Lou could see it was a computer generated grid with dates at the top and various names scribbled inside each box. She saw the whole Council had gotten in on the bet, her mother and step-father, even her uncle and aunt’s names were there. “Your mom had four days, before noon and Joe had after noon. I had five days, after noon...”

  “Seriously? You guys even had time frames for when I would sustain injuries?” Lou was trying very hard to be insulted but she was far too curious as to who won.

  “I took before noon, five days.” Frank grumbled. “I figured Dillon would have been a little more diligent in protecting you so it had to happen in the morning, before he picked you up. Or on your day off when he wasn’t baby sitting.”

  “Hey!” Dillon and Lou protested in unison.

  “It was not his fault!” Lou yelled at Frank. “He was trying to protect me! The guy was turned and super quiet! Even more so than Niko. I never heard him coming even when the two-by-four was swinging.”

  “I was kidding!” Frank held his hands up in surrender. “Everyone knows there is no way Dillon would have let anything happen to you if there was a way to avoid it. I was just teasing, I swear.” Frank got up from his stool and patted Dillon on the back. “It was a bad situation, it happens. I know exactly how you’re feeling and you need to try and let it go. How do you think we felt when Lou got snatched out from under our noses? We all have been there.”

  “Gee thanks.” Lou grumbled as she adjusted her seat, propping her leg up on the empty stool Abby dragged over for her. “I never realized what a pain in the ass I am.”

  “Oh shut it!” Abby grinned at her. “We live in a dangerous world. In dangerous lines of business, so to speak and, well, you just add a little excitement to the mix! With your little quirks.”

  “Quirks?” Lou pouted.

  “Yes, quirks.” Abby leaned in to give Lou a gentle hug. “They are what make you our Lou and we love you, quirks and all.”

  “Thanks, I guess.” Lou tried to hug Abby back but failed miserably, wincing in pain instead. “Maybe one of those pain pills would be wise right about now.” She dug around in her bag for the ones that Pierce had given her. “So who won the pool anyway? Or shall I guess?”

  “Oh guess!” Abby bounced. “Let’s see how good you are.”

  “It’s either Caroline or Vinny.” Lou popped her pill and washed it down with some tea.

  “Nope!” Abby giggled.

  Lou was genuinely surprised. “Really?”

  “Really.” Frank confirmed. “Both Caroline and Vinny had yesterday. Vinny had the morning and Caroline had after noon.”

  “Nice.” Lou huffed. “Such faith in me to pick just one full day back before I take a hit. So who won?”

  “Max.” Frank snickered. “He and Niko split today. Niko had the morning though.”

  “Really?” Lou wasn’t sure if she should be flattered that Max had her so pegged or if she should have been insulted that he participated at all. In the end Lou had to admit she did tend to get herself into trouble more often then she liked. She may as well find the humor in it like everyone else, especially since it had mitigated the berating she and Dillon both anticipated receiving. “Are they back?” It suddenly occurred to Lou to ask.

  “Yeah, they got back about an hour ago.” Frank grimaced. “They are dealing with Juan Rojas now.”

  “Do we have any new information?” Lou felt a third wind coming on. “Anything that might clue us in on who our assailant was at the warehouse?”

  “Oh!” Dillon blurted suddenly. “Let me show you.” He told Abby, reaching and grabbing hold of her hand. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

  “OK, one second.” Abby stretched her neck from side to side and tried to relax. “Fire when ready!” She told him as she closed her eyes.

  Frank and Lou looked at each other and shrugged, neither of them knowing what was going on. They watched as Dillon closed his eyes and go quiet for a minute or two. Abby sat quietly, muscles slack until Dillon’s eyes opened and she shot out of her seat.

  “What the hell was that?” Frank asked.

  “Holy armpits!” Abby yelled. “That’s the missing blood born!”

  “What?!” Frank shouted, completely confused. “What the hell is going on?”

  Abby turned to Frank and tried to compose herself. “Dillon’s super power is that he can project images into a willing recipient. He can also grab images from a willing subject as well. Understand?”

  “So he showed you our Sanguinasshole?” Lou deduced.

  “Ha! I love it! Sanguinasshole!” Abby giggled. “I am so using that!”

  “Abby!” Frank was getting impatient.

  “Right.” She said and sat back down.

  “Abby!” Frank waved his hands around in the air. “Is that what he showed you?”

  “Right, I said!” She looked confused.

  “You mean right as in yes, you are right?” Lou clarified.

  Abby smiled at her. “Correct!”

  “For Pete’s sake, this is almost as bad as Abbot and Costello!” Shevaun shook her head and fetched another cup of tea.

  “So the guy that was at the warehouse and attacked you was the blood born Sanguinostri that Moshe reported as missing in South Africa?” Frank knew they had it cleared up but he needed to make sure. “What the hell is that all about?”

  “That explains him taking all those rounds and being so damned fast and sneaky.” Lou looked at Dillon, commiserating a bit.

  “That would explain it.” Dillon nodded. “Also why he seemed so young and I didn’t make him for Sanguinostri right off.”

  “We have no idea what information Rojas has given them, if any.” Frank finished off the last of his tea before continuing. “They are about a half an hour away so you gotta figure Max has only been on him for about an hour.”

  “From the impressions I get of this guy so far, he will sing like a canary in no time.” Abby said as she snatched a cookie off the plate in the middle of the island. “I can’t wait to hear what he had to say for himself, the scumbag.” She popped the entire cookie in her mouth defiantly.

  Shevaun sighed. “I wish I could wait up so I could hear what happened but I have to be at the park early in the morning to set up for the dedication.” She walked around the room dishing out goodnight kisses on everyone’s forehead, tugging on Dillon’s sleeve to make him duck down so she could give him one too. “Try not to stay up too late kids. Tomorrow is another day.” She started to leave the room but stopped and turned to Abby first. “Could I impose upon you a bit? She asked her.

  “You can impose on me a lot! Fire away!” Abby grinned at her.

  “Do you think you could help my ragamuffin daughter get cleaned up? Maybe make sure she doesn’t poke an eye out getting into bed?” Shevaun smiled.

  “Momma!” Lou protested. “I am not a child!” Dillon snorted, making Lou turn and give him a scowl. “Shut up you!”

  “I told you it was debatable!” He struggled not to laugh.

  “I’ll take care of her, I promise.” Abby winked.

  “Thank you so much.” Shevaun gave her another kiss on the forehead then tossed her daughter a disapproving glance before she was gone.

  “Real nice.” Lou mumbled.

  “You can’t blame her, Lou.” Dillon came to Shevaun’s defense. “With everything she’s been through, that you’ve been through, then you don’t check in for over ten hours?” Dillon shrugged. “I would be pissed
too.”

  “I know!” Lou did and she felt terrible about it.

  “Let’s go get you cleaned up.” Abby got up and helped Lou off her stool. “I’m sure we have plenty of time before Max gets back. I got a brace for your knee too so we can get that on you after a shower.”

  “Should I stay or should I get out of here?” Dillon had no idea what he was supposed to do.

  “I’m pretty sure Max is going to want to talk to you. Come on out to the guest house.” Frank told him then got up and headed for the back door. “You can grab a shower there and I’m sure I have some sweats you can pull on.”

  “Wow, I totally forgot I had blood all over my clothes.” Dillon snorted as he took a look down at himself. “I’m sure that went over well with the crowd at the taco joint.”

  Lou laughed. “What, are you kidding? You fit right in with that group.” They all went their separate ways to get cleaned up before their Dominor returned.

  Lou struggled through the pain and exhaustion to make it up the stairs and when she finally made it into her bathroom she caught sight of herself for the first time since that morning. Once again, she was a disaster area walking. People probably never even bothered to look at Dillon because they were so mesmerized by the disheveled and contorted mess that was Lou. Her hair was matted and defying gravity in various places. Her clothes were filthy and misshapen and the back of her jeans, just below her left butt cheek, had been ripped open from seam to seam without her ever realizing it. A small consolation was that the right side of her face had gotten a break for a change and it was the left side that had taken the hit. Lou leaned in closer to the mirror to get a better look and she came to the conclusion that her face must have nailed a few of those stairs by the way the mottled bruises were overlapping from her temple to her chin. She was more than lucky that she hadn’t shattered her cheekbone or her jaw, or both. As she gently ran her fingers over the early blush of blue that was blooming across her face she suddenly wondered if she had enough concealer to even attempt covering up the damage. Lou never cared much before. Before meaning before she met Max. Lou’s beauty routine consisted of scrubbing her face, brushing her teeth, some moisturizer, a swipe of mascara and a swipe of whatever lip gloss was handy. She had been blessed with good genes and naturally good looks. Emerald green eyes, thick lashes and glossy straight auburn hair. Lou wasn’t a fussy girlie-girl by any means but since Max had come into the picture she found herself taking an extra minute or two to be semi-presentable. She had even stolen a bronzer from Caroline’s make-up bag and picked up a couple new shades of lip stain when she was stocking up on bandages and aspirin. Lou wasn’t as reluctant to wear the more feminine sweaters and shirts her mother picked up for her from time to time and she was finding herself spritzing the perfume Caroline had given her more frequently, just in case. Now, staring at herself in the mirror yet again, Lou blew out a breath, disgusted with herself. Once again she was injured and that infuriated her. In the time that Max had known her, easily seventy-five percent of that time, Lou had been wounded one way or another and on an epic scale. She was petite at only five feet, four inches, but she was strong as an ox and could almost keep up with Niko in training sessions. Lou hated that she seemed so fragile in Max’s eyes and now it was just going to be worse with the events of the day. Irritated and angry, she made her way to the shower and started the water so it was warm enough when she finally managed to hobble into it.