Dark Obsession

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Friends.

Charley let the word settle inside her, slowly warming her heart. For all the luxuries her lifestyle afforded, friends had never been one of them.

Until now.

It was yet another gift Dorian had brought into her life—one she wouldn’t squander.

“The grays were confined to the alley,” Aiden said, passing Charley a mug of English Breakfast tea. “There were no other reports of them in Manhattan last night.”

“Not of grays, anyway,” Cole said. “But I got word of something else. Remember that traffic clusterfuck we hit coming off the FDR?”

“Don’t tell me it was more grays,” Charley said.

“Worse.” Cole took a swig of whiskey, then said, “Demons.”

“You’ve got to be bloody kidding me,” Aiden said. “What happened?”

“Turf war, apparently. I got a shifter friend in homicide. She told me the cops are calling it gang-related, but the bodies—nine of ‘em—were charred to s**t. No eyes, either. Cops thought it was a bomb or maybe even a chemical attack—that’s why they were blocking everything off last night, searching the cars.”

“Have they identified any of the bodies?” Aiden asked.

Cole nodded. “Four so far. Three are Chernikov’s guys. One is Rogozin’s.”

“Why are demons fighting over turf in Manhattan?” Charley asked. “Isn’t that vampire territory?”

“Indeed, it is.” Aiden dumped some more sugar into his tea and frantically stirred, spoon clanking hard against his mug.

It reminded Charley of her sister, and her chest immediately tightened. Was Rudy feeding her a decent breakfast? What about coffee—did he get her the almond creamer she liked so much? Did she have any books to read? A warm bed?

“Shitstorm’s brewin’, my friends,” Cole said, drawing Charley back to the moment just before the flood of worries swept her away. “Better get your umbrellas ready.”

Forcing herself to refocus, Charley poured a splash of Cole’s whiskey into her tea, then said, “I don’t know what’s going on with the demons, but the thing about the grays is weird. You said there were no other sightings in the city?”

“None reported,” Aiden said.

“They weren’t even there when that Silas guy first blurred me into the alley,” Charley said. “They showed up right after he dropped me in the dumpster. Literally a minute later.”

“They must’ve been holdin’ the fuckers somewhere close,” Cole said. “Probably had ‘em right there in the building. If that many grays had come in from outside, you would’ve heard trucks or something.”

“It was definitely a setup,” Charley said. “The timing is too perfect otherwise.”

“But if your uncle wanted you dead, why go to so much trouble?” Aiden asked. “Why not order Silas to do it? Or why not do it himself, for that matter? He certainly had the opportunity.”

“There’s a lot about last night that doesn’t add up.” Charley took a deep drink of her spiked tea, trying to put all the strange, mismatched pieces together.

First of all, Rudy had allowed Silas to rough her up, which left visible injuries. Rudy had to know Dorian would notice them and question her about what happened. What if he got suspicious? This close to the big day, something like that could throw a wrench into everything. It was a sloppy move for a pro thief like her uncle, and it made no sense.

Then there was the matter of the gun. Between Rudy and his vampire buddy, they had all the supernatural power they needed to keep Charley in line, yet he still felt the need to flash that weapon.

And what was the deal with his watch? When she’d inadvertently torn it from his wrist, it revealed his terrifying black eyes. But didn’t most demons look human? And if demonic entities took over human bodies as vessels, why did demon Rudy still have all of human Rudy’s mannerisms and memories?

Charley shared all of this with the guys. The longer she spoke, the more outlandish it all sounded.

“Bloody hell,” Aiden said, shooting a worried glance at Cole. “Rudy isn’t just a vessel. He’s a host.”

“A host?” Charley tightened her hands around the mug, trying to remember what Dorian had told her about demons the day he’d given her the supernatural crash course. “So Rudy’s basically letting a demon hitch a ride?”

“It’s the best of both worlds, really,” Aiden said. “Rudy has access to the demon’s power, and the demon has access to a physical body, which he can use as he sees fit, and claim fully when your uncle dies.”

“But if that’s true,” she said, “it still doesn’t explain the gun.”

“Perhaps he just wanted to frighten you.”

“That’s just it. Rudy’s addicted to power. If he had something more than that weapon, he would’ve relished the chance to use it against me, even if he’d only intended to make Silas compel me later. He gets off on terrifying me.”

“What are you suggesting?” Aiden asked.

“I think there’s something wrong with him. Like, maybe his power is fading or something. It might explain why he’s becoming so unhinged. I’m telling you, guys. He never used to be so sloppy and erratic.”

“I suppose it’s possible. I’ve never encountered a host before.” Aiden looked to Cole. “You?”

“Nah, but I don’t get out much. Matter of fact, hangin’ out with you fuckers is the most excitement I’ve had in decades.”

Aiden lifted his mug and smiled. “Cheers, then.”

“There’s something else,” Charley said. “At one point, Silas said he wanted to end me right there, but Rudy called him off. He said something about how I wasn’t theirs to end.”

“Do you think he was referring to the grays?” Aiden asked.

“I did at first, but that makes no sense. Rudy doesn’t want me dead at all. He needs me—he still thinks I’m helping with the Ravenswood job. Otherwise, why use Sasha as leverage if he was only going to let the grays kill me before the heist?”

“So either Silas changed the play at the last minute,” Aiden said, “or they were simply trying to frighten you.”

“That’s a hell of a risk just for a scare. If those grays had gotten into the dumpster…” Charley shuddered, then reached for the whiskey again. Right now, it was the only thing steadying her nerves. “Anyway, why did they want me to see the grays at all? They’d have to know I’d freak out, right? Rudy wants me focused on the job, not questioning my sanity.”

“Which means he probably assumed Dorian would compel you to forget the gray attack,” Aiden said. “Rudy’s a demon host working with vampires. He must know Dorian isn’t human. He must’ve known all along.”

“Then he’s also assuming I don’t know Dorian’s true nature.” Charley let out a bitter laugh. “Rudy probably thinks I’d run away with my tail between my legs if I knew vampires existed.”

“Your uncle underestimates you, Charlotte,” Aiden said. “A mistake he’ll live to regret, I’m certain.”

“You two got some nice theories,” Cole said, “but something tells me this ain’t about you, Charles.”

Charley c****d an eyebrow. “Charles, huh?”

“Just tryin’ it out,” Cole said with a teasing smile. “You good?”

“Actually, yes. I like it.”

“Figured you would.” Cole topped off her tea with another splash of whiskey, then took another swig. “Anyway, it was a setup—you got that right. All so those demonic dickheads could watch us in action.”

“I’m not following,” she said.

“Right before you and Red split up, he was ambushed by a Rogozin demon and two Duchanes bloodsuckers, yeah?”

Charley nodded. “That’s how I ended up alone outside Perk. Dorian was dealing with the ambush, and I ran ahead to find Sasha. That’s when Silas tossed my ass into the limo.”

“They knew your man was close,” Cole continued. “Knew he’d track you down as soon as he dealt with his attackers. They just needed enough time to threaten you, scare you shitless, and dump you in that other alley, where the grays were already on standby.”

“They wanted to see how we’d deal with the grays.” Aiden’s eyes widened with the realization. “Like a football team watching their rivals’ old games.”

“Which means those sonofabitches are planning something even bigger,” Cole said. “And now they know just what we’re bringing to the party.”

“Do you have any idea where Rudy might be holding Sasha?” Aiden asked gently. “Any other properties aside from his residence? Other associates who might have a place for them to hole up?”

“She could be anywhere, Aiden. Especially now that we know he’s a demon. That opens up a whole new world of horrifying possibilities. God.” Charley closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. She’d been doing so well with the whole compartmentalizing thing, but all those fears and worries were doing their damnedest to break out of the box. “What if she’s hurt? What if Rudy—”

Aiden gripped her hand, cutting her off. “Your sister is clever and tough, just like you. I’ve no doubts she’s already making them rue the day they decided to mess with her. And just wait until we get hold of them. Talk about ruing the day.”

When Charley opened her eyes again, Aiden gave her a soft smile.

“We’ll find her, Charlotte. You have my word.”

“I know,” she said, if only because there was no room in her brain for any other possibility. Then, with a surge of renewed determination, “The original plan stands. We’ll hit Estas’ place in Woodstock tomorrow, see what intel we can find.”

“Let’s wait and talk to Dorian,” Aiden said. “I’m certain he’ll—”

“Try to talk me out of it, most likely. Unfortunately for that bossy vampire, I’m not the sit-home-with-my-thumb-up-my-ass type.”

“No, I suppose you ain’t.” Cole bit back a laugh, his eyes twinkling with warmth. “Bet Red never saw you comin’, did he?”

“To be fair, I didn’t see him coming either.” Charley smiled, but despite their kindness and willingness to help, she couldn’t hold it. “Anyway, with Rudy’s big demon reveal last night, and his connection to that Silas vampire, I’m more convinced than ever Estas has something on him. Maybe even something that can help us find Sasha.”

“All roads lead back to the same scheming demons and traitor vamps,” Cole said.

“And they all want me and Dorian dead.” Charley lifted the mug to her lips, but it was empty. “Awesome.”

“On the bright side,” Aiden said cheerfully, “some couples have nothing in common. More tea?”

Charley passed over her mug.

“We need time to set up another buy,” Cole said. “I came through with the cash last night—Estas trusts me now. So I’ll lure him out for another sale, d**k him around at the meeting, and give you and Red time to snoop.”

“Perfect,” Charley said. “When can you set it up?”

“We need to wait for Red. He’s the bankroll here.”

“Not to mention he’d bloody well beat Cole’s ass if we went behind his back on this,” Aiden said.

Cole laughed. “He’d try, anyway.”

“Where exactly did you say Dorian went today?” Charley asked.

“Not to worry.” Aiden forced a smile, then headed to the stove to put the kettle on for Charley’s tea. “He’ll be back soon enough. He’s just… cooking up a little something in Queens.”