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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
The Devil She Knows 81
AlessioI walk into the sunroom with a glass of water and take note of how Camille looks sitting on the chair.She's slumped against the side and looks like she's had the life drained out of her.We've been in here for about an hour now with the doors open. We both need the fresh air. She still looks ghostly pale, and my head is still spinning.We've been trying to figure things out and decipher where she was in her dream. She's told me her dream multiple times. Each time she's recounted it, I've tried to pick up on everything she's saying.All I can think when I see her is that she's been here in this house before, and somehow, her past is entwined with the first people I considered family.I can't wrap my head around it. Nothing makes sense to me, and I thought it was best not to tell her what I learned from Xiou because I don't want to freak her out any more than she is.Right now, I have Leif on his way over, Zakh going through the Butyrskayas' records to see where Camille could h
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