Forbidden Innocence: Tales of the Forbidden (15 page)

* * * *

“How’s he doing?” Devon asked Darius the second he opened the door to Blaine’s study. Blaine called Devon. Within five minutes of getting that call the three of them were in the car speeding down the roads, heading to the field behind the Compound. They got there just as Owen pulled away, leaving Blaine out cold in the grass. Beaten some and drugged, it was enough to have Darius wanting to put his hands around that fuck Owen.

“Out still,” Darius answered. “Doc said they drugged him pretty good and he should be out for most of the night.”

“Great,” Dane groaned. “Now what?”

“Now I go and get Shyla,” Darius said.

“Whoa!” Devon held his hands up. “Just hold on there. What makes you think you’re going to go and get Shyla back while Blaine is held up in that bed?”

“I owe him one, that’s why.” Darius had a small stare off with Devon.

“For Makayla?” Dane snapped.

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Darius tried like hell to keep his face masked of all emotions, but he couldn’t stop it fast enough. He lowered his eyes just enough for Dane and Devon to see, confirming it.

“You fucker!” Dane lunged at him. Devon grabbed hold of him.

“Calm down,” Devon said.

“The fuck I will!” Dane jerked out of Devon"s hold and pointed a finger at Darius. “Makayla isn’t one of your fucking toys or one of the girls for this God damn town to play with. She’s off limits. End of story.”

“No one’s off limits,” Darius tossed back. “And don’t stand here acting all high and fucking mighty when you had Samara summoned so you could have her!” he finished with a yell.

“Knock it off, both of you!” Devon exploded. “Now isn’t the time for this shit.”

“It never is when it’s about someone else.” Darius glared at Dane, turned and started out the door.

“Where the hell you going?” Devon called out.

“Away from here.”

“Darius, this isn’t helping shit!” Devon yelled, going after him.

“Let him go, it’s what he does best,” Dane tossed.

“Fuck you, Dane,” Darius snapped.

“No, fuck you!” Dane yelled back. “This shit is just like when we were kids. You wanted something and when you couldn’t have it you went away pouting like a fucking bitch.”

Darius lost it then. He turned and once Dane got close enough he hit him as hard as he could with his fist, knocking Dane down to the ground.

“Go to hell.”

“Stop it!” Devon yelled, getting between the two of them. “Now is not the time to start turning on each other. Blaine needs us to be together, not fall apart here.”

“I was going to come to you when the time was right,” Darius huffed. “To give you all the heads up, but now I’m not giving you shit.”

He breathed hard in his anger. “You want to be a bastard about this, then fine. I’ll be just as much of a bastard as you. And when I’m ready to have her, she’ll be mine!”

“The fuck you will!” Again, Dane lunged towards Darius only to be stopped by Devon. “I’ll keep her out of his fucking town forever if it means keeping her away from you. You won’t destroy her like you have every other woman that’s crossed your path.”

“And you did nothing?” Darius frowned at Dane as if he lost his 127

mind. “We all fucked around, used them and left them.” He pointed a finger at Dane. “And you were there! Don’t start acting like you’re the only one here who has changed. We all change, Dane. All of us!”

“And we’re all falling to shit!” Blaine yelled. He leaned against the stair railing, face white.

“You look like hell,” Devon said.

“Feel like it,” Blaine sighed. “Can we please deal with one mess at a time?”

Dane gave Darius a dirty look before turning and heading back into the study. Darius stood where he was, hands on hips, waiting for Blaine to come down.

“Let me do my thing and find her,” he said to Blaine before the man reached the bottom step. He had his head down, staring at the floor.

“This is my fight.”

“Bullshit!” Darius looked up then. “We do this together.”

“Yeah, I can see just how your togetherness is going.”

“Blaine, he’s more dangerous than what you think,” Darius sighed.

“I don’t think you’re up to handling him with that damn drug still in your system.”

Blaine shook his head. “I’m not going to give him Joann’s kid.”

“Never said you should. I’m saying let me deal with this. I owe you that much.”

“You don’t owe me shit.” Blaine made it down to the last step and sat down, breathing hard. “I didn’t smooth crap out with Dane. He figured it all out before I could smooth it over. If anything, I owe you.”

Again, he shook his head. “I can’t let you get dirty over my mess.”

“I’m already dirty.”
And dead inside.
“Keep your phone close and make sure he hasn’t found the kid already. I’ll call you once if find her.”

“Darius!”

Darius turned and walked out of the house without a backward glance.

* * * *

“Shit!” Blaine mumbled, standing back up. He swayed on his feet, went into the study and slammed the door. “He went after Owen.” “Dumb fucker is going to get himself killed,” Devon said.

“Good!” Dane snapped. “You should’ve told me man.” He pointed his finger at Blaine.

“Tell you what exactly?” Blaine glared back. “He hasn’t done anything, and as far as I can see isn’t going to do anything we three haven’t done already!” He went over to the table with liquor and poured 128

himself a large glass of brandy. Drowning half of it he turned and went over to his desk. “Are we supposed to turn our backs on one of us just because the right girl for him happens to be close? Come on, Dane. You owe Darius a bit more credit than what you’re showing him now.”

“She’s my sister,” Dane said.

“She’s your
wife’s
sister,” Blaine corrected. “And for the record I don’t think she’s that opposed to someone claiming her sister either.”

“Not Darius.” Dane shook his head. “Not him.”

“And why the hell not?” Devon put in finally. “Do you really think he isn’t good enough for Makayla?”

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation right now,” Blaine groaned, rubbing his face. “Look, you need to get your shit together. No matter what strings your grandmother pulled to keep Makayla out of the Compound, she has the same chance of being summoned. If Darius pulls that off then good luck to him.”

“You can’t be serious!” Dane said.

“Yeah, I am. If you didn’t get your hands on Samara, and he got Makayla first then we’d all be having this conversation about you instead of him. So for now, stuff a sock in it! I have other shit to deal with and I need you all to have my back, including Darius.”

“Fine, but this shit isn’t over with,” Dane said.

“What do you need us to do?” Devon asked.

Blaine rubbed his face, patting himself down looking for a cigar but finding none. “How about getting me a damn cigar. Randal!” he yelled.

Within seconds the man came in. “Where the hell are my cigars?”

Randal looked strangely uncomfortable. “Well, um, sir, you see—”

“What?” Blaine snapped.

“Ms. Shyla asked us to remove them all.”

Blaine stopped searching and looked over at Randal. “Huh?”

“She said that they made you taste bad, and left an door on your clothing. We removed them all and she told me to not get you anymore.”

Dane and Devon both snickered loudly.

Blaine didn’t know what to say. All he could do was stare at the man as Devon and Dane burst out laughing.

“It has begun,” Devon said between his laughing.

“And it’s great to be here when it did,” Dane added, also laughing still.

“You all suck, and I want my cigars,” Blaine said, standing up. “Go out, get me a few. I think under the circumstance I can have one or two.”

“Um, yes, sir,” Randal said.

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“Hurry up then. I need to find Shyla and I’m already pissed at the word.”

“Right away, sir.” Randal turned and left the study quickly.

“You really shouldn’t take it out on the man,” Devon snickered, his laughing stopping. “He’s only doing what he was told.”

Blaine made a „humph" sound, sat back down and brought out a thick leather book from the middle drawer.

“I do find it funny though that she took the cigars away. I kind of thought it as his trade mark in a way,” Dane said. “After all, you never did see him without one.”

“Are you two finished?” Blaine looked up after he found the page he was looking for.

“Yeah,” Devon smiled. “What you need us to do?”

“Devon, I would love it if you would go out and find Darius. Since we can’t stop him, help him find out where Owen is staying. It’s going to be something big, he loves living the high life.”

“What’re you going to do?” Devon asked.

“Call Mr. Simoncic, Joann’s father, and give him a head up that Owen knows about the boy.”

Blaine called and got a shock. Mr. Simoncic left word that if Blaine called he was to come immediately. Refusal out of the question. Devon left to find Darius and Dane getting in the back of the car with Blaine to go and meet up with Joanna’s father.

For the past fourteen years, Blaine had not only supported Joanna’s father and her child. He kept them well hidden, yet close at the same time. The drive to the house in which he’d purchased for them only took a few hours. He also paid for the child’s education and last he knew his grandfather sent him to a boarding school as far from Treece as he could.

“Please tell me you have a funny feeling also,” Dane said once Henning’s turned into the drive.

“Yep,” Blaine said, looking out the window.

The whole house was dark. Only one faint light from an upstairs room shined, breaking up the spooky feeling around the place. A maid greeted them at the front door.

“You must be Mr. Cedric,” she said. “Mr. Simoncic is waiting for you. Please follow me.”

They followed her into the house, up some stairs and into the room that had the light. Blaine hadn’t stepped foot in this home, or seen Simoncic in fourteen years.

The years hadn’t been kind to Robert Simoncic. At one time, he’d 130

been a man one didn’t fuck with or try to pull shit over. Now he appeared like a broken man, staring into a dying fire, waiting for his
time to end. His silver hair was slicked back from his face, a heavy blanket draped over his shoulders and an air tank rested right next to him with that mask in his aging hand. The moment Blaine got close to the fire, Robert opened his eyes.

“He knows, Robert,” Blaine said.

“As does my grandson,” Robert rasped out, his voice sounding as frail as his body looks. “It’s time for you to stand up and do what Joann wanted. Time for you to take the boy. Finish what I’ve started.”

Blaine looked at Dane, keeping his mouth shut.

“I’m dying, Blaine,” he sighed. “Nothing more anyone can do. I need to die in peace and need to know he’s going to be well taken care of, not shipped off or used. You owe her that.”

Blaine took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Yeah, I owe her that.”

Robert extended his hand with two envelopes in them. One of them he knew right off was another note from the grave. A letter from Joann.

“She wrote you up two, but only gave you the one. I think she knew you would send the boy here. This other one here is my will. I’ve already called up at the school for you to go and get him. The staff has packed his things up. They should be loading them in your car now.”

“Robert, I—”

“You tell me you’re sorry again and I’m going to slap you with my last bit of strength!” He began to cough and when Blaine made a move to help him Robert waved him off. “I know you loved her. Now love him, please. Do this and be forgiven.” Again he started coughing which had the same maid who showed them in come rushing back in, going to Robert.

Blaine made a motion for Dane to follow him out. They left the room, leaving Robert to be tended to.

True to his word, the boy’s stuff was being loaded up his car with things.

“Now what?” Dane asked. “You going to get the boy?”

Blaine turned and looked back up at the window. He thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. “No. I’m not going to get him just yet.”

“Okay, then what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find Owen and kick his ass. After that, then I’ll go get the boy, with my wife.”

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Dane smiled. “Okay then. Let’s go kick some ass.”

Before they got back into the car, Blaine looked Dane in the eye.

“About this Makayla thing.”

Dane rolled his eyes. “Can we have this conversation later, please?”

Dane got into the limo and Blaine smiled, following him inside.

“We have a long drive back home.”

“Don’t make me hit you again.”

“I’m only saying.”

They began to argue about it, which helped to calm Blaine down. He didn’t want to go to Owen angry and pissed. If he did that, then Owen would have the upper hand. He needed to get Owen off guard, so while he rattled Dane’s chain over the whole Darius and Makayla thing, he also thought up a plan. One that he hoped Owen wouldn’t see coming.

“Hold that thought.” Blaine raised is finger up, silencing Dane from his ranting. Pulling out his phone he called home. “Randal, I have a job for you. One that you need to have done by the time I get home. It’s very important.”

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