Dangerous Dalliances (Maxwell Investigations)

by Ibanez, Dawn

  Madison shrugged before turning to go to her room. “If I hand her Crispin’s heart, she would.”

  * * * * *

  Dylan looked up from her laptop when the doorbell echoed through the house. She stood as a frown crossed her face. It was Jimmy, but there was no real reason for him to be stopping by her house so late. When she reached the hallway, her face paled. Both Jimmy and Crispin stood in the hall. Her husband’s face was closed off, while her brother was seething. “What happened?” she asked walking over to them.

  Jimmy shook his head as before looking at Crispin. “Do you have any old jewels around?” he asked. “The older the better.”

  Dylan went to her brother’s side. “What’s going on Jimmy?” she asked. While he stayed silent, she entered his mind. A gasp escaped her when his rage struck her. She looked into his eyes. “Talk to me,” she requested.

  “She took my daughter,” Jimmy growled. He reached into his pocket and gave Dylan the small statue Dori had given him. “Madison killed everything in an entire neighborhood and took my daughter. Probably for that. We think that may be your seal,” he told her. When he saw Dylan’s face close off, he growled in his throat. “I love her, but Dyl, she took my baby girl.” He then looked at Crispin. “Do you have any old gems?” he asked again.

  “What are you going to do with them?” Dylan asked dully. She knew exactly what he was going to do, but she wanted to hear him say it.

  Jimmy looked at her. “You know that the older a gem is, the more powerful the guardian inside of it.” He glanced at Crispin before focusing on Dylan again. “I’m going to get my daughter back and kill Madison.”

  Dylan looked at Crispin for a long minute. He had slowly been resigning himself to the possibility of Madison’s death, but it still wasn’t something any of them wanted to hear. She looked out of the door and saw Barry and Casper’s cars pulling up to her home. She scanned Casper’s mind and felt tears gather in her eyes. With a deep breath, she wiped her eyes. She would have to be the one to take the lead on this.

  “I need the oldest of the diamonds. After that, Jimmy can have the rest,” she said to her husband. When he frowned at her, she held up the little statue in her hand. She had felt the power of it humming since Jimmy placed it in her hand. “This is one of the seals we needed to look for. I don’t want to risk transmuting it, but I can encase it in diamond. Nothing can get to it then.” She stepped closer to Crispin and touched his hand. “I’ll be safe.”

  Crispin swallowed before pressing a kiss to her lips. “I’ll go and get what you both need,” he said before turning and walking deeper into the mansion.

  Jimmy paced away from Dylan as he tried to keep his temper in check. “If she’s hurt Dori, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  She didn’t have any answers for him. Dylan looked at her brother. “Don’t think about that right now. Since Madison took her, we have to work on the assumption that she needs her. That should keep Dori out of harm’s way.”

  “You hope.”

  * * * * *

  Casper found his brother in a small room under the wine cellar. He watched silently as Crispin opened a satchel. They both cared about Madison, but they also knew how dangerous the woman could become. “I didn’t know you still had that,” he said motioning to the diamond necklace Crispin uncovered.

  Crispin’s gaze remained on the piece of jewelry. “She wanted me to hold onto this until you married,” he confessed. “It was supposed to be your bride’s something old.” He lifted it into his hands and examined the jewels. It was already considered a priceless work of art. Crispin looked at Casper with haunted eyes. “Will you let me give this to Dylan?” he asked.

  Casper’s lips thinned as he looked at his brother. Out of the three Solomon children, Crispin had always been the closest to their mother. The beautiful woman hadn’t wanted her family to worry about her while she dealt with mortals that had been too afraid to have Vampires in their midst. While he and Crispin had gone on a mission for the Council, someone had gone into their father’s castle and killed their mother. “Give it to her,” Casper said. “We need to keep her safe if we’re going to even try to get through all of this.”

  “Even if it has to end for Madison?” Crispin asked. Casper’s feelings had never been a secret. His life revolved around Madison. Since his return to America, he had done everything short of moving into her home to be a part of her life. He even formed a friendship with her husband.

  Casper nodded slowly. “She wouldn’t want this,” he said darkly. He looked at his brother with serious eyes. “If it comes to that, we will have to do what’s necessary. She would kill any of us with a thought. We may have to do the same.”

  “And after? What would you do?”

  Casper looked at his brother for a long moment. He then nodded before turning to leave. “What would you do, if it were Dylan?”

  Chapter 9

  Sunlight drifted into Lily’s eyes. She moaned softly as she woke and started to stretch. Her eyes snapped open when she felt Barry’s arm draped over her waist. A relieved sigh escaped her when she realized she still wore her pajamas, and he was lying on top of the covers. She turned to him and couldn’t fight the smile that crossed her face. Without thinking, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips.

  A groan escaped Barry as he tightened his arms around Lily. When he came back to the penthouse, she had been asleep on the sofa. It had been all too easy to lift her into his arms and carry her to her bedroom. But after he had her tucked into bed, he couldn’t make himself leave. “Good morning,” he said before burying his face in her neck.

  She cuddled into him. “What time did you get in last night?” she asked curiously. “And is everything okay?” The bliss that was beginning to surround her quickly fled when Barry turned and glared at the ceiling. “Barry, what happened?”

  He turned his head and looked at her. “Madison kidnapped Jimmy’s little girl,” he said lowly. When Lily gasped, he shook his head and turned his attention back to the ceiling. “She also killed everything in the surrounding neighborhood. We have a few people trying to put a spin on things, maybe a massive gas leak. At worse, we’ll have a Starter come in and blow the place to make it more believable. But Jimmy’s ready to kill Madison, and from what Casper told me, things are only going to get worse.”

  Lily sat up and looked at him. “We’ll figure all of this out,” she promised. She then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “After we get dressed, we can start searching for those seals.”

  Barry sat up with her. “Jimmy had one. Dylan said it was hers.” He ran his hand over his head and tried to clear the sleep from his eyes. “She told me that if we find your seal, take it to her. She can transmute diamonds into a seamless box. Then the seals would be protected from being broken.”

  Lily nodded as she pulled a teal sari out of her closet. “That sounds like a good idea. And sometime this afternoon I want to stop by the hospital,” she said as she turned to her chest of drawers. “Eric is awake and I want to spend some time with him. Make sure he’s okay.”

  Barry smirked as he put the sari back in her closet and pulled out green tunic and a pair of black leggings. When she turned around, he smiled innocently. “Just trying to help,” he said with a shrug.

  She smiled sadly at the clothes. “Luna gave me those after she and Daddy were caught,” she told him. “She didn’t know that I was really trying to hide my appearance. She just thought that Daddy had horrid taste in clothes.”

  Barry lowered his eyes for a moment. “You don’t have to wear them,” he said in a whisper. “I know you aren’t comfortable talking about Mathias and Luna.”

  When he reached for the clothes, Lily grabbed them. She looked at him for a moment before letting a muse escape her. “If I don’t talk about him, it’s because the last time any of you saw him, he was being a jerk. You all only know him as a deceitful opportunist that your sister had to kill and Luna was the tragic victim of the evil Incubus, Cord. I kn
ew them all when they were different, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” She stepped around him and allowed a sigh to escape her. “But you know what? I think you and Sloane are right. It’s time for me to change, and neither Daddy nor Luna would want me to just hide and stuff clothes in a closet.” She smiled at Barry before walking into her private bathroom.

  Barry stood still for a moment. Lily was changing before his eyes and he couldn’t be prouder of her. A smile crossed his face as he left her room and started for the kitchenette. He quickly snatched up the phone and dialed for room service. “Yes, I would like breakfast brought up to the penthouse,” he requested.

  “Would Miss Dallas like her usual?” the woman’s voice asked over the line.

  Barry’s eyes widened. “Yeah, sure,” he answered. “That would be great.” He then looked towards Lily’s room before lowering his voice. “What is her usual?”

  The voice chuckled kindly. “Miss Dallas always orders a vegetable egg white omelet with turkey bacon and hash browns on the side.” When Barry groaned, she laughed. “Is there anything you would prefer sir? We can fix anything you want.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine with a regular sausage omelet and some real bacon on the side. With some coffee and maybe some tea for Lily.”

  “It will be ready within 20 minutes, sir,” the pleasant woman replied.

  “Thanks, I’ll see you then,” he said before disconnecting the call. He took a deep breath before going over to where he left his suitcase. It was time for him to start getting his day rolling. A shower, change of clothes and good breakfast would go a long way in making him forget his worries. With a glance back to Lily’s room, he shook his head and started for the stairs. If they were going to take things slowly, he would have to give her space.

  Barry carried his bag to the second level of the penthouse and took the time to appreciate the décor. Whoever designed it must have had Mathias in mind when they created this space. The old world elegance was something that the deceased man radiated. Barry found himself in the master bedroom and saw the closet still open from the previous night. He ignored the full closet and placed his suitcase on the bed. All he needed were his toiletries. Then he was going to see about that shower. Hopefully everything could wait until he and Lily were fully awake.

  * * * * *

  Madison walked into the small apartment and made her way to the single bedroom. As expected, her foster son slept covered in sweat and his blankets around his ankles. She expected the nightmares of what happened to his to start to fade, but that still hadn’t happened. Crimson eyes looked around the room and Madison’s lips tilted down in a scowl. A picture of Alex and his ex-girlfriend Claudia sat on the nightstand. She walked over to it and slammed it face down. Her eyes caught the way Alex’s body flinched. “Wake up,” she ordered.

  Bleary eyes opened. “Mom?” Alex questioned as he rolled over. When his eyes adjusted, he jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Madison. “Are you okay? Everyone’s been worried about you.” He looked her over and frowned when he saw that her eyes were dark red instead of the brown he remembered. “What did they do to you?” he questioned.

  She smiled at him. “You’ve always been such a good boy, Alex. Have I told you how proud I am of you?” she asked.

  He shook his head slowly. “Not lately,” he answered. When she shrugged and started for the front of the apartment, he moved to follow her. “Does Troy or Aunt Dylan know that you’re here?” he asked carefully.

  “Nope.” Madison sat on the sofa and looked at him. “I wanted to talk with you first.” She motioned for him to sit next to her and smiled when he did as he was told. “Did they tell you what happened to me?”

  Alex swallowed as he looked into Madison’s eyes. “They said that you were taken so you could become one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Aunt Dylan said that she was supposed to be War, and you’re Death.”

  Madison nodded. “That sounds about right. My seal was broken, and now it’s time for things to change.” When she saw the way his face paled, she laughed. “I’m not here to kill you, Jailbait. I want you with me. The people that I’m working with are powerful, but not too bright. I want thinkers on my side.”

  Alex lowered his head as he felt his heart rip in two. His former bodyguard tried to tell him that she would try this. She would come to him and she wouldn’t be the same woman that taught him how to talk to the dead. “What are you planning?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Are you with me?” she asked.

  Alex licked his lips and took a shaky breath. “There was a time when I would have followed you into Hell, blindfolded and without question.”

  “And now that time’s past?” Madison straightened as she watched him.

  “What about Rory and boys?” Alex asked in turn. “What about Troy? Do you know he’s going crazy because you’re gone?” He paused when her eyes turned brown for a moment. “Mom, there’s no need for any of this. You can go home and everything will be fine.”

  She shook her head and stood. “Nothing’s going to be the same. Ever again.” Her eyes glowed red with disappointment. “You know all about that. Once certain things are out of Pandora’s box, they can’t go back in. I will not go back in.”

  Alex shot to his feet and grabbed her hand. “Mom, wait!” His eyes went round as she spun him around and slammed him into the wall. He screamed out in pain as she pinned him with his arm behind his back. “We only want to help you.”

  “I’m fine,” she said with a growl. “It’s those that choose to stand against me that have a problem.” He screamed again when she felt his arm dislocate. Her eyes were dead as he fell to the floor holding his arm. “You don’t want to stand with me, fine.” She knelt in front of him and made him look at her. Some part of her heart screamed in pain at the look of anger in his eyes. “I don’t need you to follow me into Hell, Alex. I’m bringing it here.”

  Just as she pulled her hand back to knock him out, Madison heard running footfalls quickly coming down the hall. She smiled as she backed away from her foster son. She knew who was about to come crashing into the apartment, and it would really save her a trip if she could rattle him as well.

  Troy crashed into Alex’s apartment and stumbled to a stop when he saw Madison take a step away from Alex. “Madison,” he breathed. He then frowned when he saw the nearly crazed look in her eyes. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?”

  She shrugged. “I wanted Alex to help me with my plans of tearing the world apart and he said no. I was only expressing my displeasure.” An evil smile crossed her face as she looked at her husband. “Are you going to stand against me too?” she asked.

  Troy kept his eyes focused on his wife. They all knew she wasn’t acting like herself. And when he got her back, she would throw this moment in his face. He slowly approached her. “I’d go with you anywhere, Maleficent,” he said quietly.

  Madison looked into his eyes for a long moment. “You’ll leave the kids?”

  He shrugged. “We can get them whenever we want. Until then, my mother’s got them all.”

  “And you would help me?” she questioned. “I killed about twenty people last night, and you would still stand behind me?”

  “The priest said through good times and bad. So yeah, you’re stuck with me.”

  Madison stepped closer to Troy and carefully wrapped her arms around his body. A smile crossed her face when his arms wrapped around her. “Then let’s get out of here,” she said before they vanished.

  Alex sat with wide eyes as two large men came into his room. It was easy to recognize his former Vampire bodyguard Donald, but he couldn’t place the other man with him. As his friend knelt over him and started to inspect his arm, Alex looked at where Madison and Troy had stood only moments before. “This isn’t good,” he whispered before darkness claimed him.

  * * * * *

  The morning air was crisp as she walked along the well-worn path. Ever since coming to this city, this park seemed to draw her
like a moth to a flame. Siobhan reached a familiar park bench and sat for a moment. People were trying to get in their morning jog passed her by. Mortal fixation with fitness always fascinated her. But then, she never encountered a fat Fae.

  Just outside of the park’s perimeter, even more people moved around. Everyone was in such a rush to go nowhere. They had jobs they hated, families they despised, some lived in filth and slaved away just to make ends meet.

  All of it was going to change. Once she and Madison figured out how to open the Gates of Hell, all of these cattle would bow at her feet. Then they would live as she and her fellow Horsemen desired.

  Something drew her out of her musings. Siobhan tried to pin down what caught her attention, but it was fleeting. With a small frown, she stood and left her park bench. It was simple for her to make her way down the busy street. A few humans stared at her, but it was something she was used to. The only difference between these mortals and her subjects back home was that this crowd in front of her didn’t seem to have any problem openly gaping at her.

  In no time, Siobhan found herself in front of an antique dealer’s store front. She peeked through the glass and saw a little old man speaking with a tall dark skinned male. Siobhan smiled as she opened the door and entered the store.

  Both men looked at her when a small bell chimed. The older man smiled as he waved her deeper into the shop. “Good morning, I’ll be with you in one moment, Miss,” he said pleasantly.

  Siobhan smiled in acknowledgement before taking in the appearance of the small store. The lighting was soft and relaxed. Various pieces of art were scattered around the walls along with figurines and clocks. She hadn’t known what to expect when she came in here, but for some reason she was oddly at peace. At least until the soft tones of conversation started to drift to her.

  “Are these the best you have?” the younger man questioned.

  Siobhan turned and looked at the younger man curiously. He had to be what women spoke of when they said someone was tall, dark and handsome. Rich chocolate skin covered in a black leather jacket and comfortable dark denim. It took her a moment before turning her eyes to his. She blinked as she saw the familiar cinnamon color.