The Awakening (26 page)

“The Senator would like me to escort you to her office,” he said, his voice deep.

Since Sal had warned us about security cameras in the tunnel, I expected to bump into a guard at some point. Now that we had, my nerves of steel wavered and I wondered if I'd made the right decision to face the Senator.

I met Boss's gaze.

He extended his arm. “Your choice.”

Chapter 26

I followed the security man into the Statehouse, taking note of the deplorable surroundings. Chipped yellow paint on the walls screamed of a makeover. Several large cracks ran from the floor all the way up. Orange and green paint covered the decorative trim near the ceiling. Instead of tiles above our heads, wires and pipes ran together in a mangled network. This basement was in desperate need of remodeling.

The heels of my boots clicked on the hard floor as we walked down the hall. Vending machines hummed and the scent of buttery popcorn was thick in the air. As I passed the machines, a quiver ran down my spine with a sense of déjà vu. I had been down these halls before, heard the buzz of the machines, and smelled the delicious aroma. Damn it, why couldn’t I remember?

We turned a corner and my heart rate accelerated. The Senator expected me dead, so my visit had to be a big surprise for her. How would she react? Sure, Boss stood next to me, but what if a bunch of gun toting demons or gargumen outnumbered us? God, I hoped I hadn't made a mistake.

The security man stopped in front of a set of doors and spun around. He looked at Boss. “She will only see the female.”

Crap. The Senator could pull any trick she wanted if I entered alone. Then again, would she attempt anything with Boss in the hallway? I banked she would behave.

Boss crossed his arms. “I'll wait right here.”

His commanding tone gave me confidence. He had vampire hearing. If something happened to me, he'd burst into the room and try to help me. The struggles we’d had were in the past. Now, I knew I could count on his support.

“Ready?” the security guard asked.

I gave him a nod, and he opened the door. A rush of air fluttered strands of my hair as I strode inside. Dark carpet with a large State seal silenced my shoes. In the center of the room near the back, two brown leather chairs faced a large desk. Behind the desk, Galluzzi stared at a laptop.

I stopped between the brown chairs and stared at the Senator, waiting for her to acknowledge me. She looked similar to the picture Boss had shown me, confident and prestigious. Thick brown hair flowed down over her shoulders and she had a single, thick gray streak running from her forehead. Her tanned skin gave her a warm glow, but heavy make-up suggested she was covering up for something. Maybe age. She held an aura of power and wealth, typical of a politician. Our eyes met, and her fingers paused over the keypad.

“Well, I never would have expected to see you again,” she said, her voice husky.

I grinned. “Surprise.”

Staring into her dark brown eyes, I didn’t see a ring like I had when I looked into the eyes of other full blooded demons. I took a deep breath. Underneath the cloak of citrus perfume, she had a soft smoky scent. Light, not your lingering cigarette odor, but rather a burning one, and probably undetectable to most humans. From the few demons I'd been around, I noticed some type of burning scent. She was definitely a half-breed.

“Please, have a seat,” she said.

I glanced behind me. The guard walked out, pulling the door shut. Maybe my visit would be free of a gun battle after all.

The Senator's fingers moved fast on the keypad as I sat in the chair on the right. A fancy nameplate sat on the desk. Senator Barbara Galluzzi. Her first name was Barbara. I wondered if she knew my name.

A thought came to me. If she thought I died at the dump, she could be unaware of my memory loss. And if such were the case, I could get information out of her. Maybe.

She stopped typing and leaned back, the leather chair squealing softly. Closer up, she appeared older than what I recalled from the photograph. There were wrinkles on the sides of her eyes and mouth. The makeup failed to cover up everything.

“What can I do for you at this late hour?” she asked, voice calm.

I crossed my legs. “I had a meeting with Salvatore.”

She half-grinned. “Why am I not surprised? What did he have to say?”

“He’s angry and distraught, but mostly busy now since his leader is gone.”

She chuckled. “Distraught? I doubt it. The man can handle the clan’s affairs just fine.”

Did she know Sal? Did she get along with him? Shit, I should've asked him more questions before agreeing to his deal.

“Did you tell him anything?” she asked.

Hmm. I hesitated, considering my words wisely. She seemed to think I knew something. What could I know? “No, I didn’t.”

She kept her eyes fixed on mine. “Did he ask why you were not registered?”

“Of course. I made up a story and he believed it.”

“Did he question you?”

“He tried.”

My temperature rose. Her gaze never left me, and she never once blinked. I suspected she'd hoped to catch me in a lie.

“Sal can be very manipulative,” she said. “Be careful of him.”

Why would she give me a warning if she supposedly wanted me dead? Speaking of which, I needed to get to the point of our meeting. I stared at her point-blank. “I came because I wanted to know why you did it.”

She leaned her elbows on her desk, hands clasped together. “Why do you think?”

My heart raced. Thank God she couldn't hear it like a werewolf or vampire or else she'd know for sure I was bullshitting.

I pressed on. “I want to hear it from you. It’s just you and I here right now. You can tell me.”

She lowered her arms. Her bracelet clinked on the desk. “You should know how important it is to keep secrets hidden.”

Another useless answer. “Was it worth it?” I questioned.

Her lips tugged at the side. “You are the only one left.”

Blood rushed through my veins and I felt my body warm. The bitch confessed, in a vague way. Clearly, everyone who met at the dump shared some kind of knowledge and she wanted it to remain hidden. The fucking bitch wanted me dead. She’d killed thirty people. Why?

“And here I am. You underestimated me,” I said in a flat tone.

She frowned. “Did someone help you?”

“Do you think I would tell you if someone did?” Like I knew the answer anyway.

She held a frozen expression, lips pressed together. She dragged her arms off the desk and straightened in her seat. “What do you want?”

The moment of truth had arrived. I only hoped whatever knowledge and secret she thought I had would be worth withdrawing from the election.

I leaned forward and folded my arms on her desk. I stared into her brown eyes. “I want you to drop out from the next presidential election.”

She chuckled. “And how do you think you can stop me?”

I grinned at her. She wasn’t going to fool me. “I will go to the council and tell them everything. In case you hadn’t noticed, I have an investigator with me.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “Do you think I am afraid of the council?”

“No, and that is why after I inform the council I will use all my resources and make sure every clan in the world knows what you did.” I had pretended I knew some secret this far, why not give the impression I knew influential people also. Hell, maybe I did.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she said in a deep, condescending tone.

“Well...” I leaned back and shrugged. “Maybe I will keep some things to myself.”

“Why did you contact him?” she asked. “You should have come directly to me. We could have worked this out.”

I chuckled. “Right. After you attempted to have me killed, I’m going to come to you. I’m not stupid.”

She offered a phony smile. “We can work this out. Can't we?”

“No. I have nothing to work out with you.”

She crossed her arms. “You want me to withdraw my name and forget about my dreams?”

Dreams? This woman murdered people and all she cared about was fulfilling her dreams.

“Withdraw and I walk out of here without saying a word. I don’t care if you run again as Senator or what you do. Just stay out of the presidential race.”

She turned her head slightly, but kept her gaze on me. “Why does it matter to you? I thought you of all people would know how important it would be to achieve a high status.”

“We are nothing alike. I hold no value in rank or positions, but I know it matters to you. That's why I'm asking you to withdraw.” Damn, was I good or was I good?

“No, of course you are not like me. You were created from the most powerful creatures, excluding your mother. You have no need for people like me. But to be a unique woman surviving among a pool of sharks makes us similar.”

My heart leaped into overdrive. She knew who created me. She knew my mother. Did she know about my past? Did she know who my vampire lover was? The temptation to ask gnawed at my brain. I desperately wanted to know the truth, but I didn't want to jeopardize my life or anyone else's. I stuck to the plan.

“I am not leaving until you send a message to the local clan and inform them you are removing your name from the election.”

Anger glistened in her brown eyes. She sat up, gripping the arms of her chair so tight, her tanned knuckles turned pale. “I don’t take kindly to threats.”

I raised my balled hand and pointed my thumb to the door behind me. “Shall I notify the investigator outside?”

A glare of pure loathing sent a shiver down my spine. I kept my chin up and grinned.

“And here I thought we were friends,” she said.

Oh, this woman was a politician at heart. She’d tried to kill me and wanted to be friends. I questioned why she still breathed.

“You attempted to kill me,” I said flatly.

She glared at me. Without a word, she reached for the laptop and hit a key. Her fingers tapped on the keypad while she stared at the screen. After a minute of silence, she turned the monitor sideways.

“Will this be sufficient?” she asked.

I leaned forward and read the words on the screen. The message to Sal indicated her official withdrawal from the next presidential election, clear and to the point.

“That’s fine.” I sat back.

She hesitated with her hand over Enter. After a deep breath, she hit the key. The message disappeared.

“This won’t stop me from advancing. I'm not giving up,” she said.

I didn’t think she would. “We shall see,” I replied.

“Is there anything else you want from me?” she asked, glowering.

I wanted to ask about my creation, but if I did, she would know something was wrong. She might suspect I had just played her. “No, not right now.”

Surprisingly, I had gotten more answers out of her then I thought I would. She admitted responsibility for the deaths at the dump. Everyone shared certain knowledge, and it had to remain a secret. Lastly, she admitted knowing who created me. I had done well.

She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “What will you do now?”

“I think I will stick around here for a while. I’m registered as a demon.”

The Senator narrowed her gaze, causing the lines near her eyes to bubble above her skin. “Do you think that is wise?”

I held my breath, not sure how to respond. Which part of my statement bothered her?

“I’m not concerned.” Though I wondered if I should be.

“What if he comes looking for you?”

He who? I wanted to ask. “I can handle him.”

Galluzzi rose from her seat. “Perhaps, but you left him. You can be sure he will be angry.”

Oh God, who was she talking about? Whom did I leave and piss off? Could it have been my vampire lover? I hoped not.

“I’m not worried.” I lied.

She walked around the desk and gestured toward the door. “Since you don't need anything else from me, I have a few things I must attend to before I leave.”

Yes, I wanted to know more so I could fit pieces of my puzzled life together, but every question she asked put me at greater risk of exposing myself. No thanks. I rose and stepped back between the chairs.

“Have you spoken with your father?” she asked.

My father? I swallowed hard, fighting like hell the temptation to ask who my father was. “No, not yet.”

“I doubt he would approve of your publication.”

I ambled to the door. “I can handle him too.”

She grinned. “If you can handle both of them, then you deserve to be president.”

The hidden meaning was lost to me, but I suspected it had to be bad.

“Is he still upset with you for selling his watch?” she asked.

My heart leaped. My father’s watch told the time in Hell as well as opened a door to the steamy place and I sold it. Oh shit!

“A little,” I replied.

She gave me a mischievous smirk.

“Selling it was a mistake. Do you know where I might find it?” I asked, curious to see her reaction. “It would mean a lot to my father if I could get it back.”

“If I hear about it, I will contact you,” she said, the corner of her lips twisted in a slight grin.

Fuck. Gut instinct told me the bitch knew who had my father's watch, and of course, she refused to tell me.

Reaching the door, I spun to face her. I couldn’t leave without asking about Alison. “Tell me, after all these years, why did Alison stay with you? You used her.”

The Senator crossed her arms over her white blouse. A gorgeous pearl necklace peeked through an opening in the collar. “She stayed because of you. She wanted a one of a kind child and she got it. And no matter what she said, she loved her nice home, her job, and all the other luxuries. It didn’t take much to tempt her to stay.”

My heart pounded so hard I thought it would burst from my chest. Was Alison my mother? Holy fucking hell.

The Senator opened the door. “One more thing,” she said as I walked out in a state of shock. “You have your mother’s eyes.”

I opened my mouth. Before I could get a word out, she shut the door in my face.

Chapter 27

Boss stared at the road as he drove the SUV on the interstate, heading back to the house. I gazed out the window, my mind, body, and soul numb. The Senator's last words repeated in my head. I couldn't believe it. My mother was Alison Baxter, the same woman who'd saved another's life, gave birth to me, and later died tragically. While I was glad to know who my mother was, I felt deeply sad. She was a half-breed angel who should've gone to Heaven. My mother. Tears swelled in my eyes. She was gone. I'd never get to see her, hug her, or talk to her. Gone.