Doomed Cases Series Box Set

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “It seems that’s quite a theory,” I muttered. “Drink, yeah, I need one.”

  “My car is parked close by, come on,” Zach encouraged me.

  The awkward silence descended between us when we got to the car. We were both lost in our thoughts. I kept telling myself that Alexis’s plan to use Summer in a healing ritual wasn’t going to be easy. That bitch would have to keep my daughter alive for as long as physically possible.

  Arthur hated me and for a split second I wanted to lose myself in Zach’s ripped body. I closed my eyes for a second, resting my head on the window, and then dozed off. Later on the engine of the car woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and rolled my hair in a ponytail, not recognising the streets around me. Then I remembered that Zach was driving and I’d agreed to go for a drink with him.

  “Where are we?” I asked, staring at the round of nicely finished old Victorian houses. The streets were clean, gardens well maintained.

  “It’s the street where I grew up. My mother called when you were sleeping and asked me to come over,” he said, smiling.

  “All right, I’ll walk from here. Ricky’s apartment isn’t far,” I said, unsure why he didn’t wake me earlier. I needed to head home.

  “No, you’re coming with me. My mother insisted I bring you. Besides, I have to check on Cornelia,” Zachary said switching off the car engine. Gambling and drinking were my forte, not socialising with the mother of my potential boyfriend.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. We are both tired and I won’t be good company this evening,” I said.

  “Nonsense, Flower, you need a warm meal and some encouraging words of wisdom from my ma. We both know that your demonic brain will soon figure out how to capture Alexis, but for now you need to relax a little. It’s been a hell of a day, trust me.”

  There was no point arguing, besides, I was starving. I hadn’t eaten anything since this morning. Maybe Zach was right, I needed some time out.

  He jumped out of the car and opened the door for me like a gentleman. His mother lived at the end of the Victorian terrace. It was a large house, undoubtedly with a lot of character. When we walked towards the door I saw a little girl waving at us. I waved back, seeing that it was Zach’s little niece, Cornelia. He obviously brought me here for a reason, maybe believing that his niece could lift my spirit somehow. I had no idea how I felt about this family gathering so far. Zachary smiled and blew a kiss to her, which she caught. Cornelia was a spitting image of her mother.

  Zach walked in without knocking and I followed. Inside, as I suspected, the decor was set in the colours from Zach’s heritage. Obviously his mother had truly embraced her culture.

  “Oh my dear boy, you finally decided to visit. Work, work, always work these days,” said the woman that greeted us in the large open plan kitchen. Seconds later a mass of black hair was climbing into Zachary’s arms, giggling loudly.

  “Uncle, Uncle, look what I made for you!”

  “All right, I would love to see it, but I have to put you down first. You weigh a tonne now. What have you been eating lately?” Zachary chuckled winking at me.

  Cornelia laughed, dancing around him.

  “Oh, Uncle, I only eat a little. You know that,” she admitted.

  “We will see at dinner,” Zach responded. “Darling, I want you to meet someone. Mum, Cornelia, this is Maxine, my partner.”

  Only Ricky had called me a partner before; for Zach I was just someone that helped him solve cases. His words warmed my heart, and I smiled maybe for the first time since we left the Forgotten Street.

  It took me a moment to realise that I wasn’t the only one suffering. Zachary’s world had turned upside down: his sister wasn’t even human anymore and everything that he ever believed in was gone.

  “Oh so nice to meet you. Come, come, I made some lamb koftas with special dip. You have to try it,” his mother told me, grabbing my elbow and rushing me to the table.

  “Maxine, that’s a strange name. So are you on the street, killing bad guys like Uncle Zach?” Cornelia asked, situating herself next to me when I sat down and staring at me with her large dark eyes.

  “You could say so, but I do have my own detective agency,” I explained, smiling. Cornelia got excited and started telling me about the time when she visited Zach at the station. Her words stopped reaching me after some time. I felt myself drifting away, experiencing the most bizarre daydream in my life. My demonic abilities had taken me back to my daughter. I blinked a few times, finding myself standing in a large open plan room. Alexis was standing in the other corner staring straight at me. It was the new reality, maybe another dream, but this time I couldn’t say how it would end.

  Chapter 11

  “My guide, my dearest master. Seven times– or more by now – you’ve brought me safely through. You’ve drawn me from the face of towering doom. ―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  I acted instinctually again and went for her, but yet again I couldn’t move. It was a dream or yet another vision. Cornelia must have triggered the connection that I had with Alexis and now I was seeing everything from her perspective.

  “Wake her up, witch! I need her. She has the magic inside her, the only thing that can heal me,” Alexis shouted in my direction, but she wasn’t looking at me. I glanced back, seeing Matilda.

  My Warlock friend stood on the other side of the room, with her hands raised. Her energy circulated around, and the strong smell of herbs wafted through the air. A bunch of heavy bricks cascaded down to my stomach when I saw Summer lying on the blankets in the corner. She was asleep. I couldn’t see any injuries on her body, and she looked peaceful.

  “You may have her, but she will never truly belong to you. I cursed her to protect her from your rotten soul!” Matilda screamed, laughing, and in that moment she looked like she had lost her mind. Alexis narrowed her eyes and her red flames appeared in the centre of her palm. Her eyes were gleaming with demonic rage. Panic struck me like a sharp razor. Matilda couldn’t have hurt Summer. She was supposed to protect her.

  “Wake her up or you will die in hell. Lucifer would love to add a Warlock like you to his collection of skeletons,” Alexis roared, trying to break Matilda’s wards, so far unsuccessfully. I could sense the way her dark energy was rising fast. Although her spells were broken, someone was feeding her with power.

  “I do not care for my life. Kill me and the girl remains useless to you,” Matilda responded and looked at Summer with determination and pure love. Only then I understood what happened. She’d put a sleeping charm on Summer in order to protect her from Alexis. Summer was only valuable to her when she was awake and alert. Alexis needed her precious soul and blood in order to go through with her twisted healing ritual.

  A shot of light disarmed Matilda, a piece of wood landed inches away from where she stood. Summer was fast asleep. Alexis wouldn’t hesitate to kill her, but Matilda was right. Warlocks magic was strong and the child was useless to her unless awakened.

  “Max, hey, Max, are you all right?”

  The room disappeared and I was sitting at the table with Zach and his family. I must have looked so zoned out for a moment, sitting there and not saying anything. I smiled weakly, realising that Matilda must have used her abilities to reassure me that she was still protecting Summer. Warlocks’ magic was powerful, and unpredictable. I had no idea what Matilda was planning. I couldn’t give up just yet, there was still a chance and I knew that I could defeat Alexis and end her for all. Matilda’s magic was protecting Summer, but for how long? I had no idea.

  “Yes, sorry. What have we been talking about? I got distracted,” I said, feeling silly.

  “Don’t worry, dear. Zach mentioned that you had a tough day,” Zach’s mum said smiling.

  I shoved some food into my mouth, while Cornelia showed me her colouring books. I was aware that Zach kept glancing back at me. He probably wondered if I was going to lose it soon. Somehow I managed to carry on with normal conversation for the rest of th
e evening. In the end Zach’s mother made me a strong coffee and Cornelia brought me her favourite blanket, just in case I got scared in the night. The girl was caring and sweet, and I felt so incredibly guilty that I didn’t tell Zach about Zara earlier. We both believed that finding Alexis was the solution to all our problems.

  “See, there are decent women out there, son. You should hang on to that one,” Zafira muttered to Zachary when he was helping her clean up. I was playing with Cornelia on the floor. I smiled to myself, aware of the tension that kept boiling between Zach and me since we met in Brixton. I didn’t want to think about the future. Zach wanted a relationship, even after everything that happened.

  “I’m working on it. Maxine has her own demons, but we both know that no one has ever resisted my charms,” he said, probably aware that I was eavesdropping.

  “You’re way too arrogant about it, darling. You will have to work hard for this one. Maxine’s heart is sealed very tightly,” his mother pointed out, giving him a stern look. Well, she was spot on. I always had problems with commitment.

  I could see Zach was a family man, but to anyone else he appeared to be a tough cop with a problematic attitude. I had seen his softer side, the one that he didn’t expose so much. He was extremely patient with Cornelia and showered her with a million kisses when we were leaving. I knew he would bring up my odd moment at the table when we left.

  “You went pale all of a sudden…what was that about?”

  “Matilda had sent me a vision. Don’t ask how or why, but I saw Summer. Matilda has cursed the child, to make sure that Alexis can’t touch her,” I explained, feeling uneasy about this whole thing.

  “That should give us a bit more time to track her down,” Zach said when we reached his car. “That drink, I’m going to drop you at Broken Shoe.”

  “All right, I think I do need one after all,” I muttered. The craving for magical tequila was most likely going to keep me up all night. I wasn’t planning to drink at all tonight, but I wouldn’t mind having at least a sip of vodka. I didn’t argue with him when he opened the car door for me, playing the gentleman. Apparently he was off duty for the next couple of days.

  Everything was absolutely fine until he stopped the car in the alley behind the train station. Suddenly the atmosphere between us shifted. Heat pooled low in my belly. My thoughts were racing back to Arthur, the father of my child. He was still looking for Summer, and he was threatening to expose me.

  I didn’t dare to move. Zach desired me, but there were so many other things to consider. I promised myself that I wouldn’t hurt another man after Arthur.

  “Flower, I want to kiss you and I don’t want you to stop me,” he said in that deep seductive voice that was covering me with smouldering heat. My body had been dreaming about this moment, but my head reminded me that there was no point giving myself away. After all, Maxine’s soul now belonged to hell.

  I opened my mouth to tell him this wasn’t a very good idea, that the whole world was against us, but he moved so quickly that I lost my bearings. His cologne made me weak. He kissed me hard, until I was out of breath, breaking me up into small different pieces. The sensation of his mouth against mine suddenly came back to me. His lips were intense, nerve wrecking. For a short moment I forgot about my responsibilities and let my body dictate. His tongue caressed mine, sending snippets of blazing heat right through me. I became wet and needy. This sudden affection awakened something in me, a craving for true human closeness. Zachary’s finger caressed my bare stomach, finding its way to my cleavage, creeping up until he reached my nipple. Then he rolled it around his thumb and I gasped.

  I arched my head backwards allowing him access to my neck. His lips were divine, biting me gently. I remembered our steamy moment in my flat, our fights and flirtatious looks.

  I moaned, listening to my own voice, but soon enough the image of Summer flashed in front of my eyes, shutting down the flaming heat of desire. Nothing could prepare me for was about to come, but I didn’t want to blind myself with hope that I could experience real happiness in the future.

  I pushed him away quickly, breathing hard.

  “No, I’m not worth it, Zach. This whole thing is too complicated,” I said, fighting to keep my head above the surface. Zach dragged his hand through his hair, filled with bitter disappointment. That man wanted me, I never doubted it.

  “Worth it? Flower, you’re driving me insane. I need a moment with you, to forget that I have a sister that might never be the same again,” he said harshly, squeezing my arm. “I told my mother that you wouldn’t resist me, and you shouldn’t be resisting me.”

  “Zach, I can’t. I’m sorry,” I said and then opened the door of his car and stepped outside. I still had a fair walking distance to the pub. He was going to follow me, tell me that he was falling for me. His emotions were out in the open, and I connected with every single one. My voice of reason told me to jump into this opportunity. I glanced at the darkness, feeling like someone was watching me, but there was no one there. Maybe it was my paranoia reaching a new level.

  “We are both available, Flower, and we both know that you want me,” he called out, but I refused to turn around. He didn’t get it that one time wouldn’t have been enough.

  Half an hour later I was standing outside the Broken Shoe, my heart thumping like crazy. Once I entered the bar I realised that I should have turned around and run back to Zach, because I bumped straight into Rodriguez’s wide arms.

  “Finally we can have a chat, Miss Brodeur,” he said, leaning over the bar and caressing his thick beard. Fuck, of course he knew that I liked spending time in my local pub. Someone must have mentioned to him that I had been drinking here for as long as I could remember.

  I rolled my eyes, so he knew that I wasn’t scared of him. I had a feeling that this night was never going to end.

  The bar was empty. Paul stood behind the counter with his arms crossed. Royal guards were scattered around. Jon glanced at me with a stoic expression on his face. Most of them used to work for me.

  “Have a seat, Miss Brodeur,” Rodriguez said in a demanding tone of voice. I guessed that I had no choice but to obey him. My demonic energy had been weakened back in the Forgotten Street. I was vulnerable.

  As I suspected, Rodriguez took a white envelope from his side pocket and placed it on the table. Morpheus had warned me that might happen. Hell and its politics. This was getting out of control.

  “You have been summoned to answer questions about the night in the palace by Lucifer himself. We might need to take a short trip to hell. You violated demonic rules,” Rodriguez announced.

  “And what rules might that be?” I snarled, itching to shut him up with one of my spells. The old bastard never liked me anyway and now he had a legitimate reason to disarm my wards.

  “You were trying to use illegal magic against a member of the royal family. Hell considers it as treason, mongrel,” he stated, sitting next to me. I glanced at Paul, who seemed pissed off. I counted at least ten guards. Hmm, something was wrong here. Why was there so many of them in here?

  “It was a schoolboy or rather a girl error. The prince broke my personal space,” I muttered, knowing that I had no chance to run away. Rodriguez was itching to get to my head.

  “You were clear on the protocol. A mongrel or a demon isn’t allowed to mess with any royal’s head,” Rodriguez stated. “Now let’s start the interrogation.”

  I was ready to jump the hoop and use my power against that old bastard, but I was weak. Rodriguez was an experienced demon and he wasn’t in a hurry to take me down to hell. He wanted to find out what I was hiding right here and right now.

  On top of that Paul was storing illegal magic in his basement and I didn’t want to get him involved in this mess. I exhaled, gathering my energy. A second later, a guard appeared from the other entrance. It was Roger, and he looked flustered.

  “Sir, we have found something in the basement,” Roger said with a nervous tone of voice. The colour
drained from my face and I glanced at Paul. Whatever was going on, he wasn’t giving much away.

  Rodriguez looked annoyed. He hated wasting time. My throat burned. Paul didn’t hide the magical tequila, and now he was going to get in trouble because of me. His business might even get shut down.

  “What is it? Can you not see that I’m in the middle of something important?” Rodriguez asked.

  Wow, this guy really had a problem with me.

  “Sir, you have to see it for yourself. I insist, sir,” the guard pushed, looking very uncomfortable.

  Rodriguez approached me and then grabbed my hand. A sharp agonising shot went through my left eye.

  “It’s a mark, Miss Brodeur, a taste of what might happen if you decide to run,” he muttered and then he walked away with the guard. The pain was gone as soon as he stopped touching me. I imagined scratching his face with my sharp nails. A long moment passed before they returned. I really had a bad feeling about this. All this time Paul had kept away from any demonic business. I didn’t want him to get arrested.

  “Well, we just caught two birds with one stone. There is something very interesting in the basement,” Rodriguez stated, smiling widely.

  This time Paul frowned. He obviously had no idea what that old bastard was talking about or else he was a very good actor.

  “Hold on? What the hell is in the basement?” I shouted, losing my shit.

  “Wings,” the guard replied, almost stuttering. “The retired Watcher has murdered an angel.”

  Chapter 12

  “This place is free from every kind of change. Only what Heaven, of itself, receives can act here as a cause, and nothing else.” ―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  I gasped out of shock and looked directly at Paul. His expression was unreadable, but I suspected that he knew something about these mysterious wings in the basement. I didn’t believe for one second that he was capable of killing an angel, but other questions began rolling through my mind. What exactly did I know about Paul, other than the fact that he used to be a Watcher?