“Naturally. A live show.”
“It didn’t have to be this way.”
“Don’t get sentimental on me now,” I hissed. “I’m in no mood for this shit. I wouldn’t have done it differently. I chose my path, knowing full well what it would cost me when I got caught. And believe me, I planned on getting caught. There was only one way this was going to end for me. But Violet—as long as she’s safe. That’s what matters.”
“For the sake of your reputation I won’t tell the others that love has made you weak.”
“I don’t give a damn what you tell them.”
Arman’s grip on the back of the chair tightened. “It would seem you don’t give a damn about anything anymore.”
“Not any of you,” I said. “That’s for damn sure. You can all burn in hell for all I care.”
“If we burn, you burn with us.”
I looked to the ceiling and chuckled softly. “Arman. I’m a dead man walking. Threats are pointless here.”
“Your death won’t be quick, Xavier. You’re not getting out of this that easily.”
I closed my eyes. “I never expected to.”
Chapter Twenty
Violet
I couldn’t cry anymore. There were no tears left. My nose was completely stuffed and my throat was raw. My back hurt and so did my chest, and even though I felt like I was going to burst into tears at any moment, they didn’t come.
Annie had left my room about two hours ago.
When she’d been pestering me all I’d wanted was to be alone. But now I was desperate for a distraction. Because all I’d been spending my time doing was looking out my bedroom window to the driveway down below where four black sedans had pulled up about an hour ago.
Shades.
There were nine of them in total.
When they’d first arrived three had gone inside. The other six remained outside, standing professionally by the vehicles with their hands clasped in front of themselves to stare steadfastly at the front doors of the mansion.
They were waiting.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were waiting for.
They were here for Xavier.
And only Xavier.
I knew there was no way my father was going to let them take me. In these walls I was perfectly safe. But Xavier—he was in deep shit.
I inched closer to my bedroom window and drew my plush blanket over my lap as I stared down at the grounds.
The men were all big and scary looking. Basically they were the exact sort of men I’d learned to expect a Shade to be: strong, powerful, and in a state of permanent anger. They’d been standing down there for at least an hour and in that time none of them had spoken a word to each other.
They just stood there staring at the door.
They reminded me of an angry mob preparing to disembowel their target. And their target today was Xavier.
My stomach rolled over and I pushed myself away from the window. This wasn’t helping. It was making things worse.
If only Annie wasn’t so blind. She might have let me out. And maybe, just maybe, I would have been able to sneak out and free Xavier and get him the hell away from here. I owed him that much. He’d saved me a dozen times over. Now I had the chance to repay the favor and I was locked up in my old bedroom sitting under a blanket hosting a one person hunger strike in a desperate attempt to make a difference.
Who was I kidding?
Someone knocked on my door.
I sucked in a sharp breath and froze.
The handle turned slowly.
I watched, paralyzed by fear, but filled with hope that Annie might have come back with a changed mind, as the door swung slowly inward.
It wasn’t Annie.
It was my father.
He stopped in the short hallway between my room and the door. “Violet. May I come in and speak with you? Please?”
My gaze went back to the window. Even if I told him no he wouldn’t listen.
I heard his steps on the carpet and the creak of the springs in my bed when he sat down. “I know this has been hard for you, sweetheart. And I never wanted you to get caught in the crosshairs of my business dealings. But sometimes men like me make mistakes with very serious repercussions. And I deeply regret that. Something like this will never, ever happen again. I promise.”
Building in my chest was the need to scream at him and tell him how much I hated him. To curse him for what he did to Xavier’s parents, and bring this whole damn house down on his head. But no words came. My tongue remained glued to the roof of my mouth as my heart fluttered in my chest.
He sighed. “Say something, Violet. What are you thinking about?”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and when I spoke, my voice was a weak croak. “Where is he?”
“The Shade?”
I nodded.
“He’s being held downstairs.”
Downstairs. In the basement. In a cold dark room with no natural light and total soundproofing.
Swallowing, I asked something I’d been wanting to know. “Does he know where I am?”
“He knows you’re alive. And that’s all he needs to know. He failed his mission. You’re safe. You’re home. And you never have to see him again.”
With a shake of my head, I replied. “You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it to me. Come. Sit. Talk to me.”
I stayed where I was.
My father shifted on the bed and both of us were silent. Minutes passed. Several of them. Staring down at the Shades below, I willed them to look up at me. They didn’t. They remained as calm as ever with their eyes glued to the front door.
“Well, if you won’t speak, I will,” my father said. “We must talk about what happened. I know you probably have a lot of questions. So I’ll start. In my line of work I come into contact with dangerous people more often than I let you believe. I wanted to keep you safe. I didn’t want you to have to worry about the things that happened behind closed doors.”
“You mean you didn’t want me to know about all your illegal activity?” I snapped.
“Your accusations are unfounded.”
Turning to him, I couldn’t believe what he was saying. The blanket fell from my lap. “I know what you did. You had his parents killed. All because his father had dirt on you. You killed them to protect yourself. I can’t ever forgive you for that.”
“I didn’t kill them.”
“You paid someone to do it for you,” I said. “That doesn’t make you any less guilty.”
“And you resent me for murder?”
“Yes,” I said, my teeth clenched.
“But you don’t resent him for all of his wrong doings? For the deaths on his hands? Because, let me assure you my dear, there is more blood on the hands of that man than there is on mine. An infinite amount more. He’s a hired killer. A professional. He snaps necks. He takes pleasure in watching the life drain from a stranger’s eyes. Men. Women. Children. It makes no difference to him who his target is, so long as he gets his paycheck at the end of it all and—”
“Stop it.”
“And once he does, he’s already gearing up for his next kill. How long do you think he was going to run for with you, Violet? How long before he tired of you and decided to get rid of you? How do you think he’d do it?”
“Stop it,” I said again, tears welling in my eyes.
My father got to his feet. “Do you think he’d make it short and fast for you? No. No, I don’t think so. He’d make it last a long time. He’d make you suffer. And he’d make you see how much of a fool you were for putting your trust in him. But me? I’ll keep you safe, Violet. I’ll always keep you safe. I’ll protect you from men like him who would strangle you in your sleep with your own God damn fucking hair and—”
“Stop it!” I screamed, suddenly on my feet with my hands curled into fists at my sides.
My father looked me over and clicked his tongue at me. “He has made
you into a woman I do not recognize.”
Shaking with fury, I shouted at him. “Good.”
My father arched an eyebrow. And then he smiled. It was the most chilling thing I had ever seen, and my insides curled into a ball. I took a step back as he glared at me and squared his shoulders.
“I see what’s happening here,” he said softly.
I didn’t say anything.
He chuckled. “You love him.”
I dropped my gaze to the carpet.
My father barked with sharp, angry laughter that made my blood run cold. “Violet. My sweet daughter. This man has manipulated you. He is nothing more than a monster.”
“You’re the monster.”
“Watch yourself, child.”
“I’ll never trust you again,” I said, my voice and body shaking with every breath I drew. “I’ll never live under this roof again. And I’ll never forget what you’ve done. Ever.”
A vein appeared in my father’s forehead that I’d only seen two times in my life. Once when he was on a work call, after which he slammed his office door and proceeded to yell at the person on the other end. And second, when he found out one of the house staff was stealing from him when I was just a girl.
This time was worse than those.
He came toward me. There was nowhere for me to go and he boxed me in between him and the window. I fell back onto the window seat and pressed my back up against the glass as he towered over me.
“Then I made the right choice, you ungrateful brat,” he hissed.
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
My father leaned down. I could smell a cigar he had smoked on his breath. “The Shades are going to load Xavier into one of those cars shortly, and they’re going to take him far away from here. And then they’re going to kill him. And, after all he’s done, I suspect it won’t be a quick and easy execution.”
“Please,” I whimpered. “Don’t let them—”
“I called them, Violet. I made the arrangement. They get Xavier in exchange for removing the hit on your head. You’re welcome. I did the one thing he failed to do over and over.” He got right in my face. “I saved you.”
I shook my head as my vision blurred with tears I didn’t think I was capable of crying. “No. You did all of this to save yourself. And to get even.”
“You don’t even know what you’re saying.” He straightened up and turned away from me. Then he paused, reached into his pocket, and pulled out something white and silky that was stained with dark red smears. He tossed it into my lap. “Keep it. Soon this will be all you have left of him.”
My father marched out and left me staring at the piece of fabric in my lap.
It was a simple kerchief and it was covered in blood.
Xavier’s blood.
Sliding off the window seat and onto the floor, I cradled it to my chest as the truth broke over me.
I was never going to see him again. Touch him again. Kiss him again.
Never would I feel his lips on my neck or his hands on my skin. I was never going to look into those dark eyes of his and know I was his and he was mine, and together we were strong, safe, and capable of taking on the world.
I was never going to be able to tell him I love him.
Darkness wrapped itself around me as I held the bloody kerchief to my chest.
And I cried.
Chapter Twenty-One
Xavier
I didn’t mean to doze off, but I wasn’t really surprised when someone grabbed my shoulder and shook me awake.
“Time’s up, Dyer.”
Blinking my eyes open, I found myself staring up at a man I’d shared drinks with back at The Vex over the years. His name was Tony. He was built like a tree and had a terrible chin strap and shaved head.
He cut through the duct tape on my wrists with his pocket knife and didn’t bother trying not to cut me. The blade scored my skin, leaving a gash on top of both of my wrists. Blood leaked out over the sides of my wrists to stain the armrests.
Another Shade, one I did not know by name, crouched down and undid the shackles on my ankles. Then he secured them on my wrists.
Tony grabbed me by the arm and hauled me up to my feet. The room spun, but I was getting used to that. Still, I was unsteady on my feet. He gave me a shake and hauled me toward the door. “Get your shit together, Dyer. You’ve got a long night ahead of you.”
The second Shade chuckled.
The two of them led me out the door and down the long hallway on the other side. It smelled sterile out here. Like a dentist office. Our footsteps echoed down the hall and we came to a stop at the base of a set of stairs that curved as they went upward.
Tony went first, half dragging me up behind him.
I put one foot in front of the other until we reached the top of the stairs. Daylight nearly blinded me as it reflected off the white marble floor we crossed to the elegant front doors of the Wynn mansion.
Violet would be in here somewhere. I wondered where she was. Was she locked up somewhere? Was her father telling her lies? Was she hurt?
Did she need me?
Tony put a hand in the middle of my back and gave me a rough shove, sending me stumbling forward onto the driveway. I nearly lost my balance but managed to regain my footing enough to straighten up and face the line of men who were outside waiting for me.
Arman was at their head.
He looked even more tired than he’d been down in the basement.
The others didn’t look tired. They looked alert and eager. They’d been waiting for this moment for weeks and I couldn’t blame them. If roles were reversed I was sure I’d be just as angry if I was them.
I’d committed treason. And I’d killed their friends.
I deserved their hatred.
“Welcome to the longest walk to the gallows in history, Dyer,” one of them spat.
“I can’t wait to get a little one on one time with you, hot shot,” another added.
And the taunting began.
“Say goodbye to those fingers of yours.”
“And other appendages.”
“Don’t worry, Dyer. We’ll take good care of you. We’ll keep you breathing for a long time so we can keep the fun going. Right boys?”
Gritting my teeth, I ignored them. Their taunts were more than empty words. They meant all of it. And, unless Arman put his foot down, I had no doubt they would make my torture last as long as possible.
“Fuck it,” one of them said, breaking away from the others.
Arman moved forward. “Stay where you are.”
The Shade, a man about four inches shorter than me with cropped gray hair and a scar through his upper lip, came straight toward me. Tony on my right side stepped away, giving us space. The Shade on my other side did the same.
The Shade with the cropped haircut wound back and swung.
I swerved, ducking to the side and coming up slightly behind him. Without thinking or processing, I draped my arms over his head, pulled back, and held my shackles right in tight to his throat as he grappled to get a hold of my hands and pry them away.
“You fucked up,” I hissed in his ear.
I squeezed hard, jerked my hands to the right, and snapped his neck.
He fell in a heap at my feet.
I lifted my gaze to the others. “Anybody else?”
Nobody moved.
Except for Arman. He approached with an angry glare but stopped a safe distance away. “It’s over, Xavier. Get in the car.”
One of the Shades opened the back door of one of the sedans.
I snorted. “I’m not going to let you take me to The Vex that easily. If you want to kill me you’ll have to do it here.”
“I don’t think so,” a deep voice said from behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know Jonah Wynn had just stepped out of his house and was crossing the drive. He stopped a safe distance from me as well and lingered behind the two Shades who’d brought me out. “I don’t need any other corpses on
my property.”
“I suggest you go back inside, Mr. Wynn,” Arman said.
Jonah looked from me to my boss. “I didn’t realize you were in a position to give me orders, Arman.”
Arman stiffened. “Dyer is dangerous. You should steer clear and let us take care of this.”
“The last time I let you take care of it he ran off with my daughter, you prick,” Jonah growled.
I grinned. “All my one on one time with Violet made all this worth it.”
“Shut your mouth,” Jonah spat.
“Come over here and make me.”
“Enough,” Arman demanded. “Xavier. Get in the fucking car. Now. Or so help me God I’ll have one of my men blow a hole through your head.”
“Sounds better than the alternative,” I said.
The tension was thick and heavy. Arman glared at me and I glared back, while Jonah stood stiffly off to the side looking back and forth between the two of us. “If the whole lot of you aren’t off my property in five minutes I’ll—”
“Call the cops?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at Jonah. “By all means. Do it.”
“We should kill him, boss,” one of the Shades offered. “Look at him. He’s a fucking mess anyway. If we bring his body back like this the others will understand.”
“Silence,” Arman said.
The Shade didn’t drop it. He took a step toward me. “What do you think, Dyer? If you were in my shoes what would you do?” He chuckled. “I know what you’d do. You wouldn’t even hesitate to put down one of your brothers. You’ve already killed dozens of us. What’s one more?”
“A favor to society,” I growled.
The Shade laughed. “A smart mouth until the bitter end. We aren’t going to miss that. Will we boys?”
The other Shades shook their heads. Arman watched, muscles tensed, as the man approached me with bloodlust in his eyes. “It’s over for you, Dyer. Any last words?”
I stared him down. “Yeah. Don’t miss.”
Dark Lover: Sins of the Night Page 12
