“I don’t think anyone wants Asa released. I don’t think they ever did.” Devon draped her arms over the back of the sofa, deciding it was time to test her theory out on him. “I think the reason he hasn’t given you any more names is that he’s been telling you the truth all along—he has none left to give you.”
“What are you saying?”
“Probably something you’ve already considered. You’re not stupid. Surely you’ve wondered if this is even about Asa at all. Surely you’ve asked yourself if maybe someone used him to muddy the waters and hide the real motivation behind what they’re doing.”
Finn’s gaze slid briefly to the side. “It occurred to me, yes. My sentinels and I all discussed it. We agreed it’s possible that someone was trying to hurt me through one of my children.”
“I think it’s more than that. So do Tanner and Jolene.” She twisted her mouth. “Lockwood said something that got us thinking.”
“I knew you were all holding back something,” he said, a muscle in his cheek jumping. “Go on, what did he say?”
“He said the person who hired him told him they knew where I was hiding my mother, and that—and I quote—‘that bitch Pamela needs to pay.’ If this was only about hurting Pamela, there would have been no reason for anyone to bring you into it; they could have asked Jolene to make some sort of trade for me. If this was only about hurting you, someone would have been more likely to kidnap Reena, Spencer, or Kaye. But it was me who was taken. It was you who would have been asked to ‘save’ me. And it was Pamela who was poisoned just yesterday.”
His confrontational manner slipped away in an instant. He blinked slowly. “Poisoned?”
“Her heart even stopped at one point, but the doctors managed to stabilize her.” Feeling her nails pricking her palms, she forced her hands to unclench. “This whole tangle of shit has been woven around the three of us. As I see it, there are only four people in our lives who would truly wish us all such harm.”
Her jerked back, mouth slack with shock. And then he vigorously shook his head. “No.”
“Push through that denial, Finn. It isn’t going to help us. Don’t you want this to be over?”
He slanted his body away from her. “No. My children wouldn’t do this. Leticia wouldn’t do this.”
“You hurt them, Finn. You betrayed them. Broke their trust. Fathered a child to another woman. Probably even lost a little of their respect. They had a cushy life, and the discovery of my existence swept the rug right out from under them. Everything changed—”
“Leticia forgave me! They all did!”
“Did they really? How certain are you of that?” Personally, Devon wouldn’t have found any of it so easy to forgive. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could truly forgive Tanner if he betrayed her that way. Wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to take him back.
“None of them have the ability to speak through people,” he pointed out.
Knuckles rapped hard on the door. “Mr. Moseley?” Eric called out.
Finn sighed. “Give me a moment, Devon.”
It was pure nosiness that made her walk to the far end of the living area so she could hear what Eric said. Finn opened the door, and a familiar figure barged past him right into the apartment. It wasn’t Eric.
*
“Where is the bomb?” Knox hissed at the demon.
“You know I will not tell you that,” it said.
He hurled an orb of hellfire at the demon, knocking it to the ground. “Where is it?”
The demon sat upright, chest sizzling where the hellfire ate at its flesh. “You are wasting time asking me what I will not tell you.”
The Prime conjured another blazing orb. “You will tell me.”
Tanner didn’t believe so. “It’s not afraid of pain or of dying; it’s not going to tell you anything. We need to kill it and then search Muriel’s room.”
“He’s right, Knox,” said Levi. “It wants this place to blow, it’s happy to die knowing it took a whole building full of people with it. Let’s just get this part over with fast and find that fucking bomb.”
The orb in Knox’s hand brightened, grew, and buzzed louder. And then, jaw set, he tossed it at the demon. The orb smashed into its head, caving in three-quarters of its skull, killing it instantly. The demon flopped to the floor like a ragdoll, and the hellfire ate at its flesh. Tanner knew the corpse would be ashes in moments.
“We need to get everybody out,” said Knox.
After sealing the detention room, Knox ordered his staff to evacuate the building. He, Tanner, and Levi then searched every inch of Muriel’s room. They rummaged through her suitcase, upturned furniture, rifled through the wardrobes and dresser, checked every nook and cranny.