The Quest (28 page)

I pressed my lips shut and glared back at him. His course of action was one I wouldn’t have chosen. He could’ve at least warned me about Galluzzi.

He rolled his eyes. “If I had informed you of my plan, you would have refused to follow it. You were in love with Anubis. There was no way you would have left him. Staying alive meant you had to start over somewhere else where no one would find you and you couldn’t contact anyone. Can you honestly tell me you would have agreed if I had told you the truth from the beginning?”

Shaking my head, I lowered my gaze. In all truthfulness, I would not have gone along with his plan. While I don’t recall being in love, his reasoning made sense. I would’ve wanted to stay with Anubis. The only way to truly keep me alive and safe was to follow his plan. It would’ve worked had Boss and Jonas not found me and we started investigating who I was and what happened at the dump, which led me to confront Galluzzi.

I lifted my head as another question came to me. “Who gave you the potion?” Even though I knew from earlier in the day about the warlock who’d created it, I wanted to hear him tell me.

He paused and tilted his head to the side slightly. “I got it from Martin.”

“The councilman.”

He lifted his chin in an indication of agreement.

I officially labeled Martin as an enemy in my mental notebook. Thank God Boss didn’t leave to head up the investigation into the vampire councilman’s disappearance. Odds were now high that Boss would’ve run into foul play by Martin. Damn him. The warlock councilman was going to be next on my list to bring to justice.

“I think he’s leaving something out,” Jackson said, straightening his arm. He still held the gun aimed at Daniel. “You’re an old one. You could’ve manipulated some memories instead of taking them all.”

Daniel’s face tightened. He shot a repulsed glare at Jackson.

“Tell her why you removed all of them. She deserves to know,” Jackson said.

Daniel lifted his eyes to me. “I didn’t want to take any chances. For your safety, and mine, I thought it would be best if you knew nothing. My hope was you could lead a somewhat normal life. No one would know what really happened or why. Moreover, no one would know about all your qualities.”

My blood warmed. “But I’m not normal, never have been, never will be. And you let an evil bitch get away with murder.”

He jerked forward, causing Jackson to tense. “I am one individual. You’ve seen all the people associated with Project E. She has many connections. I couldn’t stop her. I knew if she believed you were dead, she wouldn’t come looking for you. But you ruined everything.”

I felt my face flush. I ruined everything? The nerve of him to blame me.

“You’re a fucking coward.” I pointed my finger at him as if he were a child. The one-man routine was such a bogus excuse. I was one woman and didn’t care what kind of connections she had. He could’ve taken charge, employed a few friends for help, like Anubis, and he could’ve saved his life, mine and everyone else who had died thus far.

Daniel leaped to his feet. A loud blast bounced off the walls as he jerked his shoulder.

“Get back, Shelley,” Jackson said, standing and with the gun aimed at Daniel’s head. “Next time, I will fire a round into that warped brain.”

Daniel curled his lip and bared his fangs at Jackson. The tension level in the room exceeded the safety zone.

“I think you should leave,” I said.

“Everything I have done–”

I lifted my hand, signaling for him to silence. “Was to save me and yourself. Yeah, I got that. Thanks, but there is more at stake here.”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t want your help anymore. Thanks for saving me, but I can handle it from here.”

“You’re a foolish woman.”

Biting my tongue, I strode to the door and swung it open. “Get out.”

Daniel stepped around the coffee table.

“Wait!” Jackson yelled. “The tracking device.”

Daniel stopped a few feet from me. “It’s under your fingernail.”

I clenched my fists and held them up to examine my nails. I had a small, dark mole under my middle fingernail on my right hand. All the other nails appeared pink with white tips. I’d noticed the dark shape before plenty of times, but never thought anything about it.

“Regardless of what you think of me, my intentions were to save you.”

“But you allowed her kill so many others. I truly think all of this could’ve been avoided.”

“And let her find another way to get to you.”

“You don’t control the future. Maybe she would’ve. Maybe not. We’ll never know.”

Shaking his head, he strode out the door, then stopped. He glanced over his shoulder. “By the way, your father is in town, and he’s looking for you.”

Jackson reached for the door. He slammed it shut and locked the bolts. After a few seconds of silence, he moved toward me holding the gun at his side and rubbing his temple with his other hand. “Do you believe him? Because, I’m not so sure I do.”

Everything Daniel had told us seemed plausible, but we didn’t have concrete evidence to support his words. The mole under my nail could be a tracking device, but we had no way to know for sure. As for proof about my father, we needed my birth record. And Anubis could confirm if he knew Daniel.

“I don’t know, but I could use some sleep to clear my head.”

“There are two bedrooms upstairs with beds made. You can choose whichever one you want.”

I took a step toward the stairs and stopped at the sound of a buzz. Twisting around, I found Jackson digging his cell from his front pocket. After he fished it out, he pressed a button and lifted it to his ear.

“Anything new?”

The male voice on the other end of the line sounded like Tom.

“And the name?” Jackson asked. His eyes met mine during the brief pause. “I’ll let her know. Thanks.” He lowered the phone.

“What did he find?”

“Your birth certificate. Lorenzo DeLaguardia is listed as your father.”

Chapter 19

The smell of bacon woke me. I inhaled the greasy scent, and my stomach gurgled in response. My mouth watered, and I licked my lips. I practically tasted the bacon. Opening my eyes, I saw a thin line of light between the drawn curtains. The room was silent except for the soft ticking of the clock on the nightstand. Realization dawned on me two heartbeats later.

Rubbing my weary eyes, I sat up in the bed. The clock reflected the time was late morning. I’d slept longer than normal, a result of twisting and turning frequently during the night. Thoughts about Daniel’s visit and the information he shared continued to swirl around in my head. My life was a fucking mess, to put it in simple terms.

As the dim light lit up the room, it also illuminated my soul and gave me hope. A new day meant a new beginning, another chance to accomplish my goals. I wanted to prove to the world, or as many people as possible, Galluzzi was evil and deserved condemnation for killing so many people. With the documents I had so far proving she started Project E and everyone with the exception of Martin was now dead, I was getting closer to achieving my goal. My birth record fit nicely into the timeline of Project E. Therefore, I strongly believed the project was about me. If I could find the petition Daniel mentioned, all the pieces of the puzzle would fit together.

Starving and filled with resolve, I snatched my dagger from underneath the pillow and then crawled out of bed. Quietly, I left the room and descended the staircase. The smell of food grew stronger and intensified my hunger. I’d survived the night without feeding from Jackson, but now the day had come, I needed human substance.

From the bottom of the stairs, I headed for the kitchen. A cloudy mist hovered near the ceiling. Sizzles and pops lured me closer. I stepped past the counter and came to a halt. Jackson stood in front of the stove, shirtless and in a thin pair of boxer shorts, white with blue stripes. He held a fork in one hand. On the counter next to him, I spotted a plate covered with paper towels and strips of bacon. My mouth watered.

“The coffee is ready,” he said.

I glanced at the other counter and quickly spotted the coffeemaker. A large pot of the dark fluid sat on the burner. Two white mugs were inches away.

“The milk is in the fridge. Sugar is over here in the bowl. Utensils are in the drawer to my right.” He poked at the bacon in the pan and flipped it over. More grease popped.

“Milk and sugar too?” I asked as I fetched a spoon from the drawer.

“Two spoonfuls, please.” Our eyes met, and he smiled. Brown stubble breached the skin above his upper lip, along his lower cheeks, and over his chin.

“Two it is.”

I set my dagger on the counter and prepared our drinks. At the same time, Jackson removed the bacon in the pan and separated the cooked strips onto two plates. He set the dishes on the small, round table located in the dining area connected to the kitchen. I was seconds behind him, carrying the mugs. We both sat at the same time.

“It’s not much, but I thought you could use a bite to eat.” He picked up a crispy strip and munched on it.

The food smelled and looked delicious, even if it was only bacon. I couldn’t refuse. I chomped on a strip. Grease touched my tongue and made me want to shove the entire piece of bacon into my mouth.

“This is good,” I mumbled while I chewed. The view of Jackson’s bare chest pleased me too.

For a few minutes, I enjoyed the silence, the food and the coffee. I tried not to ogle Jackson’s sculpted body and shifted my gaze to the window where light filtered through the closed curtains. The soft glow made me wonder if the weather consisted of rain or clouds.

“Daniel didn’t return.” Jackson finally spoke between sips of coffee. “I doubt he will.”

“Well, you did shoot him in the shoulder.”

“A shame I missed his head.”

“And if you had, you would’ve spent the early morning hours cleaning up blood splatter.”

Jackson lifted his mug. “Good point, I’d hate to mess up my brother’s place.” After he swallowed big gulps of coffee, he lowered his cup. The mug clanked when it touched the table. “We should remove that tracking device before we leave. I’m pretty sure my brother has some tweezers in the bathroom.”

I nodded in agreement. “I’d like to go back to Boss’s house so I can clean up and change. I also want to update Boss and Jonas about our conversation with Daniel.”

“Still planning to work tonight?”

“Did Tom find the petition Daniel mentioned?”

“No, he had to report in for a few hours of work. The last message Tom sent me said they found more evidence of Galluzzi mingling with Billy at a few events, but nothing more.”

“Until we find the petition and have a solid case to convict her, I will continue to show up at work.”

Jackson pressed his lips together and ran his fingers through his hair. I sensed he disapproved of my decision, but held back from saying so. He had to realize there was no need to argue over the subject. My determination hadn’t changed and wouldn’t.

More silence drifted between us until Jackson decided to clean up. I helped out, rinsing the dishes after he scrubbed them. He talked about his brother, Justin, a fire investigator. Justin was two years younger than Jackson, rambunctious and had a knack for stealing women from Jackson. I laughed, finding his description of Justin difficult to believe, except for the age part. Jackson had enough good looks and attitude to attract and keep any woman.

We headed upstairs after cleaning the kitchen. While Jackson disappeared to dress, I checked my phone for messages. Boss and Jonas both had sent plenty of text ones.
Where are you? Call me. We need to talk.
Boss even left me a voice mail, which included an apology. I started to feel guilty for ditching them last night, but I knew my difficult choice had been the right one to make.

Minutes later, Jackson showed up, dressed in jeans and a plain t-shirt. He stood in the middle of the bedroom doorway. “I spoke to Tom. He’s going to head to your friend’s house in a bit. I told him we’d meet him in a half hour or so.”

“Do you think he’ll bring a copy of my birth certificate?” Yes, I believed Lorenzo was my father, but I wanted to see his name on my record.

“I’m sure he will. If not, he’s probably got one at the station.” He took a step toward me. “Are you ready to get rid of the tracking device?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Sure.” When is anyone ready for pain? Removing the device would not be easy since Daniel lodged it under my fingernail. I didn’t even want to think about how he did it.

Jackson backed out and disappeared from sight. After I slid my boots on and tucked my dagger into the sleeve on the inside, I stood and headed for the bathroom. Jackson stood in front of the vanity as I strolled in. I took a seat on the lid of the commode and eyed the rags and bandages strewn on the counter. Maybe I wouldn’t need any bandage since my wounds healed quickly.

I examined the nail in question and stared at the dark mole. “What if he made the whole thing up? What if this is truly a mole?”

Jackson clutched a pair of tweezers and stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Are you willing to take that risk after everything he said?”

“He could have fabricated some parts to what he told us.” Although, he had nothing to gain by lying, and much to win back by delivering the truth.

Jackson held his palm up. “Give me your hand.”

I slid my fingers across his palm. He felt warm and soft. The thought of him touching me sent a tingle up my arm and to my breasts.

“Do you want to watch me do this?”

Staring at my fingernail, my arousal died fast and stomach tightened. I fought garguman and demons, been scratched and punched, but I sure didn’t want to view my nail lifted from my finger and see the flesh underneath. I turned my head away. “No.”

As I kept my gaze on the wall, Jackson lifted my middle finger. How interesting that Daniel had chosen my middle finger. Was there an underlying joke?

Jackson failed to warn me when he was about to begin. I realized he had when a stinging pain shot down my finger and hand. Within seconds, the pain turned into a throb. I stiffened while I ground my teeth and closed my eyes, trying to ignore what he was doing. The tip of my digit burned and the heat spread, raising my temperature. Metal scraped over my skin while warm fluid rolled down my finger.