The Quelling Tide (The Gifted Realm Book 7)

by Jillian Neal

  Holding her eyes with his, he husked, “You need somebody to put out the fire, baby doll, you let me know. I’ll take care of it.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

  She shivered, but then seemed to will resolve as she moved to the next display of stone sculptures of women having sex in many varied positions all with men portrayed as demons.

  Shuddering slightly, Dan wondered why the men were the demons. He’d met several women in his day that he’d qualify as such.

  Fionna leaned up on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss across his jawline.

  “Don’t worry, baby. I’ve never thought of you as a demon. I think of you more as my sexiest fantasy come true only better.”

  He couldn’t halt the cocky grin that spread rapidly across his face.

  They moved on to a display of fairly normal looking cherry wood dining room chairs all set around a table. Each chair was equipped with a rather large dildos in the seats. Fionna cracked up as Dan shook his head.

  “Oh my gosh! The Angels should get a set of those for the boardroom.” She guffawed. Dan lost it as well. He found it odd that he was enjoying the afternoon with her in the erotic museum.

  I shouldn’t be surprised. It never matters what we’re doing as long as she’s beside me.

  They walked by a large display behind glass of female mannequins all dressed in pin up style of the more common male fantasies. There was a nurse, a teacher, a dominatrix, a submissive, and women in general states of undress.

  Dan wasn’t surprised that Fionna didn’t spend too much time on any of the mannequins. He followed her to a large dollhouse styled display with figurines in each and every room in numerous sexual acts. Dan shifted his eyes to Fionna carefully as she took in a blind folded woman fully bound in ropes in one of the bedrooms. Her male counterpart was fully dressed as he stared at her holding a belt.

  “Yeah, I just don’t think so.” She shuddered.

  Recalling a conversation they’d had after Eric Kent had broken into her house about whether or not she’d want to try out cuffs and a blindfold, Dan had to laugh.

  The next area had her far more intrigued. There was a table set with foods and flowers that all naturally resembled vaginas, breasts, and penises.

  “That’s really cool. They’re beautiful.” She pointed to the seeded fruits with fleshy centers that looked very much like an aroused female vulva.

  “Makes me hungry.” Dan growled in her ear.

  She giggled hysterically as they took in a display of nutcrackers with the portion that was used to crack said nuts being either between the legs of a woman or a man. “Come on. That’s a little funny.”

  He grimaced in mocked pain. “It really isn’t.”

  They climbed the first set of stairs to the next floor and followed another cluster of tourists to see a large grouping of phalli. They varied in size from a few centimeters to several feet high.

  “Seems like that might get lost.” She pointed to a few of the tinier sculptures.

  “Wouldn’t know. Never had that problem.” He smirked.

  “I know.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  The next display was a grouping of male genitals where the testicles were actually female breasts. Dan laughed at her outright when she rolled her eyes. “What? That’s one of my favorite places for it to be.”

  “So, when Aida asks what we did today?” He teased her as they headed up another flight of stairs.

  “We went to a museum.” She stated but then broke out in laughter again. “I hope I’m not corrupting Halia!” She covered her abdomen with her arms.

  This had Dan guffawing again. “I think she’s fairly safe.”

  “Oh look, honey, they have a whole display of your favorite position.” She held her arms out to paintings, sculptures, and mannequins all having doggy-style sex.

  “Yeah, but it looks way better when I get you on all fours, baby doll.” If she was going to flirt dirty, he could too.

  The next floor was dedicated to early porn. A large portion of this floor was a movie theater showing examples of early motion pictures in black and white. There were silent, dirty film clips that showed in succession.

  “Wanna see the show?” She teased.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna go in a dark theater with you. A man can only take so much, sweetheart.”

  She poked her lip out in a delicious pout.

  “Fi, baby, I know you’re thoroughly enjoying torturing me to death, but think about what might be on those seats.”

  She grimaced with a shuddered, “Yuck.”

  He took her hand and led her around the few displays of early magazine porn.

  They ventured on to the next few floors that contained more contemporary art displays of sex. Nothing held their interest very long, so they moved on.

  The next two floors were quite interesting. The nude artworks were breathtaking. She took in a painting of a man and woman in the act. The name of the painting was Her husband, His wife.

  “It really is beautiful.” She commented thoughtfully and he nodded his agreement.

  “I’m a big fan myself.” He teased, but as he thought about the painting, he knew that it was a truly beautiful act when it was shared by two people in love with one another.

  There was a temporary display on the female clitoris and g-spot. There were graphs and pictures of the locations of both and then research done on the areas.

  “The only areas on the human body whose only function is pleasure.” Fionna read on one of the printed studies that had been enlarged and displayed beside the model.

  She was instantly fascinated and moved further into the temporary display room. There were numerous scientific research papers denouncing the existence of the g-spot, and then examples of ancient religions that had denounced sexual activity all together.

  “Those scientists should have just asked you because you’re so good at finding mine.”

  “Well, I do make it my business to know all of your hotspots, baby doll, and all of the delicious ways to get you going.”

  She beamed up at him but then gasped as she read the next display. “The clitoris wasn’t discovered until 1998! How is that possible?”

  Dan read the scientific research associated with the display. “I would say it goes back to a lack of women’s healthcare, and lack of research on what makes a woman orgasm.”

  She sighed and moved on to read a study on sexual stigmas from the past. “You were only allowed to do it to procreate?”

  Dan nodded as he read the same studies. Those rules seemed destined to fail.

  “What was wrong with pleasure?” She genuinely wanted an answer.

  “Well, these people.” He gestured to an article that he assumed must have been written by the very early Gifted people though the article wouldn’t have appeared odd to any Non-Gifted individual. “Believed the man was giving away all of his energy, and I think some religions thought it felt that good it must be bad.”

  Fionna was thoughtful for a few minutes. “We need to hurry. I don’t want to be too much later than Aida getting back.”

  “We can skip the last floor if you want.”

  “No, it’s just one more. I want to see it.”

  They climbed the stairs to the top floor of the erotic museum. The entire level was dedicated to brothels and the way they’d shaped the Parisian cultural landscape for centuries.

  One entire wall was pictures of rather famous individuals that had frequented the Parisian bordellos. Suddenly, Fionna gasped.

  “What?”

  She pointed to a small black and white photo. Swallowing harshly, Dan felt the icy hands of evil gripping his soul again as he looked into Dominic Wretchkinsides evil malignant eyes.

  He would have been barely eighteen-years-old seated at a table right beside Pendergrath in a brothel long before Dan had even been born. The placard stated his name and told that he was the son of famed millionaire Hadrian Dietrech Wretchkinsides. Apparently the picture was taken just days after his fathe
r had cut him off. It stated that he had travelled from Berlin to Paris to drown his sorrows in the local bordello.

  The picture was taken on the same street Dan and Fionna were currently standing on. The ladies employed by the brothel were draped around both of them and they were wearing very little.

  Fionna spun. “Do you want to leave?”

  “I’m fine, baby.” He clung to her hand wishing that Paris would stop thrusting pictures of Nic Wretchkinsides in his face. As long as you’re here, I’m fine. He pulled her closer to ward off the terror and the malice he saw when he looked into the blackest eyes he’d ever gazed upon. He tried not to recall their depths as he’d stared into them as they’d died.

  After a few more displays, they did make their way out.

  “Thank you for enduring my perverse side for a little while.” She laughed.

  “Anytime, baby.”

  They grabbed a late lunch from a patisserie near the Fitzroy’s house.

  “This is where Fitz chased Rainer and Logan when they were here, and he was convinced that they weren’t officer enough to bring home the evidence I needed.” Dan shook his head.

  “Yeah, I heard about Rainer and Logan barging in on Adeline and Emily dressed up in some pretty racy lingerie.”

  “The fact that Logan didn’t kill Rainer then and there just shows you how good of friends they are.”

  “Emily was pretty embarrassed that her brother saw her like that.”

  “I’m sure she was. I sure as hell don’t want to see any of my sisters dressed up like that.”

  Walking hand in hand, they returned to the Fitzroy’s and were greeted excitedly by their little girl. She rushed to them as soon as they entered.

  “Look!” She held up a large canvas that she’d painted a full floral display on.

  “Wow!” Fionna gushed.

  “That’s beautiful, baby girl! ” Dan was certain that no artwork in the Louvre or anywhere else was prettier.

  Aida rocked up on her toes as she showed off her artwork.

  “We’ll have to hang it up when we get home.”

  “And I got to look all around at the museum, and Mr. Fitzroy showed me how if he touched a balloon and then touched it to my hair it would stand up like this!” She lifted her hair out straight up on her head.

  Fitz seemed pleased that Aida was so impressed.

  “What else did you see?” Fionna seated herself on the sofa and pulled Aida into her lap.

  “I saw lots of pictures, and there were some of people that didn’t have any clothes on. I think they were going to get in the bathtub.”

  Dan bit back a chuckle as he refrained from stating that he and Fionna had seen lots of pictures of people lacking clothes as well.

  “Alex said that Mrs. Fitzroy said that it was art, so they weren’t really naked, but I’m pretty sure they were.”

  Dan and Fionna tried not to double over laughing as they nodded their agreement.

  After they ate and put the kids to bed, they confessed what they’d done with their afternoon. Fitz and Maddie informed them that the Erotic Museum was one that they frequented every time the displays were changed or a lecture was being held.

  Several hours later, Dan crawled into bed as Fionna headed into the bathroom. She exited wearing nothing but the Louboutin heels they’d purchased, a black ribbon tied up in her hair, which was slicked back in a ponytail perfect for pulling, and a naughty smirk.

  Baited Bills

  ~Rainer Lawson~

  “You’re certain?” Rainer sat stunned in his desk chair. “No, no, I’ll tell him.” He assured the bank manager from KBC in Brussels. “Thank you!”

  “Who was that?” Logan quizzed.

  “Claud Janesson. Come here. You have to hear this.” He turned and knocked on the already open door to Portwood’s new office.

  “What’s up?” Portwood gave Rainer a kind smile.

  “I just talked to Janesson from KBC in Brussels where we traced the money that went missing from those accounts after the takedown. Some of the money that was taken in from the last bank job Pendergrath pulled, the one up in Bellingham was baited. It was hot!” Rainer was ecstatic.

  “And when they were planning to attack our shower at the farm, they didn’t bother to clean the money. They needed it to pay for the weapons Pravus was bringing up from Columbia. Anyway, the money was taken by someone and deposited in Brussels in KBC several weeks after the takedown, but here’s the thing.” Rainer drew a deep breath. “Some of the money, a few of the marked bills, were used in the wire to Langfield for the cameras he set up on my honeymoon!”

  “What?” Portwood’s mouth hung open.

  “Yeah.” Rainer huffed.

  “Is he certain?” Logan quizzed in abject disbelief.

  “He gave me the serial numbers.” Rainer held up the slip of paper where he’d taken notes on his phone call.

  “Whoever took the money right out from underneath us is the same person that set you and Emily up?” Portwood gasped.

  It didn’t sound possible. He wasn’t certain if he was thrilled that they’d gotten a break in the case or horrified that it appeared some piece of the Interfeci might still be in existence.

  “What do we do now?” Logan took the paper from Rainer’s hands and studied the serial numbers.

  “Give me a minute.” Once again Portwood appeared to be questioning whether or not he was really the man for the title he’d been given. “All right, I take it there’s no money left in the account that the KBC traced it to?”

  “They took $240,000 from one of the accounts that we didn’t know about until after the takedown. The wire was 225 for setting up the cameras, but we don’t know what the media paid for the photos and where all of that money went or where the other 15 thousand is now. I assume that’s about what the equipment cost to take the long range photos.” Rainer lamented.

  Portwood nodded. “Call the KBC back. Tell them I want any information they have on who set up the account before the wire. Wretchkinsides used to pay top dollar to guys that worked for banks all over the world to keep him informed of the serials on marked bills. Whoever took the money either thought it was already cleaned or forgot that step.”

  “Janessen was going home. He’s emailing me any other information he has. It’s almost eleven o’clock in Brussels.”

  “Yeah, and we arrested most of his cleaners when we got their names from the information that poured in after the take down.” Logan recalled.

  Portwood stared thoughtfully at the pictures on his desk. “Maybe whoever is behind this knew that we’d taken out all of the cleaners. He needed the money, so he just hoped that it had been cleaned after the bank job.”

  ~Dan Vindico~

  “Dan, get up now!” Fionna shrieked.

  Dan’s chest vibrated in his terror as he leapt from the bed. “What? What’s wrong?” The world spun momentarily as he tried to awaken. It was three fifteen. His brain took in that information as he stared at Fionna.

  She was pacing frantically. Her energy was erratic and terror-filled. She was sobbing and tugging at her own hair. Her eyes spun disconcertingly.

  “Go get, Aida! Something is wrong!”

  “Fi, what? What is it?” He tried to keep his voice calm. She convulsed and he panicked. “I feel it. Something bad is going to happen! There are people here! All around! I feel them. They’re everywhere! Go get, Aida!” She screamed in his face.

  Suddenly, she flew from their room and raced across the hall. Dan sprinted after her throwing his shield over she and Aida as Fionna lifted her small sleeping body from the bed.

  A bullet flew through the window. Dan felt the air vibrate as his shield deflected the bullet headed straight for his chest.

  “Get down!” He shoved Fionna and Aida, who was screaming, to the ground and covered them with his body.

  “Dan!” Fitz threw a revolver end over end his way.

  Dan dropped the east end of his shield from his right hand and caught the gun.
He fired at the man crawling through the window knocking him back out of the house.

  Fitz low crawled into the room. “Fionna, take Aida and go with Maddie. She’s taking the boys to the basement. There’s an enhanced fallout shelter from the war. I casted it myself. Go!”

  Fionna and Aida both sobbed in harrowing terror as Dan kept them shielded all the way into the shelter. He raced back up the stairs meeting Fitz in the center point of the hallway.

  “Do you have a count?” Dan husked.

  “No.” Fury cast every feature of his face as they stood back to back guns drawn scanning the house. Shattering glass rent the air in a thundering crash and another gunman moved in through Alex’s window.

  Fitz threw electricity through the air and the man fell with a deafening thud to the floor. Dan crept to the guy.

  “His heart’s still beating.” He took the rifle from the man’s hands carefully.

  “Good, I want to talk to as many of them as we can. Here!” Fitz hurled a pair of cuffs, he’d pulled from a small sideboard in the hallway, towards Dan.

  Catching the cuffs and keeping his gun on the intruder, Dan cuffed the mans hands around Alex’s bedpost.

  Head snapping to the right, Dan and Fitz heard the front door fall into the entryway.

  Slowly they low crawled towards the foyer. Fitz pointed to the light cast from the street lamps now over the hardwood floors with no door to block it. He took in the two shadows, one male, one female.

  Dan held up two fingers then flashed a one and one, with Fitzroy nodding the same count.

  Fitz pointed up to the light mounted on the wall near the male’s head. Nodding, Dan understood what he was to do. Drawing a steadying breath, he summoned and then shot a violent stream of electricity into the lamp momentarily blinding the intruders.

  As they attempted to cover their eyes, Fitz threw his powerful shield out and knocked them backwards onto the brick front steps. Leaping simultaneously, Fitz pulled another pair of cuffs from the front hall table and cuffing them together. Dan bound them back-to-back with duct tape. They saw nothing more than ghost spots from the light flare he’d blown a foot from their faces.