Part Three - Chapter 15

“To speculate without facts is to attempt to enter a house of which one has not the key, by wandering aimlessly round and round, searching the walls and now and then peeping through the windows. Facts are the key.”

― Julian Huxley, Essays in Popular Science

DARYA P.O.V

“Hi” I said nervously as Quillon walked towards me.

“You were in pain.” It was a statement. Not a question. I gulped as I saw the way his dark eyes were focused on me. The look, it was like piercing my soul.

“No” I said dismissively. However, my heart was pounding in my chest. What if he had seen that video? What exactly is in that video? Do I really look like a slut in that?

“Don’t lie to me Darya” he said through gritted teeth and his coffee brown eyes turned a shade darker. His whole stance was stiff. He looked ready to fight!

“I am not lying to you” I said with a humorless chuckle.

Growling, Quillon took a step forward, which had me tilting my head to look at him. “I said, Don’t. Lie. To. Me” he repeated lethally that immediately had my wolf cowering.

My God!

I lowered my head and took a step back. “There was a fire, alright? And I came running here. Fell on the way….. Collided against someone. Th-that’s it” I lied without meeting his eye.

As a reply, Quillon once again stepped closer and then with his index finger, he held and pushed down the left sleeve of my tank top.

“What are you doing?” I hissed looking around. Thank-fully there was no one around.

Quillon didn’t reply, instead, he was staring at my shoulder. It was the same place where Konrad had pierced his claws, but now it was completely healed. Letting go of the strap, he then picked up the hem of my top and pulled it up, exposing my midriff.

I inhaled sharply when he did that and when I meant to slap his hand, he held my wrist and growled in warning, before dropping his gaze back to my stomach. At the gentle brush of his fingers on my stomach, I felt tingles spread all over my body.

Konrad had clawed my stomach too. I am sure Quillon felt all my pain; because he was looking at the exact area I was hurt.“There is nothing” I said. All my wounds were healed. “Now, are you done?” I snapped and Quillon looked up with a frown.

“I felt your pain here” he actually poked my stomach with his index finger and I giggled because it tickled.

Quillon looked at me in puzzlement when I chuckled, “It tickles” I whispered and immediately my cheeks turned warm. Realization seemed to hit Quillon, because his eyes widened for a fraction of second, before he dropped his hand and took a step back, without taking his eyes off mine.

For few seconds, we just stared at each other, before I cleared my throat and looked away.

Quillon growled lowly, closed his eyes and then looked at me, “What exactly happened?” he demanded. “I felt your pain” he had to add that.

“I told you. There was a fire” I said pointing at the burnt plants. “I rushed here and I fell on the college stairs and bruised myself. I was going crazy and people here had to stop me” I tried to act as nonchalant as possible.

There was no reply from Quillon for a long time and slowly I looked at him, only to see him staring at me with narrowed eyes. God! This guy is so skeptical. “That was all” I said with a shrug.

“Fear” Quillon said and I blinked. “You were scared.” He could even feel that?

I didn’t know how to reply so I gave a shrill humorless chuckle. Think something fast! Taking a deep breath, I added, “Of course I was scared. Fire would have spread all over the farm” I said nonchalantly and lowered myself to pick the trimmer. I just wanted him to stop asking me all these questions. If he continues, he can easily make me blurt out the cruel truth. “This is my hard-work, my passion” I continued cutting burnt plants. “And I hate to see them destroyed.”

Through the corner of my eyes, I looked at Quillon and found him staring around. He was looking at every nook and corner of the farm. What is he doing? Does he know something I don’t? What can it be?

However, by now, I was sure he had not seen the video because his reaction wouldn’t be like this. So now, all I had to do was find a memory card or pen drive, or whatever device Konrad had kept to send the video to Quillon, and destroy it.

“You changed your clothes” he pointed out and I rolled my eyes.

“They were wet” I said and then looked up at Quillon. He still had a doubtful look in his face. “Everything is fine. I don’t know why you are making a big deal?” I queried. I had to know!

“I have enemies Darya” he answered and my eyes widened. “Lot’s of them” he added with a feral growl. “If you are done… let’s go” he said and then turned on his heel. I stared at his retreating figure with a frown.

Who is Quillon’s enemy?

We reached Quillon’s place at around six in the afternoon and I was so tired that I had actually fell asleep in the passenger seat. I was woken up by Quillon, who after dropping me in his place, drove away to god-knows-where.

While I was in the shower, I recalled about the video. Quinn wasn’t in the house either and I decided it’s the best time to check if the memory card or pen drive is here. First, I went and checked their mail box, but apart from sports and business magazine there was nothing in it.

If it isn’t here, it might be either addressed to his office. How do I step into Sander’s company? That is not possible. The only way I can do it is by paying any employee of Quillon’s company to do that job. Where else would that memory device be? How else would he send the video?

Think Darya! Think!

E-mail?

Could Konrad mail that video to Quillon? One of his aids would have done that.

Biting my lower lip, I rushed towards Quillon’s office. However, I stopped just outside the closed door because if I go there, Quillon would know I came there. Then without doubt, he would ask me more questions of which I wouldn’t have any answer.

Taking a deep breath, I rushed upstairs and opened my handbag, and pulled out the small tube which had moon flower scent.

Pushing open Quillon’s office door, I hauled the cork and let the liquid drip on the floor. While I was sure, the scent had spread around; I stepped inside the room and closed the door. I know I was being sneaky but I didn’t want him watching that video at all.

Quickly, I turned on Quillon’s sexy sparkling diamond case covered iPad. This boy lived rich! Maybe I should consider investing in stock market?

I frowned when the home screen asked for password. Really?

I called Tyson who had the software which would easily help. Once I explained everything, he helped me and within ten minutes, I was looking at Quillon’s inbox. I checked one week’s mail but there was no video in it.

Running a hand through my hair, I growled in frustration before turning off the iPad and slamming it on the table. I am sure Konrad had sent it through some device. He did mention gift, which only means, he sent it through some memory device.

Sighing, I stood up and was about to leave when something caught my eye. It was actually a photo of a girl. Her face was covered by the files placed above, but I could see her platinum blonde hair in the photo.

I knew a girl with platinum blonde hair and she was my enemy. Quillon just said he had enemies… could she be in the list?

Without any guilt or hesitation, I picked up the files, kept above the photo, and placed it aside. I inhaled sharply when I got a good look of the girl in the photo.

It was the same girl- Sanity!

A seventeen year old assassin, who works for Konrad. The very same one who had killed my mom, right in front of me, five years ago.

Me and my mom were in a crowded café when the incident had happened. While having a cup of coffee, with my mom, I was telling her about my incomplete assignment. When I had lowered my head to keep the coffee cup, on the saucer, I felt something swiftly passing right in front of me, which flayed my hair.

When I had looked up in surprise, I found my mom falling on the ground, with a Kerambit punctured to her throat. Screaming, I had knelt down beside my mom, only to see her gasping for air. While I had looked around, I had found this twelve year old girl, standing beside Kornad and smirking at me.

“I never miss my target” Sanity had said when I had stared at her in dismay.

Snapping out of that painful memory, I stared at Sanity’s photo. I was not her target. She had intended to kill my mom that day and she was successful in doing that, right in front of me. Ever since, then I wanted to kill that insane girl. The last time, I tried, she escaped, but I was able to cut half of her left ear.

But not the next time!

Her photo was in the envelope and I recalled that this was the same envelope Quillon was holding yesterday night, before dinner. Keeping Sanity’s photo over a file, I looked at the other photos.

My eyes widened when I realized that the other photos were of, Ekon, Cable, Rick, Jared and Konrad. I looked at all their photos, which was obviously captured by a CCTV camera because that’s the only way you can get their picture.

The photos fluttered from my fingers and fell on the table. Konrad!