Chapter 31 — Deceiver
Malik’s POV:
Malik woke up as night came and felt around the bed, finding it cold and empty aside from himself. He sat up and listened for any sign of Vanessa in the house. He went to her room, she wasn’t there. He went to the library, not there either. “Vanessa?” he called out. No answer. He went to the kitchen where he’d left his phone and the screen lit up with a text from Julius. Vanessa had been in the kitchen, there were eggs and bacon on the counter, now spoiled at this point. Fuck. She saw the text. And what rattled him all the more was that he had no idea what Julius was talking about. But how could she know any different?
He growled as he rubbed his hands over his face and threw the eggs across the kitchen. He didn’t even care that egg had gotten all over his walls, the marble counters, and the tile floor. She hated him. She had to. Now that Byron was no longer leverage, she had no obligation to be there. He grabbed his phone and called Vanessa. Voicemail. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! “Vanessa, it’s Malik. Please know that whatever text you saw, it’s not what you think. Please believe me.” He texted her the same message just to make sure she got it. He then called Julius.
“Hey.” Julius said after picking up.
“What is this information you think I asked you to find?”
“We had this conversation last week, remember?”
“I can say with complete and utter honesty that I don’t recall it. I never had anyone killed, you know me by now, I do my dirty work myself.”
“Malik, you’re confusing me. We sat there at Lust, you asked me to dig up some information about some people you had killed a few years ago.”
“Who did I have killed?”
“Miranda and Daniel Owens. You wanted it staged as an accident.”
“And why would I need you to find some information about people I had killed?”
“You wanted a DNA test to confirm that they were Byron and Vanessa’s parents.”
“I’m on my way to Lust. Meet me there, you’re going to show me exactly how this conversation went.”
Malik hung up the phone. He got in the shower and stood there under the pouring water questioning his very existence. Julius was so sure of all this and yet Malik recalled nothing. He never had anyone killed. As he said before, if he wants someone dead, he goes and does it himself. He drove his own car to Lust and went inside, Julius was there waiting for him.
“You’re timing couldn’t be anymore impeccable.” Malik growled as he sat down at the bar.
“Why?” Julius asked, confused.
“Don’t worry about it, just know I’m pissed at you.”
“I just did what you asked me to and got back with you, just like you asked.”
Malik shot Julius a glare, “You and Aaron are my most trusted right-hand men. How is it that there is some kind of conversation we had about this, and you’re completely convinced of it?”
“Well, I admit, I was confused when you approached me. See I didn’t know you had some people killed a few years ago. But you were so sure you did that I went along with it. You asked me to get a DNA test to confirm their relation to Byron and Vanessa. You told me to text you as soon as I had it. So, I did.”
Malik rubbed his hand over his face. And then it hit him. Recent events raced through his mind. A threat that the Balthazar twins made. He just remembered that they were known shapeshifters able to take on any form they desire. Now this was making sense, and he had to be quick witted. He looked at Julius and asked a question only he would know. “What is the password to access my family’s tombs?”
“The password?” Julius chuckled and shifted uncomfortably.
“Oh, don’t tell me you forgot.” Malik sneered. “You are after all one of three that knows it.”
Julius’ face began to disappear and in its place Alfred appeared. “You figured me out.”
Malik rolled his eyes, “You really thought I wouldn’t? It became too obvious after a minute.”
“How so?”
“Well at first, I had a hunch that you may have approached Julius as myself, but then asking him to get some DNA test from someone I had killed years ago, he wouldn’t have done that. He’s not that stupid. Then I remembered some little threat you made a while ago about framing me for the death of their parents. Honestly Alfred, you and Alec need to do better than this to pull one over on me.” Malik shook his head.
“Oh, Dear Malik, we already have done better. See we knew Vanessa would be the first to see that message.”
Malik gave Alfred a menacing look, there was only one way they could’ve sent that message from Julius. “What did you do with Julius?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Alfred mused as he went behind the bar and pulled up a large jar with Julius’ head and heart inside of it. Malik closed his eyes. Julius was his friend and right hand since he built New York. There he was his head and heart in a jar. That is how Julius’ life ends. With Alfred’s bitterness toward Malik.
“What reason did you have for killing a vampire who had NOTHING to do with any of this?”
“He was your friend, right? He had everything to do with it.”
“He helped make this city what it is!”
“Empires rise, empires fall, and the good captains always go down with their ship. Julius was collateral damage.”
Malik stood up seething with rage. His hands trembled at their sides. Alfred noticed his state of anger and hatred and let out a mocking laugh. “Awe, did I kill someone you care about?”
Malik bore his fangs and lunged himself at Alfred, both men crashing through the glasses along the bar.