The Quest (27 page)

“If you were such a good friend, why didn’t you tell him about Galluzzi’s plot?” Jackson asked.

“Anubis doesn’t like Lorenzo, or any of the devil’s servants, but he respects them all to keep peace. Had I notified him, he would’ve gone straight to Lorenzo, who would’ve contacted Galluzzi. She would deny the whole thing and nothing would happen to her. Everyone would go back to normal and time would pass without incident, but Galluzzi wouldn’t give up plotting to kill you. Sooner or later, she would find a way to get to you.”

“So you decided not to tell him,” I said for confirmation.

“I didn’t see a point since nobody would do anything but question her. Words aren’t going to stop any evil creature from carrying out their plans.”

I inhaled a deep breath, not liking his choice, yet instinct told me he was right. Nothing would’ve stopped Galluzzi.

“So why did you let me live?”

His leather jacket made a rubbing noise as he slowly leaned forward with his elbows over his knees. “I’ve walked the Earth a long time, and quite frankly, I don’t want to leave it, physically or spiritually. If I’d killed you, Anubis would’ve found out somehow someday, and he’d come after me with a vengeance. Then there is Lorenzo. He can travel between Earth and Hell. If he discovered I’d killed you, he would’ve dragged me to his domain and taken great pleasure torturing me for eternity. Given those scenarios, I decided to spare your life.”

“I don’t understand.” I stared at Daniel, confused more than ever. “Why would you fear the Senator’s father? Why would Lorenzo care if I lived or died?”

“You don’t know?” Daniel asked in a way that suggested I should’ve been able to piece together the puzzle he’d given me.

“Know what? Obviously I don’t know much since I don’t have memories and I’m asking
you
questions.”

“For someone willing to explain matters concerning her life, you’re doing a really shitty job of it,” Jackson said.

Daniel shook his head. “I thought you would have found your birth record by now.”

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “What does my birth record have to do with Lorenzo? Stop spoon feeding us and spit out the truth.”

Daniel’s gaze slid from me, to Jackson, and then back to me. “Lorenzo is your father.”

For a moment, I thought the world had stopped. I didn’t breathe, and I couldn’t hear my heart. I couldn’t hear anything. I stared at Daniel like a mindless mummy. “What?”

“Galluzzi came up with the idea to create a unique creature.”

“Wait,” I interrupted him. “She told me my mother wanted a unique child.”

He grinned. “That doesn’t surprise me. I’m sure you know demons like to lie. The idea was hers. No one had ever tried it before and she wanted to impress the world. She found a willing surrogate, and your father played along. In case you hadn’t noticed, demons are power hungry.”

A chuckle almost spilled from me. They were ravenous for power.

He continued, “She suggested the idea to her father to gain his support. He did and volunteered to be the father. At least, that was the story she told me.”

I lowered my gaze as the knowledge sunk in. Galluzzi and I shared the same father. Could it be so? It explained why he would torture Daniel in Hell if Daniel had killed me. It also clarified why Galluzzi continually asked me if I’d spoken to him. The one time I threatened to share information with him, she’d yelled at me and nearly had me thrown out of her office. Did she fear him? Why would she? And if we were siblings, why would she want her half sister dead? Because I was different?

Jackson tilted his head toward his shoulder while keeping his gaze on Daniel. “Are you all right?”

“Why would she come up with a plan to create me only to want me dead?” I asked with my eyes fixed on Daniel. “Why does she hate me so much?”

“Galluzzi loathes you because of what you are and what you’ve become. The way I see it, she’s jealous of everything about you, everything you have achieved and most importantly, the bond between you and your father. She wanted you to be her slave, and she could show the world how great she was with all your unique abilities. Well, that didn’t happen.”

“A slave?” The word made me cringe.

He went on. “From my conversations with her, I think the animosity started after your mother’s death when Lorenzo decided to take you away. He employed several nannies to help raise you, and he remained in touch with your sister, but he refused to let her have any control over you. Once you reached puberty, she came up with other plans for you. Lorenzo didn’t agree with them. He broke off ties to her.”

“How do you know so much?” Jackson asked.

“I conducted plenty of research, interviewed people associated with her and spoke with her plenty of times. In one conversation, she told me Lorenzo favored you over her. It was her idea to create a perfect creature, and he took that creature away from her.”

Her pet project worked, but dear ol’ daddy claimed it and then cut her off. For the first time, I understood her jealousy, loathing and determination to kill me.

A mixture of emotions swirled within me, mostly anger, surprise and disgust. Galluzzi and I shared blood from our father, yet she hated me. She came up with the idea to create me, yet she wanted to destroy me.
I
had done nothing wrong.
I
hadn’t attacked her, provoked her or anything. To hurt our father because he took me away from her, she had planned a way eliminate me, including everyone who knew about me. How incredibly insane and malicious. I would never be safe as long as she lived.

“Why did she wait all these years to kill me? Why 2005?” I asked.

“As I said earlier, she was frustrated. Lorenzo cut her off. She’d hoped he would come around and she could find a way to spend time with you, but he wouldn’t allow it. You were growing up, changing into a woman and she was out of the picture. In my opinion, she was jealous of what you would become and where she would end up.”

“So, she started working on her plan.”

“Yes.”

“What did she offer you?” I asked, not that his answer mattered. Yet, I was curious. Money didn’t matter to most vampires. From what Boss had told me, they had plenty. Power wasn’t an interest either, at least from what I’d seen.

Daniel stretched his legs further apart. “She offered to give me freedom and control over the vampire communities. She said she would she would create a position for me and would ensure that I reached councilman status one day.”

“Thirsty for power?” Jackson asked, as if we were feeding off each other’s thoughts.

“No, actually I’m not. I believe vampire communities in certain parts of the world need radical reform, but I have survived long enough to know that I would not make a good politician.”

“Then why did you take her offer?” Confusion started to cloud my thoughts again.

“As I stated earlier, nothing was going to stop her. If I hadn’t taken her offer, someone else would’ve and they would succeed in killing you.”

“So, you never planned to kill me?” What a dilemma. I didn’t know if I should thank him for all the times he saved me or still hate him for wiping out my memories.

“I saw no credible reason to destroy you.” He held no emotion on his face.

“Who killed everyone at the dump?” Jackson asked. “Did you?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “You might like me to say yes so you can continue to despise me, but the answer is no. My instructions were to kill Shelley and make sure the other person did his job and left. While he was busy fulfilling his agreement, I made it appear I did my part.”

“Who killed them?” Jackson asked, his tone deeper.

The corner of Daniel’s mouth twitched. “Who does the Senator turn to for her dirty work? I’m sure you can figure this one out.”

“Billy,” I said.

“Motherfucker,” Jackson fumed as his grip tightened on the gun, and his muscles tensed.

“Easy,” I said, hoping to calm him before his temper got the better of him. “Billy did the work, but Galluzzi gave the order. They’re both guilty.”

“Get evidence against Galluzzi and she’ll hand over Billy in a heartbeat. I guarantee it,” Daniel said with a nod.

I leaned back, relaxing my shoulders against the chair. The few definitive answers we had were helpful, but I still had plenty of questions.

“You said earlier you didn’t want Lorenzo to find out if you killed me. How would he have found out? I can’t imagine why Galluzzi would have told him out of the blue, ‘Hey, this vampire killed your daughter.’”

“I don’t believe she would.”

“Then who?” I asked.

“Billy was involved from the beginning. He was the only other person who left the dump unscathed. All he would have to do is confess to your father that he saw me kill you and everyone else.”

“You think Billy would run to Lorenzo?” Jackson asked for clarification.

“All demons want power. What a better way for an underground runt to get ahead of politicians than to go straight to one of Lucifer’s servants.”

While I believed his answer, I sensed something missing.

“What reason could he give for you killing me?” I asked. “So Billy says he saw you. It could be a lie. I’d think a servant to the devil would be need more than ‘I saw him do it.’”

“He could easily say I wanted you for every drop of angel blood running through your veins. Everyone knows the impact vampires have had on the half-breed angel population. Given that known fact, Lorenzo wouldn’t have difficulty thinking I drained you to satisfy my craving.”

Daniel’s point was simple enough and so believable that it gave me a chill. Vampires would do just about anything for angel blood. Thoughts of Boss popped into my head. He vowed to protect me, but it was no secret he wanted my blood. Would I be truly safe with any vampire, or would genetic makeup always interfere? I’d have to think about the question more about later.

“You mentioned you were keeping a low profile,” I said. “Why?”

“I’m not an idiot. Since I’m not her lover or someone willing to bow to her, she will eventually plan to destroy me. Moreover, my demise would ensure Lorenzo would never find out she was behind your death. Your father cut ties with her, but she still seeks his approval. Bonds between parents and children are strong, more so for demons since there’s Hell to deal with in the afterlife.”

Jackson made a noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a chuckle. I gave him a sour look. “Sorry,” he said.

I shifted my gaze back to Daniel. He stared directly at me. “Aren’t you going to ask me about your father’s watch?” he asked.

Oh, right. Six weeks ago Boss, Jonas and I went to the pawnshop where I’d sold the watch. Boss questioned the owner and saw glimpses in his head of me selling it. I wasn’t alone either. He couldn’t see whom I was with nor did we never did find out who bought the watch. The watch was one big mystery, and until I’d seen it on Billy, I’d forgotten all about it.

“Since I sold the watch, I assume I took it from my father. Why would I do that?”

“You and your father didn’t see eye to eye on many things. I don’t know if you ever did. Nannies took care of you most of the time, not Lorenzo. After you finished college, he wanted you to start working with his minions. You refused. A few months later, he discovered you and Anubis were in love, and Anubis had made you part vampire. You were only supposed to be part human, angel and demon, not vampire. He feared Anubis might try to make you a vampire, so he threatened to take you to Hell. I happened to be the first one you told. I offered to help with the condition you wouldn’t tell Anubis.”

“I took the watch so he couldn’t force me to go to Hell with him?”

“He knew you were in love with Anubis. Because he didn’t want to lose you to our race, he gave an ultimatum. You knew if you could get rid of his watch, he would cut off his tie to you and he wouldn’t be able to send you to Hell.”

“And you conveniently informed Galluzzi of the situation,” I said.

“It helped her believe I was on her team. There were many times she doubted me.”

Amazing. Unbelievable. Tragic. Thoughts flooded my mind from Daniel’s confession. With a deep breath, I rose. Jackson glanced at me from over his shoulder.

“I’m thinking,” I said as I paced in the square living room.

Daniel had provided answers to some of my long-awaited questions. I now knew why Galluzzi wanted me dead. I knew my father was Lorenzo and the reason why I’d stolen his watch. The valuable answers helped solve some of the mystery to my life, but I still lacked total comprehension. Why did Daniel wipe out my memories? Why continue to follow me? He could have gone his own way and left me to figure out the world on my own.

I stopped and faced Daniel. “Why did you steal my memories?”

“You’re not going to like my answer.”

“Let me decide.” I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to one leg.

“I couldn’t let you return to your regular life. I couldn’t let you go back to Anubis. Galluzzi would know I’d failed her and would send someone after you again. I highly doubt she would fail to kill you a second time. Living without memories is better than not living at all.”

“You took her memories to protect her?” Jackson questioned with his voice slightly elevated.

“Billy and I left together and reported back to Galluzzi. I knew you would wake up and find a way out. Since she believed you were dead, she wouldn’t look for you.”

“I didn’t have any money or somewhere to stay. How was I supposed to survive?”

“Someone would’ve kindly helped you, and if not, you wouldn’t have died. Instinct would have guided you.”

“Instinct?” I asked with my hands on my hips. He expected me to get by on my instinct. My opinion of him dropped severely.

“You would be fine for a few days, then I planned to relocate you to another city. I was going to help you out with a home and money. As long as Galluzzi believed you were dead, you would live in peace. My plan worked until you showed up at the Statehouse.”

I threw up my hands. “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on and what you were going to do? Give me a little heads-up?”

“There was absolutely, unequivocally no way to stop her from carrying out her plan to kill you now or in the future,” he said, staring dead at me. “How many times do I have to say it?”