Page 16

Chapter Sixteen

Vivian

I woke this morning with a renewed sense of determination flowing through my veins. David tried to talk me out of this meeting today but I rebuked his worries. If this asshole thinks he can hurt the people I care about, then I need to look him in the eyes and show him I’m not afraid. I’ll take him down before he can try to take another person I love. My heart is aching for Nova and the loss she has suffered but I can’t allow my emotions to take control right now. I need to keep a level head. After this meeting I have to head to Lividica and speak to Tatum and revise some of her ideas. I also want a client list of who has been frequenting the girls in case I need leverage.

I swore I would never stoop that low to extort anyone but I’m left with no other option now. I have four weeks before the Night Of The Saints and I need to fix everything before then. The construction on the high school has finally started going ahead since I sent the new crew over to help out. Drew and Ford haven’t called once this morning with another unexpected hurdle, all the excuses they gave me previously seem to have vanished. I knew those assholes were taking me for a ride. I also have a meeting with The Brotherhood tonight. According to David there is a lot of unrest amongst the ranks.

When fucking isn’t there!

As the car comes to a stop outside the prison, I give myself a moment to get my game face on. The last thing I need is for Alexander to see through my armor and see the scared little girl I am hiding beneath the boss bitch mask I am wearing. Arnold opens the door for me and I step out, then brush my jacket down and smirk to myself. I chose to wear an all-white pants suit sans the shirt underneath so the swell of my breasts can be seen. I’m guessing showing him the girls will keep him distracted enough from seeing beneath my mask. I walk briskly toward the entrance and sign in. Given my status and who I am, I’m afforded more leeway than most.

A guard leads me down a long corridor. The coloring inside here is dim and depressing. It's a beautiful day outside but in here, it’s cold and miserable. It feels like it's designed that way to keep these prisoners from feeling any semblance of happiness while they are locked up. The guard opens a door and motions for me to enter, the room bare except for a small table and two matching chairs.

“The prisoner will be here in a moment, Mrs. Tempest. Please, have a seat.” I nod my head in thanks and choose to remain standing. I lean against the far wall and cross my arms over my chest to disguise the shaking in my hands. I may look the part but the truth is I am fucking terrified. This man was named The Butcher for a reason, I’ve seen the pictures of his victims. The name is fitting. He stumped many people with his surgical cuts and how clean he dismembered the bodies of his victims.

My train of thought is interrupted when the door on the other side of the room unlocks. My breath lodges in my throat when it’s pushed open. Two guards step through the threshold with Alexander behind them followed by two more guards. I avert my gaze, not ready to lay eyes upon him just yet. The guards secure his handcuffs to the metal hooks on the table, his ankles are cuffed to the horse shoe bolts in the ground next.

“When you’re finished, call out, we’ll be just outside the door,” one of the guards say as the four of them leave. The sound of the door clicking shut behind them has fear skyrocketing inside me. I thought I was brave enough to do this but it seems I was just a timid little girl trying to play boss bitch. I try to keep my composure but I still don’t have the strength to actually look at him. Even with all the press surrounding his arrest, not a single picture of him was leaked, he had no social media presence.

He was a ghost.

“You came all this way, the least you could do is look at me.” His voice is raspy and deep, the sound alone sends a shiver down my spine.

We’ll be at your side and your back protecting you from every angle.

Ezekiel’s words from last night play through my mind and give me the courage I need to make it through this. I slowly turn my head to look at the notorious killer. The instant I lock eyes with him I gasp.

He is not what I was expecting!

The news said he was hideous, old and deranged. I expected to see an old balding man with a potbelly and sweat stains, not this ! Alexander Denver is… fucking gorgeous!

The orange jumpsuit does nothing to diminish his beauty. His hair is shoulder length, it's brown with streaks of blond through it. It’s clear he must be lifting weights in his yard time. His brown eyes are the lightest shade of brown I have ever seen. Tattoos cover the tops of his hands and his neck, I can see some ink cover the tops of his chest thanks to the top buttons on his jumpsuit being left undone. I can tell he is tall even from him sitting. Those handcuffs don’t look strong enough to hold him if he wanted to break free and snap my neck. Alexander runs his gaze over me and to my utter surprise his eyes never once linger on my tits, he keeps them focused on my face which shouldn’t impress me but it does.

“I won’t hurt you.” The sincerity in his voice shouldn’t settle my nerves but it somehow does.

“I know who you are,” I find myself blurting out.

His features grow taut. “And who exactly is that?” God, the growl in his voice is fucking alluring, he wouldn’t even need to kidnap his victims he would just need to speak and they would follow him like the call of a siren.

“I’ve seen the pictures.”

“And I’m sure there are many images of you on the internet but none of them really show who you truly are, do they?” His reply stumps me. “Did you come all this way to judge me and tell me what you think you know or was there another reason?”

I uncross my arms and let them dangle uselessly at my sides as I search his eyes. When I don’t see any ill intent, I slowly make my way toward the table and slowly lower into the vacant chair, never once taking my eyes off him. His eyes, God, they hold so much fucking pain and it robs me of breath. How can a convicted murderer have such a painfilled look in his eyes?

“Did you do it?” I ask.

“Do what?” His face is impassive and it makes me incredibly hard to fucking read.

“Did you kill Kelly Valerian?” I grit out through clenched teeth. His brows draw in and form a deep V. His eyes skate between my own trying to read me but he won’t see shit.

“Isn’t she the step mother of the bastard who murdered my sister?”

“Yes.”

Alexander scoffs and shakes his head as he leans back in his chair, well as far as his restraints will let him. “You’ve read all the articles online and clearly seen the news. How many bodies did they find?”

I gape at him. “They found over thirty!” I shout.

“Exactly!” he snaps back, causing me to shrink back slightly. “And were any of those fucking bodies women?”

I open my mouth but snap it closed. I try to recall everything I have read and seen in his file. My eyes widen and my jaw unhinges when the answer hits me. “You never touched a woman.”

He flicks his hands in a duh gesture. “You may think I'm an animal but even I have a code, and hurting women and children isn’t something I do. I punish the guilty, not the innocent.” I sit here and let his words sink in slowly. He has never hurt a woman which means, my key suspect—my only suspect—isn’t a suspect at all. “Why did you send me that letter, Vivian?”

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and focus back on him. “Huh?”

“You told me who killed my sister, why?”

I dart my tongue to moisten my lips, unlike Ez, Arch or Hayze he doesn’t follow the movement just keeps his eyes on mine. “Because he deserves to pay for what he did to her. She wasn’t the only one he hurt—” I clamp my mouth closed when his eyes darken and his fists clenched on top of the table. His nostrils flare and his breathing turns shallow as he tries to control his anger. My body takes on a mind of its own, I reach out without thought and place my hand atop of his. Instantly he stops shaking and his eyes slowly return to their normal color. When I attempt to remove my hand, he twists his own quickly and traps my hand in his. My eyes widen in panic and my breathing now mirrors his from a second ago. Fear has me gripped in its clutches.

“I will never hurt you, Vivian, you have my word.” Call me fucking crazy but I believe him. When he smiles it’s small and doesn’t reach his eyes but I slowly begin to relax and stop fighting to get my hand free. I let him hold it. His hands are calloused and rough and it feels strange having my hand held by a serial killer. I know the guys have done things but I have never seen what they have done with my own eyes like I have with Alex.

Alex?

Since when did we get comfortable enough to start giving each other pet names?

“Nexus hurt more girls, your sister was just the one who sadly didn’t get away.” His breath stutters for a moment. “I’m so sorry for what he did to her. None of us had any idea until last year what a real fucking piece of shit he is.”

“He was never on my radar when I began my search, my sister never hung out with rich preppy boys. Elanor wasn’t like most sixteen-year-old girls, she was weird and loved books.” The smile that stretches across his face is filled with love and pain. “She would get so angry when I would annoy her while she was reading. I still remember the last book she didn’t get a chance to finish reading.”

“What was it?” I ask quietly.

“ Beautiful Liar by Jerry Pratt or something like that. It was a mafia book about a girl and three guys. Ellie loved those types of books and it used to drive me insane when she would tell me that she would never just end up with one guy, she wanted three like the girls in her books.” I feel my cheeks begin to heat, much like his sister. I too have read my fair share of reverse harem books and I envied those girls in the stories. I was never brave enough to ever dream about the three guys I wanted most to ever love me and find a way to make a relationship between the four of us work but somehow… they found a way. “What Ellie failed to see was that my two best friends wanted to be two guys in her harem.”

I gasp and my jaw unhinges. “Your best friends?” He nods. “And you didn’t murder them?”

He scoffs and shakes his head. “Vatican and Pope would have given their life for her and loved her like no other. They would have cherished my sister and treated her like a queen. It would have been an honor for me to watch them love her.”

“Wow,” I breathe out.

“I assume your brother didn’t take it well when his best friends confessed to loving you?”

My brows hit my hairline. “How do you know that?”

He rolls his eyes. “I may be a caged dog but that doesn’t mean my pack isn’t still out there.”

“You don’t seem like a dog.”

“I’m not, I’m the alpha.” The conviction in which he says that sends a shiver down my spine. I don’t doubt him. I can tell from the way he holds himself and naturally commands attention without trying that he would be an imposing force against any man.

“How old are you?” I blurt without thinking, then smile sheepishly. He laughs and the sound is melodic and strange, seeing a man that looks like him laugh brings a real smile to my own face. He releases my hand and relaxes into his chair so I do the same.

“So, we’re asking personal questions now?”

I purse my lips and shrug. “I guess so.”

“I’m twenty-six.”

“I assume you already know how old I am?”

“Nineteen, you have a twin brother who is a few minutes older than you. You have a budding relationship with three of his best friends, his girlfriend is your best friend who is–sorry was—was the stepsister of the cunt that took my sister from me.”

“Should I be worried you know so much about me?”

He shrugs. “Depends, do you have anything to be worried about?” he counters.

“More than I want to admit,” I say bitterly.

“Want to know something?”

I nod. “Sure.”

“Ever since you sent me that letter I’ve had my pack tracking you and garnering every piece of information they could. Turns out you have more skeletons in your closet than a graveyard.”

I chortle. “Nice reference.”

“I try my best to please.”

“What skeletons are you referring to?” I press.

“For starters, you are the lordess of a brotherhood that is planning to kill you.” I gasp.

“What?”

“You may think I’m a monster, Vivian, but I can assure you that what they have planned for you is much worse than what I have done. If I was you, I would do my best to finish… I guess we shall call it a hostile takeover and get out.”

I swallow audibly and stare at him with wide eyes. “How do you know about that ?” I hiss.

“Lividica?” I stare at him with my jaw practically in my lap. “I know a lot. Halo managed to find a lot of things about you, Mrs. Tempest .”

“Who the hell is Halo?”

“Halo is my hacker, he can find anything out about anyone. People think they don’t leave a trace behind but they're wrong. You just have to be smart enough to look in the right places and he does. I’m not saying this to scare you, I’m telling you this because…” He clamps his mouth closed and turns away from me, it takes a second for me to realize what he was going to say.

“I remind you of Elanor,” I whisper, he growls and grinds his teeth.

Slowly he turns back to face me and the guilt ridden look in his eyes robs me of air. “I couldn’t save my sister, but I have a chance to help you and I am offering you my help if you want it.”

“What's the debt?” I ask on instinct.

His brows pull in. “There isn’t one. I have nothing but time in here, helping you would keep my mind active instead of focusing on my retrial.”

“Your what?”

His face turns serious. “Do you know why I am serving three life sentences?”

“For the murders?”

“Yes, but do you know which ones?” I shake my head, I didn’t exactly focus on that part of his conviction. “I was convicted for the murders of three girls.”

“But… but you don’t hurt women.” I sound like an idiot but I can’t find it within myself to care.

“No, I don’t. Someone went through great lengths to frame me and I have a feeling I know who the fuck it was and that cunt will pay for this.”

“Who was it?”

His eyes turn murderous. “Thomas Valerian.”

I reel back. “He didn’t know what Nexus?—”

“If you really believe that cunt didn’t know what his son did, then you are deluded. There is nothing Thomas doesn’t know, he was never on my radar. I had no idea why I was being arrested that day. My lawyer proved I was nowhere near where those girls were murdered but the judge still ruled against me and it wasn’t until I got your letter that we started digging into Nexus and his family. Turns out, Judge Garfield is a dear friend of Thomas.”

“Oh my God, they set you up!”

“Oh, they did more than that. The girls that were murdered were butchered but not by me. Any witnesses suddenly disappeared, those girls' families are nowhere to be found now. I am serving three life sentences because that cunts' son murdered my sister and this is his way of keeping me silent.”

“Let me help you,” I blurt out without thought. Alexander jerks in surprise but I can’t find it within myself to take back my offer, so I push on. “Help me find the person who killed my best friend's mom and sent me letters and I will help you get out.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“You said you know about the Saints. If that is true, then you know we have lawyers, judges and… well, we did have a DA but his head was delivered to me as well.”

“Fuck, Clive Bruce?”

I nod. “Yeah, did you know him?”

“I actually did. He was trying to help me. I just met with him a couple of weeks ago.” I study him for a moment trying to piece everything together. I was led to believe that Clive was the one who put Alex behind bars and made evidence disappear.

“Clive offered you a deal, didn’t he?”

Alex smiles. “You are very perceptive.”

“Don’t patronize me, I get enough of that from my brother.”

“Don’t be hard on your brother, it’s his job to keep you safe.”

“Don’t avoid my question.”

“Yes. Clive offered me a deal.”

“What deal?” I push.

“That’s a conversation for another time.”

I huff out my annoyance. “Whatever.”

“Vivian?”

“What?”

He turns somber and his eyes take on a furlong look. “If you are serious about helping me get out of here, then I will help you but just so you know, I would have helped you regardless.”

“Why? You don’t know me and yet here you are offering to help me track a killer.”

“Because I would have given anything for someone to have helped my sister that night. I meant it when I told you that I’m not the monster you think I am. What you have read about me isn’t everything you think it to be. My only stipulation for helping you is that no one touches Nexus Valerian. I have plans for that cunt that make dying in hell seem like a daydream.”