Deviant Vows by Anna Widzisz

CHAPTER NINE

Macsen

I stand there astonished by what I saw, unable to say anything for several seconds. It took her only a few seconds. Few fucking seconds and Davina got Hellion wrapped around her finger. Only I had an instant bond with him when I first got him, but it is nearly impossible for others to be anywhere near Hellion. He has trauma from his previous owner who beat him. After years of watching him bite and attack any stranger he meets, I never expected him to feel so safe around Davina. He’s always at the very least cautious, staying away from others.

Hellion stalks towards me, rubbing the side of his head against my leg so I kneel down and scratch his ears, watching his tail wiggle like always. He lets out a bark before scampering to another room. When I look back at Theo, I notice his body is still tense after the reckless act that Davina pulled.

“Let’s get back to work.” I clear my throat before going through the details of our interrupted discussion. For the next few minutes, he walks me through the profits and margins that have been changing due to my marriage with Davina. Though as we go through the shipments of drugs and weapons that have been retracted from the docks recently, I see the rates declining significantly when they should be skyrocketing.

I frown in confusion.

“What the fuck is this?” I ask him.

Theo’s lips thin. He exits the tab on his iPad before locking it and putting it aside. “Those are the profits we got this week.”

“I noticed that much. What I don’t understand is why they seem to be almost as low as they were before. Davina gave us full access to the docks but the numbers I’m seeing are nowhere near the profits I expected. I thought the supplies were running smoothly.”

I exhale a deep breath in sudden frustration, placing my hands on my hips. My mind runs wild with ideas as to what could have happened.

“Did you check the accounts?”

Theo lets out an exasperated sigh, combing a hand through his unruly hair. “I checked the records two days ago. There are barely any inflows. Davina didn’t give us the access she promised. It seems she still steals the shipments from us, Macsen. She is probably taking most of the profits and keeping them in her fucking bank accounts.”

Betrayal is something I rarely experience because people fear me so much that even the thought of going against me never crosses their minds. They know there is only one punishment for such consequences. Death.

But what am I supposed to do about Davina causing the stab of anger in my racing heart? I never cared if it was a man or woman who deserved to be punished by me, or if the crime was big or small. None of that bullshit bothered me. And yet, deep down I have this unsettling feeling within me, whispering that Davina wouldn’t play dirty like this. But my brother isn’t a liar either. He cares about the Firm more than anything.

Theo simply shrugs. “I’m not in charge of it, Macsen. Your wife’s father is. You can ask him.”

Without sparing another word, I take my car keys and drive to the docks. Passing through the traffic, I soon reach my destination, expecting to meet Michael, but seeing William talking to one of the workers is an unexpected sight.

I approach him and clear my throat. Dismissing the worker with a wave of his hand, he crosses his arms, greeting me with the same monotonous expression that he always has. Even though he is Davina’s uncle and right-hand man, the bond between us is pretty much neutral. It is better off that way. Also, we aren’t a happy and lovable family so there is no point in pretending we care about each other.

He nods at me. “Macsen.”

I stand in front of him with my hands inside my pockets as I meet his eyes. “I want to see the records of the shipments from the moment of mine and Davina’s marriage. The real ones. As well as the track of the profits and its division.”

He arches an eyebrow. “Why do you suddenly need them?” he asks.

My jawline clenches and I feel the anger blooming inside me bit by bit. “I don’t need to explain myself to you. And isn’t Michael supposed to be in charge of everything? Not you.”

William lets out a cold, emotionless chuckle. “He’s supervising the shipments. Yes. There are none right now as you might have noticed.” He gestures towards the hawsers. “Nothing is happening. I come here sometimes to settle all the deals and pay the workers.”

“Does Davina know?”

He nods.

Why the fuck didn’t she tell me about it? It seems like the structure she’s been in charge of is one thing and the reality of it is a whole goddamn new one.

“I’m neither here to argue nor to waste my time.” I stretch out my hand. “The records. Now.”

“Come with me,” he mutters in a gruff voice with a hint of annoyance. We head towards the storage building, entering the office room where William approaches the desk and brings out a red file before passing it to me. I open it and scan through every document and report. Both by a worker and the supervisor. There’s no information about the money being transferred to Davina’s account. Seems like both she and William are behind this conspiracy then.

I pass him the file. He leans back against the desk, gazing at me with a blank look.

“I have no interest in dragging this matter out, so just simply tell me. What are you and Davina planning? And where the fuck is the rest of the money going?” I ask him, preparing myself mentally to shoot him if I have to. In case he doesn’t answer or tries to lie.

His brows draw together. “The rest of it is transferred to the bank account.”

“I’m aware of that. The money has to go somewhere obviously. However, they are not in mine.”

“She didn’t tell you, did she?” he asks, the corner of his lips quirking up as if the situation is amusing to him. Fucking arsehole.

“Tell me what? How she is betraying me by taking my profits? Or the fact that you cover up for her?” I sneer, stalking towards him and pressing my finger against his chest with a threatening look. “The docks were mostly her territory which was why I couldn’t take the whole percentage of my shipments. With this marriage, it was supposed to change. So if you so much as think of lying to me, my hands won’t tremble when I shoot you and my wife. So fucking tell me before you won’t be able to ever again.”

He remains silent without a hint of fear. “No wonder she still doesn’t trust you.”

My eyes narrow. “What do you mean?” I snarl, gripping his collar. I feel the last string of patience snapping and diminishing my control.

“It’s a fact that the money she earned has been transferred to her. Yours hasn’t. But have you stopped for a second to think as to why instead of accusing everyone of some conspiracies?”

I tighten my grip on his shirt. “Get to the fucking point!”

He looks unfazed by my threatening tone but that look won’t last for much longer now if he continues to ignore my questions.

“The recent profits are too high to be put in your bank account. In case the NCA gets suspicious and does a background check, Davina decided it would be safe to put the money in her account. She was going to tell you about it and then suggest you open a foreign account in Malaysia or somewhere else. Eventually, your share of the profits would have been transferred to that new account,” he mutters. My hold starts to loosen.

Swallowing down my pride and doubt I move back, the feeling of guilt emerging. I let my suspicion blind me so much that I might have done something I would have come to regret later.

William fixes his collar before walking around the desk and opening the drawer, taking out a box of cigarettes. He takes one out and lights it, taking a deep drag before exhaling the smoke out. His eyes never leave mine as if he is waiting for something, and I know what it is. An apology.

“I have to go,” I murmur, heading towards the door but William’s words halt my steps.

“Why do you not trust her?” he asks.

I look over my shoulder, letting out a deep breath. “As if trust is that easily earned in our world. It takes time and reason for it.”

“She is your wife.”

“On paper. She feels more like a stranger to me in reality.”

William takes a seat, and I follow his suit, feeling he has something important to tell me. Something I shouldn’t ignore. He passes a cigarette along with the lighter to me.

“You two got married to unite the territories and the Firm again. To stop the war between our own people. Yet you still fight with each other instead of together. You know how hard I worked to get her to even consider this marriage? To make her see it as a valuable option? She still believes it was her idea in the first place but it was me putting hints here and there all this time.”

I remain quiet, not knowing what to say. It hasn’t been an easy decision for me either. Pride has been a huge factor against it.

I inhale the burnt tobacco, feeling the soothing burn in my throat.

“I realise this marriage has its limits. The union has its boundaries and while we’re not at war, total peace isn’t completely reachable. At least not all at once. The Firm will always come first for both of you. But Davina will always be my top priority. She’s like my own daughter. So believe me when I say that I won’t let any fucking arsehole, including you, ever let her down again. If you really want this whole arrangement to work, then put your ego in the fucking bin. She is bloody stubborn but when she makes a deal, she sticks to it. So learn to trust her because you won’t come to regret it.”

Again? What does he mean by that?

The sudden realisation painted on his face shows he didn’t mean to say that. Today, Davina nearly killed Theo for bringing up the Quarter’s matter, and now William seems uneasy all of a sudden. Maybe I should mention her killing spree those few years ago and see what happens? Deep down I feel this uncertainty. I can sense a secret related to Davina and her family. A past that must have been kept locked in their memories. One that they don’t want to set free.

I know she has a trigger.

“Has she always been like this? Strong and adamant?” I ask.

William snickers lightly with a hint of gentleness that I’ve never seen before. Though, it only lasts for a fleeting moment. “Nobody's ever born that strong and adamant. It's the lessons in our lives that turn us into something we never expect to become, and that’s what happened to Davina as well. She’s a survivor. She made sure to do whatever necessary to stay alive.”

“And what really happened to her?”

He shakes his head as he crushes the burnt bud of the cigarette on the ashtray and gets up.

“You came here to learn about the money and you got the answer. I have better things to do than to humour your curiosity.” Buttoning his suit, he leaves the room without looking back at me. I lean forward, bringing the ashtray closer and letting dust land on it before taking a deep drag. My thoughts run wild about Davina.

With the scenarios that have happened so far, it is clear there is something that I am missing. Nyx is cold and calculative. She doesn’t get close to people – both literally and figuratively. She never lets anyone stand behind her or even touch her neck. There is a story behind her scar, and I have to find out what it is. As well as what really went down in the Quarter on that night.

William’s words also make me realise that for this arrangement to work, I need to at least try to trust Davina and her choices. It will be a tough journey but I am willing to give it a go.