The Royal Flush (Knights of the Darkness Chronicles(Book Three))

by Simmons, D. N.

  “Last night, Darian increased my ability. At first, I didn’t feel any different from before, but today when I touched Adam’s car I received a vision. Before when I would touch an object, I would feel some sort of connection, like an electric spark or something. But this was different.”

  “What did you see in your vision?” Xander asked calmly and softly. The tone of his voice helped Natasha relax, it comforted her.

  “I saw Adam rape and kill a woman on the hood of his car. I saw it as if I were actually standing there, like I was the one doing it!” Natasha was visibly disturbed. “The connection I formed with Adam let me see his past through his eyes.” Coldness rippled through her and she shivered.

  Xander rose from his seat, kneeling down in front of her. He had seen many horrible things in his lifetime. In his eyes, Natasha was an innocent in many ways. He couldn’t imagine how the vision was truly affecting her, but she was traumatized, of that, he was certain. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly as his arms encircled her.

  “The world is a dangerous place. People can be ugly and cruel. I wish that you did not see such atrocities with your visions. I apologize for bringing you into this”

  Natasha pulled away, interrupting Xander. “No, don’t apologize. I wanted to help, I still do. It’s not your fault that some people are evil.” She smiled sadly. “It’s unfortunate that I had to see that, lord knows I’d rather get visions of puppies playing. But I’m grateful for my visions. They allow me to help people. To save lives, it’s nothing that I can’t bear. My best friend, whose life was viciously snatched away from her a few months ago, once told me that my ability was a gift from God and my cross to bear. I could choose to ignore it, or embrace it. I decided long ago to embrace it and all that came with it. So don’t worry about me, I’ll cope. You’re all helping me with that, too. So thank you.”

  “You are an interesting human. Very few have your amount of courage and fortitude. I don’t normally associate with humans past making business deals. I prefer to keep to my own kind. But you have a quality about you that I admire. I can say with complete honesty, that it has been my honor to have met you, Miss. Natasha Hemingway,” Xander said with a charming smile.

  Natasha intrigued him and he respected her. She was both loyal and brave. Those were qualities that he felt mortals didn’t hold in high regards. For two centuries, he had witnessed mankind’s inhuman treatment of mankind and was never surprised by the carnage and pain that continued throughout the ages. But every once in a while, he’d meet a human that amazed him. Matthew was one, Natasha was another. He regretted not ever having the opportunity to meet Annette. She appeared to have been a very wise, honest and loyal person from Natasha’s description.

  He rose from his kneeling position. “Do you wish to rest?”

  “Yeah, I could use some rest,” she said, remembering what little sleep she did get.

  Xander offered her his hand. As she took it, something he remembered from her story struck him. “You mentioned that his name was Adam, not Brian?”

  Natasha nodded. “I believe it is his real name and Brian is just an alias. I remember the feeling of his satisfaction every time she screamed the name ‘Adam’, begging for him to stop. That might be one of the reasons he killed her, she knew who he was, at least that’s what I suspect.”

  Xander nodded. “That’s important information. Come, I’ll show you to a room.” He led her to a bedroom where she could relax.

  Natasha thanked him as he closed the door. She climbed onto the soft covers after removing her boots and laid there on the bed, staring at the ceiling, almost too afraid to close her eyes. But she knew that she must. They had to know what Adam would be doing at that moment. She forced herself to relax, and soon found herself drifting off into darkness.

  Chapter Ten

  Through Adam (Brian) eyes, Natasha could see the hotel door opening. A man dressed in a brown button up shirt and front pleated slacks stood before him. The man looked annoyed, his dark gray eyes burned with contempt as he glared at Adam. His salt and pepper hair was cut short and combed back. Natasha remembered this man, she had seen him once before, but couldn’t remember when or where. She concentrated on the vision, trying to get all of the information that she could.

  “I see that you do not have my merchandise,” the man said calmly, though the stiffness of his body proved that he was anything but calm.

  Adam knew by the way that this man looked at him, that he was greatly annoyed. “There was a problem”

  “There seems to be many problems arising, why is that, Brian?” The man walked behind a desk and sat down in the expensive black leather chair.

  “It was not my fault, Mr. Houston. I met the contact at the location, I had ten of my men scattered throughout the area to take them out. But they killed them and double-crossed me. They took the money and the merchandise.”

  “Looks like they succeeded in their plan.” Mr. Parker known only to Adam as ‘Mr. Houston’ groaned, his aggravation apparent.

  “The good news is”

  “There’s good news?!” Mr. Parker asked, feigning excitement.

  Adam nodded. “One of them is a shape-shifter, I’m sure of it. He crushed the hell out of my gun as if it was made out of aluminum foil! And I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all fucking freaks! How else could they have taken out my men,” he said in his defense.

  Mr. Parker’s eyebrows rose at the mention of a shape-shifter. “Go on.”

  “One of them told me to tell you not to harm the captives, or he’ll make you wish you were never born.”

  Mr. Parker laughed. “Is that all?”

  “Yeah. What are we going to do?” Adam asked.

  “We aren’t going to do anything.”

  Mr. Parker quickly pulled out an automatic handgun he’d hidden in the desk drawer and fired two shots, both bullets striking Adam in the heart. Natasha felt the searing pain of the bullets as they entered his body. Adam fell backwards to the floor, blood poured from his mouth as freely as it poured from his chest. Natasha felt his excruciating pain and his fear as his body grew weaker. He knew that his death was inevitable.

  Mr. Parker stepped from behind the desk approaching Adam. Looking down into his eyes, he smiled.

  “Let’s hope that you were smart enough not to have been followed.” He aimed the barrel in front of Adam’s face and pulled the trigger, firing the last bullet.

  Natasha screamed from the mental pain the vision caused. The pain jarred her awake. She looked around the room, catching her breath.

  Sergio burst into her bedroom, startling her. “Natasha, are you all right?!”

  “Jesus Christ, Sergio! You scared the shit out of me!”

  “I’m sorry, I heard you screaming. Not when I came into the room, but before. I was worried.”

  Natasha nodded, instantly forgiving Sergio for scaring her. “I had a vision.”

  He stepped into the room, wanting to know more.

  With a deep breath, Natasha continued.

  “Brian’s, um, Adam’s dead. The guy he worked for's name is Mr. Houston. I don’t know if that’s an alias or if it’s his real name. Adam didn’t know either. He only knew him as Mr. Houston.” She described Mr. Houston’s features as best as she could.

  “That narrows it down to about five million people.”

  “I wish I could give you more.” She frowned.

  “Oh shit, I’m sorry, Natasha. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. That was really insensitive of me,” Sergio apologized, feeling like an asshole for what he had said.

  “Don’t worry about it, Sergio. You’re under a lot of stress, so am I. So is everyone else.”

  Sergio nodded. “What else did you see?”

  “Adam gave him Adrian’s message, but it didn’t seem to faze him. He also told him that we were all shape-shifters right before the guy shot him twice in the chest and one right between the eyes.” Natasha looked down at her hands, they were shaking. �
�God, I could really use a Valium right about now.”

  Sergio reached into his pocket, removing a small packet. “Here, take this. I’ll get you a glass of water.”

  “You just keep random drugs in your pocket?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, you never know when one of them might come in handy, like now.”

  “Ooookay. Thanks.”

  Sergio nodded and left the room, returning with a tall glass of water.

  Natasha thanked him again then swallowed the pill with the water.

  “You should feel more relaxed in a little while. Why don’t you lay down and try to get some real sleep, okay.”

  “That sounds like a really good idea.” Natasha laid back down, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. The room was a little chilly so the blankets gave her warmth and comfort. Sergio left her to rest and went to inform the others of her vision.

  In her sleep, she searched her mind, focusing on the vampire and two shape-shifters to check on their condition. All three where still terrified, even more than before, they had still not been given any food and were in unbearable pain. She wished there was something she could do. She ended the vision abruptly. She needed to rest her mind and body as well as her spirits. When she awoke finally, she looked at the open window and saw that the sun had long since set. After using the bathroom, she went downstairs and found the others sitting in the den. Warren, Matthew, Darian, Tony and Xavier were all there, as well as Elise and Devin, having arrived while she slept. Both Darian and Xavier walked over to her and hugged her individually. Both men silently admired her sexy black dress, their eyes trailing over her body as she stood before them.

  “Xander told me what happened. How are you feeling?” Darian asked as he brushed Natasha’s bangs gently away from her eyes.

  “I’m doing better, don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. The dress… it’s different. I like it,” Xavier smiled.

  Natasha looked down at the sexy ensemble. She had forgotten she was wearing it. “Oh, yeah. Sergio said I can keep it.”

  Elise felt sorry for Natasha, having heard about the visions she saw. To have had to witness the murders and in such proximity was surely horrifying. She also felt guilty for bringing her human friend into it, but the fact of the matter was, they needed her.

  “You know, Natasha, if you want, I can help you forget all of your unwanted memories,” Darian whispered to her. He knew the others would be able to hear him clearly, but that didn’t matter, only Natasha mattered.

  She thought about what Darian had suggested, and wasn’t sure what route she wanted to take. She didn’t know if she wanted to forget the murders and rape, not just in this incident, but in all of the others. If she did, would she remember that she helped bring the criminals to justice? She didn’t want to forget that Annette's murderers were dealt a deserving justice and she didn’t want to forget what she did on this night, and how much help she could be. But she also didn’t want the nightmares that sometimes followed her visions. Did she want the horror of this particular memory to remain inside of her mind? She didn’t know. It was a hard decision to make. She wondered how Darian would do it, that is, if she let him.

  “I’ll be okay, Darian,” she said reassuringly.

  Darian could read her body language, and he knew that she was anything but ‘okay’. Later, he would talk to her. Later, he would help her, when she was ready.

  “Back to my vision, before he was killed, Adam called this man, Mr. Houston. Now, I’ve seen this guy before, but I don’t know where or when. He looks very familiar.”

  “Can you describe him?” Darian asked.

  Natasha forced herself to remember the man features, but the memory of him was clouded, distorted. She shook her head sadly.

  “I can’t remember his face. There was too much going on. He had black and gray hair, I remember that. It was cut short and feathered.”

  “If you would allow me, I could delve into your mind, and gather this information from your thoughts,” Darian suggested.

  Natasha looked at him. “Okay.” She closed her eyes, putting all of her trust in him.

  Darian scanned her mind until he found what he was looking for.

  “I recognize him. His name is Richard Parker,” he said.

  She opened her eyes and looked at him, marveling at his skill.

  “Richard Parker, the billionaire?” Elise asked in shock.

  “So, it seems as though deer and pheasants no longer satisfy our Mr. Parker. He has sought out a more exotic prey to hunt,” Xander said thoughtfully.

  “It would seem so. There must be certain element he’s seeking; perhaps a prey that would yield to a more dangerous hunt. I doubt that he’s alone in this quest,” Tatiana speculated.

  “I would have to agree. We need to find him right now. Already, he knows more about us than I’m comfortable with.” Xander tossed a disappointed glance at his son, Adrian.

  “Look, that guy pissed me off. He put a gun to her head.” Adrian pointed at Natasha. “I acted irrationally, I know. I just…” He looked away, disappointed in himself. He never wanted to compromise their efforts.

  Xander walked over to his son, placing his hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “I understand, Adrian, believe me, I do. But from now on, please try to keep your temper.”

  Adrian nodded. “I’ll try, Dad.”

  Xander chuckled. “I suppose that’s all anyone of us could hope for.” He turned towards the others. “He knows that we have the ammunition and that we know about the prisoners. He might not wait until the full moon to hunt. He may kill them today to get rid of any incriminating evidence.”

  “Not only that, he had men there to monitor the transaction and quite possibly kill us. We had arranged for Daniel, Michael and Miranda to take out his men,” Sergio said.

  “Where are Daniel and Miranda now?” Darian asked.

  “They went home after the meeting with Adam,” Sergio said. “But I spoke with Daniel on the phone; he told me Adam had some snipers nearby with military grade high-powered rifles and communication devices. He said the guns were loaded with regular bullets. That tells me they didn’t know what we were at that time. I’m sure that’s changed, now.” He tossed a glance at Adrian and continued. “There were ten men waiting to take us out. I fucking hate double-crosses.” He leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

  “Yeah, they had cameras, too. I mean, they were really well-trained, military precision,” Michael said.

  During the day, Michael was one of the best criminal lawyers money could buy. He became a Pack brother shortly after being bitten by a wolf while on a camping trip. Xander took him in, taught him how to be what he was. He saved him. To show her gratitude, his sister, Sara, an undercover hacker and physician who worked for a private clinic that was under contract to the S.U.I.T., did her part keeping the Pack’s secret by making sure Warren’s medical records never revealed what he was. She also assisted any other supernatural seeking her expertise that happened to be under public scrutiny.

  “Wait a minute, hold on! Do you think this Richard person may already know who we are?” Justin asked.

  Michael shrugged. “We destroyed the video and audio equipment, but there may have been some sort of surveillance feed. This Richard guy doesn’t seem like the type of person who would overlook small details.”

  “It would be wise to assume that much,” Tatiana added.

  “So that means we should be finding out where he lives so he can lead us to the others. Why are we still standing around?” Tony asked, obviously upset and worried.

  Xavier looked at Tony then towards the others.

  “I know where he lives. There was a ball held at his estate in Evanston four years ago. Darian was invited, but I went in his stead,” he said.

  “Do you think he’ll be home?” Adrian asked looking at the vampires.

  Darian shrugged one shoulder. “
I don’t know, but I’m going to follow my instincts. He was able to give Brian… I mean, Adam the money this morning, so this tells me that he’s in the area.”

  “Right then,” Adrian agreed.

  “I’m going with you all,” Natasha stated.

  “No, you’re not. I don’t want you to take on too much,” Darian said

  “No, I’m going. What if he isn’t there? I can make my connection with him and we’ll know everything.”

  Darian thought about what Natasha was saying, he knew it was a wise idea. But he didn’t want her to have to suffer any more visions if she didn’t have to. “Are you sure that you want to do this?”

  Natasha huffed. “I want everyone to stop asking me that. If I wasn’t sure about any of this, I wouldn’t be here. I’m sure.”

  “Very well, stay close to me at all times,” Darian said.

  “Hey guys, check this out!” Justin called from across the room.

  Everyone gathered around him. Justin was working at the lock on the briefcase. He looked up at the others.

  “Can you hear that?” he turned the little dial on the combination lock back and forth. There was a clicking sound as if the dial was scraping against something.

  Adrian reached around his mother and snatched the briefcase from Justin. Looking at the lock he removed his knife from his side pocket. With one swift movement he jabbed the knife into the leather briefcase and wrenched the little golden lock off. A tiny silver object popped off, Devin caught it in his hand before it could hit the floor. He examined it closely.

  “Fuck! It’s a transmitter!” Devin declared.

  “Cunning humans indeed,” Darian mused. He took the transmitter from Devin and inspected it; he then crushed the object, tossing the remains into a nearby waste paper basket.

  “How in the hell did we not notice that before?” Sergio asked, angry with himself for not having detected the device earlier.

  “We were all a little preoccupied. And that was some pretty high-tech equipment,” Adrian offered an excuse.

  “It was a S.U.I.T. standard issue tracking device. It’s the best. It’s not supposed to be heard. It was designed so that it didn’t radiate sound, only transmission waves low enough to not be detected. It’s not your faults,” Matthew said as he stared at the remains in the trash.