I swallowed. It made sense. But it was still so jarring to see Liam like this. He was the same and different. He was familiar…yet frightening.
“And,” I started, straightening my spine, forcing myself to have courage in this most surreal of situations, “you’re going to help me. And then afterwards, eat my soul.”
It was a statement but I ended it on a question. I ended it as a question in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t real.
But Liam tenderly placed a hand against my cheek. His eyes warm and tender with something akin to affection. “Oh yes, my Sophia,” he murmured. “It takes everything I have not to eat you up right here. So believe me, once our bargain has been met, I will own your soul. And I. Will. Eat it.”
My pulse raced. My thighs clenched. My stomach tightened. And I wasn’t completely sure these reactions were from fear alone.
And in those glowing green eyes, bright with amusement, I could tell the demon saw that as well.
Chapter Five
“These would be the top three suspects,” I said, pulling out three separate files filled with contracts and reports.
I was dressed and in my dad’s old home office. I felt a mixture of sadness and loss when I had entered the room and taken my seat at his old leather chair behind his desk. But as soon as Liam had entered the room, every emotion evaporated from my body.
All I could see was Liam.
God, he looked just like Liam! The same tall, lean body. The same defined physique with muscular arms and a flat stomach. The same chiseled jawline and piercing eyes.
Except now the eyes were green.
And his chiseled face held a note of something dangerous. His muscular arms and flat stomach seemed powerful and threatening. His tall body loomed over me like a shadow in the night. I felt like I was trapped in a room with a rattlesnake—so smooth and entrancing to look at but still incredibly lethal and dangerous.
Liam strode to my side of the desk and looked over my shoulder at the three folders. “Why these three men?”
I leaned back in my seat. Raising my head, I asked, “Why don’t you know who did it? Don’t you know who sent the men?”
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “Why should I know? Don’t you know who sent the men?” he countered.
I gave an aggrieved sigh and threw my hands up in the air. “Well because I’m not some demon from hell! Shouldn’t you know everything? Who died, how they died, who killed them—all that?”
Liam paused in surprise before chuckling in amusement. Putting a hand on the back of my chair, he leaned over and explained, “I’m not omniscient. I’m not the devil and I’m not a god. I only know what I can see of people en route. I can see how you died because you were already dead. With things regarding the living, I am just as informed as you are. Maybe less so because after all, I am not a human and don’t live in this realm.”
It was jarring to hear him talk about the afterlife so frankly in the daylight. It felt like he was talking about a dirty secret. But it also took away any hopes of all of this being some kind of elaborate hallucination. I don’t know why I had to keep looking for signs that this was all real but I couldn’t help myself.
Maybe because I didn’t think making a ‘deal with the devil’ could ever be an actual option, I thought sardonically.
“Then what kind of help can you be to me?” I asked, honestly perplexed. I thought he would be providing some kind of inner insight to who my murderer might be. Or at least, the name of the man who had sent those three men to attack us that night.
Liam pursed his lips as if considering his response before swinging my chair around to face him. Putting his hands above my head on the chair back, he leaned over me.
God, this was something else. Of course I had always had a crush on Liam growing up. How could I not? He was my gorgeous older stepbrother. Every girl from high school to college would sigh dreamily whenever he picked me up or visited me. They would always say how envious they were of how sweet Liam was, how protective he was.
And I couldn’t disagree. He was the perfect older brother and yet I couldn’t help but always hope he’d someday look at me as more than a little sister.
And now here was this Liam. Except it wasn’t him. It was just his body. And yet it felt so real. He now looked at me with a hunger that I had only fantasized about in the depths of my dreams. I could feel the heat of his body as he trapped me between his arms.
“I promised you help,” he said slowly. “And that help is me. With me, nowhere will you be alone or unprotected. I will aid you in everything that you want me to do from breaking into an office to breaking a man’s neck. You will have to do nothing alone. I lay down my word and my body for you. I promise you, you will get your revenge.”
I looked up at him. His face was so achingly familiar and yet the heat of his gaze so raw and foreign.
Feeling too hot, I tried to turn the chair around but Liam kept me in place. A small smile played at the corner of his lips. “You don’t believe me now,” he said, “but you will see. I’ll be your best asset in this game.”
“It’s not a game,” I murmured, my cheeks flushing against my will. “My family was murdered.”
Liam raised a brow. “Will there be a winner and a loser?” he asked.
I didn’t answer.
He nodded, satisfied. “Then it’s a game. And we’re going to win.”
He let go of the chair and I turned around towards the desk.
Breathing out, I opened the first chart. Maybe I would win by gaining my revenge. But who would be losing their soul at the end?
“Before my dad was killed,” I said, trying to refocus on the matter at hand, “he had been a part of an alliance with three of the biggest mining and mineral companies. They were pushing for a government contract that would hire this alliance. If anyone has the most to gain from my dad dying, it would be these three men.”
I pulled the first file closer to me. “Ron Lawson of RL Co. He owns the second biggest mining company, next to my father. He has been extremely vocal in how this alliance was formed. He made it a stipulation for each of us to stake 25% of our companies within the alliance’s bonds. He said it was to make sure that all of us were evenly contributing.”
Liam looked over the paperwork. “But you don’t think that was the reason why?” he asked.
I shook my head. “25% means a lot. That means each member gets access to 25% of our resources and assets. Ron has always been gunning to be number one and has resented my dad getting so many higher level contracts because of his place as the number one mining and minerals company. Plus, he also made another stipulation.”
“What’s that?”
“That if for whatever reason, we fail to continually support the alliance with our 25%, we immediately forfeit our place in the alliance. And, we could be subject to breach of contract.” I pulled out some of the copies of the original alliance contract. “Lawson is ruthless. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still sued Madewell Ltd for breach even though the CEO was murdered.”
Liam quickly read through the papers. Nodding, he jerked his chin towards the second file. “Who’re the others?” he asked, completely focused.
I pulled the next file up. “Harrison Dell of Dell Drilling. He was probably the closest to my dad. They even shared a contract once. He was in favor of the alliance and did nothing to hinder it. He was a little hesitant about the 25% stake until my dad agreed to it. Then he put it up and joined.” Pushing the files towards Liam, I said, “I feel he’s probably the least suspect.”
Liam rifled through the pages. “Everyone is suspect here. Murdering an entire family, including stepchildren is quite the move. No one is above suspicion.”
I glanced at him through my lashes. I guess he really did mean to help.
“And the third?” he asked.
“T.J. Mackson of Mack & Sons Ltd. He is the shakiest member of the alliance. He is 82 years old and still running the company. He really wanted to pass it o
n to one of his sons but none of his three sons or five grandsons have shown even a remote interest in the business. He was very reluctant to join the alliance since he’s the smallest company and also the weakest. Their growth has been stagnant for the last eight quarters. I’m not sure what he’d have to gain by having Madewell Ltd collapse. Mack & Sons is in no position to absorb us.”
Liam straightened and tapped a finger on the last file. “Okay, so our first plan of action should be to feel them all out as soon as we can. We have surprise on our side. It’ll be a good test to see who has the most visceral reaction to seeing you alive.”
I bent a corner of a stray piece of paper. “So I’ve already been announced dead?”
“You’ve already been buried,” Liam replied matter-of-factly.
That bit of news hit my gut like a punch. Buried.
“So meeting these men…it’ll be like I’ll be coming back from the dead.”
“Hence the surprise.” Liam grinned.
I rummaged through a small file box on the corner of my dad’s desk and pulled out a large formal cream envelope. Inside was an invitation to a fundraising event for Senator Sebastian Folsom, which would be held this coming weekend.
I handed the invitation over to Liam. My dad had gotten the invitation a few weeks before his murder. “Senator Folsom is the one who’s been helping the alliance push for a government contract. Everyone in the alliance always attends Senator Folsom’s events to woo him and keep him on our side. I’m sure all three men will be there for this dinner.”
Liam nods, turning over the very luxuriantly printed invitation. “Perfect,” he said quietly. “It’ll be a good splashy way to get you back into the media light—‘Madewell Ltd heiress and daughter still alive!’ and all that. It will also give us a chance to observe all three men and how they react to seeing you alive.”
I stood up, looking over the files and papers, realizing the scope of my revenge. It would not be a simple task that could be completed in a day or two. It would take time to figure out who killed my family and me. I only hoped I succeeded.
“What about you?” I asked. “Where are you going to be in all of this? On some rooftop watching over it all like Batman?”
Liam raised his brows in a mock wounded expression. “And leave my defenseless little sister all on her own in a room with her murderer?” he asked. His lips curled up into a scheming smile and his eyes glittered like gems. “No. Let’s see how everyone reacts to not one but two ghosts. Two murdered and very vengeful ghosts.”
It was true. If I had been declared dead, so had Liam. As far as the world knew, both of them were dead.
I thought about the living room that was right down the hall from the office. I remembered my mom’s screams and my dad’s painful grunts. I remembered the smell of drying blood and the shooting pain of my own body as it tried to hold itself together.
Yes. Whoever was the murderer would most certainly see one hell of a pissed off and vengeful ghost.
Chapter Six
The bathroom slowly began to grow hazy with steam. The hot shower ran beside me while I stood in front of the sink, gripping the edge so tightly my knuckles were turning white.
As the edges of the mirror began to fog, I could still see my body clear in the center. I had taken off my clothes except my bra and panties when it had all hit me. My breath came ragged and my vision swam. I nearly collapsed when I fell onto the sink, holding it tightly.
Yesterday, I had finally gone into the living room. The house had been completely empty as I had walked down the stairs. I was dead, as far as anyone else knew. Without anyone to cook and clean for, all of the staff in the house had left. There was no Ethel waiting in the kitchen, a twinkle in her eyes and a ready “Miss Lazybones” on her lips.
The house was silent.
I knew if this was where I was going to be living until I achieved my revenge, I would eventually have to face the living room. I had thought about moving out into a hotel for a bit. I certainly had the money to reserve a whole floor if I wanted to.
But there was something right in staying in the house. This is where they did me wrong. And so this is where I would stay and plot.
But as I walked down the hallway, literally only a step or two away from the living room entry, I stopped. The blood rushed against my ears and I felt like I was drowning in the sea. Taking in a breath, not deep enough though since my lungs felt like they would collapse, I quickly stepped into the room.
Immediately the dull smell of iron hit my nose. Someone had tried to clean up the blood. Stepping gently as if I’d wake up the ghosts of the room, I walked closer towards the couch and coffee table.
The oversized coffee table had been a medium dark brown. Now a large patch of darkness stained the middle of the table. Clearly my mom’s blood had soaked in too far for removal.
The leather recliner my father had died on was relatively clean. He hadn’t left much of a mess. Below by the feet of the chair were some brown drops of dried blood, probably from my father coughing it up.
And there on the opposite end was the wall I had been propped up against right before I had died.
How many people could say they experienced this—walking back to the site of your murder?
I didn’t step any closer. The entire area was still stained with blood—my blood—but it was clear someone had tried to clean it up. I imagined Ethel on her hands and knees scrubbing while crying over the loss of the girl she had practically raised.
It was hard but I had needed to see this. This is what would fuel me. I remembered fighting back against the men, trying to hit them with all that I could. But I had lost. And in my failure, my mom had been raped and murdered, my father shot.
I would not fail this time.
I would not let them die without being avenged.
But now, as I stood in front of the steaming bathroom mirror, my body shook uncontrollably.
I wasn’t scared…exactly. Or maybe I was. It was hard to think that I would be in the same room as someone who had successfully murdered me. Liam was right, I wanted revenge. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t scared.
I ran a finger lightly down between my full breasts, pulled up high by my bra. I had always been quite slender. That had probably only added to my downfall. How could I throw a devastating punch with these spaghetti arms? How could I save anyone?
And if I had failed before, how could I really succeed this time around?
Liam’s green eyes flashed in my mind.
He had said he would help me. But could I really trust the word of a demon? How did I know he wasn’t planning to just eat my soul in the next minute? What difference did it make for him if I got my revenge or not?
I knew I should be showering. The hot water was still steaming up the room. I knew I should be making myself up, dressing the part, so I could head out to the Senator’s dinner.
But this was just so surreal.
Although my body was whole, I still remembered every burning touch, every painful break from that fateful night. I could look in the mirror all I wanted at my flawless body but all I saw was the echoes of every bruise and break.
Knock knock!
I nearly jumped in surprise at the sound. But before I could say anything, the bathroom door opened. I gasped as Liam stepped in, dressed in dark black dress slacks and a loosely buttoned white shirt, his sleeves rolled up over his thickly veined forearms.
I fumbled around for a towel. “What the hell!” I cried out, feeling completely embarrassed and heated. I grabbed the towel clumsily and held it up against me instead of wrapping it around me, too desperate for cover to think clearly.
Liam raised a brow in amusement. “As much as I might look like him, I am not your stepbrother,” he said, his voice smoother and deeper than Liam’s had ever been in life.
I still clutched the towel to me. “I-I know that!” I stuttered, although my body clearly still had a hard time believing it. “Regardless of who the fuck you are, yo
u can’t just barge into people’s showers!”
Liam flicked a lazy glance over at the empty shower, the showerhead still spraying out steaming hot water. “I would think a shower requires you to be in it,” he said sardonically.
“I was just about to before you came barging in!” I said, pulling the towel up closer to my chin. God, had Liam ever looked this good before? I knew it was crazy to even be thinking such things and I felt like a tramp just entertaining the thought but it was impossible not to.
Devilish - A Demon Stepbrother Romance Page 3
