Probably because I know.
He doesn’t want to get rid of the last connection I had with Fallon, because although she started out a fae changeling, she became human and was in every way my sister for twenty-eight years. It still hurts deeply that she’s gone.
For the last two months, we’ve not done anything else with the space and neither of us has been there to visit. We had assumed it was locked up tight and everything was gathering dust. It never occurred to us that daemons were getting in through the loading dock and holding a prisoner there. It would be fairly easy to break into because, although we did change the locks, we didn’t bother with the security system since the space was completely empty.
So why would daemons use this place?
Was it at Kymaris’ direction, which makes absolutely no sense? She had abandoned Fallon’s identity, and she wouldn’t want to come near the gallery since the police were looking for her.
Or was it that Kymaris gave them latitude on where to keep him and they chose this place because this is where she first gathered her minions?
Or the thought always niggling in the back of my head… is this a setup? Is Echo luring me here for some reason?
That was Zaid’s biggest argument why I shouldn’t go, but I was betting Echo was far too fearful of Carrick’s retribution to do something like that. My instinct is her information is legit, and she knows we’re a good source of money to help fuel her addictions.
I grimace internally as we turn down the back alley behind First Avenue. I remember the day I first met Echo and was horrified Maddox paid her money for information, knowing damn well she’d buy drugs with it.
It’s a stark contrast to my feelings on it now.
Whatever it takes to defeat Kymaris.
It’s the only motto that counts, and there’s going to be some collateral damage along the way.
Boral stops the Mercedes in the back alley, three stores down from the gallery. It’s broad daylight so we’re not exactly hiding, but we are staying back a bit to watch. We had told Echo to stay away, for her safety and to not complicate things. She was more than happy to have nothing to do with this.
“What do we do now?” Zora asks from the backseat.
“I say let’s just walk on in,” Boral replies, not to Zora but to me. “I’m impossible to kill unless we’re met at the door with an iron spike to my heart or brain, and you can stay behind me while we assess.”
Locks weren’t going to be a problem. I could unlock anything with magic. If for some reason I couldn’t, Boral was strong enough to bust through, but that would be less subtle.
“I agree,” I reply as I watch the empty dock, wondering how many were inside with Blain.
One daemon?
Two daemons?
A hundred? If Echo was lying to us…
If she was, I’m going to kill her if I survive.
“What if there are a hundred daemons in there?” I ask, a contingency we really hadn’t discussed. “Or even ten?”
“Hopefully, you’re close enough to touch me and you bend distance to get us back here to the G550. If they’re daemons, they can’t follow.”
“If they’re Dark Fae…”
I trail off because that’s actually the worst-case scenario.
“You trying to talk yourself out of this?” Boral asks.
“Nope,” I reply with surety. “Just covering all bases.”
“Because,” Boral drawls, looking away from me back to the dock. “There is nothing wrong with backing out and waiting for Carrick to return.”
My eyes drift to the dock as well. No, there’s nothing wrong with waiting.
But I can’t.
I might not have ever liked Blain, but I know Fallon loved him. And she would not want him to suffer one minute longer. I have the ability to stop that suffering, so I’m really doing this for Fallon and her memory.
I reach for the door handle, determination in my voice. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 19
Carrick
Carrick had been to Hungary hundreds of times before, and he had always appreciated its beauty.
He saw none of it now.
Lake Balaton was the largest lake in central Europe, located in the western part of Hungary. The north side of the lake was filled with mountains and grape fields while the opposite shores were dotted with resort towns.
Kymaris was in the village of Paloznak on the north side of the lake at the southern base of Bakony mountain. The population was just over four hundred residents, but Carrick knew that one—the owner of the villa—had become recently deceased and Kymaris had assumed his identity in public.
He doubted she went into public, though. The villa was large, part of a wine estate. It was done in yellow stucco and white trim. The surrounding gardens were immaculately kept with hills of grapevines all around. It was a fairy-tale setting, and it was hard to believe the queen of the Underworld, who planned to take over the Earth, was holed up inside.