Deviant Vows by Anna Widzisz
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Davina
“Are you sure it’s the only way?” William asks for the tenth time in the last hour, getting on my nerves.
I roll my eyes. “Jesus Christ,” I say under my breath. “Do you think I’d be here right now if there was any other way of dealing with the police?” I wave my hand at the house that we’re now standing in front of. It’s one story with dark brown brick and big white windows. The porch looks like no one has been really taking care of it for quite a while and I can understand why since the man who is living here is alone. His wife died a few months ago – lucky her – and from what I’ve heard he’s not doing so well health-wise.
“You do remember what happened the last time you saw Jacob Fiennes?” he reminds me.
As if I’d ever forget. But I’d take him down without breaking a sweat if that’s what’s needed. Jacob is a nasty piece of shit but he’d sell his soul to the devil if it’d give him one more day on this earth. So he’ll behave because he knows he doesn’t stand a chance against me.
I briefly meet William’s eyes, considering whether to tell him to wait for me or come along, though perhaps he’ll stop me from doing something stupid if it comes to it. After all, I'm said not to do well where Fiennes men are concerned. History proved it enough.
Clearing my throat, I head up to the front door. I reach out to press the doorbell, but as if on command, the doors suddenly open, and I drop my hand.
“Davina Kinsley,” a short red-head woman in a yellow dress and black apron greets me. I’d be surprised that she knows me, but most people do. And since she seemingly works for one of the old directors, she must be a little bit clued in on the mob world. Even my housekeeper is and she’s not a part of the family whatsoever. Though, she has more to lose by opening her mouth than staying quiet. Especially with the money I pay her.
I hesitate but send her a barely noticeable smile and a nod.
“Please, come in.” She opens the doors wider and invites me in with a gesture of a hand.
I step forward. The knot in my stomach tightens as I wonder whether this visit is going to end in success or if I’ll have to find another way out of my sticky situation. God only knows how Jacob will react to me after years when the last time he saw me I was torturing his precious son. Not that he fought to protect him as a parent should. He was a coward, still is.
I hear William’s steps right behind me as I follow the woman through the house in complete silence.
The house looks like one of those old-fashioned museums which actually makes sense as to why my sister and Taylor’s house had this same style. I never liked it. It didn’t feel like a home at all. No wonder the Fiennes family was always so cold and distant all those times I saw them at social gatherings. I’m not even certain they knew what feelings, empathy or love was.
The servant leads me through the vast house to the very back with an open concept library and a big desk in the middle. I’m sure that if I took a look at the literature, it’d be some old historic books since I remember way back when Taylor said that his father adores the first and second World War topics. Would it be going too far to think that he’d probably have extremely strong opinions about those times? Ones that’d be unpopular nowadays. He strikes me as that kind of a person. Just like his son.
The old man is sitting in a big brown leather armchair to the right side as a nurse tends to him. He has a large, rectangular oxygen tank next to him with the tube wrapped around his neck and going straight to his nose. I’ve heard he has some breathing problems as his lungs have already collapsed twice but I didn’t think it was that big of a problem now. Apparently, I was wrong.
As soon as he hears the housekeeper’s voice introducing me, his small eyes slowly set on me. His tired face and pale skin make him seem even older than he is. Whatever his illness is, it’s visibly eating away at him, leaving a shadow of a man.
He doesn’t move to stand up or even nod his head in a greeting. Not that I care about such unnecessary theatrics. We both know he hates me to the bone.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he says, his voice weak. He gestures to the nurse to leave us alone and they both depart with the housekeeper with a quick nod. “I knew that sooner or later I’d see you here. Although, recently I started doubting I’d even last that long.” He points to the tank by his armchair.
William shifts in his place and I sit down on the opposite side of Jacob. My legs cross and I smile. I can’t find a bone in my body to feel sorry for him. I have no respect for him after what happened in the Quarter. Honestly, I felt bad for Taylor to have a father like him who couldn’t take a stand. He didn’t even try protecting him.
“I see karma finally visited you,” I comment.
“From what I know your karma is on the way, Davina.” I am still unsure how I’m supposed to take it. Is he the one who shit on my business in the first place? “Macsen Addison is a nightmare to share a life with, isn’t he?”
I breathe out. He’s alluding to my marriage, not my deals.
My brow raises. “Why would you think that?”
“He can’t be much better than his father was. Victor rarely cared about anything other than his own nose.” He swallows. “You think I was bad? You haven’t seen Victor at his worst. But perhaps Macsen has taken after his father with anger, so sooner or later you’ll experience the wide range of his possibilities.”
“Funny. I’d say the same thing about your son.” I lean forward, resting the elbows on my knees. “You know, the son who’s long-dead because I ripped him apart for how he treated me.”
I realise it’s not a good thing to get on Jacob’s bad side now. Especially with what I need from him, but I can’t help it. Fiennes men just have that effect on me.
Actually, most men do.
He tightens his jaw and offers William a hard look, then looks back at me. A sickening smile curls at his lips as if I just said a joke. Not what I’ve intended.
“What’s so amusing to you, Jacob?”
He shrugs. “Just how you’re going to have everything coming back at you. All the wrong deeds, words that you’ve said, power that you’ve taken. People are vicious, Nyx. They are not going to let you walk all over them or kiss your ass because they have the pleasure of being in your presence,” he shoots back. “And the best thing is I don’t have to move a goddamn finger.”
I don’t answer.
“I’m not here to exchange pleasantries,” I bite back and extend my hand over my shoulder. William puts the file there and I pass it to Jacob who doesn’t even bother to open it and see what it is. “I want the rest of the business files Taylor had. Preferably also yours.”
“And why do you need it? If I remember correctly you made sure to show that however we, the directors, ruled, you’ll do it differently. So what do you plan on finding there?”
I can just lie, or say that it’s not his business, though, quite frankly his reaction can betray something that will be of use. His cockiness of hearing about my problems might come in handy as well.
“The police are sniffing around my deals and I need to see the original document with all the businesses that Taylor had and all the steps he took to ensure that they are air-tight.”
If the cops are to back off, it’s only if I make sure that they won’t know where to look even with the list of what I’m involved in. It’s still a trial and error for me as no one helped me but William. But he wasn’t exactly someone important before. Just a soldier. So he didn’t have the experience that Jacob passed onto his son or Victor to Macsen. I can always ask Macsen for help, however; I’m more sure that he’s not all that clean when it comes to this situation. And it makes my stomach flip. The trust I put in him is questioned every step of the way.
“All the documents are in the bottom drawer in my desk,” Jacob says casually, making me confused. I expected more of a fight from him, and judging by his throaty laugh at my expression, he realises that. “I’m ill, Nyx. I don’t have the necessary strength to come against you. And as I said – I don’t need to. I’m not the only one who hates you. There are those who have more power. Who can do more being close to you.”
I’m not imagining it. He’s talking about Macsen. I know he is.
And maybe I shouldn’t believe him, but something tells me that his words make some sense this time around. William takes the pile of the documents and nods his head towards the corridor. He wants to leave.
I get up. “I’d say it was a pleasure to see you again. But I’d be lying,” I tell Jacob. “I hope this condition is going to finally get the best of you. You don’t deserve anything more.”
I walk to the threshold as I hear a cough and then the man’s words ring in my ears, “Enjoy the little power you have left, Nyx. Your husband will surely make good on the promise to take over the Firm.”
What. The. Actual. Hell?
✽✽✽
Diego walks into my office with concern written all over his face as I’m finishing up setting the plan with William to protect my business. Turns out Taylor really knew his way around the Firm. And stupidly wrote down all the steps he took on the paper. Rarely any director before him did that, though his pristine reputation and impulse to have control over everything made him do it. Since I knew how he was, I knew he’d do just that and save the Firm. Now William just needs to put all of that to use.
“What’s wrong?”
It almost seems like deja vu with reverse roles that it’s Diego who obviously has some bad news now, not my uncle.
“Remember when I told you I can’t help but think that I know the man who attacked you from somewhere?” I frown, completely not knowing what he’s talking about, though if he told me this on the night of the attack or in the next few days after, there are few things I can recall. I lived as if on autopilot and everything blends together now.
He waves his hand, dismissing the question. “Nevermind. I went to the Colosseum today to see my girlfriend and I saw a group of men there that never really came there until the marriage thing. Then I saw a few of them training in the cage more than once.”
“And?”
“Do you want to tell us that he’s our guy? Because I know all the men, and he’s not one of us for sure,” William shifts, smoking the cigarette.
Diego shakes his head. “Do you have access to the video surveillance from the ring here?” he asks me.
I nod and immediately open my laptop to log into the system. I can supervise any of my businesses from here. I don’t like being in the dark as to what my people are doing, and with the little time I have, it’s hard to go everywhere just to check up on a place.
“What am I looking for?”
“Rewind to five in the afternoon.” I do just that. He stands next to me with William on the other side. He points at the monitor where four men are sitting in one of the booths with their sports bags on the floor and glasses with water on the table. “Look at their arms.”
I stop the recording, focusing on the screen. One of the men has a dagger inked on his skin. The symbol that is known to be something that assassins have. And not just any assassins but the ones that answer to Macsen – to the north part of Liverpool.
My heart skips a beat, thinking of those men in my fighting ring. I know I let Macsen train soldiers there whenever there’s no fight happening, though I didn’t realise he uses it for his assassins. They are known to only have loyalty to one and it sure as hell isn’t me. Marriage doesn’t change that. Assassins are never to shift or expand their loyalty. They served Macsen before, and they still serve him now.
“Nyx, I’ve seen the man who attacked you with them a few times. The last time was at your fight. It’s no coincidence he knew where to come into the house. He knew the fucking layout somehow and neither of your people sure as hell gave him that. Barely any of them have even been inside.”
“But there’s one person who’s been here more than once,” William whispers and I feel like crying. For the first time, I feel like the ground under my feet has opened up and wants me to fall into the hole.
I swallow, my anger starting to come out to play. I clench my hands into fists, my knuckles turning white. “Macsen.”