Chiromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts Book 8)

by Charmaine Pauls

  “That won’t be necessary. It’s better that you go.”

  “Finished?” a voice said from the door. “Did you earn your money?”

  She looked up to see Doumar leaning in the frame.

  “She did,” Bono said, turning to the other man with a threatening stance.

  “Baby, go change.”

  “Doumar, I—”

  “I said go change.”

  “Go,” Bono urged gently. “I’d like to have a word with Doumar.”

  ~ * ~

  Bono waited until Sky was gone before he walked to Doumar, stopping short of him. The Dutchman had to crane his neck to look up at him.

  “What’s wrong?” Doumar laughed. “Couldn’t get it up? Maybe you’re not as virile as I imagined. Or maybe, my whore wasn’t accommodating. You do know how to take your due from a woman, don’t you? She needs a strong hand, and I’ve already told you, in my club, anything goes. It would be a terrible waste to throw all that money into the water for nothing more than a cuddle.”

  “I paid. How I spend the time is my choice.”

  “Touché.”

  “You do know I’m going to kill you, right?”

  “Funny you should mention that. I said exactly the same thing about you.”

  Bono smiled. “Good. Finally, we’re on the same page.” He walked from the club, resisting the urge to go look for Sky. She had enough on her shoulders as it was. He didn’t need to add to it by making Doumar even more jealous.

  Lann and Clelia were waiting a block down the road with the van.

  “Get in,” Lann said. “Clelia will drive back the motorbike. Joss said we have business to take care of.”

  At the trailer park, they fitted the lock Lann had bought. He watched Bono with his usual quiet, but observant demeanor. Only when the job was done did he ask, “What’s up with the girl?”

  “She’s mine.” Yeah, that sounded just about right.

  Lann’s yellow eyes measured him. “You know how complicated this is, right?”

  “More complicated than Joss and Clelia, or Maya and Tim?”

  Lann wiped his hands on a cloth. “I don’t want to meddle, but I’ve been on the watch, and all I can say is the evidence points at her working for Godfrey.”

  “I didn’t say she’s not working for him.”

  “So what? You’re planning on running away with her, turning a blind eye to the danger we’re in?”

  “No.” He slammed the lid on the toolbox. “I’m going to handle things.”

  “How?”

  “The right way.”

  “How?” Lann insisted.

  “She’s my business, Lann. Back off.”

  Lann was quiet after that, allowing him to simmer in his vengeful thoughts and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. Slowly, as he gathered the tools, a plan finally formed in his head.

  ~ * ~

  A procession carrying Medusa banners marched down the street below. Bono watched the protesters shout obscenities from the lounge window with the others.

  “Where’s Cain?” Maya asked, drumming her nails on the windowsill. “He needs to see this.”

  “Meeting with a government representative on how to handle the Medusa problem,” Joss replied.

  Sara regarded the spectacle with a frown. “Have you seen the news?”

  “Aye.” Sean’s expression was dark. “They’re saying we’re the bad guys.”

  “They’re saying governments worldwide are trying to suppress the facts,” Sara continued, “and that Medusa is bringing truth to the people.”

  Clelia placed a hand on Sara’s arm. “You don’t believe that, do you?”

  Sara sighed. “I trust you, and I trust our work, but what do we really know about what’s going on behind the scenes? Have any of you ever met Cain’s sponsors or government associates?”

  “Cain’s a good man,” Joss said.

  “Government is hiding our existence.” Sara looked down at the street. “We’ve been fighting to keep the seven arts a secret. I’m just wondering if it’s the right strategy.”

  “If exposed,” Lann said, “we’ll be hunted and exterminated. You know that.”

  “Sara has a point,” Sean said. “I’m tired of hiding.”

  “What are you saying?” Clelia asked with a concerned expression.

  “That we need to be recognized,” Sean replied. “We need laws to protect us, and for that we need transparency and government backing. What do you say, Ivan?”

  “Cain is my father-in-law. I’ll always have his back, like he’s got mine. You don’t honestly think he has a hidden agenda? He loves Alice more than life itself. He’ll never do anything that could hurt her. I trust he’s doing whatever he’s doing in our best interests.”

  “This is what those idiots want.” Maya waved a hand at the people below. “They want chaos. They want us to doubt.”

  “It seems they’re succeeding,” Lann said quietly.

  Sara straightened. “We should fight back.”

  Joss gave them a brooding look. “Cain is the commander. We do as he orders.”

  “I’m going to play devil’s advocate, here,” Sean said, “but should we follow orders blindly?”

  Joss’s silver eyes turned a shade darker. “This is not a democracy. I’m the team leader. You do as I say.”

  “Please,” Clelia looked around the group with a pained expression, “we’re family. We need to stick together.”

  “Agreed.” Sara turned to Joss. “I’m not talking about mutiny. I’m just saying we have a right to take our future into our own hands.”

  “You have to admit,” Sean gave a wry smile, “freedom to be who we are without the fear of prosecution has a nice ring to it.”

  “We’re all working toward one goal,” Joss said, “which is to wipe out Godfrey and his operation.”

  “What do we really know about Godfrey’s objective?” Sara asked.

  “He wants world power,” Maya replied.

  “And the people Cain works for don’t?”

  “What are you saying, Sara?” Joss asked.

  “I want the transparency Sean talked about. I want to know exactly what I’m fighting for.”

  “The only way to do that, would be to infiltrate Cain’s core team, and they’re top secret.”

  “Exactly,” Sara said. “We have a right to know what and who we’re giving our lives for. No more secrets.”

  Lann turned to Bono. “What do you say?”

  “I’m not a team member. My opinion shouldn’t count.”

  “You may not be an arts practitioner, but you’re as much part of the team as anyone else in this room,” Lann said.

  Bono gave his answer some thought. “In the end, there’s only right or wrong. From where I’m standing, I see only one option, and that’s doing the right thing.”

  Lann’s lips twitched. “Wrong can be dressed up to look like right. That’s what propaganda and indoctrination are for.”

  “Not if you follow your heart.” Bono felt this truth in his soul. “The mind can be cheated and deceived, but deep down, in your gut, you know what’s right.”

  “Wise words,” Ivan mused.

  “Are you following your heart on this mission with Sky?” Sean asked. “It’s also true that love is blind.”

  Reflexively, his hand moved to the eye patch behind which an itch started. “Will you all lay fucking off? This is our war, but Sky is my fight. Anyone who wants to criticize me for wanting to win both battles is a hypocrite. My situation with Sky is not so different from yours with Tim, Asia, Clelia, Alice, Kat, or Wayne, so give it a rest.”

  Joss stepped into the center of the circle. “Godfrey has wronged every person in this room. We’re here to take him down, and if you feel it’s a mistake, then you’re on the wrong team. Am I clear?”

  Everyone nodded, their faces obscured by the shadows that had fallen with the setting sun over the room.

  “Good. Now, get to work.” Joss turned to Bono.
“If you don’t have info for us by morning, we’re moving in. Sky will be our prisoner by noon.” With that, Joss stomped from the room.

  As the team members filed through the door, each patted Bono on the back. He knew what it meant. They gave him their support.

  No matter what happened, he wouldn’t let them down, but he wouldn’t let Sky take the fall for their victory, either.

  It was time to make a conquest.

  It was time to claim his woman.

  Chapter Nine

  It was dark when Doumar drove Sky home. The ride was tense. Since Bono had left, Doumar hadn’t spoken one word to her. Diamond was tied in the back, her constant growling adding to the tightness in Sky’s shoulders. When Doumar parked at the entrance of the trailer park, Sky reached for the door handle. “See you tomorrow.”

  Doumar smiled, but he didn’t take off as she’d hoped. He got out and stretched his lanky body before letting Diamond out of the back.

  Sky moved around the car. “What are you doing?”

  “She needs a piss.” He jerked on Diamond’s leash. “Come on.”

  They walked to her caravan, Sky a few steps ahead of Doumar and his dog. At the door, she turned to watch him with wariness. At best, Doumar was unpredictable. He waited patiently for Diamond to finish her business, and then he tied her to a tree. Sky’s spirit sank. He wasn’t leaving straight away.

  “Aren’t we going inside?” His eyes narrowed with a twitch, like when he had something up his sleeve.

  She licked her dry lips. “It’s been a long day.”

  “Of which you slept for an hour on the job, courtesy of Mr. Black. You’re not going to tell me you’re tired, are you? That will be a terrible lie.”

  “No.” She turned her back on him and went inside.

  Doumar was breaking their unwritten understanding, encroaching on her privacy. Up untill Bono, he’d never deemed it necessary to check on her. This was his way of marking his territory, of ensuring she understood that even the small measure of freedom he’d granted her belonged to him.

  The cat jumped from the bed to greet her. She bent down to stroke his pelt and removed her jacket. Busying herself with refilling his bowl with kibbles, she hid her fear. Waiting for Doumar to speak or act had her nerves on end. The fact that Godfrey’s orchestrated gang rape hadn’t been enough to keep Doumar from tightening his hold on her told her how little chance she had of ever escaping.

  The cat ran for the food, but Doumar grabbed him by the skin of his neck as he passed. The strength left her legs.

  Not Niels’s cat.

  She gripped the counter behind her and leaned against it. “Doumar…”

  “What?” He swung the cat into his arms and started stroking it, giving her his emotionless smile. “I’m just saying hi to the pussy.”

  Her nails dug into the wood. She looked from him to the cat, saying a silent prayer.

  “He’s cute.” Doumar lifted him to the light. The cat purred when Doumar cradled him against his chest. “No wonder Niels loves him so much.”

  “Yes.” She swallowed. “He’s cute.”

  “You must’ve gotten attached to him.”

  “I haven’t named him. You said he’s staying temporarily, until you’ve moved Niels.”

  “Clever girl.” He continued petting the cat. “At last you’re learning something from me.”

  When he didn’t say anything for a while, she dared to ask, “Why did you come?”

  “You may live here, but it’s still my home. Everything you eat, sleep, and dream belongs to me.”

  “Yes,” she said, trying to placate him.

  “Until you give Godfrey what he wants, we’ll never be rid of him. When you do, things will go back to normal.”

  If Doumar believed that, he was naïve, and naivety wasn’t one of his traits.

  “Are you working on it?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  His grip on the cat tightened, causing the animal to squirm. “Tonight?”

  “If you want me to.”

  It didn’t look like he wanted her to. “Do you think you’ve been punished enough for spying on me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Me too. That leaves the issue of you deriving pleasure from my rape.”

  “I’ll never derive pleasure from that.”

  “Admit it. You must’ve enjoyed hearing Godfrey take me up the ass. I’m surprised you didn’t stay to watch.”

  “I hated what he did.”

  He lifted the cat again. “Do you believe her, pussy?”

  Her voice trembled. “Doumar, let the cat go.”

  For a horrifying moment, the cat dangled in the air, clawing at Doumar’s hands, and then Doumar dropped the cat to the floor.

  A gush of air left her lips as she exhaled in relief.

  “Oh.” He looked at her as if he’d suddenly remembered something. “I came to tell you next month’s visit with Niels is off. We’re busy.”

  “Busy?” She stared at him with hot tears welling up behind her eyes. “Don’t punish me like that, I beg you.”

  He only smiled.

  “At least let me send him something. Just a small toy so he’ll know I’m thinking of him.”

  He shook his head.

  “A letter.” She held her hands out to him in a pleading gesture. “I’ll write it quickly. I’ll do anything you want me to.”

  “What you need to do is work on Mr. Black.” Without another word, he left, leaving the door open behind him.

  She slumped against the counter in a mixture of relief that the cat was unharmed and hurt that he denied her a visit with her son.

  His voice rose from outside. “Here, kitty kitty.”

  He was already taking the cat home? “Wait.”

  She reached for the cat, but he shot past her and through the door.

  Following short on his heels, she stopped dead on the step. Doumar had untied Diamond. The horrible truth of his intention hit her.

  “Doumar!”

  She screamed as the cat, realizing the danger too late, charged for the fence. With two long strides Diamond had caught up, catching the cat by his neck. A bone-chilling feline howl pierced the unrelenting growling. A terrible crunching sound followed, and then there were only the noises Diamond made as she ripped the cat’s flesh apart.

  Stumbling down the step, Sky rushed blindly to where blood and pieces of fur were splattering the ground, but Doumar restrained her with his arms around her body.

  A whistle from Doumar and Diamond let go, returning to her owner’s side. Sky stared at the unrecognizable remains on the grass, shaking from head to toe. A neighbor attracted by the noise exited his caravan and took in the scene with huge eyes.

  “Damn,” Doumar said, dropping his arms. “What an unfortunate accident. Niels will be devastated. I’m not going to lie to him. I’ll have to tell him you got his cat killed.”

  “How could you?” She twirled to face him. “He’s your son!”

  “Ah, but just like you didn’t name the cat, I never named him. What does that tell you?”

  “His name is Niels!”

  “That’s what you call him. For me, he has no name.”

  Silent tears streamed over her face. “He’s your flesh and blood.”

  “He may be my flesh and blood, but he’s nothing but a pawn. I will use him how and when I see fit. I will snuff out his life if I must.”

  “You’re killing me, Dou. Please, please don’t do this. I beg you.” She fell down on her knees in front of him and hugged his legs. “Please let me have my baby. God, please, Dou.” Sobs shook her shoulders.

  His lip curled up as he looked down at her. “You couldn’t love me, Sky. Maybe if you could, things would’ve been different.”

  “I’ll love you, I swear. I’ll love you any way you want.”

  “Too little, too late. We are what we are. I’m your owner, and you’re my property, and you’ll remain that until you blow out your last breath.”

  �
��Our son…” she cried. “Somewhere inside, you must care.”

  “Your son is my insurance. Nothing more.”

  He freed himself from her hold with a shake of his leg and called for Diamond. Together, they made their way back to his car.

  Frozen to the spot, she couldn’t move. It was only when the neighbor touched her arm and asked, “Are you all right?” that she came to her senses. He offered a hand to help her to her feet.

  She hugged herself. “I—I’m fine.”

  “I’ve got a spade.” The old man motioned at the heap of skin and meat. “You’ll want to bury that.”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  He disappeared behind his caravan and returned with a spade. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “No.” She wiped away her tears and steeled herself, forcing her emotions down. “I’ll manage.”

  In a corner of the deserted field next to the property, she dug a shallow hole and covered up what remained of the cat, then returned the spade. Her neighbor, bless his soul, chased a shot of whiskey down her throat. Her hands were still shaking when she got back to her caravan. For a while, she did nothing but stare into space. With much effort, she forced herself back into action. She scrubbed the dirt from her nails and hands, and ate a sandwich to nourish her body, even if she had no appetite. With the routine of cleaning and eating taken care of, she sat down on the bed with an open palm resting on her knee.

  She’d never read her own palm or her son’s. For the fear of losing hope, she preferred not to know what their uncertain futures held. Everything had changed. Tracing the lifeline with her thumb, she closed her eyes and lost herself in a place in time that would show her the outcome of her future. She was sitting next to Godfrey in the back of a boat. Doumar was steering. It was dusk. The light fell in a rose-colored glow on the canal. They passed the beautiful façade of the old parliament. Around them, danger lurked.

  “You’ll see your son soon,” Godfrey said, patting her hand.

  Doumar glanced at them from over his shoulder.

  Up ahead was the Elgin Bridge, and behind it the house on Riverwalk Bono and his team used as a base. They docked under the bridge and waited. It didn’t take long for an explosion to blast through Bono’s building. Shortly after, Bono pulled his motorbike up to the curb not far from their boat. Two SUV’s followed. The team members filed from the doors and ran to a helipad where a helicopter waited, Bono in the lead. They scrambled inside. The blades started turning even before the doors were sealed. It was their escape plan, the details of which she’d stolen and given to Godfrey.