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The Devil She Knows 73
Camille"I don't think Alessio would like you in here touching his things," comes a voice I really don't want to hear.I turn around and see Gytha coming through the door. She stops a few paces away with her hands on her hips and a pout marring her model-like features."I'm sure he wouldn't mind." I pray she leaves me alone and goes away. I don't have the strength for her today. I never had it before."I've known him much longer than you have, so I know he doesn't like his things being touched by anyone other than him."She's such a fucking bitch. Why, why is she always around when I'm either at my lowest or I'm contemplating something important? Today I'm both."Gytha, I'm his wife. Just leave me the fuck alone."My tone and choice of words piss her off and she moves closer, like she's going to hit me.She stops in my personal space, and because she's much taller than me, I instantly feel more vulnerable."You think just because he gave you his name it means anything? It means shit,
The Devil She Knows 74
Camille"Sometimes we need a good cry." Ehlga strokes my hair."Thank you for defending me. I don't think I could have done it even if I didn't feel so wretched.""That's okay. That was a long time coming. Gytha deserved it.""Some of what she said was true, though.""No, there was no truth to her words."I dab away the last of my tears with the heel of my hand and nod. "Yes, Ehlga. I'm sure you know what happened between Alessio and me."She sighs. "That doesn't mean Gytha was right.""I understand how he feels about how I reacted that night, but there's nothing I can do about my father or Richard." My voice comes out in a choked rasp."Has he told you anything more about the past?""Not much. He told me his mother was killed and that he lived here with her when he was younger, then Denmark, then Russia. That's essentially all I know about Alessio's past."She searches my eyes. "Then I think maybe the right time has come for me to tell you."My spirit lifts at this possibility. "Will
The Devil She Knows 75
CamilleI make my way up the wide, sweeping stone steps of The Langham Hotel and the gentle night breeze lifts the ends of my hair.As Leif is so distinguished in the Knights, and generally throughout Boston, I'm not surprised his retirement party is being held at one of the city's finest hotels.It's located right across from Boston Harbor, so the slight salty scent of the sea tickles my nose. A little distraction from my shaky thoughts.I'm not a hundred percent certain about this idea of just turning up and seeing how things go with Alessio, but I'm doing it.This is me trying. This is me fighting for the pirate man who holds my heart.The doormen open the doors for me and I walk in, immersed in the music and people dressed in formal wear. It's almost a déjà vu moment from the fundraiser, but this time I'm by myself, and people notice straight away.The hotel's facilities have been booked out for the event so everyone around me is here because of it. But there is no mixture of what
The Devil She Knows 76
AlessioShe's like a dose of fire to my soul.Scorching and consuming everything in its wake. Owning it. Owning me.I pound into her body like I own her, but it's Camille who owns me.She owned me the moment she chose me.I heard what she said to Richard, and my heart tells me she knows more things that I couldn't tell her about the past and her father.It's the way she looked at me and how she thought she was the devil, not me.That means Ehlga told her. I trust Ehlga wouldn't have done so if she didn't think it was right, so I'm okay with it.When I look at Camille, I see nothing but the woman I love. My wife.Her blue gaze, filled with pleasure, pain, and love, is everything, and I need nothing more in this life than what she can give me.I try to hold on and control myself so I can keep going, but I never stood a chance. I've wanted to take her again from the moment I walked away the other night.I come and she does too, digging her nails into my shoulder.She wraps her legs aroun
The Devil She Knows 77
AlessioI walk into the warehouse and find the back office.Leo and Kill are standing by the large metal door.Leo is nearly as tall as the door and looks like the typical Bratva man with tattoos covering his arms and neck. Kill is tall, too, but is more built and has elbow-length black hair with shaved sides. He reminds me of a Viking warrior, especially with the runes for death, war, protection, and justice tattooed on his neck and arms."We're back here," Leo says, motioning through the door."Is our new friend still functional?" They were still trying to interrogate the guy while I was on my way."He is, and still not talking."No surprise there.They lead me inside, where I find Zakh and Malik standing together with their guns at their sides. Both acknowledge me when I walk in. I do the same then I take in the bald-headed Chinese guy sitting in front of them. He's covered in blood and tattoos from head to toe. He has so many tattoos, I can't tell the blood and ink apart. I also c
The Devil She Knows 78
AlessioXiou doesn't look fazed by my threat. I didn't think he would, and I already know he's not going to talk for me. If he didn't for anyone else, I won't be the exception."Who are you working for?" That's the best place to start and, like I guessed, I'm met with his silence. "Why do you have those pictures? Did you follow all of us? Me? My wife? My mother? The Butyrskayas?"My question garners no response from Xiou. He's little more than a stone statue with a heartbeat. Pretty soon, he won't even have that. It's time to up the game."Not gonna take that chance?" I try to clarify.When he doesn't answer, I cock the hammer on my gun and shoot him right in the top of his left leg. That gets a response from him.He howls with pain and shakes against the chair. Blood spurts from his thigh and flows onto the floor, joining the blood already there."Have you changed your mind?"Still no answer, so he gets another bullet in the same leg, then I shoot him again in his other leg.Now he's
The Devil She Knows 79
Camille"Have more tea, dear. It will help." Ehlga taps the back of my hand.She gives me a warm smile, but the worry in her eyes gives her away.She looks just as worried about Alessio as I am and seems to be doing her best to not just calm me down, but herself too.Across the table between us are the cups of chamomile tea and coffee we've had. Only God knows how much we've drunk between us since before the sun rose.We switched out the tea for coffee about an hour ago.I was already in the kitchen, sitting here at the breakfast table when she came downstairs. I couldn't sleep after Alessio left.I assumed he must have contacted Ehlga at some point because she knew he'd left the house on business before I told her."I think I'll pass, Ehlga."Her shoulders slump. "Then I should make you something to eat. It's breakfast time now.""No, I'm not hungry. I'm just worried." I've never seen Alessio leave the house with a gun.I'd only seen the gun once before, when he pulled it on Richard.
The Devil She Knows 80
CamilleAlessio takes my hand and leads me to the hallway near his office. The one with the ghosts and the crest.I'm surprised when we reach the crest and stop in front of it."What are we doing here, Alessio?""You'll see. This is the purpose of the crest."He touches the crest, pressing his hand to the wolf's nose, and I gasp when the whole face sinks in and the wall slides open, revealing a passageway."Oh my God.""It's a doorway." He turns and holds my gaze. "So is the crest on the cliff.""Secret passageways?"I think back to what Lorelai said about Pavel Butyrskaya being a member of the secret squad, and this makes sense."Yes. This was a safe house. The crest was used both to identify the Butyrskaya's safe houses and link to secret passages."A chill races over me. "So, I was at another safe house in the past?"When he nods, I realize why he was so secretive about it before, and why he said the crest was special.And... why I shouldn't have been there."What was I doing there
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The Devil She Knows Epilogue
Camille"It's going to be so strange coming back after the summer and not seeing you," Lorelai says, sitting straighter."I know. I was thinking that the other day."We're under the tree on Raventhorn's campus. I'm waiting for Alessio to pick me up, and she's waiting for Dmitri. This is the first of many dates her father has arranged with him, and I know she's not happy about it.Although she's smiling, I also know she's still putting on a brave face because of Zakh. By now, everyone knows what he did and that he's basically being hunted.Lorelai and I haven't spoken about it much, but I know she's hurting deeply."You know you'll still see me, right?" I smile. "I just won't be at college for a year." Today, I did my deferment for next year. I'm due in January, but I have no plans to walk around campus in my pregnant state. We have another month of classes before the summer. By the time I get back, I'll be just over five months pregnant. I plan to resume my course the year after next
The Devil She Knows 96
CamilleThe next two days are awful, but Alessio is still with us.I've been sitting next to his bedside watching him fight for his life and hoping he'll come back to me.I pay attention to every sound on his monitors and watch for signs of anything and everything when the nurses and doctors check his vitals.I continue praying as the next day passes with the same results.His words keep ringing through my mind.We're not done yet, we're not done yet, we're not done yet.I just hope he knows I'm with him. Wherever he is, that's where I am, too.Heart, body, mind, and soul. He always had me long before I knew I'd given myself to him.Two weeks slip by and Alessio is still the same. I feel like I'm dancing on the edge of insanity.The doctors have kindly arranged for me to sleep next to him when I can, so I stay all night.Everyone is hoping he'll pull through and wake up soon, so everything has been put on hold, including Leif and Evgeni's funerals.On Friday night, I fall asleep next
The Devil She Knows 95
CamilleI look around frantically, not knowing what the hell to do but thinking this is an opening. A possible chance to escape, just like the one Dad told me to find. I just have to summon courage and look for my chance.We tear down the road off the building site, and then we're on a country road with the woods on either side.The sound of a motorcycle rips through the air. A sound I will never forget.The lazy day I remember at Raventhorn fills my head with the image of me sitting next to Lorelai by the tree, watching the motorcyclist rebel drive onto the campus.He's here again.I look behind me and see Alessio on his motorcycle tearing down the road. He's fought death to come and save me. I also spot Malik's car not far behind.Alessio shoots the wheels of the car. The tires blow, making Richard lose control of the vehicle.We run off the road, fly through the air for a few seconds, then land with a heavy thud on the ground. The car still has a lot of speed on it though, so it ke
The Devil She Knows 94
CamilleMy heart has been smashed into so many pieces it's impossible to count them all. It's no different to all the grains of sand in this world.My mind and body are disconnected, and my soul weeps for losing the love of my life. All that is left of me is an empty shell with nothing but a void inside.The only thing I can feel is the spark of life created with love in my belly, calling to me to stay alive. But I've already failed as a mother because there's nothing I can do.In my terror and grief, I'm here sitting on the floor of the bedroom I was taken to after Mira killed Dad, feeling sorry for myself.I don't know what this place is. It seems like Mira conducts something medical here. Apart from the armed guards, on my way up I saw offices and labs with clinical staff. I also saw other storage rooms and bedrooms like this.We're on the third floor, so quite high up with no possible way of escape. If I were to even try, I'm sure this shitty tunic Mira forced me to wear would get
The Devil She Knows 93
AlessioEverything is gray.I'm not sure if I'm alive or dead, or in a dream.My mind searches around the gray nothingness and the vast expanse of the void before me.I feel nothing at first, then something warm caresses my cheek. My name is spoken, soft and sweet, and I wonder if it's her.Camille. Did I make it? Did I find her? Did I save her?My wife.My eyes flutter open, but the grayness that looks like thick smoke prevents me from seeing anything. Then a light that's far too bright shines down on me, and I blink rapidly.At first, the ceiling of my living room comes into focus, then a man's face hovers before me.It's Leif's on-call doctor, Dr. O'Brien.Leif...Camille...At the thought of their names, reality crashes into my mind and I bolt up."Easy, there," Dr. O'Brien says, laying a heavy hand on my chest and pushing me back down. I'm on the sofa, and a quick glance at the bandage wrapped around my body suggests I took a hit in the blast.Gytha moves toward me, with worry in
The Devil She Knows 92
CamilleA chill rushes over me. "What do you mean? What did she do to me?""Even though she wasn't ethically allowed to be your therapist, she gave you medication to stop you from remembering."I cover my mouth, holding in the wave of shock that's ripping me apart. I can't believe what I'm hearing. Only God knows how hard I tried to remember, but I was never going to be able to because Mira was suppressing my memories with medication. I was such a fool to believe she was the person she portrayed to be. She was never the fucking motherly figure. All along, she was my enemy."You allowed her to do that to me.""I had no choice. She did everything she could to control our lives and make sure you didn't remember what happened. But the nightmares were always a worry even when they went away.""She told me it was my brain's way of trying to remember.""It was, and we feared you'd see something to trigger those memories. Or you'd just remember everything by some miracle. The whole thing torm
The Devil She Knows 91
CamilleI roll my head to the side and groan. Someone strokes my cheek, and I open my eyes.At first, my vision is hazy, but when everything comes into focus, I find myself staring at a gray concrete wall. The light around me reminds me of the kind you'd use for a storage room.My cheek is stroked again, and I turn my head to find Dad hovering over me. He has a long beard, blood-shot eyes, and his face looks like someone did a number on him.We're on the floor, and my head is nestled in his lap. It takes me a moment for my brain to connect and remember. Remember all he did and what he took from me. My family and my life.The instant I remember, I scream and jump out of his hold."Get away from me!" The panic in my voice is mixed with rage and fear."Camille, please."I back away into a wall, crashing hard against the surface. Then I notice the real problem we've found ourselves in.We're in some sort of cell, and while I am free, there are chains attached to Dad's ankles, keeping him
The Devil She Knows 90
Alessio"Leif..."A creak sounds outside the door. Another follows, and another.It's footsteps on the floorboards. Since it's not coming from the front entrance, I know it's not Zakh or Malik, so it must be someone else who's already here.Readying my gun, I get up and charge through the door. Whoever the fuck is here, and isn't supposed to be, is going to die a very painful death.I move out into the hallway, looking around frantically to see who it is but find nothing.When I turn around, something sharp enters my neck; then there's a tinging pain that feels like I'm being stung by a bee.I touch the spot and feel... a fucking dart?I pull it out and look at the sharp needle at the end, quickly realizing when spots speckle my vision that it's a tranquilizer. Like the kind our enforcers use when they want to bring people in for interrogation. Before my mind can truly register what's happening, my arms go numb then limp at my side.This can't be an ordinary tranq. I'd be out like a l
The Devil She Knows 89
Alessio"I'll be with you in a few hours." I balance my phone between my ear and shoulder while I pick up the last contract document from the pile on my desk."Try not to stay at work too long," Leif says, his voice sounding raspy over the phone. It still holds that melancholic tone I feel. "Losing yourself in work isn't always best.""I know. I still feel off." I swivel my chair around and gaze out the window toward the skyline. Rain is falling, so outside is a little darker than it should be for this time of day. It suits the sullen mood I can't seem to shake."I feel the same, my boy. I've been questioning my actions and decision to keep you a secret since we found out the truth. I can't express how guilty I feel about that.""Uncle, you rescued me from certain death. Of course, you were in the right for keeping me a secret." I know if I were him, I would have done the same thing. And I pray I'll never be in that position. "I owe you my life, and I still think of you as my father.
