“He didn’t tell me his name or what he wanted other than you, Maxine. He was tall, dark, looked like a gangster. He said he wanted to speak to you. He promised to come back,” she explained, fanning herself with a stack of papers. “He was very handsome with these dark penetrating eyes.” She muttered the last sentence in a hushed tone after Ricky had turned around.
Emma didn’t waste much time when we were out. She was no slouch. There was a stack of files on the floor, and the first drawer of the filing cabinet was organised. She had gotten through a mess going back a couple of years already. Ricky had mentioned that some members of a faction would come down to audit us to see if we were following the protocols of operating in the human world discreetly. At least some aspects of our business had been taken care of for now.
“What else did he say?” I asked, wondering if this was about my debts. One of the demons had given me a few months to sort the cash out, but he never dared to come over to my place of work before. I needed to make tonight count and finally win my fair share back. It’d been too long.
Emma smoothed her blond hair and fixed her human eyes on me.
“He said that it was good to finally put a face to the picture, and he will see you tonight to discuss the case,” she stated, sounding confused.
I slammed my hand on my desk, feeling like my blood pressure was already up.
“Quinton was here,” I snarled when Ricky looked at me, putting all the evidence on the table in the back. “How did he find us so quickly? We were supposed to be invisible to, you know, other people?”
“I have no idea, Maxine, and we haven’t got time to dwell on it. We need to find the person responsible for the mess in the palace. We don’t want Rodriquez on our backs … especially now,” Ricky muttered, probably not wanting to use the word “demon” in front of Emma.
“You take care of the evidence and call me if you find something. I need to go out, talk to my old circles, find out if anyone has heard anything,” I announced, ready to disappear.
I really needed a drink to get my thoughts back in order. Ricky knew I didn’t like spending too much time in the office. I was most effective when I was out on the streets. I wasn’t expecting Quinton to show up here. He obviously didn’t like wasting time. Besides, if George was still in the city, then I had to hurry up and track him down. Royals represented pure human genes. Many mongrels believed that drinking their blood would make them more powerful than a fully-developed demon. I didn’t think this theory was accurate, but demons liked spreading untrue rumours. The bottom line was, that every member of the royal family was a hundred percent human, and there was nothing special about them.
“Max, I think you should stay here tonight. We have a lot to go through. Besides, Quinton may come back,” Ricky said, sounding more and more like my nonexistent mother. “I had dinner plans with a lady friend, but it looks like I might have to cancel.”
“Ricky, I’m not going out playing. You know I hate sitting behind a desk. Let me see what I can find out in Hackney and report to you later on or tomorrow, all right?”
I don’t know why I was lying to him. We both knew that at the end of the night, he could find me at The Broken Shoe. Maybe it was easier this way, pretending that I was being conscientious and responsible. He smoothed his jaw, looking from me to Emma.
“Fine, but leave half of the cash in the safe,” he said, slightly less hostile.
Okay, I got it, he didn’t trust me, and he had good reasons for it. I had proven to him on a number of occasions that I was a lousy partner. I marched back to my office and took half of the money out. We had a small safe secured with charms in the back. Things were different two years ago. We had an understanding. Ricky ran the agency and I did what I wanted. That was before I fucked it all up and nearly bankrupted the whole business.
Maybe, sober for once, I should go back home to see Mrs. Patel and pay the rent. She had tried calling me a couple of times already, but I didn’t have a chance to return any of her calls. Mainly because I didn’t know what I was going to say to her.
Once I hit the tequila, I couldn’t control myself, didn’t know when to stop. It was easy to admit to all of it now, but when it came to my poker, I loved the thrill of the unknown. I never knew what would happen in the next round, if I was going to get good cards or not. Either way, the game helped me to think of things other than my past.
Emma had cleaned my office, too, and left a pink notebook on the desk with a thank you note. I could tell her emotions were unsettled, and that she wasn’t certain if she was cut out for this position. We couldn’t keep messing with her thoughts, and we could apply for a license once we presented our case to the head of the faction. She was strong enough to take the truth, to know that humans weren’t the only creatures living on Earth.
I spent the next half an hour going through some of our ancient texts, hoping to find something on that strange grey powder, but I couldn’t focus much on the text. Ricky had locked himself away in his office, so I slipped away after an hour, telling Emma not to expect me until tomorrow. Most of the time I was a night owl. Mornings were tough, and I’d never gotten up earlier than ten a.m., even when I worked for the royals.
Outside, I headed straight to the underground. Ricky loved his Mercedes, but I preferred to use my legs or public transport. But it was hard to block out human emotions, especially when I was surrounded by crowds of people. From a very young age, I kept hearing things that were depressing and sad. Humans had never-ending problems, issues that they constantly worried about. Sometimes it was exhausting to coexist in this world, but I had to blend in somehow.
On the tube, I mercifully found an empty seat and closed my eyes, settling in for the journey. I gave myself permission to spend this time to think about my day and how it felt seeing Arthur, which led me to remember everything I’d tried to forget. Concentrating on my past, I shut down the multiple voices in my head.
It was my first time in Buckingham Palace and I was bloody nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. I had worked in security since I was eighteen years old, protecting rich kids and important demons who escaped from the underworld.
Now I was stepping into a completely different world. Graham, one of my clients who owned half of the banks in the city, had set me down one day and proposed a deal. He thought I was wasting my time working in commercial security, that I was talented enough to do something much more ambitious.
I felt kind of burned-out anyway, spending many years working myself to death, waiting for something else but never knowing what. I was bored, ready to leave London behind and start over somewhere else.
Graham had heard that the royal family needed a new head of security, and he had promised to send my resume to his contact in the palace. I had to be interviewed like anyone else, and get ready to go through millions of security checks, and also present my medical records. It was standard procedure, but I was up for a challenge and kind of excited.
The security guard by the gate had kept me waiting for half an hour, and when I was eventually let through, the thrill of excitement shot over my spine. The whole place was amazing, and I couldn’t stop wondering if I would adjust to this new role. Graham had to make several phone calls, and I was going to owe him big time, but I knew that working for the royals was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Some human in a tight white shirt made me wait outside a long twenty minutes, before a tall demon called me inside his office. There was no one else apart from me, and once I got inside, my nerves started slowly paralysing me.
A member of Beelzebub’s faction was sitting in front of a large antique desk. He was young, very young, probably in his early twenties. These days nothing shocked me anymore, and I knew that despite his appearance, he was most likely very powerful.
“Have a seat, Miss Brodeur. My name is Edward Johnson, and I’ll be conducting the interview today,” he stated, then smoothed his tie. He had short brown hair, wore designer glasses, and a very expensive suit.
My CV was in front of him. I recognised the font that I changed a couple of days ago. “Tell me, why do you think an ordinary mongrel like you should be put in charge of royal security?”
I shifted in my seat, feeling attacked. That little fucker had some balls treating me like I was beneath him, but I needed to remember that this wasn’t just a job, but a huge step up the ladder. He most likely wanted to see if I was going to lose my temper.
“I have six years of experience working in commercial security. I have a black belt in karate and a grand master belt in Tae kwon do. My demonic abilities are fully developed. I have protected demons, rich kids, and managed the entire security staff of one of the biggest clubs in London. Taking care of the security staff of the royal family will be hard, but I’m ready to take on the challenge,” I said, knowing that all of this was on my resume, that my achievements weren’t overall impressive.
“I get it, but this job comes with many different responsibilities. Your main focus will be on Prince Arthur, and he is going to make your life difficult. So far, he has fired three excellent candidates, simply because he didn’t like them. He doesn’t care about the protocol or the press. The faction wants to protect him from 'our’ world and dangerous demonic influences. We have tried to pair him up to humans, but so far none of them have worked out. It’s time to change that.”
Wow, so maybe it was a good thing that I was half demon after all. Apparently, the head of the faction needed to have full control over the future king. That was interesting and kind of worrying.
“I’m ready for a change. I have spent way too much time on the streets. I have been waiting for this kind of opportunity for years,” I said.
“Good. I like you, Maxine. Your resume is very impressive, and your background doesn’t bring any major concerns. The future king should be satisfied. You also need to remember that you will be managing other guards, men who haven’t worked with women before. Do you think that will be a problem?”
I started laughing then. He was right: I was only twenty-four, and most of the time, men didn’t appreciate taking orders from a woman. I had worked hard to build up a reputation for myself. Men weren’t a problem for me as long as they treated me with respect and as an equal.
“No, it’s never been a problem,” I told him. “I have worked as the only woman with men for over six years.”
I didn’t know if the interview was going well or not. The demon in front of me kept asking other questions, left the office for several minutes, and then an hour later, he was giving me a tour of the palace.
All this baffled me, but I assumed it was just standard procedure. Deep down, I was very disturbed that a demonic faction was working for the British monarchs. Presumably, Lucifer didn’t like giving humans a free hand, and he needed to keep an eye on one of the most important families in Britain.
“Graham was right. You’re going to do well here,” Johnson stated after he introduced me to most of the security staff. I blinked rapidly, wondering if I had heard him correctly.
I was just about to ask him what he meant, when we both heard loud whistling, and a moment later, a tall, blond guy appeared, greeting us with the most delicious smile.
I left the tube station at Hackney Downs, remembering how extremely excited I’d been being presented with that kind of opportunity. I was going to be the head of security, and I would protect Prince Arthur himself. Two years ago, this sounded like an unbelievable break for me. I was so naive then, badarse, but very naive. I had no idea that the job would ruin me forever.
I was fresh and young then, maybe a little inexperienced in certain aspects of my life, but ready to take on any challenge. My life seemed simple, and it was—until the moment I met the Prince himself.
Edward and I both turned around at the sound of the whistle. The man who approached us was definitely human with a lot of charisma. His emotions were calm, and he seemed relaxed. He was dressed in jogging shorts and a white T-shirt.
“Ah, there is Arthur himself. Let me introduce you,” Johnson said, smiling tightly. My jaw dropped. I had never paid attention to the royal family, so back then, I didn’t know what the future king really looked like. I wasn’t expecting to meet the prince right then.
“Ed, what a surprise. I’ve just been out on a run,” Arthur said, eyeing me with curiosity. He was sweating a lot, but I liked his messy look, the curiosity and gleam in his green eyes. This man was trouble.
“Your Highness, allow me to present you with your new Head of Security,” Johnson said, throwing me completely off guard. “This is Maxine Brodeur. I was planning to make a proper introduction tomorrow, but since you’re here—”
“Maxine, pleasure to meet you,” the future king said, getting to me faster than I expected and extending his hand for a shake.
He was much taller than me, his shoulders broad and muscular. For the first time in my short life, I was speechless, staring at this man in total amazement. He smiled wider, and then suddenly a wave of desire flipped inside my stomach. When our hands touched, I felt a zing of electricity that suddenly ran between us, connecting my demonic soul with his human emotions.
“It’s good to meet you, too, Your Highness,” I managed to say, unable to take my eyes off that man, that human. We were staring at each other for a good few seconds, still holding each other’s hands, and with every passing moment, my heart beat faster.
I should have known back then, in that corridor, that my life was never going to be the same again. I should have predicted that meeting the prince would break my ordered life to pieces, that after a year in the royal court, I would have to hide in order to protect a secret that could never be revealed.
Chapter 8
“Into the eternal darkness, into fire and into ice. ”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I didn’t go straight to The Broken Shoe. For a good half hour, I walked around contemplating what to do. Soon the craving for a drink won, and I entered a different pub near Hackney an hour later. The Broken Shoe was hidden between the small alleys in Brixton, and it served a different caliber of customers than the one I had chosen tonight. I was hoping to speak to one of the guards from the palace. He had a tendency to hang around here a while back. The pub was called Six Bells and there was a mixed crowd in here: a few drunk humans, mongrels, and a demon who sat in the back with a pint of beer.
Matt was one of the guards who I personally hired almost two years ago. I knew that he liked drinking at Six Bells, mostly because this was where he met his ex-wife; he was a nostalgic kind of guy. Also, he was the best person to talk to about the night that George disappeared. He knew most of the staff, and I hoped that even after a year, not much had changed.
I glanced around, slightly apprehensive to see two Watchers sitting in the corner and eyeing the crowd in front of them. Their presence was worrying. They only appeared if a creature from the underworld was on the loose, or if a human accidentally had learned the truth about the demonic world. They also dealt with demons who didn’t stick to the rules. This wasn’t good, but I shook my head, wanting to ease my paranoia. The bottom line was that they weren’t here for me, well, hopefully not. I was getting paid to track George down, and I was certain that I would have something after talking to Matt. The past was the past, and there was no point dwelling on it.
“Hey, Mattie boy, how are you this fine cold evening?” I asked, situating myself next to him. He looked at me, releasing a huge smile, and then scanned me up and down with his deep brown human eyes.
“And who the devil let you in here? The one and only Maxine Brodeur,” he said. “I had a feeling you might show up soon enough.”
“Well, you know me. I don’t like wasting time,” I replied and nodded to the barman to pour me some tequila. I knew that this wasn’t what I was normally used to, but the spirit was enough to shush my troubling memories. “You’re the perfect person to tell me everything I need to know.”
Matt was lean and built up like he had tak
en too many steroids. He had deep circles around his eyes, a square jaw, and he was completely bald. He was divorced, with teenage kids, and after many years of failed relationships, he still hoped to find the right woman.
“I didn’t see anything last night, if that’s what you’re after,” he said, getting straight to the point, and then he took a generous gulp of beer.
“That’s disappointing. I was hoping you might have at least seen something?” I continued.
“No, we all got the call around midnight, but by that time, the young prince was already gone. I’ve no idea how the intruder even got into the palace in the first place. There were guards stationed almost everywhere and no slackers sneaking off.”
I looked at the gold liquid in front of me, aware that it’d been two nights since I had tasted it.
“To be honest, I don’t really want to talk about last night. Tell me who George has been hanging around with lately. Any questionable individuals?” I pressed and swallowed my first shot of tequila. The alcohol burned my throat, but the sensation afterwards felt damn good. Mama was home, baby.
“The usual—spoiled kids from Chelsea. There had been some arguments with Princess Layla, too. George wanted her to stay out of his business. You know, the same domestic stuff as usual.”
I asked the barman to pour me another shot of tequila, and once the alcohol started burning through my veins, I began relaxing. The stress from earlier on faded, and my torn heart became stone cold again. Hell, drinking was my escape from agonising pain, from feeling like the loneliest person on the planet.
“There is more, though, isn’t there, Matt? It’s not just the usual problems at home,” I said, pretty much aware that he knew more than he wanted to say. Whoever the hell was in charge of the security these days must have been keeping all the guards on a short leash. The rules were simple: all the staff who worked for the royal family had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, but Matt owed me more than a few favours. I didn’t want to bring this up right away, but I needed to know what young George had been up to. Something wasn’t sitting right.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 10
