Case: 1: A Dystopian Mystery (Annalise Storm Chronicles Book 2)

by May Freighter

  “How do I know you’ll get rid of the video once our deal is concluded?” Annalise asked, resting her hands on her hips. “Wouldn’t you use it against me every time you wanted something?”

  “I am a man of my word,” Mr X replied, glancing to Jamen. “Aren’t I?”

  Jamen’s upper lip curled over his grinding teeth. “I will kill you one day when your bodyguards are no longer around to protect you.”

  Mr X chuckled. “That wasn’t a no.” He checked his wrist comms and sighed dramatically. “Your friend, Detective Rios Blanc and his partner were rudely trying to spy on us. I believe they should be taught a lesson.”

  Annalise’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

  Beside her, Jamen tapped his earpiece. There was no response from Rios or Des. His face paled. “Don’t touch them!”

  “If Annalise decides to accept my deal, you will be free to go and return to your normal lives,” Mr X informed them.

  “Fine. I’ll do it! Just don’t hurt them,” she pleaded.

  “That won’t do.” Mr X motioned for her to come closer.

  She obliged, trudging to his desk. He took her hand and pricked her finger with a needle before pressing it against a large piece of paper. On the sheet, she saw a number of rules.

  “What are those?” she demanded, yanking her hand back.

  He picked up the contract and dangled it in front of her face. “To sum it up, no one here is to speak of this deal, warn Mr Madoc, or intervene with me in any way. You also agreed to obey any orders from me for the next three months until I return the original video to you, which will only happen if you comply with the rules. Breaching this contract will be dealt with swiftly, and painfully.”

  She tried to grab the piece of paper, but he moved it out of her reach. “I didn’t get to read that!”

  “But you were going to accept the deal regardless,” he mocked.

  Annalise had a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. She was close enough to hurt him if she wanted to. Doing that could endanger her friends, so she reigned in her frustration and took a step back from him. “I want a copy.”

  Mr X smiled. “Of course.” He handed the sheet to one of his men who disappeared through another door at the back of the room. When he re-emerged, he gave a copy to Annalise.

  She folded the paper and tucked it into her jacket’s inner pocket. “Can we go now?”

  “You may go, but Mr Auris and his sister must stay. There are some matters we have to discuss.”

  Annalise walked back to Calla and stepped in front of her and Jamen like a protective shield. “They’re not staying.”

  “I don’t like to repeat myself, Ms Storm. Mr Auris has some data that we don’t like him having.” Mr X’s humour faded. “He may leave once he tells us where the files are stored.”

  Jamen laughed and crossed his arms. “If you lay a hand on me, or my sister, that data you’re so concerned about will go to the news outlets all over the city. I’ve told you this before, if you touch my family, your little sick game ends.”

  Mr X seemed to think about Jamen’s words. The guards in the room were also becoming tense with their fingers edging closer to their guns’ triggers. Clasping his hands together, Mr X finally smiled. “We will deal with that another day. I will be in touch, Ms Storm.” He waltzed out of the room through the back door, his guards following close behind.

  Annalise blew out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding. Her lungs burned when she drew more oxygen in and ran her hand through her damp hair. “How do you know that creep?”

  “He was the man who contacted me about Calla’s existence,” Jamen replied, meeting her stare. “I’ll tell you more about it after we get out of here and check on Rios. I hope he and Des are okay.”

  The time for explanations could come later. She didn’t feel like sticking around to find out if that bastard wanted to return and append some of his rules.

  They found Rios and Des lying unconscious outside of the warehouse. Once Annalise checked their vital signs, she helped Jamen and Calla bring them to their car. Dread was slowly sinking her empty stomach. With Falcon once more interfering with her life, she feared for what their ultimate goal was. Is this a direct attack on me or Devlin? And, could I betray him? He had done nothing wrong to her. Even now, her conscience chastised her for accepting the deal.

  She let Jamen drive her back to his apartment. As they passed the separation gate back into Silver, she was lost in thought.

  “Storm!” Calla nudged Annalise’s hand from the front seat.

  Annalise blinked several times, realising that she was still in the car. A second later, she saw her wrist comms were beeping with an incoming call from her father. A bitter laugh escaped her. He was the last person she wanted to talk to tonight.

  “Aren’t you going to answer that?” Calla asked.

  “I guess I should…” She accepted the call.

  Her father’s angry voice bounced around the car as he shouted, “What were you thinking? How could you stoop so low as a detective and get investigated by Internal Affairs only a month into your job?”

  Looking at the ceiling of the vehicle, she prayed for patience with this man. Her father never did understand her. Instead of offering a shoulder to cry on or a word of concern, he spent most of his time pointing out her flaws and kicking her when she was down. “I was with Devlin, and we did nothing wrong.”

  “He is not answering my calls,” William snapped. “Did you ruin your chance at the engagement?”

  Typical William Storm… “On the contrary, Will. I’ve decided to accept this arranged marriage.”

  Her father went quiet on the other end, and she struggled not to laugh. Her life was close to becoming a sitcom. There she was, ready to betray the man who had to watch her back. But, at least, her father would be happy for a short while.

  “You have made the right decision. I will arrange for the wedding to—”

  Annalise interrupted William’s tirade. “You’re not going to control when or where this wedding happens. Devlin and I will deal with this on our own.”

  “What are you talking about? If you’ve decided to go through with it, the sooner it is done the better!”

  “I am not going to budge on this.” She ended the call.

  Jamen said from the driver’s seat, “I hope you know what you’re doing. I don’t like Madoc, but whatever Falcon is planning for him, it can’t be good. That man doesn’t show up unless something big is going on in that hornet’s nest.”

  “As you are well aware, I don’t have a choice. Ruining this engagement is the only way out for me.” Annalise relaxed her head against the headrest. “Why did he tell you about Calla in the first place?”

  “I told you, I was working on a possession case back then. Much like your first case, it looked like an easy open-and-shut possessed flare attack. Unlike a beast attack where the entrails of the victims end up in different places, a flare attack is slightly more terrifying. The victim gouged his own eyes out and ate them. Then, he ate his arm. He suffocated with half of his limb sticking out of his throat.”

  Annalise cringed and covered her mouth. “That’s sick. Can a possessed flare do that?”

  “I didn’t know at the time. But there was nothing else to explain it. Basilisks always poison their victims when they go berserk, beasts tear them apart, and alabasters do a lot of physical damage. Plus, flares remain as the least researched class of the modded. It was no wonder Falcon gathered them from orphanages and kidnapped them at every opportunity they got. The only sure way to give birth to a flare is if both parents have the gene, otherwise, there is a ten percent chance.”

  “Don’t tell me they were breeding flares at that facility you mentioned?” Annalise asked, aghast.

  In the front passenger seat, Calla was rubbing her arms as if remembering something unpleasant. Annalise was about to retract her question, but Jamen said, “One side of the facility was dedicated to breeding, yes. Once the ch
ildren reached the age of nine, they were pitted against other modded to fight for survival and food. If they lost, they spent the night hungry. The hungrier they got, the more desperate they became…”

  Annalise’s heart gave a squeeze. That sounded like something out of a horror movie.

  He kept on talking, “Calla wasn’t born there, though she was thrown into that nightmare because our mother couldn’t deal with moving to Green and giving up her life as a pureblood in Silver.”

  “I’m sorry…” Annalise whispered.

  Calla whipped her head around and glared at her. “I don’t need your pity, Storm. I was taught to be a killer since birth. It’s an advantage, not a sentence.”

  Pressing her lips together, Annalise said nothing. She knew for certain now that if Falcon were permitted to retain their control of the city, every citizen could become their lab rat. Too bad that until she could figure a way out of her contract or bring them down, she had to play along.

  After a midnight snack, she got some sleep on Jamen’s sofa. Rios and Des were sleeping in one bedroom, and Calla and Jamen made themselves comfortable in the other. Close to 8 a.m., Annalise saw she had a message in her inbox. She checked the sender’s details. It was sent from a fake account without any useful information. Though, the contents of the message couldn’t be mistaken. Mr X had dispatched his first instructions.

  UNKNOWN Sender: Announce your engagement at the City Hall’s gala tomorrow.

  She grabbed her badge, ID, and gun from Jamen’s dining table. Once she was ready, she left Jamen a message of where she was going and called Devlin. She needed to find out where he lived to be able to go through with the next step of this charade.

  He answered her call with a groggy voice, “Annalise? This is rather surprising. Usually, I’m the one chasing you.”

  She cleared her throat, hoping she sounded upbeat when she said, “Hey, I wanted to check on you. Are you at home?”

  “I am. Why? Do you want to come over?” He let out a chuckle.

  “I do. Can you send me the address?”

  Devlin’s mirth came to a sudden stop. “Is something wrong?”

  Great! He’s getting suspicious of me. She had to figure out a way to act naturally. So, she tried to reason with him. “You were hurt, and the last time we saw each other was when Internal Affairs got a hold of us. I…wanted to make sure my partner was doing okay.” She held her breath, waiting for him to demand another explanation.

  “I’ll send you my address in a minute,” he said, ending the call.

  Annalise exhaled loudly and placed her hand over her racing heart. She hated lying to people. But if this lie was going to keep people she cared about safe, she had no choice. At least, until she got her hands on Mr X and kicked his ass.

  19

  The Proposal

  Annalise parked in front of a three-storey apartment complex near the Sapphire River. She looked around, seeing how dead the trees were that lined the pavement. Winter had arrived without her realising it. She wrapped her jacket closer to her body and made her way to the entrance. Checking the names on the list, she spied Devlin’s and pressed the call button.

  After three rings, he buzzed her in, and she took a lift to the top floor. He was staying in the penthouse apartment in Silver, which wasn’t cheap for a single man.

  She didn’t get a chance to knock as he opened the door early. Her nerves were getting the best of her. She licked her lips, curving them into a smile. “Hey.”

  Devlin held the door open for her. “It’s good to see you.”

  Once she was close enough, she could smell his spicy cologne. His complexion had improved as well. He no longer looked pale, and the sparkle of interest burned brightly in his blue eyes. She assessed his lounging attire, a white shirt and a pair of grey slacks that looked great on him, hugging his powerful thighs. He didn’t appear like the serious man she had come to know over the past week.

  “Take a seat in the living room. I’ll make us something to eat,” he said, closing the door.

  She waved her hands in the air. “There’s no need. I can get something on the way home.”

  Devlin placed his hand on the small of her back, under her jacket, leading her to a spacious, sunlit room. His touch warmed her through the material of her blouse. Knowing that he held affection for her made her wish she didn’t have to play Falcon’s game of lies. For much-needed distraction, she took in the interior. It was simple, with a white-and-grey design and scarce modern art on the white walls. Wooden beams ran under the high ceiling. He seemed to prefer space, and she couldn’t fault him for it. Ahead of her, she noticed that the windows looked out at the Sapphire River as it shimmered in the sun, appearing as blue as the sky above. She walked to the floor-to-ceiling windowpanes, marvelling at the view. Although the Tower she lived in gave her the opportunity to see the entire city, this sight made her feel closer to Divinity and its citizens.

  “You have a lovely place,” she commented, turning around.

  Devlin was in the open plan kitchen, preparing their coffee. “Thank you.”

  Rubbing her hands together, she slowly made her way around the room. There were no clothes out of place, no dust on the shelves, nothing to indicate a presence of another woman in his life, and no family photos.

  “You live alone?”

  He looked up long enough to spy her across the room, next to the muted holo-projection of the news. “I do.”

  “What about your family? Where are they?”

  “We live separately and prefer it that way,” he replied and moved to open the fridge. He took out some ingredients she didn’t get a good look at and started cooking.

  Unlike her, he appeared at ease in the kitchen. Every time she tried to make something, even if it was a cup of tea, the taste was always off. She could never match Mavel in skill, either. Perhaps that was why she never strove to improve in that area. She expected him to remain by her side forever. With him being out of the picture, she didn’t know how to cover up that empty part of her heart and life.

  Sighing, she settled on the sectional sofa, resting her back against one of the large cushions. Her stomach clenched at the idea that she must become someone she didn’t want to be—a deceiver. Devlin deserved someone who would love him wholly, not a woman who was going to lie to him and make him lose his chance at succeeding his mother’s company. She rubbed her stiff neck. What if there was a way out of it for them both? If she could figure out Mr X’s weakness, she could use it against him. She could warn Devlin, and he would be able to adapt or marry someone more suitable. But, for some reason, imagining him with another woman on his arm didn’t please her. No. She couldn’t focus on that alone. His happiness mattered more than her wish to stay as partners with him. Another woman could affect his work. And if that woman got him to quit or move to a different part of the DPD? No one liked the idea of their spouse working for the Human Possession Department. She frowned. Is that it?

  Lost in thought, she jumped when Devlin placed his hand on her shoulder. “The food is ready.”

  “What? That was fast,” she said, breathing in the delicious scent.

  “You were zoning out for twenty minutes,” he explained, studying her face with concern. “Is everything okay?”

  Annalise smiled and pointed at the dinner table. “What did you make?” She shot up and hurried to it. “I’m dying for some good coffee.”

  Devlin waited for her to take a seat at the table then joined her. His intense eyes never left her face. She knew he wasn’t buying her carefree act. So, she decided to take a sip of the coffee he made. It was the best coffee she had ever tasted, hands down. It had a rich aroma with the right amount of sugar and cream.

  “What is your true purpose in coming here, Annalise?”

  She set her cup on the square saucer. “I have to tell you something.”

  “I gathered. What has you acting so out of character? Did something happen at home or at work?”

  Shaking her head
, she assembled her unwilling shreds of courage and closed her eyes. “I—I will accept our engagement.”

  The silence wasn’t what she expected. She peeled open her eyes and found him sitting back in his seat with his arms folded over his chest. “No reaction?”

  “I’m waiting for the punchline.”

  She scrunched her brows together. “What?”

  He leant in, resting his chin on his knotted hands. “You were against this engagement from the start. What changed your mind?”

  “Am I not allowed to change my mind?”

  “I find your sudden decision”—his eyes narrowed—“confusing.”

  She pondered his words and had to agree. This was out of character for her. She, too, would be suspicious if their roles were reversed. All along she had been telling him that they had no chance, and now she was willingly jumping onto the wedding bandwagon.

  “I have thought it over, Devlin.” She started to cut into the beautiful pancakes with maple syrup he had prepared for her. Giving a small piece a sample, she smiled. It rivalled Mavel’s taste. “I think we work well together as a team. Though, I don’t want us to get married immediately. Taking some time to get to know each other first will help us find out if this arrangement can work.” She stole a glance at him. He had a thoughtful expression on his face as if he was dissecting her words.

  Devlin took her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. She felt a light prickle of a current that sparked between them when he touched her. Her cheeks heated and her skin tingled all over.

  “Is this engagement what you want?” he asked, never breaking eye contact.

  She couldn’t form a sentence. The words were stuck in her throat, and the longer he kept touching her, the more confused she became. There was a peculiar attraction between them. She could only hope that it wouldn’t go too far.