Deviant Vows by Anna Widzisz

CHAPTER TEN

Macsen

As I return back to the penthouse, I notice my father’s car parked in the underground garage. What does he want now?

Parking my car beside his, I head inside only to be informed by one of the maids that my father is waiting for me in the office. As I enter the room, I see him getting settled, pouring a generous amount of whiskey into the glass. When he hears me closing the door, he looks over his shoulder and raises an empty glass, asking me if I want one too. Sighing, I nod. There’s no use telling him that he shouldn’t act as if he was home. Then we both sit down on two opposite sides of the desk – me taking the main place, of course.

“What brings you here today?” I ask. My voice sounds tired and that’s exactly how I feel. Getting into a conversation with Victor is hardly something I need right now.

“I heard that your wife created a scene at the ball. It’s making rounds in the Firm after Davina officially admitted to it. The mayor was furious,” he says, his eyes straining on me.

I roll my eyes not answering. I don’t approve of how Davina decided to handle Olivia or later talking to her father who just let the matter go out of fear. But I’m not yet sure how I can work with my wife without it destroying our business from within. “Why are you really here? You never gave a fuck about such pointless issues.”

Father shakes his head with a sigh. “It is never pointless when it comes to Davina. A woman like her is supposed to be handled and tamed. She’s like a wild animal who shouldn’t wander alone. Yet she always does. Even the wedding didn’t change that, surprisingly.”

My brows furrow. I sit back. “What do you mean?”

“I have known Davina for quite a while, Macsen.”

That much I know. “What aren’t you telling me?”

I am trying to be respectful to the elder. Especially to my father who once upon a time has been my boss. Even though I hate him because he was anything but a good father to me or my siblings.

He knows very well how much I despise it when people dance around the subject. It always annoys the fuck out of me. First, it was William’s words that kept flashing in my mind, and now my father is tangling my thoughts about Davina.

“I remember Davina as a child. She was a scrawny, shy kid, following her parents and sister like a lost puppy. Now there’s nothing left of that sweet and innocent girl.”

I remain silent, allowing him to continue. It’s hardly news. No one stays this way in the mob. Especially not those who come to bear the power of it. And she had more time to change than me, being in this position for longer.

Though, at once I realise that he’s alluding to what happened right before she took over.

“Everyone knows what she did five years ago in the Quarter. How she came to gain all this power, become a boss,” Victor begins.

Yes, her killing spree isn’t a secret. She’s been called an Executioner by many people for a very good reason because no one knew why she decided to murder the directors that ruled over Liverpool then. Leaving only two alive – Jacob Fiennes and my father. Everyone knows her to be a demon who trained for a long time and walked into the meeting only to become the Queen after, spilling blood.

“Why did she spare you?” I’ve never asked but it’s been on my mind.

“I was arrested at that time. About to be charged with money laundering and illegal weaponry supplies. Which is also why Taylor and Jacob Fiennes were both there on that night. They wanted to take control of my territory. Split it among them.”

This speaks volumes. I never understood why Taylor’s father was a part of that meeting since he wasn’t one of the bosses anymore back then. And perhaps it’s also the reason why he was the second person Davina didn’t kill. She wasn’t prepared for anyone other than the usual directors.

“The day I got out, Davina came to me. At that time, I surrounded myself with a lot of security thinking she would come after me and kill me like the other directors,” he pauses, clearing his throat. “Surprisingly, it wasn’t death that she offered, it was to share territories and business. She said that I wasn’t charged because of her. She dealt with key witnesses to my case, leaving no one to testify against me.”

“And you accepted,” I affirm.

He shrugs, tapping on the rim of his glass before he glances at me. His eyes are empty.

“I had no other option but to cave in at that moment. I have been working with her brother-in-law back then and honestly preferred to deal with her instead. Not to mention the other directors who were all a bunch of wankers.”

I don’t understand. “Wasn’t Taylor one of the best members of the Quarter?” I ask. I heard people praising him for the boss he was back then. Everyone seemed to love him. And when he got married to Davina’s older sister, they loved him even more, putting him on a pedestal.

“He was good as far as the Quarter and his soldiers were concerned. Much better than his father, for sure. But he was scum all the same and not one piece of his heart was worth what he had.”

“Why did Davina kill every director? She brought war upon all of us.”

He shakes his head. “Nobody knows. It's a mystery to all. She didn’t tell me. I do respect her as a boss but I think she was unhinged at the time. Actually, a few years before, she rarely attended any social events. People started talking that she was mentally ill. Granted, she showed it to be true on that night.”

She’s not mentally ill. I know she’s not. It’s just something people like to spread around. She’s passionate and has psychopathic tendencies but she’s not ill.

My father leans forward, putting his hands on his knees. “I don’t want her to take away the power you’ve worked for and truly deserve, son,” he says in a stoic tone. “The time of her being respected is long gone. Now you share the territory and business but it’s just on paper. She is nothing but a selfish and heartless bitch who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you if it came to getting what she wants. You can’t let her win.”

“Don’t call her that,” I instantly retort.

He snickers with an unsarcastic smile. “Theo wasn’t wrong after all. Seems like she already fastened a collar around your neck. When it should be the other way around, Macsen.”

I glare at him, feeling my blood rushing with rage and adrenaline. “Nobody ever dares to think of controlling me. And Davina is far from achieving that.”

“Your protectiveness says otherwise, son–”

“She is my wife. She belongs to me so possessiveness is a given. How many men have you allowed to leer at mother?” He responds to me with silence. “You worry about your life and work. Let me handle my wife. I don’t need marital advice from you.”

“Just be careful. Take care of it before it’s too late,” he says and gets up before starting to cough vigorously. He covers it with his palm but it gets stronger, nearly making his body tremble.

I put a hand on his shoulder. “What did the doctor say about your diagnosis?”

He swallows heavily before straightening up, pretending like the disease inside his body is not affecting him at all. “Not much. Just that I might need surgery in a few months. But nothing to worry about.”

Perhaps others may believe his lies but not me. Father was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago. It is advanced and doctors said that because of his age it might risk his life, too. Which is why he stepped down in the first place and I became the boss.

Death will come to us one way or another, there is no escape from it. So if it is this disease that will kill him, then he will face it without a shadow of fear. And still, have it way better than most mobsters who get murdered. Rarely any of us gets to die because of an illness or natural death.

Without uttering any further words, he leaves the room as I see him off to the lift. When I return to the office, I sit in front of my laptop to get through my work, but Davina keeps crawling her way up into my thoughts.

She is a puzzle that is tough to solve, but not impossible to finish.

William’s conversation indicates that Davina has a hidden story. Something that changed her completely, and it’s not just her becoming a boss. Along with Victor’s story, it makes sense that there’s a reason for her actions. Mobsters aren’t known to be reasonable, almost always acting on their huge egos – but Davina wasn’t a mobster at the time. She was just a girl who took it upon herself to kill almost all the directors.

I don’t trust her, and I never will, but I still need to know what made her this way. I need to know what happened in the Quarter.

What are you hiding, Nyx?

What are you afraid I’ll discover that there will be no turning back?

I swore to myself to make the queen of Liverpool bend to my will. I want to watch her soul crumble, to shatter her pride and strength. And I always keep my promises.