Devil Takes His Innocent (11 page)

“
What exactly did he say?”

“
That you had all done things that
others viewed as wrong.”

“
And still you opened the door to
me?”

“
You didn’t let me finish,” Gabby
reprimanded. “He also said that no matter what, my safety and health had become
a priority for you.”

“
My only priority, angel, do you
understand?”

“
I think so.”

“
Your safety and well-being are
paramount to me. If someone threatens you, then no one would be able to protect
them.” Her thoughts and hand went to her arm. “Have no fear for that man. Nikki
told me of his mental issues. His punishment lies within his own mind. I would
seek revenge only on those who make the conscious choice to do wrong by you.
For example, your father and
half brother
.”

At the mention of Grant, Gabby
remembered their weird encounter during her break. Before she could say
anything, a knock sounded at the front door. It would seem their company
wouldn’t allow her to be forthcoming with the truth just yet.

Chapter
Eleven

Devil answered the door to two
men, both in suits, displaying their gold badges. “May I help you?” he asked.

“
We are looking for a Miss
Gabriella Winters. This is her residence, isn’t it?”

“
Yes, but she’s in bed.”

“
It’s important, Mr.—”

“
Torments,” Devil replied. “Is
there anything I can help you with?”

“
No, we need to talk to Miss
Winters.”

“
Wait here. I’ll go see if she’s
up for the company,” Devil said before shutting the door in the policemen’s
faces. He headed back to Gabby’s room, where she sat in the middle of the bed,
looking desperate for answers. “Angel, there are two police detectives at the
door. They claim it’s necessary that they speak with you tonight.”

As she crawled off the bed and
threw her robe over the scrubs Nikki had put her in, she suggested, “Maybe
they’re here to take my statement about what happened this afternoon.”

“
Maybe,” Devil replied, unconvinced.
He couldn’t seem to shake the bad feeling he had had since opening the front
door. He guided her toward the small lounge room. “I’ll bring them through. Sit
on the armchair. They can have the sofa.”

As soon as he was satisfied that
she would follow his instructions, he went to collect the two men. On entering
the lounge room behind them, he moved over to sit on the arm of the chair Gabby
occupied, grabbing her hand. Within the confinements of the small room he was
able to gain a better sense of these two strangers. Something about them didn’t
smell quite right.

“
Miss Winters, I’m Detective
Morris and this is my partner Detective
Redburn
,” the
darker man said. “We’re sorry to pull you out of bed, but we have a situation
that requires urgent investigation.”

“
What’s this all about, Detective
Morris?” Gabby asked.

“
Grant Harrison. We believe he’s
your brother?”

“
Half
brother
.”

“
We understand he came to see you
at work today.”

Detective Morris’ statement had
Devil looking down at his mate. She returned his gaze, sending him a smile and
gently squeezing his hand. Then she confirmed what he now knew to be true.
“Yes, that’s correct.”

“
Did he give you anything?”

“
Detective Morris, you need to
understand the dynamics of our relationship. Grant came into my life five years
ago and the only time he has ever approached me was to ask something of me,
usually money.”

Devil could tell that there was
more to the story, which he intended on getting from his mate once these men
had left. So to move the interview on a little quicker, he added his own
information. “He came by here last night claiming it was for dinner. But we had
already ordered takeout, so he left.”

“
Miss Winters, did he ask for
anything today?”

“
He claimed to be there to buy me
dinner. But that never happened. I ended up going back to work hungry. He did
seem to be worried about something, though. He was constantly looking over his
shoulder. I asked him about it, but he told me it was none of my concern.”

“
Have you seen him since?”

“
No, I went back to work and got
attacked by a mentally unstable prisoner.”

“
Yes, I heard something about
that. That nurse was you?” Detective
Redburn
spoke
for the first time.

“
Yes,” Gabby replied. “Look, could
you just tell me what this is all about?”

“
It seems that you have already
had a rough day and I’m sorry, Miss Winters, but we’re about to make it worse,
I’m afraid,” Detective Morris said sympathetically. “Your brother was found
dead two hours ago, not far from the hospital.”

Gabby gasped and began shaking
her head. Putting his arm around her, Devil lifted her onto his lap as he moved
to take her seat. Only once he had her settled did he ask, “Do you have any
idea what happened?”

“
If I had to guess, he was beaten
to death. But we need to wait for the autopsy to ascertain the official cause
of death,” Detective Morris explained.

“
Who would do such a thing?” Gabby
asked, tears rolling down her face. There was something in her scent that
suggested she knew something. He just couldn’t work out why she would keep it
from these men.

“
Your brother was involved with
some unsavory people, Miss Winters,” Detective Morris explained. “Have you ever
met any of his friends?”

“
No. Whenever he came to see me,
he was always alone.”

Detective Morris stood and placed
a card on the coffee table separating them. “If you can think of anything else,
please ring me on either number listed on the card. Your message will get to
me. And let me say again how sorry I am to bring you such bad news, especially
after the day you have had already.” He pointedly looked at Gabby’s bandaged
arm. “We can find our own way out.”

Both detectives seemed to look
around Gabby’s lounge room, past the dining room and into the kitchen before
heading toward the door. There was no suspicion in their scents, but still he
felt they weren’t completely aboveboard. He waited until he heard their car
driving down the street before turning back to his mate.

She was upset, but he could see
she was desperate to tell him something. He allowed her to speak. “With
everything that had happened today, I forgot about Grant’s visit until you
mentioned him. Just as my luck has been all day, it would seem to continue
tonight. I was about to tell you when those two knocked on the door.”

He didn’t need her scent to know
she spoke the truth. He could see it in her eyes. They couldn’t seem to hide
anything from him. “Tell me what happened. What did he want? And why hide it
from the detectives?”

Gabby went on to tell him a story
of computer files, drug dealers, and corrupt police. He now understood what was
wrong with the detective’s scents. They were involved in all of this somehow,
though he didn’t think they had a hand in Grant’s death. When his cause of
death had been speculated about, Detective Morris hadn’t been lying about his
lack of knowledge.

“
I take it the package didn’t
arrive today?”

“
I don’t know. The mail usually
arrives late afternoon. Nikki probably picked it up on her way to work,” Gabby
explained. “If it arrived, it will still be in her bag.”

“
What time does she get off work?”

Gabby looked up at the clock
above the television. “Not for another couple of hours.”

“
Okay, this is what’s going to
happen. When she gets home, we’re going to check through the mail. If it’s
there, I’m going to have Judge pick it up. We need to know exactly what’s in
that envelope. It will give us an idea of who is involved and how dangerous
they are.”

“
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you
earlier. With everything that’s
happened
it just
slipped my mind,” she said, trying to sit up, but only ended up wincing.

“
That’s okay, angel. We’ll get
through this. Now let’s go have a look at this arm of yours,” he said,
carefully putting her on her feet.

With a tap to her backside, he
pushed her gently back toward her bedroom. He went to grab the bag Nikki had
given him and followed her. When he walked into the room he noticed that she
was yawning, while her stomach reminded him that she hadn’t had any dinner.

“
Come on, let’s check out those
stitches, and then I’ll cook you something to eat.”

After applying a clean dressing,
Devil did as promised. He cooked them both a quick and easy omelet. As they
ate, silence surrounded them. The events of the day had seemingly caught up to
his previously inquisitive mate. When the next question was posed, her voice
lacked
its
the usual
enthusiasm.

“
So if you’re Death, why use the
name Devil?” she asked softly, pushing her empty plate away.

“
Throughout my life I have gained
many names, none of them flattering, except my birth name Conrad. But Devil is
one I have earned within the business world. My brothers and I have always had
a hand in casinos and saloons for as long as gambling has been around. Many
people have tried to swindle us, but never succeeded. I would track the culprit
down and rain fire on his life. I became known as Devil and my revenge as
hellfire.”

“
What about Judge and the other
two?” she asked as a yawn escaped her.

“
Judge swapped the name War for
the name you know him by. He ensures our rules are constantly adhered to. He
oversees
all the
hotel and casino staff, ensuring
their actions support our ethos,” Devil explained. “Viper is otherwise known as
Conquest. He’s
fae
. He’s quick and agile, so when he
strikes it’s hard and fast, showing no mercy. His
prey rarely
know
what’s hit them. Chaos is Famine. He’s a warlock and one of the
best chefs there is. With his food, he can create havoc with your taste buds.
But when he’s in a mood, mayhem can be the only way to describe the effect. Is
there anything else you wish to know tonight?”

“
Mmmm
,”
came
the response from Gabby. Her head rested on her open palm and her eyes were
closed.

Moving swiftly, he scooped his
mate into his arms and headed for the bedroom. She barely moved, highlighting
her exhaustion. Once he was sure she was in a deep sleep, he returned to the
dining room to clear away the dishes before heading back to the lounge room. He
utilized his time while waiting for Nikki by talking to his brothers. Judge had
filled him in on what he had discovered, which seemed to corroborate what Grant
had told Gabby. The man had been up to his neck in trouble and it got him
killed. Unfortunately, he had now involved Gabby. Devil’s mate was in danger,
and he needed to ensure her safety.

Chapter
Twelve

“
Has Nikki arrived home yet?”
Judge asked on arriving at the house.

“
No.”

“
Good, that will give me a chance
to fill you in with what I found out about Grant’s trouble,” Judge said,
dropping onto the sofa. “I couldn’t find anything that would suggest he was
connected with any of the big players in town. So I delved into the cops you
mentioned. They’re both up to their eyeballs in trouble. They’re only two of
the cops being investigated for their affiliation with our old friend Saul
Biesterman
.”

“
What’s that fat bastard been up
to lately?” Devil asked, not liking the man’s involvement in this situation.

“
Well, since he tried to chase us
out of town, it seems he has expanded his business. He’s branched out from
racketeering and moved into drugs, prostitution, and making pornography.”

“
As far as I’m aware, shooting
porno isn’t illegal here.”

“
It is when it involves children.”

“
That dirty fucker!” Devil spat,
though he shouldn’t have been surprised by Judge’s revelations. The Saul
Biesterman
he met ten years earlier had no morals then.
“Judge, I want the prick taken down.”

“
Already
on it, brother.
But it would help to get a look inside that envelope. At least that way we’ll
know how far his pockets extend.”

Just as Devil was about to
mention that Nikki shouldn’t be too far away, he heard her car pull up in the
driveway. Both men headed straight for the door, hoping to discover the
envelope had arrived. Devil worried that if it hadn’t, then it may never.
Though the detectives hadn’t smelled like they were suspicious of Gabby’s
involvement, they would probably still have people watching the house and mailbox,
just in case.

“
Wow, what a welcome,” Nikki said
as she walked in the door. She must have seen the seriousness in both Devil and
Judge’s faces. Gone was her cheery smile. It was replaced by worry. “Has
something happened to Gabby? Is her arm all right?”

“
Nikki, the wound’s fine. But
something has happened. Come into the lounge, and I’ll explain it to you,”
Devil said, trying to reassure the now fretting woman. He failed in his
attempt, lacking the people skills that Judge oozed.

“
Nikki, honey, could I ask whether
there was anything in the mail for Gabby today?” Judge asked, pulling on his
charm.

“
Yes, just a couple of bills and a
fat, padded envelope,” she said, riffling through her large bag. “Why?”

“
Give me the bills, I’ll take care
of them, and give Judge the envelope,” Devil instructed, holding his hand out
expectantly. The woman hesitated. “Nikki, do you remember our conversation
earlier about keeping Gabby safe, especially from Jeffrey and Grant?”

“
Yes. Why? What have they done?”

“
I promise to tell you everything
we know, but we need that envelope.”

Finally Nikki relented, handing
Judge all of Gabby’s mail. He pulled the thick envelope out of the bundle and
passed the rest to Devil. As he walked back toward the sofa, he flicked through
the five other envelopes. There was nothing out of the ordinary in them. Just
the usual bills he would expect a woman of twenty-five to have. Once Nikki had
taken her seat in the armchair, he went on to fill her in on the day’s events.

“
You mean he’s dead?”

“
Yes, he was found not far from
the hospital,” Devil explained. “I’m not going to lie to you, Nikki. I, for
one, am relieved that he can no longer hassle Gabby. My only wish would be that
it could have happened before he placed her in danger.”

Nikki seemed to physically slump.
“So you won’t think
bad
of me for thinking the same
thing?”

Devil laughed at the petite woman
in front of him. “No, Nikki. Your reaction speaks to me of your loyalty to
Gabby. That is admirable in my eyes.”

“
Shit! That mother fucking piece
of shit,”
came
the string of expletives from the
dining room table.

“
Judge, watch your language,”
Devil reprimanded. No matter what they had done in their lives, swearing in the
presence of women and children was usually unacceptable to the four brothers.

“
Sorry, Nikki, that sort of
language should not have befallen your ears,” Judge apologized.

“
I hear worse at work, Judge.
Don’t worry about it,” she said, standing and moving to peer over Judge’s
shoulder. “But I am interested in finding out what caused such a response.”

“
It would seem that Saul has been
busy,” Judge informed, looking at Devil who now sat beside him. “If these files
are correct, he has people a lot higher than those two detectives on the
payroll. They’re small fry compared to some of the names on this USB.”

“
We need to have a little chat
with the accountant that Grant stole the computer from,” Devil stated.

Judge
shook his head. “
He’s
disappeared. The missing person’s report speculated foul play. I suspect that’s
due to his association with Saul, who is also mentioned.”

“
I don’t like this,” Nikki said,
reminding both men that she was still there. “Gabby’s in a shit load of danger,
isn’t she?”

Standing, Devil moved to his
mate’s best friend. Turning her by her shoulders to ensure she could look into
his eyes, he vowed, “Nikki, nothing is going to happen to Gabby. I will see to
that. But this also means that for the time being you will also have guards
posted to you. As with Gabby’s, they’ll remain outside in the parking lot of
the hospital while you’re working, but they will be driving you to and from
work until this danger has passed.”

“
You would please yourself whether
I agreed or not, wouldn’t you, Devil?”

“
Yes.”

“
Fine, but they’re not to
interfere with my work,” Nikki conceded.

“
They won’t,” Devil promised. “Now
why don’t you head off to bed? I’ll fill both you and Gabby in tomorrow on
anything else we discover tonight.”

Again the woman hesitated. But
unable to hide the yawn that escaped her, she nodded and headed toward the
hallway that led to the bedrooms. Before she got too far, she turned and said,
“Gabby’s antibiotics are in the plastic bag on the hall table. She’ll need to
take one with breakfast.”

“
Thank you, Nikki. I will make
sure she takes them,” Devil vowed.

Once he heard Nikki’s bedroom door
close, he headed toward the room he was sharing with Gabby. She was still
sound
asleep, sprawled across the bed. He had discovered
last night that his mate used the whole area of her double bed while she slept.
He was thankful for the king-size bed that awaited them at his quarters. He
just had to free Gabby of this danger first, because he knew it would be
another reason for her to wish to remain by Nikki’s side.

Picking up his laptop, he left
his sleeping mate and headed back to the problem at hand. “Okay, Judge, it’s
time to share those files,” he said, putting his computer onto the table.

“
Already sorted,” his brother
replied, handing him a memory stick. “I’m going to get going. There are some
things I want to check out. Stay in touch and call if you need anything.”

“
Will
do,
and I want to hear from you the moment you know something new.”

“
That’s a given. Now go and look
after your mate. She’s had a rough time of it lately and could probably do with
some loving.”

“
I will. I just want to check out
the files first.” Devil’s response was curt. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea
of this man discussing his mate’s needs.

“
Brother, you have been given this
special gift. Don’t throw it away by closing off your heart to her.”

“
She won’t be going anywhere,”
Devil insisted vehemently. “She’s mine! We both know it, and she has accepted
me and my claim.”

“
Knowing you as I do, I doubt she
had much of a choice about it. You would have just walked in here as with
everything else and taken what you wanted. Devil, she needs more than that if
she’s to be happy. She needs love.”

“
And what do you know of such
things?”

“
Like you, nothing. But I know the
women of this era. They want partnership and love from their mate,” Judge
stated. “If I’m ever offered such an amazing mate, I hope I will be open to
learn of love. Great sex will only hold the relationship for so long.”

“
Damn it, Judge. I have far more
important things to worry about right now than all that mushy crap. Gabby needs
protecting.
That
is my only priority at the moment.”

“
Then, brother, I hope for both of
your sakes that you don’t save her just for her to walk away from you. Save her
not only to maintain her existence on this earth, but to ensure she has a
chance at happiness by your side, in your arms, enjoying
all that mushy crap
, as you put it,” Judge counseled before walking
out the door.

The files were suddenly
forgotten. Devil instead rushed to Gabby’s bedside. For the first time since
losing his family, fear sat in his heart. He
was doubting
himself and his ability to love this beautiful creature. Not because she didn’t
deserve his love, but he didn’t know whether his heart was capable of such
emotions.

He had long ago hardened his
heart against anything positive.

Was he capable of opening his
heart for her? His close relationship with his brothers had developed out of
respect and a common goal, but that had taken several centuries. He very much
feared Judge was right, that she wouldn’t accept anything but all of him, his
heart included.