Page 25 of A Raven Realized (The Raven’s Den #5)

Chapter Sixteen

I t was nighttime and Simon had nothing to do. No one left to track down from the fake marriage scheme, other than the vicar. No men left from the group who had hurt his sister. And no Madelene. So instead, he sat in his study, halfway through his third glass of whisky.

Perhaps he should pay another visit to his sister’s “husband” and see if he could beat any more names out of the man.

Or at the very least, deliver some more pain to the monster.

He dropped his forehead into his palms with a groan.

What he needed was sleep, and if he drank any more whisky tonight, he’d have a hell of a time getting up for work in the morning.

It was hard to imagine life just continuing as normal while his heart barely managed to beat through the pain.

Madelene. Sweet, kind, funny, soft, beautiful, enticing, incredible, Madelene.

Swallowing the remaining liquid in his glass, he pushed himself to his feet and went up to bed. She was where she needed to be, and wishing for anything different was selfish.

Even though he hadn’t had another glass, he still woke with a pounding headache the next morning. Perhaps it was the physical manifestation of the emotional turmoil that seemed to pulse through him with every breath he took.

He sat up on the side of the bed and breathed a cynical laugh.

Simon had yet to meet a man who could best him in a fight.

Even among the agents he worked with, it was known he could take any one of them down, with one arm tied behind his back.

He’d worked hard for those skills, and was proud of his reputation.

But here he sat, brought to his knees by a woman. By the loss of one, anyway.

He managed to dress, but couldn’t bring himself to enter the kitchen. He’d have to get some coffee from Suzy, instead.

There were only two other people in the tavern this early, and they paid him no heed, for which he was grateful. Suzy, on the other hand, looked on him with pity.

“Oh, Simon. Come here, my boy.” He laughed at being addressed as a boy, but then she wrapped her arms around him and surrounded him with her softness.

He did have a mother of his own, but he didn’t speak to his parents.

Not since they’d sold off his sister to that blackguard.

And Suzy was happy to act as a surrogate, even if he was a grown man.

“Is it really so obvious?” he asked quietly into her ear.

She didn’t answer that question. After a moment, she let him go and looked up into his eyes, sadness filling her own. “What can I get for you?”

“Just coffee.”

Simon tried to mask his anguish as he entered the office for work, but Timms furrowed his brow when he saw him.

“Don’t ask,” Simon said, holding up his hands.

“I won’t.” Timms assessed him for a moment before continuing. “But we have some interviews today. Are you up to that?”

“Absolutely,” Simon said with a determined nod.

He was able to pull himself together well enough to perform his duties adequately.

He used to love this part of his job. It was like a game.

Ask the right questions, not only to get answers you’re looking for, but to set them off-balance just enough for their body language to tell you the real story, all the while masking your own emotions and thoughts.

He spent the whole day doing that. With each new interview, they took turns playing different roles.

One of them would play the nice guy, offering comforting words and tea, while the other was aloof, stern, and down to business.

Alternating kept the job from getting boring and allowed them to practice varying skills.

In truth, it was just what Simon needed to keep his mind off of Madelene and his own grief.

He was tired of this, though. Tired of always having to hide himself.

The people he worked with didn’t know who he really was.

Not even Timms. But Madelene did. He didn’t have to wear his usual mask with her, or lie about the things he’d done. With her, he could just be himself.

But Madelene was gone, and he had to stop thinking of how much he wanted her back.

That night, rather than drinking himself to sleep, he paid a visit to her father.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t kill the man, even if he did deserve it.

He was still her father, after all, and Simon would never do anything that had the potential to hurt her…

again. There were plenty of other ways to inflict misery on the man, though.

As he stole through the dark house, he was surprised to see light seeping beneath his bedroom door.

A soft voice sounded within. Did he have company?

Simon listened for a long moment, but no one ever responded.

It was just the one voice. Perhaps he was talking to himself?

Or even praying? He certainly should be.

He had plenty to atone for. It made no difference, though.

Prayers would not earn him Simon’s forgiveness.

Since someone was obviously awake, Simon entered through the connected dressing room instead. He peered in from the doorway and disgust settled over him. Madelene’s father sat on the side of his bed, crying and talking to what must be a picture of his late wife.

“You’re pathetic, Robert.”

The man whipped around, dropping the picture with a clatter. “Who are you? What are you doing in my home?”

Simon leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms across his chest. “You had an incredible piece of her, you know. But rather than cherishing that, you tried your damnedest to destroy it. To destroy her.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Madelene. Your daughter.

” He crossed the room and picked up the picture from the floor.

“ Her daughter.” He held it up in front of the man’s face.

But when he turned the frame around, his heart seized.

It was very nearly Madelene. She was indeed, the image of her mother. He closed his eyes for a moment.

“Who are you?” Robert asked again, his eyes wide as he tried to swallow his fear. “Are you from Auburn Ridge?”

The words stoked Simon’s growing rage. He set the picture carefully on the nightstand before he grabbed the front of Robert’s shirt and pulled him in. “I’m the man who got her out of that place. And let me make one thing very clear, the only reason I’m going to spare your life tonight, is her.”

“Did she seduce you?”

Fury blazed through him. Simon reached into his pocket, then gripped the man’s hair and yanked his head back, stuffing a handkerchief into his mouth as he opened it to object.

He wrenched the man’s arm around, forcing him face down onto the bed, pressing his knee roughly into his back.

Simon grabbed his ear, and with one quick flick of his razor, sliced off the bottom lobe.

The handkerchief muffled his scream and Simon held him down until he quieted and stopped thrashing.

He leaned close to the injured ear. “We’re not done yet, but if you’re quiet, and respectful, you may still have the rest of your body parts intact when I leave.

Do you think you can manage that? Or should I just remove your tongue now? ”

He shook his head with a whimper. Simon pulled him upright and tugged the cloth out of his mouth. “Hold this to your ear to stem the bleeding.” Robert’s hand shook as he took it and pressed the fabric to his ear.

“I’ll just put this bit over here as a reminder for you.” Simon set the severed piece of ear on the nightstand, beside the picture. “The next time you say something disparaging about Madelene, I will remove another piece of you.”

The man began to bawl like a goddamned baby. “Shhhh.” Simon pressed a finger over his lips. “You don’t want to wake the house. If someone knocks on that door, I’ll have to renege on my promise to keep you alive and slit your throat before I disappear into the night.”

Silence fell over the room, and Simon nodded.

He turned the chair to face the bed and sat down, lifting one foot to rest on the opposite knee.

“If you lie to me, there will be consequences. If you say something derogatory about Madelene, or blame her in any way, there will be consequences.” He flipped his razor open and closed as he spoke.

“You sentenced your own daughter to a lifetime of suffering. Convinced her that she was evil, and never allowed her to live. Never allowed her laughter, or passion, or love. I want to know why.”

Robert’s gaze was fixed on the razor for a long moment, but eventually, he looked over at the picture of Madelene’s mother. He still didn’t speak.

“You loved your wife,” Simon said, his tone patronizing. “That’s no excuse.”

“Love,” Robert corrected, his eyes meeting Simon’s. “I love her.” A tear ran down his cheek.

“Madelene was your daughter.” Simon growled. “You should have loved her.”

“I do love her. I just want to keep her safe.”

“Safe? What would your wife say if she knew you tossed her daughter into an asylum, where she endured horrific abuse? Because she asked for a kiss.”

Simon watched as the man wilted.

“What do you mean abuse? They weren’t supposed to abuse her,” he whispered.

That’s what he’d been waiting for. Guilt that was heavy enough to finally weigh him down. He already knew the answers to all of these questions, but he wanted this man to suffer for what he’d done.

But then he spoke to the picture. “I’m sorry, Angela.”

“She isn’t the one you hurt.” Simon shook his head. “You’re the worst kind of villain, Robert. You don’t even realize the pain and suffering you’ve inflicted upon your own daughter. She would have adored you if you’d given her half a chance.”

Robert winced as he turned back to Simon. The shock was wearing off, and his ear was no doubt starting to burn. The throbbing would set in soon enough.

“I was just trying to protect her from…”